Underclassmen help Penn State beat Purdue

The Nittany Lions’ defense came to the rescue in a 26-19 win over Purdue

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State dedicated Saturday to the seniors, but a trio of talented underclassmen made the highlight-reel plays.

Receiver Derrick Williams scored twice and had a career-high 151 all-purpose yards, and a fellow junior, linebacker Sean Lee, stripped the ball from Purdue’s Jaycen Taylor on a goal-line stand as the Nittany Lions held on Saturday for a sloppy 26-19 win over Purdue.

Redshirt freshman Evan Royster’s 26-yard touchdown run with 3:46 proved to be the decisive score as the Nittany Lions’ beleaguered defense held Purdue in check late in the game.

The Senior Day victory erased some of the sting from last week’s loss to No. 1 Ohio State.

“The seniors have been great leaders for us,” said Lee, who finished with 12 tackles and two forced fumbles to lead Penn State (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten). “To send them out with a win was huge for us.”

Purdue (7-3, 3-3) didn’t make it easy.

Dorien Bryant tried to spoil the fun early with his 98-yard return on the opening kickoff to give Purdue a quick 7-0 lead.

“I wasn’t worried about how the guys responded. I was worried about how yours truly responded,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. “I was ready to go out and punch somebody right in the mouth.”

The Boilermakers moved the ball easily at times, especially with passes into the middle of Penn State’s zone coverage. Chris Summers hit four field goals, including a career-long 50-yarder that gave Purdue a 16-13 lead late in the third quarter.

Williams’ 12-yard touchdown run turned the tide. Going right-to-left, Williams got an open-field block from fullback Dan Lawlor before scooting into the corner of the end zone to put Penn State up 19-16 with 13:46 left in the game. The Nittany Lions botched the extra-point attempt.

In a game with 22 penalties, 13 by Penn State, Purdue came close to pulling off a win. The Boilermakers didn’t go quietly after Royster’s long touchdown run gave Penn State a 26-16 lead.

Quarterback Curtis Painter marched Purdue down the field to set up a 37-yard field goal by Summers with 1:53 left, and Penn State couldn’t run out the clock on their next drive.

With no timeouts, Painter got the ball back at his 11 with 18 seconds left and took the Boilermakers to the Penn State 48. His desperation throw into the end zone was batted down by cornerback A.J. Wallace as time expired.