Penn State Football 2018 Season Rewind: Citrus Bowl ends in heartache

Penn State football saw its season end in heartache

The 2018 season did not go the way that many around Penn State football though it would. After back-to-back seasons of at least 10 wins, and an impressive victory over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl, the Nittany Lions looked primed to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, things didn’t work out, and the Nittany Lions found themselves with a 9-3 regular season and a date against Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.

Despite playing in sunny Orlando on New Year’s Day, it was hard to get real excited for a matchup with the Wildcats. Sure, they were a surprise team in the SEC all season, and boasted a top-five potential pick in the upcoming NFL Draft on the defensive line, but there just didn’t seem to be much luster around the game.

Head coach James Franklin and his players said all the right things heading up to the Citrus Bowl, but it was clear that some of the excitement and motivation had left the team.

The Nittany Lions looked uninspired, and, thanks to two disasters on special teams, quickly found themselves down 10-0 in the first quarter.

Penn State played well on defense, but could get absolutely nothing rolling on offense early on. A one-yard touchdown pass from Trace McSorley to backup tight end Nick Bowers was the only offense the Nittany Lions managed in the first half.

Kentucky came out in the second half and completely took over the game, scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a commanding 27-7 lead into the final frame.

Meanwhile for Penn State, things got even worse when it was reported that Trace McSorley suffered a broken foot. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, that was a case of some bad misinformation, and McSorley came out and made the most of his final quarter in the Blue and White.

The senior quarterback literally put the team on his shoulders and tried to gut out a victory. He started the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 13. He later hit tight end Pat Freiermuth in the end zone on an 18-yard pass to pull the Nittany Lions to within six points with nine minutes remaining.

Momentum had clearly swung to the Penn State side of the field, and Jake Pinegar hit a field goal to cut the deficit to three with four minutes left, it seemed that the Nittany Lions and their senior quarterback were in for a miraculous ending.

However, that was not to be. Kentucky used its strong rushing attack, lead by Benny Senll Jr, to milk to clock and keep the ball away from the Nittany Lions.

In the end, Penn State wound up on the wrong end of a 27-24 result.

McSorley finished the game with 246 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Nittany Lions with 19 carries for 75 yards. Senior wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins has a solid performance in his final game with the Nittany Lions, making four catches for 74 yards.

Losing to Kentucky certainly wasn’t the end that Penn State wanted to its season, but the fight that the team showed to get back into the game could provide momentum heading into the new season.