STATE COLLEGE, Pa. _ Penn State coach James Franklin had warned all week that Appalachian State was capable of pulling off an upset over the nation's 10th-ranked team. His players may not have believed him right away, but they were certainly believers on an overcast Saturday.
The Nittany Lions, who almost fell after the Mountaineers' spectacular 28-point fourth quarter, took the lead in overtime on Miles Sanders' 4-yard run, and cornerback Amani Oruwariye's end-zone interception on the visitors' final possession to pulled off a hard-fought season-opening 45-38 victory at Beaver Stadium.
The Lions (1-0), who led 24-10 and 31-17 in the second half, trailed 38-31 after Appalachian State's fourth touchdown of the fourth quarter, a 16-yard run by Jalin Moore with 1 minute, 47 seconds remaining. The Lions tied the game with 42 seconds remaining on a 15-yard pass from Trace McSorley to K.J. Hamler.
The Nittany Lions needed four plays to score on the first possession of overtime, with Sanders carrying on all four plays including the TD run. Appalachian State (0-1), which barely converted a fourth-and-one on its overtime possession, went for the touchdown on the next play but Oruwariye got in front of wide receiver Corey Sutton for the pick.
The Penn State bench emptied in jubilation. The dejected Mountaineers left the field to an ovation from the crowd of 105,232.
Appalachian State recorded arguably the biggest upset in college football history 11 years ago to the day, defeating then-No. 5 Michigan, 34-32. Defeating a ranked team on the road had happened only one other time since then, and it almost happened for a third time Saturday.
After Moore's TD run had given the Mountaineers a 38-31 lead, the Lions got a spark from Hamler, a redshirt freshman. After downing App State's previous six kickoffs, he hesitated on this ensuing kick but decided to come out from five yards deep and raced 52 yards to the App State 48.
The Lions converted a fourth down on McSorley's 10-yard pass to Brandon Polk to the Mountaineers 30. Two more plays moved Penn State to the 15. Facing a blitz, McSorley threw off his back foot just before he was hit and Hamler went up and caught the ball at the goal line for the touchdown. The game was tied again with 42 seconds remaining.
The Nittany Lions, who sputtered on offense through much of the first half, scored touchdowns on their first two possessions after halftime, a 10-yard run by McSorley and a 27-yard run by freshman Ricky Slade, to take a 24-10 lead. The two teams then exchanged scores, with a 2-yard run by Sanders giving Penn State a 31-17 lead with 11:17 left in the fourth quarter.
But the Mountaineers scored on a 24-yard pass from Zac Thomas to Malik Williams, then recovered an onside kick and went 53 yards in four plays. Thomas set up the touchdown with a 39-yard pass to Corey Sutton to the 1, then Thomas went in on the next play, making it 31-31 with 6:03 remaining.
Penn State had a pair of three-and-outs on its next two possessions, and Appalachian State took over at the Lions 42 with 2:59 left for what appeared to be its decisive drive. It took the Mountaineers four plays, with Moore touching the play on every snap, an 8-yard reception and runs of 10 and 8 yards before the score.
The Lions scored on the opening drive of the game on McSorley's 12-yard run but sputtered for much of the rest of the first half. On their next four possessions after the TD, they gained just 32 yards. Appalachian State took a 10-7 lead on a 100-yard kickoff return by Darrynton Evans and a 38-yard field goal by Chandler Staton.
A 32-yard field goal by freshman Jake Pinegar with 12 seconds left in the half tied the game for Penn State.
