CFI: PSU DEFENSE RESURFACES ON SENIOR DAY

PAUL ASPAN
PENN ST. INSIDER

Penn State’s defense woke up just in time and the Lions came back from an early ten-point deficit to beat Purdue 26-19. The Boilermakers stood a yard away from taking a 17-3 lead late in the first quarter, when State linebacker Sean Lee forced a goal line fumble from running back Jaycen Taylor. The Lions recovered and by halftime held a 13-10 lead. The Boilermakers ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Lee’s forced fumble was part of a Penn State defensive effort that held Purdue to four field goals.

This Lions’ defense looked a lot more familiar to the Nittany Lion faithful as opposed to the unit that gave up 63 points in the last two games. The Boilermakers’ pass heavy attack gained 255 yards, but couldn’t get into the end zone. Justin King and the rest of the secondary bounced back from a few rough outings to come up with big plays when it mattered. Senior linebacker Dan Connor helped stuff the Purdue running game (68 yards) and in the process broke the school record of 372 tackles, with his fifth of eleven on the day. Connor passed former teammate Paul Posluszny who set the record last season.

Senior quarterback Anthony Morelli also left Happy Valley with a solid performance. The often-criticized signal-caller completed 22-of-35 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. Red shirt senior Rodney Kinlaw also performed well rushing for 86 yards, but it was a redshirt freshman who stole the show on senior day. Evan Royster plowed through Purdue’s defense for 126 yards on 21 carries and closed the door on the Boilermakers with a 26-yard touchdown run to put the Lions up 26-16 with under four minutes to play.

The Lions finish the season on the road with an “away” game against Temple in Penn State friendly Philadelphia before heading to East Lansing to face Michigan State. At 7-3 the Lions still have a chance to play in a New Years Day bowl game if they win out. However, they can’t come out flat on the road where they are 1-2 and struggled to squeak out a win in Indiana.

PHOTO CREDIT: COLLEGIATE IMAGES