Penn State Edges Minnesota in High-Scoring Big Ten Battle
Penn State defeated Minnesota 26-25 in Week 13, a tightly contested matchup that saw eight lead changes throughout the game. The Nittany Lions' balanced offensive attack proved decisive, with quarterback Drew Allar leading the way with 244 passing yards. Allar connected with Omari Evans for a 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter, one of Penn State's key scoring drives.
Minnesota kept pace early, with Marcus Major scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Daniel Jackson leading receivers with 90 yards. The Golden Gophers' defense forced critical plays, including a crucial fourth-quarter fumble recovery when Max Brosmer lost the ball at the Minnesota 41-yard line, which Penn State's Zakee Wheatley recovered.
Despite strong defensive efforts from both teams—Minnesota recorded two high-impact defensive plays in the second and fourth quarters—Penn State's offense was ultimately more efficient. The game exceeded the over-under of 45 points, and covered the 11-point spread in Minnesota's favor, though the Nittany Lions secured the victory in a defensive struggle that remained competitive until the final whistle.
AI-generated recap · Sep 2, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Penn State | 0 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
 Minnesota | 7 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 25 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Penn State | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 21-28 | 15-23 |
| Pass Yards | 244 | 175 |
| Rush Yards | 117 | 107 |
| Total Yards | 361 | 282 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| 3rd Down | 1-11 | 5-12 |
| Penalties | 2-10 | 1-15 |
| Possession | 25:49 | 34:11 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Nicholas Singleton run for 4 yds to the PSU 29
Drew Allar pass complete to Harrison Wallace III for 5 yds to the PSU 34
Tyler Warren run for no gain to the PSU 34
Riley Thompson punt for 36 yds
Marcus Major run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 29
Max Brosmer pass complete to Daniel Jackson for 20 yds to the MINN 49 for a 1ST down
Darius Taylor run for 10 yds to the PSU 41 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Darius Taylor run for 4 yds to the PSU 37
Max Brosmer pass complete to Darius Taylor for 5 yds to the PSU 32
Darius Taylor run for 12 yds to the PSU 20 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Marcus Major run for 20 yds for a TD (Dragan Kesich KICK)
Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for 9 yds to the PSU 34
Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for no gain to the PSU 34
Drew Allar run for 3 yds to the PSU 37 for a 1ST down
Drew Allar pass incomplete
Drew Allar pass complete to Liam Clifford for 8 yds to the PSU 45
Nicholas Singleton run for 1 yd to the PSU 46
Riley Thompson punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Koi Perich at the MINN 11
Cristian Driver run for 4 yds to the MINN 15
Darius Taylor run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 14
Max Brosmer pass complete to Marcus Major for 1 yd to the MINN 15
Mark Crawford punt for 41 yds , Liam Clifford returns for 6 yds to the 50 yard line
Drew Allar pass complete to Harrison Wallace III for 12 yds to the MINN 38 for a 1ST down
Drew Allar run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 39
Drew Allar pass incomplete
Drew Allar run for 6 yds to the MINN 33
Drew Allar sacked by Anthony Smith for a loss of 12 yards to the MINN 45
Max Brosmer sacked by Tony Rojas for a loss of 4 yards to the MINN 41
Marcus Major run for 4 yds to the MINN 45
Max Brosmer pass complete to Daniel Jackson for 23 yds to the PSU 32 for a 1ST down
Darius Taylor run for a loss of 1 yard to the PSU 33
Marcus Major run for 2 yds to the PSU 31
Darius Taylor run for 1 yd to the PSU 30
Dragan Kesich 48 yd FG GOOD
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 19 yds to the PSU 44 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Singleton run for 9 yds to the MINN 47
Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for 3 yds to the MINN 44 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Singleton run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 45
Drew Allar pass complete to Omari Evans for 45 yds for a TD (Ryan Barker KICK)
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Darius Taylor run for 8 yds to the MINN 33
Darius Taylor run for 4 yds to the MINN 37 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass intercepted Dominic DeLuca return for 29 yds to the MINN 23
Beau Pribula run for 4 yds to the MINN 19
Drew Allar sacked by Jack Henderson and Danny Striggow for a loss of 9 yards to the MINN 28
Drew Allar pass incomplete
Ryan Barker 45 yd FG GOOD
Gabriel Nwosu kickoff for 62 yds , Koi Perich return for 23 yds to the MINN 26
Marcus Major run for 5 yds to the MINN 31
Darius Taylor run for 10 yds to the MINN 41 for a 1ST down
Marcus Major run for 6 yds to the MINN 47
Darius Taylor run for 3 yds to the 50 yard line
Max Brosmer run for 2 yds to the PSU 48 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass complete to Daniel Jackson for 5 yds to the PSU 43
Marcus Major run for a loss of 3 yards to the PSU 46
Max Brosmer pass complete to Darius Taylor for a loss of 5 yards to the MINN 49
Mark Crawford punt for 48 yds, downed at the PSU 3
Nicholas Singleton run for 2 yds to the PSU 5
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 2 yds to the PSU 7
Drew Allar pass incomplete
null punt blocked by blocked by
Max Brosmer pass complete to Jameson Geers for 21 yds for a TD (Dragan Kesich KICK)
Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for 5 yds to the PSU 30
Drew Allar pass complete to Harrison Wallace III for 11 yds to the PSU 41 for a 1ST down
Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for 6 yds to the PSU 47
(00:47) ALLAR, Drew pass deep to the right incomplete intended for WALLACE III, Harrison thrown to the MINN32; QB hurried by JOYNER, Jah, clock 00:41. PENALTY MINN Pass Interference on ROBINSON, Ethan enforced at the spot of the foul for 15 yards to the MINN38 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [SG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 28 yds to the MINN 10 for a 1ST down
Drew Allar pass complete to Omari Evans for 6 yds to the MINN 4
Drew Allar 4 Yd Run (Ryan Barker PAT blocked)
Ethan Robinson Defensive PAT Conversion
(00:19) [NH] Kneel down by BROSMER, Max at MINN24 (team loss of 1), clock 00:05.
End of 2nd Quarter
Max Brosmer pass complete to Elijah Spencer for 23 yds to the MINN 48 for a 1ST down
Darius Taylor run for 1 yd to the MINN 49
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Penn State Penalty, Offsides (Coziah Izzard) to the PSU 46
Marcus Major run for 4 yds to the PSU 42 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass complete to Daniel Jackson for 13 yds to the PSU 29 for a 1ST down
Darius Taylor run for 2 yds to the PSU 27
Daniel Jackson run for 5 yds to the PSU 22
Darius Taylor run for a loss of 2 yards to the PSU 24
Dragan Kesich 42 Yd Field Goal
Kaytron Allen run for 8 yds to the PSU 33
Drew Allar pass complete to Harrison Wallace III for 18 yds to the MINN 49 for a 1ST down
Kaytron Allen run for 6 yds to the MINN 43
Nicholas Singleton run for 4 yds to the MINN 39 for a 1ST down
Kaytron Allen run for 1 yd to the MINN 38
Drew Allar pass incomplete
Drew Allar pass incomplete
Tyler Warren punt for 16 yds
Darius Taylor run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 21
Max Brosmer pass complete to Le'Meke Brockington for 4 yds to the MINN 25
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Mark Crawford punt for 32 yds
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 12 yds to the MINN 45 for a 1ST down
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 8 yds to the MINN 37
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 10 yds to the MINN 27 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Singleton run for 15 yds to the MINN 12 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Singleton 12 Yd Run (Ryan Barker Kick)
Max Brosmer run for 8 yds to the MINN 33
Darius Taylor run for 2 yds to the MINN 35 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer run for 4 yds to the MINN 39
Penn State Penalty, Offsides (Smith Vilbert) to the MINN 44
Marcus Major run for 1 yd to the MINN 45 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass complete to Nick Kallerup for 5 yds to the 50 yard line
Max Brosmer run for a loss of 9 yards to the MINN 41 Max Brosmer fumbled, recovered by PSU Zakee Wheatley Z. Wheatley return for 0 yds
Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for 14 yds to the MINN 27 for a 1ST down
Kaytron Allen run for no gain to the MINN 27
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 12 yds to the MINN 15 for a 1ST down
Kaytron Allen run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 16
Kaytron Allen run for 1 yd to the MINN 15
Drew Allar pass incomplete
Ryan Barker 32 Yd Field Goal
Gabriel Nwosu kickoff for 52 yds , Derik LeCaptain return for 12 yds to the MINN 25
Max Brosmer pass complete to Daniel Jackson for 23 yds to the MINN 48 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer run for 2 yds to the 50 yard line
Darius Taylor run for 4 yds to the PSU 46
Max Brosmer pass complete to Daniel Jackson for 6 yds to the PSU 40 for a 1ST down
Darius Taylor run for 2 yds to the PSU 38
Max Brosmer pass complete to Darius Taylor for 8 yds to the PSU 30 for a 1ST down
Max Brosmer pass complete to Elijah Spencer for 23 yds to the PSU 7 for a 1ST down
Marcus Major run for a loss of 1 yard to the PSU 8
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Max Brosmer pass incomplete
Dragan Kesich 26 Yd Field Goal
Nicholas Singleton run for 6 yds to the PSU 31
Kaytron Allen run for a loss of 5 yards to the PSU 26
Drew Allar run for 8 yds to the PSU 34
Luke Reynolds run for 32 yds to the MINN 34 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Singleton run for 2 yds to the MINN 32
Drew Allar run for 7 yds to the MINN 25
Tyler Warren run for no gain to the MINN 25
Drew Allar run for 2 yds to the MINN 23 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Singleton run for 1 yd to the MINN 22
Nicholas Singleton run for a loss of 1 yard to the MINN 23
Nicholas Singleton run for 9 yds to the MINN 14
Drew Allar pass complete to Tyler Warren for 11 yds to the MINN 3 for a 1ST down