Fourth-ranked Penn State makes playoff push on road to pass test vs. Minnesota

On By Littum

Tyler Warren

Tyler Warren

What is at stake?

Penn State is in prime position for a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff and still in the mix to get to the Big Ten championship game, with a home game against struggling Maryland awaiting after this challenge on the road against a well-rounded opponent. Losing to the Minnesota team after a bye week would be a huge blow to Penn State’s playoff push and all but take a conference title off the table. Minnesota can greatly upgrade its bowl bid with a win and take some momentum into a final week’s rivalry game at Wisconsin.

Key matchup

Penn State TE Tyler Warren vs. Minnesota defense. Warren, a first-team AP Midseason All-America selection, totaled 190 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage last week in a blowout win at Purdue. He is second among all FBS tight ends in receiving yards (808) and has also taken 13 of his 16 rushing attempts for either first downs or touchdowns. The Gophers are second in the FBS in passes defensed per. game, tied for fourth in interceptions per game and tied for 17th in yards allowed per game. pass attempt.

Players to watch

Penn State: DE Abdul Carter has multiple tackles for loss in three straight games. The junior, who played linebacker the previous two seasons, was second in the FBS with 17½ tackles for loss and seventh with eight sacks this year.

Minnesota: LB Cody Lindenberg. The fifth-year junior leads the Gophers with 76 tackles, coming off a career-high 14 tackles at Rutgers in their last game on Nov. 9.

Facts & figures

This will be Penn State’s fourth visit to Minnesota since Huntington Bank Stadium opened on campus in 2009. The Nittany Lions won in 2010 and lost in 2013 and 2019. … Penn State has won its first four road games in a season for the first time since 2011. … Penn State QB Drew Allar is third in the FBS in yards per carry. pass attempts (9.8) and fifth in completion percentage (71.9) … The Nittany Lions have given up 49 points in the second half this season for the second-best average per game. game in the FBS. … Minnesota is 2-1 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the game. The Gophers have never posted three wins against ranked opponents in a season.