No. 1 Oregon holds off No. 3 Penn State to win Big Ten championship [updated]

INDIANAPOLIS – Penn State needed to limit its mistakes against the No. 1 team in the country in the Big Ten championship game and didn’t.

The third-ranked Nittany Lions committed four 15-yard penalties, threw two interceptions and missed a field goal, which all contributed to their 45-37 loss to Oregon before 67,469 fans Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said. “They have such a talented team. The margin of error is so small. We made more mistakes in that game than we made in any other game. Oregon’s a great team and they capitalized on them.”

The most grievous error came with less than two minutes left when Penn State (11-2) had a chance to tie it.

Drew Allar, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for another, threw a deep sideline pass to Harrison Wallace III that was intercepted by defensive back Nikko Reed at the Oregon 16-yard line with 1:54 to go.

Oregon (13-0) then ran out the clock to seal the title in its first season in the Big Ten, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and a first-round bye.

“I tried to give Tre (Wallace) a chance,” Allar said. “I’ve got to do a better job of throwing to him or nobody. I’ve got to see the leverage with the DB and give Tre more of a back shoulder, where it’s going to be him or nobody.”

The Lions trailed 28-10 early in the second quarter before pulling within one score three times. Under pressure, Allar threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Wallace as he was falling to make it an eight-point game with 3:41 left.

Penn State was looking for its first win over a top-ranked team since 1990 and allowed the Ducks to score the most points by an opponent since USC won the 2017 Rose Bowl 52-49.

“You have to give Oregon and Coach (Dan) Lanning credit,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “They created some challenging situations for us. But I’m proud of our guys. We played the No. 1 team in the country and had a chance to win the game in the end.”

Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel threw for 283 yards and four touchdown passes and Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 181 yards and one TD and was named the game MVP.

Oregon set a school record for wins and remained the only undefeated team in the country.

“I thought the offense did an unbelievable job,” Ducks coach Dan Lanning said. “I thought the defense made a critical stop when it mattered most. That (Penn State) offense is really hard to stop. They do an unbelievable job over there. It was a battle, a battle to the end.”

The Lions had a 518-466 advantage in total yards behind Allar, who was 20-for-39 for 226 yards, and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton.

Allen carried 14 times for 124 yards and one TD and Singleton had 105 yards on 10 rushes as Penn State ran for 292 yards and averaged 8.3 yards per carry.

“It’s a credit to the O-line, the tight ends and obviously those two young men,” Franklin said. “I also think it was the balance and our ability to both run and pass throughout the game.

“That’s a very well-coached team and we found a way to manufacture yards and points.”

With Oregon leading 38-24 after scoring the first third-quarter touchdown against Penn State this season, Allen ran 1 yard for a TD. Franklin decided to try for a 2-point conversion, but Tyler Warren slipped.

The Ducks took a 45-30 lead when Jordan James ran for a 3-yard TD, but Penn State wasn’t done. The Lions scored on Allar’s sensational pass to Wallace to make it 45-37. The defense then forced a punt, but the offense turned it over.

Penn State will find out Sunday where it’s seeded in the CFP, which team it plays and when and where. The first round is scheduled for Dec. 20 and 21 at campus sites.

“Our season has just begun,” Franklin said. “We’ll find out whether it’s a home game in 16 inches of snow or whether it’s an away game. We’ll be excited about whatever opportunity that comes. We’ll be prepared and we’ll be ready.”