# 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team was led by seventh-year head coach James Franklin.
On August 11, 2020, the Big Ten Conference canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 16, the Big Ten reinstated the football season, announcing an eight-game season beginning on October 24.
On November 21, after losing to Iowa, Penn State's record dropped to 0–5, the worst start in the program's history, dating to 1887. The team went on to win its final four games, finishing the regular season at 4–5. On December 19, the program announced that it was removing itself from consideration for a bowl game.

## Offseason
### 2020 NFL Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Team |
| 2 | 38 | Yetur Gross-Matos | Carolina Panthers |
| 2 | 46 | K. J. Hamler | Denver Broncos |
| 4 | 141 | John Reid | Houston Texans |
| 6 | 183 | Cam Brown | New York Giants |
| 6 | 193 | Robert Windsor | Indianapolis Colts |
| Undrafted | Undrafted | Steven Gonzalez | Arizona Cardinals |
| Undrafted | Undrafted | Nick Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Undrafted | Undrafted | Garrett Taylor | Buffalo Bills |
| Undrafted | Undrafted | Jan Johnson | Houston Texans |
| Undrafted | Undrafted | Blake Gillikin | New Orleans Saints |
| Undrafted | Undrafted | Dan Chisena | Minnesota Vikings |

### Recruiting

The Nittany Lions signed 27 recruits during the 2020 signing cycle, securing the 15th ranked recruiting class in the country. This was Penn State's fourth consecutive top 15 recruiting class. 11 of the 27 signings in the 2020 class enrolled early.

### Returning starters

Offensive returning starters (8) :
| Player | Year | Position | 2019 Games Started |
| Sean Clifford | Senior | QB | 13 |
| Journey Brown | Senior | RB | 13 |
| Rasheed Walker | Junior | OL | 13 |
| Mike Miranda | Senior | OL | 8 |
| Michal Menet | 5th-Sr | OL | 13 |
| C.J. Thorpe | Senior | OL | 5 |
| Will Fries | Graduate student | OL | 13 |
| Pat Freiermuth | Junior | TE | 13 |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

Penn State football current coaching staff :
| Name | Position | Alma Mater | Years at Penn State |
| James Franklin | Head Coach | East Stroudsburg University (1995) | 7th |
| Brent Pry | Defensive coordinator/linebackers | University at Buffalo (1993) | 7th |
| Kirk Ciarrocca | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach | Temple University (1990) | 1st |
| Tim Banks | Co-defensive coordinator/safeties | Central Michigan University (1995) | 5th |
| Tyler Bowen | Co-offensive coordinator/offensive recruiting coordinator/tight ends | University of Maryland (2010) | 3rd |
| Phil Trautwein | Offensive line | University of Florida (2007) | 1st |
| John Scott | Defensive line | Western Carolina University (2000) | 1st |
| Taylor Stubblefield | Wide receivers | Purdue University (2004) | 1st |
| Ja'Juan Seider | Run Game Coordinator/running backs | West Virginia University (2000) | 3rd |
| Terry Smith | Assistant head coach/defensive recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks | Penn State University (1991) | 7th |
| Joe Lorig | Special teams coordinator/outside Linebacker | Western Oregon University (1995) | 2nd |
| Dwight Galt III | Assistant AD, Performance Enhancement | University of Maryland (1981) | 7th |
| V'Angelo Bentley | Graduate Assistant | University of Illinois (2015) | 2nd |
| Jeff Carpenter | Graduate Assistant | Penn State University (2015) | 1st |
| Deion Barnes | Graduate Assistant | Penn State University (2014) | 1st |
| Wendy Laurent | Graduate Assistant | Penn State University (2016) | 1st |
| Ty Howle | Offensive assistant | Penn State University (2013) | 1st |

### Roster

Source:

### Depth chart
## Schedule
### Spring game

| Date | Time | Network | Spring Game | Site | Result | Attendance |
| April 18 | 1:30pm | FS1 | Blue vs. White | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | Canceled | Canceled |
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State, like other institutions, switched to distance-learning during the spring semester and canceled all sporting events.

### Regular season

The Nittany Lions are a member of the Big Ten East Division, and will play all of the division's other six members. Cross-divisional opponents include the Iowa Hawkeyes, Northwestern Wildcats, Nebraska Cornhuskers, and Illinois Fighting Illini.
Three out-of-conference opponents were originally scheduled: a road game at Virginia Tech, and home games versus Kent State and San Jose State. However, these non-conference games were canceled on July 9 as a result of ongoing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. In early August, the 9-game conference schedule increased to 10 games, adding cross-divisional opponent Illinois.
A week later, the season was promptly postponed. On August 11, in the wake of multiple Group of Five conferences deciding to do so, the council of the Big Ten voted 11–3 to postpone fall athletics for the 2020–21 season (with all but Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio State voting in favor). Commissioner Kevin Warren cited negative trends and uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 as a factor in the decision. The conference stated that it would evaluate options, including possibly playing in spring 2021 instead. After the decision to postpone the season, the Big Ten formed a taskforce to investigate options for a return to play. President Donald Trump criticized the Big Ten's decision to postpone fall football, as part of his general criticism of U.S. colleges and universities that have not resumed on-campus activities. All other Power Five conferences besides the Pac-12 (which also postponed its season shortly after the Big Ten's decision) were still planning to play in the fall.
On September 14, it was reported that the Big Ten was considering the possibility of reversing its decision and playing a shortened conference football season as early as mid-to-late October. On September 16, the Big Ten approved an eight-game conference season that would begin October 24, and conclude on December 19 (with the top seeds in each division playing for the conference championship, and all other seeds playing similar cross-division matchups). The conference is instituting a daily antigen testing protocol beginning September 30; PCR tests will be used to confirm positives found via antigen testing. Players who test positive on both tests will be removed from play for at least 21 days and undergo cardiac tests during this period, and will have to be cleared by a cardiologist before they can return to play. Positivity rates among participating teams and the local population will also be a factor: teams with a positivity rate above 5% or a population positivity rate above 7% will be required to halt all activity for seven days.
Penn State and Rutgers were the only 2 Big Ten teams to compete in all 9 regular season games. Following their victory over Illinois on December 19, Penn State opted out of a college bowl game appearance.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | at Indiana | No. 8 | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | FS1 | L 35–36 $^{OT}$ | 995 |
| October 31 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 3 Ohio State | No. 18 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA (rivalry, College GameDay) | ABC | L 25–38 | 1,500 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Maryland | | Beaver StadiumState College, PA (rivalry) | BTN | L 19–35 | 1,500 |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | at Nebraska | | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | FS1 | L 23–30 | 0 |
| November 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Iowa | | Beaver StadiumState College, PA | BTN | L 21–41 | 1,500 |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at Michigan | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | W 27–17 | 0 |
| December 5 | 12:00 p.m. | at Rutgers | | SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ | FS1 | W 23–7 | 0 |
| December 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Michigan State | | Beaver StadiumState College, PA (rivalry) | ABC | W 39–24 | 0 |
| December 19 | 5:30 p.m. | Illinois | | Beaver StadiumState College, PA (Big Ten Champions Week) | FS1 | W 56–21 | 0 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Indiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| No. 8 Penn State | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Indiana | 0 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 36 |
at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
* Date: October 24
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); sunny
* Game attendance: 995
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith, Mark Helfrich
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 2-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 7:59 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
IU – Charles Campbell, 34-yard field goal, 12:24 (PSU 7–3)
IU – Stevie Scott III, 14-yard TD run, Campbell kick good, 8:12 (IU 10–7)
IU – Scott, 2-yard TD run, Campbell kick good, 6:36 (IU 17–7)
Third quarter
PSU – Clifford, 35-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 0:00 (IU 17–14)
Fourth quarter
IU – Campbell, 49-yard field goal, 13:18 (IU 20–14)
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 60-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 2:30 (PSU 21–20)
PSU – Devyn Ford, 14-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:42 (PSU 28–20)
IU – Michael Penix Jr., 1-yard TD run, Penix run for 2-point conversion, 0:22 (TIE 28–28)
Overtime
PSU – Parker Washington, 3-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good (PSU 35–28)
IU – Whop Philyor, 9-yard TD pass from Penix, Penix run for 2-point converstion (IU 36–35)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 24/35, 238 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
IU – Michael Penix Jr. – 19/36, 170 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 17 carries, 119 yards, TD
IU – Stevie Scott III – 20 carries, 57 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 4 receptions, 94 yards, TD
IU – Miles Marshall – 4 receptions 46 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Shaka Toney – 7 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 2 sacks
IU – Micah McFadden – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### No. 3 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Ohio State | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| No. 18 Penn State | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 25 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 31
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C); mostly clear
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – Master Teague, 4-yard TD run, Blake Haubeil kick good, 13:43 (OSU 7–0)
OSU – Chris Olave, 26-yard TD pass from Justin Fields, Haubeil kick good, 8:39 (OSU 14–0)
PSU – Jake Pinegar, 31-yard field goal, 2:57 (OSU 14–3)
Second quarter
OSU – Jeremy Ruckert, 10-yard TD pass from Fields, Dominic DiMaccio kick good, 2:23 (OSU 21–3)
PSU – Jordan Stout, 50-yard field goal, 0:00 (OSU 21–6)
Third quarter
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 14-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 11:14 (OSU 21–13)
OSU – Olave, 49-yard TD pass from Fields, DiMaccio kick good, 8:41 (OSU 28–13)
OSU – DiMaccio, 22-yard field goal, 1:02 (OSU 31–13)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Dotson, 21-yard TD pass from Clifford, 2-point conversion run failed, 14:30 (OSU 31–19)
OSU – Ruckert , 1-yard TD pass from Fields, DiMaccio kick good, 9:14 (OSU 38–19)
PSU – Dotson, 20-yard TD pass from Clifford, 2-point conversion pass failed, 6:27 (OSU 38–25)
Top passers
OSU – Justin Fields – 28/34, 318 yards, 4 TD
PSU – Sean Clifford – 18/30, 281 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
OSU – Master Teague – 23 carries, 110 yards, TD
PSU – Devyn Ford – 8 carries, 36 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Chris Olave – 7 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 8 receptions, 144 yards, 3 TD
Top defenders
OSU – Tommy Togiai – 7 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 3 sacks
PSU – Ellis Brooks – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### Maryland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Maryland | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Penn State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 19 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 7
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C); mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Reggie Smith
* TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington, Matt Millen, Coley Harvey, Dean Blandino
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
UM – Rakim Jarrett, 42-yard TD pass from Taulia Tagovailoa, Joseph Petrino kick good, 12:27 (UM 7–0)
UM – Jarrett, 62-yard TD pass from Tagovailoa, Petrino kick good, 0:19 (UM 14–0)
Second quarter
UM – Jake Funk, 38-yard TD run, Petrino kick good, 11:49 (UM 21–0)
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 20-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 6:32 (UM 21–7)
UM – Dontay Demus Jr., 34-yard TD pass from Tagovailoa, Petrino kick good, 0:45 (UM 28–7)
Third quarter
UM – Chance Campbell, 29-yard fumble return for TD, Petrino kick good, 12:55 (UM 35–7)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Parker Washington, 23-yard TD pass from Clifford, 2-point conversion failed, 10:16 (UM 35–13)
PSU – Washington, 1-yard TD pass from Clifford, 2-point conversion pass incomplete, 0:11 (UM 35–19)
Top passers
UM – Taulia Tagovailoa – 18/26, 282 yards, 3 TD
PSU – Sean Clifford – 27/57, 340 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
UM – Jake Funk – 16 carries, 80 yards, TD
PSU – Devyn Ford – 9 carries, 36 yards
Top receivers
UM – Rakim Jarrett – 5 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 9 receptions, 123 yards, TD
Top defenders
UM – Nick Cross – 8 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack
PSU – Odafe Oweh – 10 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL) :

### At Nebraska

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 23 |
| Nebraska | 10 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Date: November 14
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C); mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (FS1): Brian Custer, Robert Smith
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
UN – Luke McCaffrey, 1-yard TD run, Connor Culp kick good, 11:25 (UN 7–0)
UN – Culp, 22-yard field goal, 6:14 (UN 10–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Jake Pinegar, 33-yard field goal, 14:50 (UN 10–3)
UN – Zavier Betts, 45-yard TD pass from McCaffrey, Culp kick good, 14:01 (UN 17–3)
UN – Deontai Williams, 26-yard fumble recovery, Culp kick good, 11:29 (UN 24–3)
PSU – Pinegar, 40-yard field goal, 5:48 (UN 24–6)
UN – Culp, 25-yard field goal, 0:00 (UN 27–6)
Third quarter
PSU – Keyvone Lee, 31-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 7:51 (UN 27–13)
PSU – Pinegar, 27-yard field goal, 1:01 (UN 27–16)
Fourth quarter
UN – Culp, 30-yard field goal, 10:34 (UN 30–16)
PSU – Devyn Ford, 5-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 9:20 (UN 30–23)
Top passers
PSU – Will Levis – 14/31, 219 yards
UN – Luke McCaffrey – 13/21, 152 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
PSU – Devyn Ford – 16 carries, 66 yards, TD
UN – Luke McCaffrey – 13 carries, 67 yards, TD
Top receivers
PSU – Pat Freiermuth – 7 receptions, 113 yards
UN – Zavier Betts – 2 receptions, 54 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – Odafe Oweh – 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
UN – Marquel Dismuke – 15 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Iowa | 3 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Penn State | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 21
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); cloudy, rain
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (BTN): Joe Beninati, Matt Millen, Rick Pizzo
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
UI – Keith Duncan, 40-yard field goal, 8:23 (UI 3–0)
PSU – Keyvone Lee, 6-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 2:12 (PSU 7–3)
Second quarter
UI – Tyler Goodson, 10-yard TD run, Duncan kick good, 14:35 (UI 10–7)
UI – Mekhi Sargent, 1-yard TD run, Duncan kick good, 6:34 (UI 17–7)
UI – Sargent, 1-yard TD run, Duncan kick good, 0:11 (UI 24–7)
Third quarter
UI – Spencer Petras, 3-yard TD run, Duncan kick good, 6:45 (UI 31–7)
PSU – Brenton Strange, 28-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Pinegar kick blocked, 4:01 (UI 31–13)
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 68-yard TD pass from Clifford, 2-point conversion pass to Lee, 0:07 (UI 31–21)
Fourth quarter
UI – Duncan, 24-yard field goal, 7:14 (UI 34–21)
UI – Daviyon Nixon, 71-yard interception return, Duncan kick good, 1:58 (UI 41–21)
Top passers
UI – Spencer Petras – 18/28, 186 yards
PSU – Sean Clifford – 13/22, 174 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
UI – Mekhi Sargent – 15 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Will Levis – 15 carries, 34 yards
Top receivers
UI – Nico Ragaini – 4 receptions, 46 yards
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 8 receptions, 139 yards, TD
Top defenders
UI – Nick Niemann – 17 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Lamont Wade – 10 tackles :

### At Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
| Michigan | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: November 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C); sunny
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Mike Golic, Paul Carcaterra
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Keyvone Lee, 6-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 10:50 (PSU 7–0)
UM – Hassan Haskins, 2-yard TD run, Jake Moody kick good, 0:30 (TIE 7–7)
Second quarter
PSU – Sean Clifford, 28-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 3:32 (PSU 14–7)
PSU – Pinegar, 22-yard field goal, 0:15 (PSU 17–7)
Third quarter
UM – Moody, 40-yard field goal, 9:10 (PSU 17–10)
PSU – Pinegar, 33-yard field goal, 0:40 (PSU 20–10)
Fourth quarter
UM – Haskins, 2-yard TD run, Moody kick good, 13:12 (PSU 20–17)
PSU – Will Levis, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 8:12 (PSU 27–17)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 17/28, 163 yards
UM – Cade McNamara – 12/25, 91 yards
Top rushers
PSU – Keyvone Lee – 22 carries, 134 yards, TD
UM – Hassan Haskins – 17 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PSU – Parker Washington – 9 receptions, 93 yards
UM – Ronnie Bell – 4 receptions, 40 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Ellis Brooks – 6 tackles
UM – Josh Ross – 12 tackles :

### At Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 7 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Rutgers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey
* Date: December 5
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C); rain, partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (FS1): Mark Followill, Matt Millen, Olivia Dekker
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Parker Washington, 29-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 3:32 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Pinegar, 30-yard field goal, 11:37 (PSU 10–0)
PSU – Devyn Ford, 7-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 6:21 (PSU 17–0)
Third quarter
PSU – Jordan Stout, 47-yard field goal, 11:38 (PSU 20–0)
RU – Bo Melton, 3-yard TD pass from Noah Vedral, Valentino Ambrosio kick good, 4:56 (PSU 20–7)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Pinegar, 27-yard field goal, 7:27 (PSU 23–7)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 15/22, 133 yards, TD, INT
RU – Noah Vedral – 17/30, 133 yards, TD
Top rushers
PSU – Keyvone Lee – 17 carries, 95 yards
RU – Noah Vedral – 14 carries, 56 yards
Top receivers
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 4 receptions, 30 yards
RU – Bo Melton – 7 receptions, 38 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – Jesse Luketa – 10 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
RU – Olakunle Fatukasi – 17 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan State | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Penn State | 3 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 39 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (ABC): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Paul Carcaterra
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Jake Pinegar, 24-yard field goal, 6:06 (PSU 3–0)
Second quarter
MSU – Jalen Nailor, 45-yard TD pass from Payton Thorne, Matt Coghlin kick good, 13:50 (MSU 7–3)
PSU – Sean Clifford, 31-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 10:00 (PSU 10–7)
MSU – Tre'Von Morgan, 26-yard TD pass from Thorne, Coghlin kick good, 6:24 (MSU 14–10)
MSU – Nailor, 7-yard TD pass from Thorne, Coghlin kick good, 1:26 (MSU 21–10)
Third quarter
PSU – Parker Washington, 8-yard TD pass from Clifford, Jahan Dotson 2-point conversion pass from Clifford, 10:07 (MSU 21–18)
MSU – Coghlin, 23-yard field goal, 1:59 (MSU 24–18)
PSU – Will Levis, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 0:02 (PSU 25–24)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Washington, 49-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 12:18 (PSU 32–24)
PSU – Dotson, 81-yard punt return for TD, Pinegar kick good, 11:24 (PSU 39–24)
Top passers
MSU – Payton Thorne – 22/39, 325 yards, 3 TD, INT
PSU – Sean Clifford – 17/27, 232 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
MSU – Jordon Simmons – 14 carries, 72 yards
PSU – Sean Clifford – 9 carries, 48 yards, TD
Top receivers
MSU – Jalen Nailor – 6 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 8 receptions, 106 yards
Top defenders
MSU – Antjuan Simmons – 10 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Jaquan Brisker – 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), INT :

### Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Illinois | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Penn State | 21 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 56 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 19
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Robert Smith
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 75-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 14:48 (PSU 7–0)
UI – Brian Hightower, 5-yard TD pass from Isaiah Williams, James McCourt kick good, 11:06 (TIE 7–7)
PSU – Lamont Wade, 100-yard kickoff return for TD, Pinegar kick good, 10:51 (PSU 14–7)
UI – Chase Brown, 12-yard TD run, McCourt kick good, 9:50 (TIE 14–14)
UI – Daniel Barker, 38-yard TD pass from Williams, McCourt kick good, 6:10 (UI 21–14)
PSU – Will Levis, 4-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:13 (TIE 21–21)
Second quarter
PSU – Caziah Holmes, 3-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 14:04 (PSU 28–21)
PSU – Keyvone Lee, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:32 (PSU 35–21)
PSU – Dotson, 70-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 3:49 (PSU 42–21)
Third quarter
PSU – Brenton Strange, 7-yard TD pass from Levis, Pinegar kick good, 0:20 (PSU 49–21)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Holmes, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 3:32 (PSU 56–21)
Top passers
UI – Isaiah Williams – 8/18, 120 yards, 2 TD, INT
PSU – Sean Clifford – 16/22, 285 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
UI – Isaiah Williams – 15 carries, 102 yards
PSU – Keyvone Lee – 19 carries, 85 yards, TD
Top receivers
UI – Daniel Barker – 3 receptions, 54 yards, TD
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 6 receptions, 189 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
UI – Quan Martin – 12 tackles
PSU – Brandon Smith – 8 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss (TFL) :

## Statistics
### Scores by quarter (Big Ten opponents)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Big Ten opponents | 69 | 97 | 37 | 38 | 8 | 249 |
| Penn State | 55 | 64 | 66 | 76 | 7 | 268 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 7 | 7* | — | — | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 18 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 7 | 7* | — | 13 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 17 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 1 | 12 | Micah Parsons | LB | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1 | 31 | Odafe Oweh | DE | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2 | 55 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 7 | 246 | Shaka Toney | DE | Washington Football Team |
| 7 | 247 | Michal Menet | C | Arizona Cardinals |
| 7 | 248 | Will Fries | OG | Indianapolis Colts |

### Undrafted players

| Player | Position | NFL club |
| Lamont Wade | S | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Source: