Penn State's problem-solving earns high marks in Fiesta Bowl victory

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Nittany Lions used their month off about as well as possible.

That preparation and improvement in critical areas showed throughout Penn State's 35-28 victory over Washington in Saturday's Fiesta Bowl, despite things looking a bit sloppy at times.

The Lions earned their first bowl victory in three years — and probably should have won even more easily —  because they fixed their glaring weaknesses better than many figured possible against a top-tier opponent.

They pressured the opposing quarterback when it mattered most.

They were lights-out efficient on third down.

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And they all but ran out the clock on offense at the end while protecting a one-score lead — a particular deficiency in their past three loses to USC, Ohio State and Michigan State.

"I wish we could have a month to prepare for every opponent because you can get dialed in," Penn State offensive line coach Matt Limegrover said, smiling in a loud and loose locker room.

"The one thing about Washington is, what they did, they did very well," but it was a predictable plan. "So if you have enough time to dissect it, you can make some plays," Limegrover said.  

"We knew if we protected Trace (McSorley), he would put us in great spots."

McSorley did that and more as the Lions piled up 545 yards of offense to control momentum from beginning to end.

Here are the three things we learned about this back-to-back 11-win team for now and looking ahead to next season:

1. Defensive pressure, not domination, makes all the difference

The Lions didn't swallow up the Huskies playmakers, including Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Jake Browning.

But they provided consistent pressure while controlling him in the pocket. They did not allow an elite passer to stand clean and pick them apart late as they did in their most recent defeats.

The Lions sacked Browning four times and kept him moving, unable to throw comfortably when he needed to throw to rally his team. They also didn't allow him to beat them for game-changing plays with his legs. Not even close.

Browning finished with only 18 completions for 175 yards and one touchdown as he played from behind all day.

Penn State sophomore defensive end Shareef Miller was particularly active after returning from a first-half suspension for undisclosed reasons. He had one of those sacks, as did sophomore Kevin Givens and freshman Yetur Gross-Matos — all key linemen for next fall.

2. Cool, clutch passing when it mattered most

McSorley provided about the best third-down passing clinic possible.

He was 12-of-12 throwing on those critical plays, including both of his touchdown passes to DaeSean Hamilton.

Overall, Penn State was a stunning 13-of-17 converting on third down after struggling mightily in those situations ever since James Franklin took over as head coach.

Part of that was a dedicated effort to improve there going back to the previous offseason.

"We were terrible on third down last year, and Coach Franklin held our feet to the fire as coaches," Limegrover said. "He said, 'You you need to fix this. Don't think about everything else.'"

But another part of Saturday's success was the nearly flawless decision-making and execution from McSorley. No time was that more valuable than on that final 13-play drive that ate up just about all of the game clock, his team leading by just seven.

Twice McSorley completed passes on third down on that final march, forcing Washington to use all of its timeouts.

And that was a big reason for his monster game that earned him bowl MVP honors. He finished 32-of-41 passing for 342 yards and added 60 more yards on the ground.

He certainly will receive early preseason Heisman Trophy hype through the winter and spring to come.

3. Offensive line steps up like never before  

Penn State was facing yet another dominating defensive line in the mold of Big Ten opponents Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State.

Maybe even better in some ways. The Huskies came into the Fiesta Bowl with the nation's best run defense.

But the Lions' questionable blockers provided an impressive wall of protection around McSorley and opened up just enough running lanes for Saquon Barkley.

In particular, sophomore center Connor McGovern played well after healing from a late-season injury. All of the key linemen will be back next season except for senior guard Brendan Mahon.

Freshman Will Fries continued to improve since locking down the critical left tackle spot in November. Sophomore tackle Ryan Bates, who missed most of the final month of the season with an injury, also held up well against the Huskies. 

No effort was better than when the left side of the line cleaned out a massive lane for Barkley midway through the second quarter. He sprinted through the middle and hit the left sideline, nearly untouched, while breezing for the game-changing 92-yard touchdown.