MINNEAPOLIS — Penn State wanted to end the game on its terms. In the end, that’s why it went for a trio of fourth downs late in its 26-25 win over Minnesota. If the first didn’t work, the second two never would have happened.

The Nittany Lions struggled to run, had two special-teams failures and were terrible on 3rd down. But they managed a win over the Golden Gophers.

Penn State did not win pretty on Saturday night at Minnesota, but it did avert an upset and kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive. At this point of the year, that’s all that matters. The Lions survived,