Nittany Lions hold their heads high, reflect on incredible season after crushing Rose Bowl loss1/2/2017 PASADENA, Ca. -- Two minutes. That’s all it took for the entire game to change, for all the momentum to slip away. In one of the best games in Rose Bowl history, and the highest scoring, Penn State came up just short.
Two minutes away from being Rose Bowl champions. Instead, when the clock hit triple zeros the Nittany Lions were the team that squandered a 10-point lead in their biggest game of the season, not the team celebrating on the podium and hoisting the hardware. And that’s how the season ends, with the one that got away. That’s how it ends in a season in which Penn State played its best and made all the right plays when it mattered most—in the fourth quarter and the closing minutes. “For all these guys in this locker room, we’re together every day at practice, in the weight room. You want to win it for them. For us to climb back like we did and not finish like we know we can, it hurts,” sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley said after the Nittany Lions 52-49 loss to USC. But in crushing defeat, the Nittany Lions can hold their heads high, and that’s exactly what they’ll do. “This whole team all year has been about heart and been about effort, we never bailed out when we got down,” McSorley said. “There’s been so many times this year where we’ve gotten down big early and we’ve clawed back, kept fighting, kept fighting, and just that resilience all year, that’s probably what I’m most proud of this team.” McSorley, who completed 18 of his 29 passes for 254 yards and 4 touchdown passes, and also ran for a touchdown, was exceptional for most of the game. But after also throwing three interceptions in the contest, including his last with about 30 seconds left in the game that led to USC’s game-winning field goal as time expired, the quarterback was hard on himself and his performance. Despite the somber mood, McSorley plans to flip the script on the rough outcome and take it in stride moving forward in his career. “[We’re] really just using this emotion, this pain that we feel right now as a team, [to] use that as our motivating factor for next season,” McSorley said. Junior wide receiver Chris Godwin, who hauled in a season-high nine catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns, echoed McSorley’s positive outlook on Penn State’s Rose Bowl loss. “I’m incredibly proud of my guys,” Godwin said. “We fought all year long, and for us to be on a stage such as the Rose Bowl and to put up the points that we did and play the game that we did, it’s a testament to our hard work throughout the offseason, a testament to our coaches and just the resilience of our entire team. I couldn’t be more proud of my guys. “To be a part of this team that brought Penn State back into national prominence, it’s an unbelievable honor,” Godwin said. Senior center and captain Brian Gaia ends his career as a key member of the team that helped bring Penn State football back, and he believes the teammates and coaches he leaves behind will continue to grow the program. “We never really thought we’d be here when we committed and stuck through the sanctions and everything, but now that it’s happened it couldn’t feel more right,” Gaia said. “I’m proud of all the guys in this room, they’re gonna keep building and send us out the right way.” Being one of the youngest teams in the country, Penn State will return almost its entire 2016 roster next season, including tight end Mike Gesicki and linebacker Jason Cabinda, who have already announced they will return for their senior seasons. McSorley will be back. Sophomore running back Saquon Barkley, who ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the game, including a 79-yard score, will be back. Head coach James Franklin will be back, and may sign a contract extension. At a time when it’s almost impossible to look toward the future and not dwell on the current heartbreaking loss and the “what ifs”, this Penn State team knows they’ve had a great run and made a lot of people proud. 11 wins, a nine-game winning streak after a 2-2 start, a Big Ten Championship title and a Rose Bowl appearance will go in the books as an incredible season, especially in a season in which most fans were just praying for six wins and a bowl game. Football is more than just a game, and this Penn State team made that clear. “It’s just gonna be all the relationships with these guys, you know. All those late nights doing nothing but just hanging out with each other at our house, or stuff like that, just being in this locker room are the things I’m gonna miss the most,” Gaia said. There’s no shame in defeat, especially when you fight like Penn State did all season, and all night in a Rose Bowl game that will go down as a classic between two elite teams. The Nittany Lions didn’t finish the job this season, but they have a lot to hang their hats on, a lot of reasons to hold their heads high. “It’s been a long ride, it’s been a long season for us. We’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs, but at the end of the day, these are my brothers and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and how they fought all year,” Godwin said. “I’m grateful to be a part of this.”
1 Comment
Mary Fellin, RSM
1/9/2017 07:02:15 pm
Michael, what a great writer you are. Hope you continue to grow as you get a job in your chosen field.
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