Lions prevent history from repeating itself
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As the Penn State Nittany Lions were turning what appeared to be a walk in the park into a nightmare, head coach Matt Campbell admitted he couldn't help but think back to the season's lowest moment that wrecked his Big Ten home opener.
"It was reminiscent of the Wisconsin game," he said.
Only this time, Campbell said, Penn State "drew a line in the sand.”
The result was a 28-25 victory over Washington on Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium in which the Lions somehow hung on and finished strong at the same time.
Penn State (now 5-4) could not have played better in the first half, combining its best offensive showing of the year - 303 yards before halftime - with a capable defense and rolling to a 28-6 lead.
Then it came out of the locker room, and it all changed over the next 30 minutes: Its defense was suddenly vulnerable and its offense laid a goose egg.
Until it mattered most.
With 7:40 remaining and the Lions having squandered their lead, and encouraged the home crowd, they took over at their own 25 with a three-point advantage (28-25) and never gave the ball back.
They did it with 10 straight runs in what looked like an old-school display of Penn State football - right down to taking three straight knees after having advanced to the Washington 1.
"You see the team we want to be," Campbell said. "A run game travels."
Carson Hansen rushed for 119 yards (on 14 carries) and Cam Wallace added 56. Both scored in the first half.
Hansen accounted for 45 of his yards on the final drive as he and Rocco Becht displayed a toughness the team lacked earlier in the season.
Campbell singled out the offensive line.
"We had to run the football," he said. "In the first half and really when we needed it in the second half, they (O-line) were incredible."
Since the open date, the coaching staff simplified some blocking schemes that have paid off.
"We tried to (emphasize) what our tailbacks do best," Campbell said. "We said, 'let's get good at something.' Let the O-line have some confidence."
Becht converted first downs on up-the-gut runs that moved the chains and killed the clock.
"That's why you lead with that guy," Campbell said. "We don't win that game without Rocco Becht."
It wasn't all positive. In addition to the blown lead, Campbell wasn't pleased with the Lions' lapse in poise in retaliating to the Huskies, who hurt themselves with late penalties.
He was, however, gratified by how his team overcame.
"They handled the moment and did a great job regaining their composure," he said. "It was reminiscent of the Wisconsin game, and for our guys to take the bull by the horns and draw a line in the sand, and say 'we're not going to let that happen, we're going to win the game' shows growth."
The head coach showed some, too. He said he learned from the Wisconsin disappointment in which the Lions turned a 17-0 lead into a 24-20 loss.
"I learned don't sit back and assume it's going to happen," Campbell said. "Lead. I put that on me. Try to help our guys regain their poise, don't just scheme. Hopefully, I was a little better today than I was against Wisconsin."
The Nits managed to win despite getting outscored 19-0 the second half - and certainly that will be point of emphasis going forward since it is a trend - at least this time they were determined enough to keep the ball and end the game on their own terms.
They’ve now won two straight after a four-game Big Ten losing streak.
"It shows how resilient we are," linebacker Tony Rojas said. "We knew it would be tough, but it's definitely a good road win."
Though it was a road game, Penn State fans treated this trip like a bowl game as the Nittany Nation turned out en masse and made its presence felt.
"The number of fans and alumni who traveled here made it special to represent this program," Campbell said. "Days like today, this far away from home, having a great crowd, watching our team go forward, those are real positives."
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.