Shelbee’s Sunday Morning Quarterback #8: 4th Quarter Liver Failure

#17 Penn State Nittany Lions 30 – #18 Iowa Hawkeyes 24

Welcome to the eighth episode of Shelbee’s Sunday Morning Quarterback! And here’s my husband, the Sunday Morning Quarterback, with the highlights from yesterday’s Penn State game against Iowa.

4th Quarter Liver Failure

Seriously, my liver cannot handle Penn State 4th quarters this season…Four straight games decided by 6 points or less with a fifth one decided by a touchdown, all coming down to the last series of the game and two that didn’t fall in the Nittany Lions’ favor.  Folks, I tell you this season is putting a workout on my liver during Saturday afternoons, along with having to refill my liquor dispenser more often than last year.

Playing Iowa is never an easy game. Last year’s game came down to a 4th and goal touchdown pass, as time expired, from McSorley to Juwan Johnson.  It seems apparent that Johnson left his hands in last season.  Throw in terrible weather conditions and the way the game started for the Lions and a third straight home loss seemed inevitable.

Penn State received the opening kickoff and went three and out. Cue the special teams blunders as punter Blake Gillikan dropped the snap he attempted.  He still got the punt off but would have it blocked by Dominique Dafney. Thankfully, Dafney blocked it with such force that it went out of the end zone for a safety.  Iowa 2-0.

A good return on the ensuing kick would set up the Hawkeyes near midfield. A pass from Nate Stanley to T.J. Hockenson for 32 yards pushed the ball into Lions territory.  On 3rd and 1, Penn State would stop the Hawkeyes but a face mask penalty would give them the first down.  A Nate Stanley pass would fall incomplete on 3rd and goal setting up a Miguel Recinos 27 yard field goal.  Iowa 5-0.

Penn State’s next series would net a total of -15 yards and result in a 32 yard punt by Gillikan, setting up Iowa inside Lions territory at the 42.  Iowa would drive to the Penn State 10 yard line where, on 4th and goal, the Hawkeyes would use a trick play that would end up with punter Colten Rastetter throwing a touchdown pass to defensive tackle Sam Brincks for the touchdown.  Iowa 12-0. And my drink count was probably six by this point and the first quarter hadn’t even ended.

McSorley, starting at his own 15 yard line, would engineer a 10 play 85 yard drive culminating in a 18 yard pass to Pat Freiermuth for the score, cutting Iowa’s deficit to 12-7.  Following an Iowa punt, the Lions were unable to move the ball. A sack on 3rd down left the 105,244 spectators silent as McSorley laid on the ground clutching his leg/knee. McSorley would be assisted off the field but would eventually return. The sack set up a Gillikan punt from the 25 yard line. This time the snap sailed over his head and out of the end zone for Iowa’s second safety of the game giving the Hawkeyes a 14-7 lead.

After trading punts, an errant 2nd down pass by Stanley was intercepted by John Reid and returned 44 yards to the Iowa 3 yard line.  On the next play, Lions back up quarterback Tommy Stevens would take it in himself and tie the game at 14.  A 49 yard return on the ensuing kickoff would once again set the Hawkeyes up on the Nittany Lions side of the field.  After a first down, the Lion defense dug in, holding Iowa to a 49 yard field goal and a 17-14 lead.  A Penn State punt gave Iowa the ball at their 35 yard line and an Iowa drive to the Lions 42. On 4th and 10, Iowa would try another trick play that Penn State snuffed out.  Tommy Stevens would engineer a 31 yard drive in 34 seconds to set up a Jake Pinegar career long 45 yard field goal and a 17-17 score going into the half.

The Hawkeyes received the 2nd half kickoff but would do nothing with it, punting back to Penn State.  McSorley hit KJ Hamler for 18 yards on 1st down and then for another 8 yards to the Lions 49 yard line.  On 3rd and 2, McSorley would take the ball himself and go 51 yards for the touchdown resulting in a 24-17 Nittany Lion lead.  Jake Pinegar would extend his career long with a 49 yard field goal later in the quarter, extending the lead to 27-17.

The Lion defense came out like a team possessed in the 3rd quarter.  On four 3rd quarter possessions, the Hawkeyes could only muster 58 yards and punted each time.  Time to cue the Nittany Lions 4th quarter dramatics.  After driving 67 yards and setting up a 1st and goal at the Iowa 9 yard line with a chance to put this game away, Miles Sanders would fumble the ball and the Hawkeyes would recover it.  The Hawkeyes couldn’t move the ball and would punt again, pinning Penn State at their own 8 yard line.

On 2nd down, Geno Stone would intercept McSorley and return it 24 yards to the house, cutting the Lion lead to 27-24. As I was texting with some friends, the storyline seemed to be the same “here we go again” with not being able to put teams away in the 4th quarter. KJ Hamler returned the kickoff 67 yards to the Iowa 31 but the offense sputtered, setting up a Jake Pinegar 44 yard field goal and a 30-24 lead.  I want to mention the great game the Kicker Jake Pinegar played, having not hit a 40 or more yard field goal all season, he was solid in going 3 for 3, all over 40 yards, and under some terrible weather conditions. Nate Stanley and the Hawkeyes weren’t finished though and drove 72 yards to the Lions 3 yard line.

On 1st and goal with the play clock running out, Stanley tried to change the play and hurried the snap while top tight end Noah Fant wasn’t ready.  Stanley threw the pass to where Fant was supposed to be, but instead he found safety Nick Scott who hauled in the interception.  The wet field caused him to slip, otherwise it would have been returned for a touchdown.  The offense only managed 24 yards and Blake Gillikan came out to punt it away, hitting what would be his best punt of the game, a booming 49 yarder.  Iowa would start at its own 23 yard line with 1:23 left on the clock and no timeouts.  Stanley would drive them down the field but his luck would run out on 4th and game from the Lions 44 yard line.  Shareef Miller would come off the end and wrap Stanley up but somehow he managed to get the ball out to offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs.  The 300 pound tackle would rumble for 15 yards before a host of Nittany Lion defenders would bring him down and end the game.

Next week, the Lions head to the “Big House” in Ann Arbor to take on the #5 Michigan Wolverines.

I want to send a shout out to the Cal Bears in their upset win over the #15 Washington Huskies.  They played one heck of a defensive game in shutting down the Husky offense.  Not to mention a team that beats a team ranked ahead of my team is always my friend!

The booze and my liver, however, may be having a tumultuous friendship right now. But still…

We Are…

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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