The Penn State Nittany Lions have won the Big 10 title, after beating the University of Wisconsin Badgers this past weekend, in the Big 10 Title Game. The Nittany Lions beat the Badgers 38-31, and did so with the arm of their quarterback, Trace McSorley. McSorley threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns. Opposite McSorley, Saquon Barkley ran for 83 yards and a touchdown.
For Penn State, this game was a fight, having given up 28 points in the first two quarters. They rallied, and the score was 14-28 at half. From then on, the Nittany Lions controlled the game, outscoring the Badgers 24-3 in the second half.
At the beginning of the season, this conference title seemed unattainable with a 2-2 start. I’ll be the first to tell you that I didn’t believe in this team, specifically after an early season blowout against Michigan, but this team rallied and earned the Big 10 title. McSorley described last week how it felt to bring his team back from that mediocre start, saying “That point in our season was a real change for us. Our preparation changed, our mentality changed, and I couldn’t be happy to be where we’re at.”
The Nittany Lions will play the University of Southern California Trojans in the Rose Bowl on January 2nd. Penn State head coach, James Franklin, was asked about playing in such a prestigious bowl game, saying: “I just want to let everyone know just how humbled and honored we are to have this opportunity.”
(Video highlights provided by ESPN. Photo provided by Philly.com)
