Penn State gets hard-fought, high-flying Fiesta Bowl win over Washington

Zac Al-Khateeb

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Penn State gets hard-fought, high-flying Fiesta Bowl win over Washington image

The Fiesta Bowl has raised the bar for entertainment in the New Year's Day Six bowls on Saturday.

No. 9 Penn State beat No. 11 Washington in a fantastic game that saw the Nittany Lions take a 35-28 win. To their credit, Washington did not give up after falling behind 28-3.

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Saquon Barkley rushed 18 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns, but the story of the game was Penn State's Trace McSorley, who completed 32 of 41 passes for 342 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also perfect on third and fourth down, completing 12 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns and 10 conversions.

It was a fantastic game: Here's how it played out.

Final: No. 9 Penn State 35, No. 11 Washington 28

Fourth quarter: Penn State 35, Washington 28

7:36 p.m.:  A kneel does it. Penn State has earned its Fiesta Bowl win today.

7:34 p.m.:  Game over. Jake Browning hits Aaron Fuller who laterals it to Dante Pettis. Pettis then tries an ill-advised lateral to the middle of the field where it's recovered by Penn State.

7:33 p.m.:  Jake Browning overthrows Will Dissly. Fourth down.

7:33 p.m.:  Another incomplete pass. Third-and-10 coming up for Washington with 20 seconds left.

7:32 p.m.: Incomplete pass.

7:31 p.m.:  Penn State kicker Tyler Davis' attempted 45-yard field goal attempt sails wide right. Washington will have the ball with 34 seconds remaining at its own 35. Here. We. Go.

7:29 p.m.:  Uh oh. False start on Penn State makes it fourth-and-6 from the Washington 27. Looks like Penn State will still go for it and try to end the game here.

7:26 p.m.:  Saquon Barkley takes the ball 2 yards to the 22-yard line of Washington. Fourth-and-1 upcoming. Will Penn State go for it on fourth down with 38 seconds remaining?

7:23 p.m.:  Washington is forced to take another timeout with 1:29 remaining in the game. Another first down here, deep in Washington territory, will end the game.

7:22 p.m.:  Trace McSorley hits DaeSean Hamilton on third-and-8 for 11 yards and a first down. That might do it.

7:21 p.m.: Timeout Washington. Second-and-9 for Penn State with 3:02 remaining.

7:19 p.m.:  Penn State gets another third-down conversion. Saquon Barkley gets 3 yards on third-and-1. Penn State driving at Washington's 48 with roughly three minutes remaining.

7:17 p.m.:  Huge third-down conversion, probably biggest of the game. Trace McSorley hits Juwan Johnson for 12 yards to the 40-yard line.

7:12 p.m.:  Penn State will get the ball with a litle less than seven minutes remaining. Ideal scenario: Get a score and knock some minutes off the game clock. 

7:11 p.m.:  Touchdown Huskies! Myles Gaskin takes the ball 69 yards to the house on third-and-1 to cut Penn State's lead to 35-28. That was a huge play at the perfect time. 

7:09 p.m.:  Jake Browning sacked. Washington's offensive line is no match for the Penn State pass rush. It's now second-and-12.

7:05 p.m.:  Three-and-out for Penn State (though Trace McSorley remains perfect on third down, hitting Saquon Barkley for 6 yards on third-and-11). Washington will take over at its 22 with 8:06 remaining.

7:01 p.m.: Washington defensive lineman Vita Vea with a fantastic special teams play, tracking down receiver DeAndre Thompkins and tackling him in the open field. That keeps Penn State from blowing up the punt return; it'll take over at its own 34.

7:01 p.m.:  Nothing doing. The pressure forces Jake Browning to throw the ball in the dirt. Punt upcoming for the Huskies

7 p.m.:  Another third-and-long upcoming for Washington. The Huskies need 9 yards from their own 32.

6:58 p.m.:  Browning side-arms the ball to Salvon Ahmed for 6 yards and a first down out to the 31. Washington needed that.

6:57 p.m.:  Andre Baccellia takes it 9 yards on the reverse before Myles Gaskin is swallowed up in the backfield. Third-and-4 Washiington from its own 25.

6:56 p.m.: Washington to take over at its 19-yard line.

6:53 p.m.: Two plays later, McSorley throws his second interception of the game after his pass is batted into the air off a Washingon defender's helmet.

6:52 p.m.:  Another huge throw from McSorley! He avoids pocket pressure and hits Saquon Barkley for a 7-yard gain to the Washington 23. 

6:51 p.m.:  Washington keeps Penn State from converting third down for just the second time on 11 tries. But Penn State's offense is staying on the fied.

Third quarter: Penn State 35, Washington 21

6:47 p.m.:  It's third-and-2 for Penn State at the Washington 30 but it'll let the clock run out on the quarter. Nittany Lions are taking this 14-point lead to the fourth quarter.

6:45 p.m.:  Another third down, another big throw from Trace McSorley. He hits Juwan Johnson for 9 yards and the first down. Penn State is driving at the 34.

6:45 p.m.:  Trace McSorley tries to hit backup QB Tommy Stevens. It's knocked out of his hands and nearly picked off by Washington.

6:43 p.m.:  Trace McSorley hits DaeSean Hamilton again on the bubble screen. He takes it 15 yards to the 45 yard line of Washington. It's all downhill for Penn State right now.

6:42 p.m.:  Penn State starts its drive with two straight passes, the second to Mike Gesicki for a first down. Nittany Lions driving at its own 40.

6:38 p.m.:  Jake Browning is sacked on third-and-4 at the 29. He's sacked by Shareef Miller, who missed the first half for disciplinary reasons. Washington to punt from its own 25.

6:36 p.m.  Washington takes over at its 25, starting the game with a 6-yard gain.

6:31 p.m.:  Trace McSorley is 8 of 8 for 152 yards and two touchdowns on third down today. Incredible.

6:28 p.m.:  Touchdown Penn State! Trace McSorley hits DaeSean Hamilton for 24 yards on third down to make it 35-21 Nittany Lions. McSorley has been perfect on third down today, just unstoppable.

6:26 p.m.:  Big third-and-7 conversion for Penn State right there. Trace McSorley hits Juwan Johson for 11 yards and a first down to the 30-yard line.

6:25 p.m.:  Trace McSorley is really, really good. He gets 24 yards out of the pocket to take Penn State to Washington's 44-yard line.

6:23 p.m.:  Not to be lost in that Washington touchdown drive: Nittany Lion has a pretty good set of hands.

6:20 p.m.:  That Washington drive went 13 plays, 80 yards and covered 5:03 of game clock. That includes three third-down conversions and 19 rushing yards (two more than the Huskies had the entire first half). 

6:19 p.m.:  Fantastic touchdown throw from Jake Browning to Aaron Fuller goes for 28 yards. Washington is right back in this game, and down seven. Huge Penn State drive upcoming nwo.

6:17 p.m.:  Washington is having success moving the ball early thanks to some quick throws and an up-tempo offense. The Huskies are having better success running the ball as well.

6:16 p.m.:  Browning hits Aaron Fuller on the screen for 9 yards to get the ball into Penn State territory. Washington driving at the 42-yard line now.

6:14 p.m.: T wo plays later, Myles Gaskin takes the direct snap and gets the third-down conversion on third-and-1. Washington driving at its own 45.

6:13 p.m.:  Jake Browning hits Ty Jones for a 12-yard gain and a first down. Not a bad start.

6:12 p.m.:  Washington receives the ball and takes it to the 20. Here we go.

Halftime:

5:55 p.m.: Something to consider: Washington gets the ball out of the half. If the Huskies can score, then we might just have a game.

5:50 p.m.:  Some stats from the first half of the Fiesta Bowl:

Total yards — Penn State 367; Washington 136
Passing — Penn State 18-24-1 (219 yards, 1 TD); Washington (8-12-0, 119 yards)
Rushing —  Penn State 148 yards; Washington 17 yards
Third downs — Penn State 7 of 8; Washington 3 of 7
Penalties — Penn State 1 for 15; Washington 3 for 17
Turnovers — Penn State 2; Washington 0

Second quarter: Penn State 28, Washington 14

5:48 p.m.:  The first half is over after Washington essentially runs the clock out. Washington's down two scores but Penn State is dominating in a way that isn't reflective on the scoreboard.

5:44 p.m.:  No threat from Dante Pettis, who lets the ball fall dead at the 5-yard line. Washington has 55 seconds and three timeouts left in the half: Do they try and make the most of it?

5:43 p.m.:  Trace McSorley hits DeAndre Thompkins, but not enough for a first down. Punt upcoming and here comes Dante Pettis.

5:42 p.m.: Penn State faces another third down (third-and-8) from its 43 yard line. Nittany Lions interestingly call a timeout to think the play over. There's 1:10 left to play in the half and a failed conversion would give Washington the ball with plenty of time for a quick score.

5:40 p.m.:  Trace McSorley hits Juwan Johnson for 18 yards on the play action with a Washington defender in his face. Good play once again. Penn State now at its 41-yard line.

5:39 p.m.:  With 2:49 remaining in the half, Saquon Barkley keeps Penn State perfect on third down (7 for 7) with a 2-yard run. Penn State driving at its own 23.

5:37 p.m.:  Another near-disaster for Penn State. No one fields the kickoff and Miles Sanders barely scoops up the live ball at the Nittany Lions 13.

5:35 p.m.:  Myles Gaskin gets his 20th rushing touchdown of the season with a 13-yard run. Say this for Washington: It's not giving up. Penn State still leading 28-14.

5:31 p.m.:  There's Washington's first third-down conversion of the day. Jake Browning hits Salvon Ahmed on the quick screen for a 8-yard gain to the 21-yard line.

5:29 p.m.:  That's a weird play. Trace McSorley tries to pitch the ball to Miles Sanders who didn't even look like he saw it coming. It's a fumble and Washington recovers at the Penn State 32.

5:25 p.m.:  Jake Browning is sacked for a huge loss on second down. They get some of the yardage back on third-and-19 but it's another failed conversion attempt. Penn State's about to get the ball with good field position.

5:23 p.m.:  Hmm. ...

5:21 p.m.:  Most impressirve part of that run? Barkley outran the safety, who had the perfect angle to get the tackle. Insane.

5:20 p.m.:  Saquon Barkley. 92 yards. Touchdown.

5:16 p.m.:  Jake Browning attempts the pooch punt and pins Penn State at its own 7-yard line. Smart move to avoid going for it on fourth-and-4 from the Penn State 48.

5:16 p.m.:  An attempted screen to Wayne Gaskin falls short. Fourth down conversion attempt upcoming from the Penn State 48.

5:15 p.m.:  Washington facing another third down, this one third-and-8 from near midfield. A conversion here would be huge. 

5:14 p.m.: Not a bad start for this drive. Browning hits Dante Pettis for a quick screen that goes 26 yards. Washington at its own 46.

5:13 p.m.:  Meanwhile, Jake Browning and Washington to start their next drive at their own 20.

5:12 p.m.:  Four drives in, and Trace McSorley is 16 of 21 for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Dude is really, really good.

5:08 p.m.:  Miles Sanders gets the carry from the 1-yard line and gets the third Penn State touchdown of the day (and only his second of the season). Penn State up 21-7 now in the second quarter.

5:07 p.m.:  Call on the field is confirmed. Next play, Trace McSorley hits DeAndre Thompkins for a 34-yard gain to the Washington 1-yard line. Everything's going Penn State's way it seems.

5:04 p.m.:  Another shovel pass nearly goes awry for Penn State. The ball is nearly picked fooff by Washington's Ben Burr-Kirven. It's called incomplete but a review is coming.

5:02 p.m.:  Penn State is now 6 for 6 on third downs. Trace McSorley hits Mike Gesicki for 27 yards from its own 28-yard line to get another first down. Nittany Lions driving at the Washington 46.

4:58 p.m.:  Washington's on the board! Jake Browning gets a 1-yard touchdown on the QB keeper. We've got us a game, folks.

4:57 p.m.: That would explaiin why they're not on the field.

First quarter: Penn State 14, Washington 0

4:54 p.m.: Jake Browning hits Salvon Ahmed for an 11-yard gain to the Penn State 1. He fumbles the ball in the end zone but it's ruled he was down by contact. Washington will have a chance to score from the 1-yard line to start the second quarter.

4:53 p.m.:  Trickeration! Washington hits the double pass! Andre Baccellia gets the backward pass and hits Will Dissly for a 52-yard gain to the Penn State 12! 

4:52 p.m.: Good news for Washington: Huskies get their first down. Bad news: It's because of a roughing the passer penalty. 

4:49 p.m.:  It's all Penn State right now, follks. Nittany Lions have 170 yards to Washington's 1. Nittany Lions have nine first downs (including five off third-down conversions) to six plays TOTAL for Washington. Wow.

4:46 p.m.:  Three plays later, Saquon Barkley converts third-and-goal from the 2 for his first touchdown of the game! Penn State leads 14-0.

4:45 p.m.:  Mike Gesicki gets another first down out of the flat route. Penn State driving at the 5.

4:43 p.m.:  Next play, Trace McSorley hits Saeed Blacknall for 21 yards and another first down. Penn State now driving at the 20-yard line.

4:43 p.m.  Penn State is now 4 for 4 this quarter. Trace McSorley hits DaeSean Hamilton on third-and-7 to get the ball to the Washington 41.

4:41 p.m.:  Trace McSorley gets a nice run on the keepr aer and slides near midfield. Looks like refs missed a call as a Washington defender hit McSorley in the helmet well after he'd given himself up.

4:36 p.m.:  Penn State is called for running into punter Joel Whitford, who still booms it 53 yards. Nittany Lions will take over at their own 36.

4:35 p.m.:  Another three-and-out, this time courtesy of a three-man rush by Penn State. Tyrell Chavis gets the sack to make it fourth-and-17.

4:33 p.m.:  The interception is confirmed! Washington ball.

4:31 p.m.:  Trace McSorley throws a called interception on the field thanks to a fantastic grab in the back of the end zone by Washington's Byron Murphy. This looks like it will stand, giving Washington the ball at the 20.

4:30 p.m.:  Penn State is 3 of 3 on third downs today so far.

4:29 p.m.:  And we have our first Mike Gesicki sighting! He gets a 17-yard, first-down catch to keep the drive alive. Good move by Trace McSorley to avoid pressure and keep his eyes downfield.

4:25 p.m.:  An interesting development that almost certainly means Saquon Barkley is playing his last game in a Penn State uni. 

4:24 p.m.:  A muffed punt by DeAndre Thompkins is nearly costly for Penn State, but the Nittany Lions recover at their 34-yard line.

4:23 p.m.:  Washington goes three-and-out after Jake Browning overthrows an open Aaron Miller on third down. They'll punt from their 15.

4:22 p.m.:  Washington to start at its 7-yard line after an illegal block in the back on the ensuing kickoff. Huskies' turn coming up.

4:19 p.m.:  Not a good start for Washington if that's the case:

4:17 p.m.:  One play later, Trace McSorley hits DaeSean Hamilton for a 48-yard touchdown! Penn State's on the board first with a 8-0 lead.

4:16 p.m.:  Good tackle by Washington's Myles Brant, who hits Tommy Stevens on the receiver screen to make it third-and-8 for Penn State. 

4:15 p.m.:  Another big play from Barkley! He takes it 13 yards for another first down. Penn State diriving at the 50.

4:13 p.m.:  Saquon Barkley catches the ball on a crossing route and takes it 12 yards for the first down! Nittany Lions driving at their own 29.

4:11 p.m.:  Saquon Barkley isn't back to field the kickoff, but he starts the game at running back and takes a shovel pass for a loss of 1 yard.

4:09 p.m.:  Washington wins the toss and defers. Penn State's offense will be on the field first. Here we go!

Pregame:

4:08 p.m.:  Here come the Huskies and Nittany Lions.

3:45 p.m.:  Getting loose:

3:41 p.m.: A very important drill.

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.