LINCOLN, Neb. – Penn State trimmed a 21-point halftime deficit to just seven points late, but Nebraska took advantage of early turnovers and came up with a pair of fourth-down stops in the red zone in the final minutes to hang on for a 30-23 victory in Big Ten football action Saturday afternoon in Memorial Stadium.
Penn State (0-4, 0-4 Big Ten) quarterback Will Levis threw for a career-high 219 yards on 14-of-31 passing and rushed for 61 yards after entering the game in the second quarter, and running backs Keyvone Lee and Devyn Ford ran for a touchdown each in the second half. The Nittany Lions outscored Nebraska (1-2, 1-2 Big Ten) 17-3 over the final 30 minutes, but it was not enough to overcome a 27-6 halftime deficit. The Huskers scored 10 points off a pair of turnovers in the first half to build their lead, including a fumble returned to a touchdown. They then stopped Penn State's attempts to tie the game on fourth-and-10 from the Nebraska 11-yard line with 3:37 remaining and again on fourth-and-goal from the 13 with 31 seconds remaining.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth led Penn State in receiving with seven catches for a career-high 113 yards, including a career-long 74-yard reception, while freshman wide receiver Parker Washington caught five passes for 70 yards. Defensive end Jayson Oweh and linebacker Jesse Luketa paced the defense with nine tackles each, and Oweh made 1.5 stops behind the line while Luketa made one.
Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffery went 13-for-21 passing for 152 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and was also the team's leading rusher with 67 yards and a touchdown. Zavier Betts caught McCaffery's lone touchdown pass and was tops for the Huskers in receiving yards with 54. Marquel Dismuke led four Nebraska defenders with double-digit tackles with 15.
How It Happened
Penn State trimmed its first-half deficit to 11 in the third quarter with a 31-yard rushing touchdown by Keyvone Lee followed by a field goal. Nebraska added a field goal early in the fourth quarter for a 30-16 lead, but on the Nittany Lions' next possession, Levis spun away from a blitzer to connect with Freiermuth for a 74-yard gain to the Nebraska 1, which led to a Ford rushing touchdown with 9:20 to go.
Trailing 30-23 during the ensuing Nebraska drive, Oweh pressured McCaffery, forcing him to throw a ball up for grabs, and linebacker Brandon Smith snagged it for Penn State at the Nebraska 48 with 7:39 remaining.
Penn State converted a pair of third downs and one fourth down as it drove to the 11-yard line, but the Huskers forced four-straight incompletions and took over on downs with 3:37 to go. However, the Nittany Lion defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with 2:34 left.
Levis started the offensive drive from the Penn State 31 with a 14-yard rush, and then went 5-for-6 passing for 46 yards to lead the Lions to the Nebraska 9. However, the Huskers drew incompletions on the next two plays, Luke Reimer sacked Levis on third down, and Penn State was unable to convert on fourth down from the 13.
Nebraska had built a 27-6 lead through halftime, including 10 points off turnovers. The Huskers opened the game with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a McCaffery touchdown run, and an interception by Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt led to a field goal for a 10-0 lead. Penn State got on the board with a field goal of its own at the start of the second quarter, but then Nebraska's Zavier Betts broke free for a 45-yard touchdown reception and Deontai Williams scored on a 26-yard strip-sack fumble recovery touchdown run for a 24-3 lead. Both teams added field goal before the break.
Up Next
Penn State hosts Iowa next Saturday in Beaver Stadium. Game time and television coverage will be announced Sunday.