Penn State Football: Grading the Nittany Lions vs. Minnesota

Penn State football suffered its first loss of the season at Minnesota, 31-26, to fall to 8-1 on the year.

In the first game after Penn State football was ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Nittany Lions fell to No. 17 Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium 31-26.

After a blazing start from Minnesota, Penn State was in a 24-10 hole late in the first half. The Nittany Lions were able to mount a comeback and come within five points, but the team ultimately was unable to score to take the lead on the final drive of the game.

There’s no doubt Penn State played their worst game of the season, as they allowed a season-high 31 points while also losing the turnover battle 3-1. In addition, Penn State’s offense was inefficient, as they had 518 total yards, but only scored 26 points.

In six red-zone trips, the Nittany Lions only scored 20 points, kicking two field goals and scoring two touchdowns. The other two red-zone trips ended on a turnover on downs, and then a penalty, which pushed Penn State out of the red zone before Sean Clifford threw an interception to end the game.

This Penn State team isn’t built for a shootout like it was in 2016 and 2017. The offense simply isn’t as good, and when you’re playing in a high-scoring game, you can’t leave points on the board as the Nittany Lions did.

It was a crushing loss for Penn State, but there is a silver lining. The path to a Big Ten Championship and path to the College Football Playoff remains the same after this loss. The Nittany Lions need to win out and beat Indiana, Ohio State, and Rutgers, and they’re in the Big Ten Championship game. If they win that, they’ll be in the playoff. This season is FAR from over.

Where Penn State does take a hit is in potential bowl games. Another loss would potentially push the Nittany Lions out of New Year’s Six Bowl contention, depending on the status of other top-ranked teams. Also, if Penn State had beat Minnesota, it likely would have locked up a spot in the, at minimum, Rose Bowl if the Nittany Lions won the games they were supposed to win the rest of the way. Now, the Rose Bowl will likely be Minnesota’s.

Let’s get to this week’s positional grades.