Penn State rallies, hands Northwestern first loss

Written by BTN.com staff
posted on
10/6/12 @ 3:29pm
in Football, Northwestern, Penn State
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Matt McGloin had the go-ahead score with a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:37 left and Penn State rallied from 11 points down in fourth quarter to beat No. 24 Northwestern 39-28 on Saturday. The Nittany Lions scored three times in the final 9:49, starting with McGloin’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Allen Robinson as the receiver dragged along the back line of the end zone.

Michael Zordich had a 2-point conversion run to get within 28-25 before McGloin’s scramble into the end zone sent the homecoming weekend crowd into a frenzy.

Penn State (4-2, 2-0 Big Ten) then stuffed Northwestern’s last-gasp drive after Trevor Siemian‘s pass for Kain Colter was tipped away on fourth down.

Things looked so good for Northwestern (5-1, 1-1) after Venric Mark‘s 75-yard punt return for a touchdown with 50 seconds left in the third quarter demoralized the blue-and-white faithful for a 28-17 lead.

Mark also ran for a score.

Penn State 39, Northwestern 28
	Northwestern	Penn State
First downs	14	30
Rushing	7	12
Passing	6	16
Penalty	1	2
3rd Down Efficiency	4-13, 31%	10-22, 45%
4th down efficiency	0-1, 0%	5-6, 83%
Rushes-Yards	25-112	48-161
Passing Yards	135	282
Return Yards	133	100
Completions-Attempts-Int	21-36-0	35-51-0
Sacks-Yards Lost	1–5	2–16
Punts	8	5
Punts-Average	38.4	36.8
Fumbles Lost	1-1	2-1
Penalties – Yards	3-40	3-30
Time of Possession	20:43	39:17

FINAL: Penn State took the lead in the fourth quarter and hung on for a 39-28 victory over No. 22 Northwestern on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. With 2:37 to go, Matt McGloin kept it himself for a five-yard touchdown run to give the Nittany Lions a 32-28 lead.

Penn State’s McGloin went 35 of 51 through the air for a total of 281 yards. McGloin finished the game with two touchdowns and no interceptions. McGloin had a trusted receiver in Allen Robinson. He caught nine passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.

Venric Mark did his best to carry the Wildcats’ offense, turning 13 carries into 72 rushing yards and one touchdown, plus returning a punt for a touchdown.

The Nittany Lions racked up 439 total yards. Penn State’s rushing attack contributed 158 yards on 48 carries in addition to McGloin’s passing effort.

Northwestern’s Trevor Siemian went 21 of 36 through the air for a total of 133 yards. The Wildcats’ offense finished the game having gained 245 yards. Northwestern complemented Siemian’s passing with 112 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

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