SEATTLE – After a grueling four-game losing streak, the Penn State Nittany Lions have now won two in a row after upending the Washington Huskies, 28-25, in a Big Ten football game.
The win puts Penn State above .500 at 5-4. The Nittany Lions are now 5-0 all-time against Washington.
THE GAME: The Huskies (5-4) made the best of their opening possession with a field goal. Penn State came right back on its first offensive series to score a touchdown. Quarterback Rocco Becht threw a 13-yard pass to Brett Eskildsen and then tossed a 12-yard completion to Andrew Rappleyea. Running back Carson Hansen ran for 20 yards on the next play. Hansen finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run.
The Nittany Lions extended the lead to 14-3 after marching 68 yards on 10 plays. The key play was a 32-yard pass from Becht to wide receiver Chase Sowell. The final play of the possession was a 24-yard touchdown reception by Zay Robinson.
Penn State needed just two plays to make it 21-3. Following a 10-yard run by Hansen, Becht threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Sowell across the deep middle. Ryan Barker kicked his third extra point of the game.
The Huskies were kept short of the end zone on their next possession and had to settle for a field goal to make it 21-6.
The Nittany Lions punctuated the first half when running back Cam Wallace burst through the middle and ran 46 yards to paydirt. Barker’s point after touchdown gave Penn State a seemingly commanding 28-6 lead at the half.
Washington staged an epic rally in the second half, outscoring Penn State 19-0 to pull within three points. But the Nittany Lions took possession with 7:40 remaining and never gave the ball back, running out the clock with a 14-play drive to seal the victory.
THE NUMBERS: Penn State outgained Washington 414-306. That total included 174 yards rushing. There wasn’t much disparity in time of possession. Penn State possessed the ball for 31:14.
Sowell caught four passes for 125 yards with one touchdown. Hansen anchored the running attack with 119 yards on 14 carries. Wallace ran for 56 yards on seven carries. Becht completed 16 of 27 passes for 240 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Defensively, Tony Rojas and Kooper Ebel each finished with eight tackles.
THE NEXT GAME: Penn State will host Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 14. Coverage on FS1 begins at 7 p.m.
