What they're saying about Penn State football's loss to Michigan

Penn State Nittany Lions football came out on the losing end of a chaotic fourth quarter Saturday at Beaver Stadium, falling 21-17 to the Michigan Wolverines.

Here’s what they’re saying about the game:

Nate Bauer, BWI, Penn State standout defensive performance offset by late-game letdown

 “The Wolverines’ vaunted rushing attack produced only 158 yards on 33 carries. And, despite the quality of the effort, the Nittany Lions lost anyway.

“They’re a really good football team that we battled for four quarters. I thought defensively, we did enough to give us the chance to win the game,” Franklin said. “We limited points and limited explosive plays until the end.” 

That last bit proved to be the game’s deciding factor.

Taking an improbable 17-14 lead with 5:55 remaining, what had been the Nittany Lions’ strength transformed into a weakness.

Capped by a 47-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cade McNamara to tight end Erick All, the Wolverines’ late deficit turned into a 21-17 lead. And, against everything established by Penn State’s defense to that point, it came in a span of 75 yards over just six plays and less than three minutes.

Central to Michigan’s game-winning explosive play, one that nearly doubled the next-closest big play for the Wolverines’ offense all afternoon, was a busted sequence for Penn State’s defense.

Having stopped Hassan Haskins the play before to set up second-and-10, the Nittany Lions got tangled up between the hashes. Daequan Hardy and Kalen King collided, leaving McNamara two open options in front of the back judge. Choosing his tight end, the Michigan quarterback hit All in stride.

Only King and Ji’Ayir Brown had an opportunity to make a play on the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder. But it was too late. Finally shoving All at the 2-yard line, the Wolverine crossed the goal line to give Michigan its game-winning lead.”

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David Eckert, BWI, Penn State football can’t handle Wolverine pass rush in Michigan loss

“Michigan’s seven sacks are the most posted by the Wolverines this year, and easily the most surrendered by the Nittany Lions.

The criticism of Penn State’s offensive line for much of the season revolved around the unit’s run blocking issues.

The inverse was true on Saturday. Keyvone Lee ran for 88 yards on the ground, one of the best showings by a Penn State running back this season. Conversely, it seemed like every Clifford drop back carried risk.

Hutchinson sacked Clifford three times. Ojabo got home twice.

Postgame, Hutchinson said the Wolverines identified this as a game where their pass rush could feast. Clifford tends to hold the ball, Hutchinson said, and Michigan knew it could take advantage of that.”

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Greg Pickel, BWI, The big Penn State problem that there’s no easy fix for with three games to go: One big thing

“It was another game where the Lions couldn’t score enough points to win despite a mostly fine defensive effort in a season full of them.

Worse yet, there is no quick fix for one of the biggest things that ails this 6-4 program with two regular season games to go.

“We have played hard, but we haven’t made enough big plays,” Franklin said. “You take Jahan Dotson out, and we’re not making enough big plays or explosive plays.

“We’ve done that for a really long time, and I don’t know if we’ve had very many explosive runs all year long, so that is something we’re going to have to look at hard, but I think that’s the biggest issue. We just don’t have enough explosiveness besides Jahan Dotson.”

It’s the quiet secret that has led the Lions to where they are today.”

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Bob Flounders, PennLive, Has Penn State decided on a feature back? Keyvone Lee makes the list of Lions who shined vs. Michigan

“Lee was Penn State’s most productive runner in the first nine games but was part of a timeshare with Noah Cain and John Lovett. The Lions stuck with the 239-pound Lee most of the way against the Wolverines and he produced 88 yards on a season-high 20 carries. Penn State still does not have a 100-yard rusher this season.”

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Ben Jones, StateCollege.com, Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Face Big Picture Challenges Moving Forward

“It’s the tendency to blame Franklin for a close defeat, but the equally compelling truth Penn State has perhaps done more with less.

Or to state it otherwise, Penn State nearly beat a Top 10 opponent on Saturday with a team that can’t run the ball, has a slightly above average quarterback and effectively a single consistent big play threat. Despite being greatly flawed they are also far more competitive than they ought to be.”

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Sports Illustrated, Ross Dellinger, Michigan Flips the Script in Critical Win Over Penn State: ‘If That’s Not Grit, What Is?’

“Jim Harbaugh’s squads normally folded in this scenario—on the road against a ranked team in a tight game. The Wolverines had already coughed up a fourth-quarter lead, gone four consecutive second-half possessions without points and seemed simply buried.

We’d all seen this movie before, right? It has had Michigan fans crawling into a hole for years, a nightmarish rendition played out year after season after season.

Not this time. Not this year.”

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Anthony Broome, The Wolverine, How Michigan football reversed a cursed trend in win at Penn State

“Michigan is firmly committed to making things more difficult on itself than it needs to be for whatever reason. It has been a staple of the Jim Harbaugh era. The Wolverines often fail to put teams away in this showdown-type of situation. Sometimes the moment is too big for a player. Someone might miss an assignment or drop a pass. Maybe a penalty occurs somewhere. Perhaps the play call fizzles out.

Whatever it is, Michigan fans have seen it. The cover-all bingo card is full. Saturday was different and emblematic of a program that has been through everything. Harbaugh has been content to hammer away and lean on the run game in defense to put away wins. It works against lesser opponents, but rarely in the big ones. However, sometimes you just have to execute the plays that are called.

Mission accomplished.”

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