Against all odds, the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions are playing in the Big Ten Championship game in 2024. Just two weeks ago, this would have seemed impossible. But after Ohio State lost its game against Michigan, the door was wide open. Here are your takeaways.

1: Running game strong

Jordan James got it done and Oregon’s running game gave Penn State all they could handle from the start, and Oregon turned the Nittany Lions’ inability to stop the run into early points. As the Nittany Lions focused on defense, the Ducks didn’t hit Penn State as hard as they had in the first quarter, but they still got good plays when they needed them.

Killer penalties

Two facemask penalties led to Oregon touchdowns, both in situations where they otherwise could have forced the Ducks to punt. Combined with the fact that Penn State was unable to contain Oregon’s rushing attack, things went bad very quickly. An unnecessary roughness penalty put Oregon near midfield on its third drive, setting up its third score of the night.

No giving up

The Nittany Lions were down 28-10, but with all the momentum from Oregon’s side, they got up off the mat and kept playing. Ultimately, it didn’t work in their favor, but Penn State could have given in early in the second quarter and admitted defeat. Instead, they fought until the end.

BONUS: Eww

Oregon had the chance to wear its classic Rose Bowl jerseys in this game and chose black instead. Why?