Cotton Bowl Recap: Lions win offensive duel in Dallas

Penn State burned rubber in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

In a game that felt at times like a drag race, with both teams dueling to see whose offense could stay at top speed the longest, the Nittany Lions crossed the finish line first, outlasting Memphis, 53-39.

It was Penn State’s best offensive performance since its Big Ten opener, in which it dominated Maryland, 59-0. The difference between that game and this one was that this time, the Lions needed all of those points, because Memphis turned out to be nearly as proficient as they were. If not for a pair of second-half turnovers by the Tigers, one of which yielded a Penn State touchdown, the game might not have been decided until the very end.

“They had a good plan,” coach James Franklin said. “They were going to spread it around. They were going to dink and dunk us to death. And their guys are explosive. Once they were able to get their hands on the ball, they were able to make some plays after the catch. … It was a really good plan to spread us out and get the ball out of the quarterback’s hand. But at the end of the day, we were able to score enough points to win the game.”

In addition to their combined total of 92 points – it was the highest-scoring game in Cotton Bowl history – the two teams totaled 1,071 yards and 52 first downs. Penn State was dominant on the ground, amassing 396 rushing yards, while Memphis favored the aerial attack, passing for 479 yards.

Penn State ended its season at 11-2, as Franklin’s bowl record with the Nittany Lions improved to 3-3. Memphis finished 12-2.

Here’s a look at the good and the bad:

Special Offer: Get 25% Off Your Subscription & $75 to Nike.com

THE GOOD

• Journey Brown wrapped up his breakthrough sophomore season by rushing for a Penn State bowl-record 202 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 carries. Brown did it the hard way at times, breaking four tackles on a 32-yard run to open the scoring for Penn State. At other times, he made it look easy, as on a 56-yard scoring run on which he wasn’t touched after juking past a would-be tackler at the line of scrimmage. Afterward, he was named the game’s offensive MVP.

Noah Cain, looking healthy again for the first time in months, added 92 yards on 15 carries. As a team, Penn State averaged 7.5 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns on the ground. The offensive line did a marvelous job of prying open holes in the Memphis defensive front.

“I feel like just the line up front, those big boys, they really set the tone,” Brown said. “We said coming into the game, we want to control the pace. If we want to go fast, we’ll go fast. If we want to go slow, we’ll go slow. With the wide receivers and tight ends blocking, the edges opened up for what I could do. So kudos to them for sure.”

• Big Ten Linebacker of the Year Micah Parsons had another huge game for the Nittany Lions. He followed up his 10-tackle performance in the regular-season finale against Rutgers by tying his career-high with a 14-tackle showing vs. Memphis. Included in that total was a tackle for a 10-yard loss that threw the Tigers way off-schedule on their first possession, eventually forcing them to settle for a field goal. In the second half, he slammed into Brady White, causing an interception that Garrett Taylor returned for a touchdown.

Parsons, who finished with two of Penn State’s six sacks, was named the game’s defensive MVP. It would seemingly be difficult for a defensive player to appear dominant in a game with so much offense, but Parsons did just that.

“We played a lot of snaps out there today,” Parsons said. “It was pretty hectic. I thought they came out with a great game plan. We didn’t really practice their tempo… And I think their tempo was pretty effective. But I think we held our own and we were able to get a stop when we needed one.”

• The Lions’ defense was gouged for big yardage, but it came up with two huge turnovers in the second half. In addition to Taylor’s game-changing score on White’s flubbed pass, Marquis Wilson picked off the Memphis quarterback late in the fourth quarter to all but clinch the win.

“We like pick-sixes,” Franklin said. “They’re good.”

• Pat Freiermuth showed why PSU fans were so thrilled to learn that he was returning for his junior season. The sophomore tight end finished with only two catches for 39 yards, but on the first, he lowered his shoulder and sent a would-be tackler sprawling backward, setting up a touchdown in the process. His second catch converted a key third down in the second half.

• Jordan Stout had eight touchbacks on nine kickoffs. Considering that Memphis had returned three kickoffs for touchdowns during the regular season, Stout’s performance shouldn’t be overlooked.

• The Lions won the turnover battle, as a Sean Clifford’s interception early in the third quarter was their only giveaway. They also committed only two penalties for 15 yards, while Memphis was flagged eight times for 45 yards in losses.

Special Offer: Get 25% Off Your Subscription & $75 to Nike.com

THE BAD

• Penn State’s biggest weakness going into the game – a secondary that was prone to coverage breakdowns – proved troublesome once again, as White hit 32 of 51 attempts for 454 yards. On a more positive note for PSU, the veteran quarterback did not throw a touchdown pass. Six times, Memphis was forced to settle for field goals on drives that reached deep into Penn State territory.

• Penn State’s passing game never really got in sync. Clifford was under duress much of the afternoon, as he was sacked four times and hit only 11 of 20 attempts for 133 yards.

“Early on, we missed some easy throws,” Franklin said. “And then we also had some drops. So it was hard to get the passing game going the way we wanted it to.”

• Penn State did Memphis a favor by using two timeouts in the final minute of the second quarter. The Lions scored a touchdown on third-and-goal, so you can’t really fault the staff for making sure they had the right call, especially with a new play-caller in the booth. But they also left Memphis with enough time to put together a late drive of its own. Sure enough, after getting the ball with 51 seconds left, the Tigers drove into field goal range, as Riley Patterson kicked a 44-yarder to cut Penn State’s lead to 35-23.

LOOKING AHEAD

After finishing off the 18th 11-win season in school history, Penn State is likely to get some attention as a potential Big Ten title contender in 2020. On offense, the Nittany Lions will bring back Clifford, Brown, Cain, Freiermuth and four starting offensive linemen, among others. The losses are heavier on defense, but they’ve got solid returnees on all three levels, a list headlined by Parsons.

Does Penn State have the talent on hand to patch its holes and build the kind of team that can go into the Big House and get a win and/or beat an Ohio State team that hasn’t lost a Big Ten game since October 2018? We’ll have to wait a few months before we start getting some answers. The Blue-White Game is set for April 18, and the 2020 season opener will take place Sept. 5 when Kent State visits Beaver Stadium.

For the next few days, the Lions will be savoring their Cotton Bowl victory and hoping that it sets the tone for a productive off-season. Franklin is confident that it will. Said the coach, “I’m going to enjoy this win tonight, but I do think this game and these 11 wins and these young players who are going to be returning are going to give us a lot of momentum going into next season, which we’re going to need.”

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98

• Like us on Facebook