Penn State heads to Michigan Stadium on Saturday in the midst of a three-game Big Ten losing streak. Matt Campbell’s crew is looking to salvage what feels like an already lost season.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Lions rode an even longer losing skid into Ann Arbor before coming away with a completely forgettable win. That was in 2020 and it’s the focus of today’s Lion Tales.
Hopefully you’ve mostly forgotten the 2020 college football season. It was supposed to a big one for James Franklin and
the Nittany Lions, who were coming off a win in the Cotton Bowl and returned a lot of starpower.
But Covid canceled spring practice, not allowing first-year coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca to install his offense. The Big Ten went back-and-forth on playing a season, which ultimately led to All-American Micah Parsons opting out of his senior season for the Lions. Lastly, returning running back star Journey Brown would be forced to medically retire after a heart ailment was discovered.
Ultimately, Penn State played a nine-game conference only schedule that opened in October with a controversial loss at Indiana. Then there was a “White Out” national telecast in an empty Beaver Stadium that saw Ohio State knock off the Lions.
The ugly losses weren’t done yet as Penn State then lost to Maryland, Nebraska, and Iowa to drop to 0-5, the longest losing streak of the Franklin era until last season.
Michigan wasn’t much better to start the season. The Wolverines were 2-3 ahead of the Nov. 28 game against Penn State, having just beaten Rutgers in three overtimes.
But out of nowhere, with no fans at all allowed in Michigan Stadium, Penn State finally found some footing.
Keyvone Lee and Sean Clifford had first-half touchdown runs, while Jake Pinegar booted a field goal and Penn State led 17-7 against the Wolverines at the break.
Both teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter and then Hassan Haskins powered in to pull Michigan within three points at 20-17 in the fourth quarter.
The Ciarrocca offense, which Franklin had believed would be good for running the ball and protecting leads, did just that with one final touchdown drive. Will Levis, used mostly as a battering ram of a running back up quarterback, powered in from two yards out midway through the final period and Penn State had the 27-17 lead it would hold onto.
Clifford passed for 163 yards in the game, while Lee played his finest game in a Penn State uniform with 134 yards on 6.1 yards per carry. Freshman Parker Washington emerged as the Lions’ top receiving target on the day, hauling in nine catches for 93 yards.
Penn State would actually build some momentum to close the shortened season. This game sparked a four-game winning streak with victories against Rutgers, Michigan State, and Illinois all coming by at least two scores.
Michigan would not play again, declaring no contests in its next three scheduled games – including not playing rival Ohio State.
The Wolverines and Lions have played three times since with Michigan claiming three straight wins, including a pair of hard fought defensive battles in Happy Valley.
