Penn State came out of Ann Arbor with another familiar frustration, this one a 21-18 loss to Michigan that stretched the Nittany Lions’ losing streak to four straight.
Wide receiver Chase Sowell gave Penn State a real bright spot, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t turn that into enough offense or enough finishing power down the stretch. Michigan’s second-half run game took over, and Penn State again left too many openings unused.
Sowell was the one receiver Rocco Becht could count on all night. Even though he showed up on the availability report Thursday with an injury and entered Saturday as probable, Sowell handled the challenge anyway. He caught four passes on Penn State’s opening drive, including one in tight traffic, and kept finding ways to stay involved whether he had separation or had to win contested balls.
The problem was that almost nobody else filled that role. Outside of Sowell, tight end Andrew Rappleyea was the next most-targeted pass catcher, though he disappeared after the second quarter until Penn State’s final drive.
Sowell’s final line said plenty about how much the offense leaned on him: 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. With Koby Howard’s return coming soon, Penn State could use another receiver to lighten that load, because Sowell accounted for nearly half the team’s receptions.
Penn State’s inability to close out games showed up again, too. After the White Out loss to USC, Campbell and the players talked about growth, but Saturday brought more of the same kind of missed chances. The Nittany Lions led 3-0 at halftime, and the defense had already picked off Bryce Underwood twice to keep Michigan scoreless through the opening two quarters.
Then the game flipped.
Michigan’s rushing attack started dictating the terms in the second half, and the Wolverines made Penn State pay for two turnovers with two rushing touchdowns. Bryson Kuzdzal ripped off a 43-yard run and Savion Hiter answered with a 41-yarder, each one opening the door for Michigan to seize control. Penn State, meanwhile, got nothing from its own two turnovers.
The Nittany Lions still had chances to claw back, but they couldn’t put together the kind of drive that changes momentum. Michigan’s adjustment on the ground never really got matched by a Penn State response, and the defense wound up absorbing the damage as the offense stalled. The result was 21 second-half points allowed and another game that got away.
The ground game remains the other major problem, and it looked stuck again against Michigan. Penn State leaned on the pass because the run game never got rolling for the fourth straight contest.
Carson Hansen was the lead back and he did score on a 2-yard run, but he managed just 3.4 yards per carry on 15 attempts. Seven of those carries went for two yards or fewer, and Quinton Martin Jr., one of Penn State’s “most explosive guys” in running back Quinton Martin Jr., according to Taylor Mouser, never had room to work with on either of his carries.
For the second game in a row, Penn State’s longest run came from Becht, who picked up 9 yards on the ground. None of the three featured backs broke a run longer than eight yards, and that lack of burst is becoming a defining issue. In a conference built around the run game, Penn State’s struggles on the ground through seven games under Campbell look like the kind of problem that won’t be fully solved before the season ends.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Got A Court Decision They Will Have Strong Feelings About
A Centre County judge has declined to ease a parole restriction that keeps Braeden A. Phillips away from Penn State football games and wrestling matches, a decision that will resonate with plenty of fans who have followed the case. Judge Brian Marshall denied Phillips request to loosen the condition, which bars him from attending those events as part of the terms tied to his release.
Phillips pleaded guilty to making violent threats against State College Area High School and must stay at least 100 feet away from Penn State and other schools under his parole conditions. Marshall did leave the door open to a future request for a modification, but for now the restriction remains in place. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Just Got A New Twist In The Kayne Clary Saga
Kayne Clarys legal fight with Penn State has come to an abrupt halt, at least for now. The former Nittany Lions basketball captain has discontinued his federal defamation and unjust enrichment lawsuit against the university, coach Mike Rhoades and others, ending a case that had accused the program of intimidation, retaliation, slander and illegal use of his Name, Image and Likeness.
The move comes during the discovery stage, before the case had reached a courtroom test of those claims. Clary was suspended and dismissed from the team before moving on to Mississippi State and then Oklahoma State, and the latest development leaves Penn State with one less off-court issue to navigate even as the circumstances around his departure still linger in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Gets Encouraging Sign Before Tough Michigan Trip
Penn State heads into Ann Arbor with a familiar challenge in front of it, and the latest injury report at least gives both sides a clearer picture of who will be available for a game with real weight. The Nittany Lions are still dealing with several players sidelined, including some season-ending injuries, as they prepare for a matchup at the Big House, where their recent track record has not been kind.
Michigans report adds another layer of uncertainty, with two defensive ends listed as questionable ahead of kickoff. For Penn State, any edge matters on a trip that has not gone well lately, and the availability of a few key players could help shape whether this becomes another tough afternoon in Ann Arbor or a chance to finally change the feel of the series. [Read more 🡒]