The Penn State Nittany Lions won today’s contest versus San Diego State 37-21, but the win would prove to be costly.
Game Summary:
Penn State 37
SDSU 21
- Christian Hackenberg: 21-35, 296 yards, 3 TDs
- Saquon Barkley: 8 rushes, 62 yards, 1 rec TD
- Austin Johnson: 74-yard fumble recovery TD
http://gty.im/489222956
The offense looked much better today. Hackenberg was only sacked twice, and he was much more mobile, and was able to find his receivers more consistently. Saquon Barkley and Mark Allen both had impressive TD receptions out of the backfield. The box score may say 21 points allowed, but realistically, the defense was only truly responsible for one. One touchdown came on a kickoff return, while the other was a result of a muffed punt that gave the Aztecs the ball on Penn State’s 20 yard line. A sack by Carl Nassib resulted in a fumble that was picked up by 320-pound DT Austin Johnson, and returned 74 yards for a touchdown. Anthony Zettel, playing with a heavy heart with the passing of his late father, totaled a fumble recovery, a sack and multiple tackles for loss.
The losses of the game:
Safety Jordan Lucas didn’t suit up today, and safety Marcus Allen was injured in the first half. Both running backs–Barkley and Lynch–were injured in the second quarter and didn’t return. Barkley seems to have a sprained ankle, while Lynch may be done for the season with a leg injury. The team wasn’t the same offensively without either of them, as it only came up with 3 points in the second half.
Last thoughts: The offense played well, and the defense only allowed 3 big plays–only one resulted in a scoring drive. The Aztecs came to play and gave Penn State a run for it’s money, but the better team won in the end. We’ll keep you updated with all the injuries throughout the week. Penn State improved to 3-1 on the season.
Up next: Next up Penn State will battle Army in Happy Valley. Come back Thursday afternoon for a preview of that game.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
