Michael Robinson saw the defense closing in on him. He also saw an open receiver on the left side.
Robinson released the ball just in time to connect with freshman Derrick Williams on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds left and lift Penn State to a wild 34-29 victory over Northwestern on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams in Evanston, Ill.
The lead changed three times in the closing minutes, and the Nittany Lions overcame four turnovers and a 16-point deficit to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1999.
“That drive was all about heart,” said Robinson, who passed for three TDs and ran for another. “Derrick was kind of upset at halftime because he felt like he could do some things on the outside, but we weren’t getting him the ball. I told him to be patient.”
And for Williams, the first touchdown of his career couldn’t have come at a better time.
“That’s something that everybody dreams for – especially when it’s my first touchdown,” Williams said.
Penn State took its first lead, 27-26, with 8:52 left in the game on Robinson’s 8-yard touchdown run. But the Wildcats (2-2), who benefited from a personal foul against Penn State on a late hit against quarterback Brett Basanez, regained the lead on Joel Howells’ 25-yard field goal with 2:10 left.
“I thought we’d be OK if we didn’t panic,” coach Joe Paterno said. “You have to give Robinson most of the credit.”
The Nittany Lions stayed composed.
On fourth-and-15 from his own 15, Robinson completed a 20-yard pass over the middle to tight end Isaac Smolko with 1:33 left.
Then, on third-and-6 from the Northwestern 36, Robinson was hit as he threw, but his pass found an open Williams on the left side at about the 10. Williams shook away from safety Reggie McPherson and raced into the end zone.
“It looked like (the pass) was taking forever to get to me, but I just concentrated on the ball,” Williams said. “I knew he was going to try to tackle me high, so I just ducked under him.” Anwar Phillips then intercepted a pass by Basanez near midfield to seal the win and snap Northwestern’s two-game winning streak against Penn State.
Robinson completed 17-of-36 passes for 271 yards and three interceptions. He also rushed for 60 yards. With his TD run, he became the first Penn State player with to reach 1,000 yards rushing and passing in a career.
ACC
Brian Toal’s 1-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted Boston College to its first Atlantic Coast Conference victory, 16-13 over host Clemson.
The Eagles (3-1, 1-1) did not score for the game’s final 41 minutes after taking a 10-0 lead at Death Valley. But on second-and-goal on their extra possession, Toal moved through the right side for the winning points.
For Clemson (2-2, 1-2), it was a second straight tough home loss. Last week, the Tigers lost to Miami 36-30 in triple overtime.
Andre Callender rushed for 116 yards for Boston College, which played without starting quarterback Quinton Porter. Porter injured his right ankle in the Eagles’ ACC debut last Saturday night, a 28-17 loss to Florida State.
Boston College had a chance to end things in regulation, but Ryan Ohliger was short and right on a 48-yard field goal try with 1:14 remaining.
After Clemson was held on downs, the Eagles got one more shot as they moved into Tigers’ territory in the final minute. Tye Hill, though, intercepted Ryan as time ran out.
Clemson settled for a 24-yard field goal on its overtime possession for its first lead of the game, 13-10.
Callender looked like he had the game won with a run to the goal line as BC’s players started to rush the field in celebration.
Unlike a week ago when the Eagles couldn’t score on seven plays from inside Florida State’s 3, Toal, a linebacker put in as a running back, slid in for the TD.
This was Boston College’s first conference road trip and there’s almost no tougher place to start than Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, known as one of the ACC’s loudest and rowdiest venues.
The Eagles and backup passer Matt Ryan were far from awed, scoring on two of their opening possessions to lead 10-0 – and it would’ve been 3-for-3 if not for Jamaal Fudge’s interception in the end zone with Boston College on Clemson’s 7.
When Ryan sneaked for a 1-yard TD with 10:35 left in the second quarter, BC appeared on the way to a road rout. After all, the Tigers had punted on its first three possessions, had only one first down and just 10 total yards.
But like all its games this season, Clemson came back. The Tigers trailed by 10 points at Maryland two weeks ago before winning and were down 20-10 to Miami in the fourth quarter when they came back.
This time, Jad Dean got the Tigers going with a 36-yard field goal.
Clemson finally held the Eagles – helped by linebacker David Dunham’s crunching hit on Ryan that knocked the quarterback’s helmet off and temporarily put him on the sidelines alongside Porter.
Reggie Merriweather had 37 yards rushing on Clemson’s series – nearly half the team’s rushing total to that point – and Whitehurst finished with a 1-yard touchdown run to send things to halftime tied at 10-all.
That’s the way things stood until overtime.
Ryan finished 24-of-42 for 221 yards and two interceptions.
NORTH CAROLINA 31, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 24: Barrington Edwards ran for a career-high 129 yards and a touchdown, Matt Baker recovered from a miserable first half to throw for the go-ahead score and the Tar Heels (1-2, 1-1) defeated their rival from just down the road for the 10th time in the past 13 meetings.
North Carolina State (1-2, 0-2), which came in leading the ACC in total offense, gained 270 yards, nearly 200 less than its average. The Wolfpack managed only 13 yards on the ground.
MARYLAND 22, WAKE FOREST 12: Josh Wilson returned a fumble 20 yards for a touchdown to lead visting Maryland.
Keon Lattimore ran for 76 yards and the only offensive touchdown for the Terrapins (2-2, 1-1), who continued their recent dominance against the Demon Deacons (1-3, 0-1). Maryland has won seven straight in the series, including all five matchups since Jim Grobe took over here.
Wake Forest’s Micah Andrews, who entered leading the ACC and ranked fourth nationally at 153 rushing yards per game, was held to 23 yards on six carries.
Nonconference
Blake Field completed 13-of-20 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to lead host Auburn (3-1) to a 37-14 victory over I-AA Western Kentucky (2-1).
Field got his chance when starter Brandon Cox came down with a stomach virus shortly before game time and was unable to play. Cox is expected to be back in the lineup when Auburn plays South Carolina next week.
