Miles and Miles of Heart
Wow! Feels great to wake up with our spirits still as high as those airplanes flying our Lions home, doesn’t it? Competitive, highly entertaining football.
If I had to hand the game ball to someone, it’d sure be a tough choice. Drew Allar showed more determination and poise than we’ve ever seen, despite throwing three interceptions and trailing for almost the entire game. He also completed 30 of 43 throws for 394 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 32. Allar set career highs in pass attempts, completions, and passing yardage, all with a fire in his eyes.
Julian Fleming dropped the ball a couple times in the first half but massively redeemed himself with two huge fourth down conversions for 33 yards.
Kicker Ryan Barker nailed four field goals against the Trojans, including the game winner. “Ryan Barker walks on at Penn State, an opportunity knocks, and he’s ready,” James Franklin said in his postgame remarks. “To me, that’s what our country is about. That’s what college football teaches…Ryan ‘Cold as Ice’ Barker is what I’m calling him. I’m just really proud of him.” It was Penn State’s first overtime game-winning field goal since the Nittany Lions beat Wisconsin with a Sam Ficken walk-off in 2012.
And, of course, our man Tyler Warren set a Penn State school record and tied the FBS tight end record with 17 receptions for 224 yards. He became the first PSU tight end ever to record over 200 yards receiving and set a BigTen record for receiving yards in a single game by a tight end. He also completed one pass for nine yards, rushed for four yards and increased his own school record for total touchdowns by a tight end to 18. That’s not even to mention how the touchdown happened: a trick play in which he snapped the ball as center and then made a spectacular leaping catch over a defender in the endzone! When they call me for my Heisman vote, it's going to Tyler Warren.
And just like that we are ranked 3rd with a 6-0 record halfway through the season.
Haters are gonna hate; I don’t know how half these people call themselves fans when they literally never have something positive to say about our team. It’s true that things don’t always go smoothly for the Nittany Lions, but you can’t deny they have a spark that gives them the chance. The wins haven’t come easy, but Penn State finds a way each week to get one. A blowout would’ve been better for our nerves, but a comeback is better for the team’s growth.
To go into the half down 20-6 and come back out to tie it up in the 3rd quarter, then win in overtime? You need a strong character individually and as a team to accomplish that. And heart. Miles and miles of heart.
We meet again in two weeks to take on Wisconsin. Here’s hoping for both healing and improvement in the bye week. Go State! Beat the Badgers!
