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Swoyersville event aims to get everyone in the spirit of Christmas

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Pioneers roll to UNICO victory

That&#8217;s why they play four quarters.If Penn State&#8217;s commanding 45-12 victory over Michigan State was stopped at halftime, the Lions would be out of the Big Ten Title picture, out of the national championship playoff discussion, and probably out of a prime bowl game played after New Year&#8217;s Day.Instead, the Nittany Lions pulled out their big guns, using sudden air strikes and a relentless sack attack to easily streak to their seventh straight win and earn a berth in next week&#8217;s Big Ten title game. Quarterback Trace McSorley was perfect with his first six passes in the second half, launching touchdown bombs of 34, 45 and 59 yards on his way to a career-high 376-yard passing day. Meanwhile, the Lions defense didn&#8217;t allow a point after halftime. It allowed Penn State to turn a 12-10 halftime deficit into a 19-point victory.In a way, it was a microcosm of Penn State&#8217;s season, which now has a legitimate shot of carrying into the College Football Playoff field and proves again an old adage. It&#8217;s not how you start, it&#8217;s how you finish.OFFENSEWhen running room was hard to find, Penn State simply prospered through the air. McSorley carried the load,hitting 17 of his 22 passes for 376 yards and running back Saquon Barkley gave the Lions their first lead by bashing ahead one yard to cross the goal line late in the second quarter. Grade: B-OFFENSIVE LINE: Lake-Lehman grad Connor McGovern may be the most impressive pass-blocking freshman guard Penn State has seen in decades. Fifth-year senior Brian Gaia had a big day at center on Senior Day. Grade: BQUARTERBACK: McSorley continues to make people marvel. He threw for 111 yards in a rather stagnant first half for Penn State, but could barely miss while hitting 11 passes &#8212; four for long scoring strikes &#8212; as the Lions cracked the game open in the second half. Grade: ARUNNING BACKS: Barkley was particularly quiet against a defense selling out to stop him, but he did burst ahead for a 14-yard run and scored a tough touchdown. Andre Robinson ripped off a 15-yard dash on his first carry of the second half, then set the final score with a 14-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Grade: C-WIDE RECEIVERS: Chris Godwin jumped up with a 135-yard, two-touchdown day, but he had tons of help. DeAndre Thompkins, Saeed Blacknall and tight end Mike Gesicki all made important, if not spectacular, grabs downfield. Gosh, even seldom-used Juwan Johnson had a 40-yard touchdown catch. Grade: ADEFENSEFor as easily as Michigan State marched up and down the field during the first half, the Spartans never did get in the end zone. And Penn State made sure they didn&#8217;t get any more points over the final two quarters, either. Grade: ADEFENSIVE LINE: Garrett Sickels had a monster game up front, and applied tons of pressure when Michigan State was forced to used less-mobile quarterback Tyler O&#8217;Connor from the second quarter on. Grade: ALINEBACKERS: Brandon Bell was all over the field with a game-high 17 tackles and Jason Cabinda shrugged off an early-game injury to finish with eight stops. Grade: ASECONDARY: Too many Michigan State guys were running free downfield, but Marcus Allen did have an eye-opening pass breakup when the Spartans were trying to get back in the game. Grade: CSPECIAL TEAMS: Another strong punting game by Blake Gillikin had another outstanding day, placing one kick inside the Michigan State 5-yard line. Joey Julius was solid drilling kickoffs into the end zone and Tyler Davis hit all of his extra points, along with a 35-yard field goal. Grade: B+COACHING STAFF: Whatever changes offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead makes at halftime seem to work like a charm. His adjustments seem magical at times, transforming a sluggish offense into a star-studded gala. James Franklin didn&#8217;t want his Penn State players looking at the Ohio State-Michigan score, but maybe that game should have been shown live on the big screen at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State&#8217;s win, which opened the door for Penn State&#8217;s Big Ten East title, may have inspired the Lions a little earlier. Grade: B+<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penn State's DaeSean Hamilton (5) makes a catch in front of Michigan State's Grayson Miller (44) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday Nov. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Knight)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_AP1633181635534620161126192114165.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penn State's DaeSean Hamilton (5) makes a catch in front of Michigan State's Grayson Miller (44) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday Nov. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Knight)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Paul Sokoloskipsokoloski@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</shirttailMeta></div>

Report card: Penn State explodes in second half to win Big Ten East title