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After a hot start that saw Penn State jump out to a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter, both sides of the football saw the team hit an absolute lull. Before we knew it though, Central Michigan had unthinkably tied the game up at 14 and were about to receive the ball back after forcing PSU to punt yet again, with a golden opportunity to take the lead for the first time.
Barney Amor had other plans though, as he took the punt from near midfield and got it to bounce off the grass just outside of the CMU end zone and out of bounds at the three-yard line. A fine masterpiece in pooch punting and field flipping it was, as the Chippewas now found themselves having to go about 70 yards just to get into realistic field goal range.
PSU’s defense finally clamped down like they did on CMU’s first two offensive series, forcing a three and out and a punt from the Chippewa’s own end zone. Parker Washington fielded the punt just past midfield and took it another 14 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the CMU 34. Five plays later (thanks to a heavy dose of Kaytron Allen), PSU found themselves in the end zone to reclaim the lead at 21-14. It was a lead that they would take into the locker room at halftime and would not relinquish again.
Although it took until about early-mid fourth quarter to truly put the game on ice, it was Barney’s flipping of the field to give the Chippewa offense little breathing room and ultimately, the PSU offense a short field to work with that helped swing momentum back to the Nittany Lions right before the half. And that, my friends, makes it your turning point of the Central Michigan game.
