It took until the sixth game of the season, but Penn State finally scored on the first possession of the game and never gave up the lead, earning a 27-17 win over Michigan Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The win was the first of the season for the Nittany Lions, and the program's first at Michigan Stadium since 2009.
"One of the things I've been proud of over six years is we have won all different ways. We've won pretty, we've won ugly, we've made comebacks, we've won by a bunch of points and we hadn't done that this year," head coach James Franklin said. "To see young guys that were forced into significant roles figure it out today and make plays and do some of the dirty work and play winning football, it was great to see."
If the victory seemed like it was a glimpse into the future of Penn State's program, that's because it likely was. The Nittany Lions started true freshmen at running back, wide receiver and tight end for the first time in program history. True freshmen racked up 267 yards of total offense against Michigan.
The Nittany Lions were paced on offense by freshmen Keyvone Lee and Parker Washington, who accounted for over 54 percent of the offense. Lee had a breakout performance, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown while Washington had 93 receiving yards.
In a normal year, Lee probably wouldn't see much time on the field, outside of spring ball or mop-up duty in blowouts. After all, he and fellow freshman running back Caziah Holmes were fourth and fifth on the depth chart, respectively, coming into the season.
Thrust into key roles once Journey Brown retired for medical reasons and Noah Cain was injured, the dynamic freshmen have made their presence felt in a big way, especially in today's performance from Lee.
"Not only Keyvone, but Caziah has definitely stepped up and made their mark. We all know the unfortunate situation with Journey as well as Noah and his injury," linebacker Brandon Smith said. "It's football. Stuff happens and you have to be able to realize it and step up and make the plays and be there for your team. That's what not only Keyvone but Caziah have been able to do and we're thankful they've actually kept a good mindset, a positive mindset when things weren't going as well as they could have."
It's not just at running back where the freshmen have made their presence known, especially with Washington coming on as the top wide receiver behind Jahan Dotson. Washington was a big factor in Penn State's early success against the Wolverines, making seven catches in the first half en route to a nine-reception afternoon.
"I don't know what the data says," Franklin said. "I don't know the last time a true freshman had nine catches."
That Washington has emerged as a go-to receiver for quarterback Sean Clifford is a great sign moving forward for the Nittany Lions, as they look to right the ship and finish 2020 on a strong note.
"He had a lot of receptions. He got open and he's somebody who again I have a lot of trust in right now," Clifford said. "He's working really hard, hasn't wavered through adversity. I have a lot of respect for Parker and I'm excited to keep grinding with him."
Washington's performance was spectacular, as was the breakout performance of Lee, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry against Michigan. Lee's production was the result of his ability to escape tacklers and fly through holes created by the offensive line.
"The o-line did a heck of a job today just creating holes and gaps," Clifford said. "Key did a really good job of hitting them when they were there and then bouncing it when he had to."
Lee is a powerful runner for his size, all 6-feet, 230 pounds of him. He demonstrated a great ability to evade tacklers, often running through would-be tacklers.
"He's 230 pounds. He breaks tackles and he falls forward," Franklin said. "You don't get a whole lot of reps when you're fourth or fifth on the depth chart and that's without spring ball and a traditional training camp. It's great to see."
To get this far, Lee has demonstrated a strong work ethic, and his teammates have noticed.
"He's shown me he's got a great work ethic. I respect anybody with a great work ethic," Clifford said. "That's the biggest thing. Key's somebody who comes in with a great attitude, embodies all the core values of the team and is someone who deserves a breakout game like this."
That type of work ethic will serve Lee well moving forward, as it's not certain when Devyn Ford, who is dealing with a death in the family and an injury, will return. Until then, it seems as though it's Lee's job to be the feature back, a position for which he seemed well-suited, despite his inexperience.
Playing Division 1 football is difficult for seniors, but for Penn State to deploy Lee, Holmes and Washington, who are playing at the highest level and doing it well, speaks volumes about the type of talent the Nittany Lions have been able to attract since Franklin arrived in 2014.
"For any true freshman to come in and play NCAA Football and make an impact every game, that's huge. A lot of people can't do that," redshirt freshman cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. said. "That's big for him and Parker and I'm just glad they had the opportunity to show that."
The freshmen have had quite a few opportunities this season, but not like the ones they got against the Wolverines. Those opportunities showed just how much Franklin believes in the youth movement to end the season, and it turned out well for the Nittany Lions.
"They've been showing it all year. Even though they're young guys, they're ready to play and they put it on tape multiple times," Porter, Jr. said. "I'm just happy for those guys that they had a chance to ball out today."
• Clifford had the bounce-back performance the Nittany Lions needed him to have after being benched. The redshirt junior threw for 163 yards while rushing for 73 and a touchdown. The key statistic for him, though, was that he didn't turn the ball over for the first time this season.
• The Penn State defense came to play against Michigan, allowing only 286 yards of total offense. Sixty-one of those yards came on a single play from Hassan Haskins in the first quarter, which set up the Wolverines' lone touchdown of the first half.
The Nittany Lions forced the Wolverines to punt on their first possession, the first time an opponent didn't score on its first drive of the game all season.
Ellis Brooks led the way with six tackles, the most important on 4th-and-1 when he dropped Michigan quarterback Joe Milton for no gain, giving the ball back to Penn State for the final time.
• The turning point in the game came in the second quarter, as Michigan muffed a punt which ended up in the hands of Penn State's Drew Hartlaub. The recovery set the Nittany Lions up for a field goal that pushed the lead to two possessions, a deficit from which Michigan could not come back.
• Penn State heads to Rutgers next Saturday for a noon start. The Scarlet Knights and Michigan State will enter their matchups with the Nittany Lions with losing records, giving Penn State an opportunity to end the regular season on a strong note before playing a seeded game against a team from the Big Ten's West Division.