They sweated it out in the end, but theNittany Lions were able to pull out a victory over the Washington Huskies 28-25. Carson Hansen and Chase Sowell starred in an electrifying first half display where the Nittany Lions had 303 total yards, more than they ha in Big Ten games this season. Still, there was a worrying comeback attempt that exposed the defensive frailties that occurred pre-bye week. That's why this game wasn't perfect. Still, the Nittany Lions come away with a second straight Big Ten win and is looking like they could potentially contend for bowl eligibility.
Here is a look at the postgame report card for the Nittany Lions against Washington.
Quarterback: B
For some reason, Rocco Becht can never have a complete Big Ten performance. In the first
half of the game, Becht was 11 of 17 for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. His chemistry with both Zay Robinson and Chase Sowell was on point and it allowed the Nittany Lions to score with ease on four of six first half possessions. Then the second half came. He only completed five passes for 47 yards and didn't lead a single scoring drive. Had the Nittany Lions blown this lead, he probably wouldn't have heard the end of it from fans. Still, he did enough to win and did not turn the ball over, albeit with a couple nervy moments sprinkled in.
Running Backs: B+
This was more of an efficient rather than an explosive performance by the Penn State running backs. Unlike last week, they were held under 200 yards and it was a similar committee approach. As predicted,Carson Hansenshown early and was the leading rusher for the squad with 119 yards on 14 carries and a 12 yard touchdown. Meanwhile, Cam Wallace had the other rushing touchdown on the day and finished with 56 yards. While not the breakout game of last week, they played a pivotal role in how the blue and white won this game.
Receivers and Tight Ends: B+
Where would the Nittany Lions be without the play of Chase Sowell? Back from injury, Sowell was easily the brightest offensive star for the Nittany Lions on the day. He had four catches for 125 yards and a touchdown as well as several highlight reel catches. Other than that however, there was nothing of note from the rest of the corps, as the next best receiver was Brett Eskildsen with four catches for 36 yards. Still, it's nice to know that a player of Sowell's caliber can carry the weight for a Jekyll and Hyde offense.
Defense: C+
Much like with Rocco Becht, it was a tale of two halves for the Penn State defense. After only allowing only 6 points and 114 yards for the entire first half, they gave up 183 and 19 points in the second half. Demond Williams Jr. went from only throwing for 36 yards to 172. They also continue to struggle to contain the running as six running backs for the Huskies combined for 134 yards on the ground. As much as D'anton Lynn must have applauded the group at halftime, he'll definitely be agitated with how the unit closed the game out.
Special Teams: B
It was a humdrum day for the Penn State special teams unit. Tyan Barker made all four of his extra points, yet did not attempt a field goal. Nathan Tiyce had four punts that combined for a total of 160 yards with a long of 43. The only letdown was Zay Robinson, who only had one punt return for a measly 10 yards.
Coaching: B-
A win is a win, but yet again, Matt Campbell nearly let another Big Ten win slip away. It's clear that Penn State won't look wholly complete, and that is partly down to Matt Campbell and his staff. While collecting consecutive Big Ten wins feels good for the program, this team could still lose this season. Yes, Rutgers and Maryland are not the toughest of opponents, but Minnesota sure is. Campbell is gonna need to figure out a lot of different things with this group before I feel confident saying they could win out.
Overall: C+
If you just look at the first half of this game, the Nittany Lions were nearly flawless. Rocco Becht and the offense were firing on all cylinders and the defense was lights out. Then, they allowed a slightly hobbled QB to get back into the game with two touchdown drives where the defense looked inept. The offense was absolutely atrocious as well, until the final drive to close out the game. Overall, fans will take it, but they know they can't accept it for how sloppy it ended up being.
Up next for Penn State
Penn State will return home to Beaver Stadium to take on Minnesota on Saturday, November 14. As of now the start time has yet to be confirmed.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State postgame report card: Grading Nittany Lions vs. Washington
