Novig pricesWashington DC Ryan Walters takes blame for 12-man penalty that sealed Penn State loss
Ryan Walters says a missed sideline call left an extra Husky on the field late in Washington's 28-25 loss to Penn State, and the staff owns the mistake.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters has taken the blame for the 12-men-on-the-field penalty that ended the Huskies' comeback against Penn State. He said Tuesday that the mistake came from the staff and not from the player left on the field. Washington trailed 28-6 at halftime and scored 19 straight points to get within 28-25. It never got the ball back.
The flag came with 3:51 left. Penn State faced third-and-5 at the Washington 17 after a Huskies timeout. According to Roundtable Sports, the Nittany Lions came out in a goal-line look with four tight ends. Washington's usual answer to that package is to take cornerback Dylan Robinson off and have a safety cover his man. Linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who wears the helmet radio, could not hear the call over the crowd, so Robinson stayed on. Robinson had covered tight end Benjamin Brahmer all game, and Brahmer was one of the four tight ends on the field. Walters said Robinson had no reason to think he should leave, and added, "It is not on Dylan." He said the coaches will now hold all 11 players on the sideline until they see the offense's personnel, and send them out together.
The Huskies had made the stop on that snap. Washington Huskies On SI reported that safety Rylon Dillard-Allen had brought Carson Hansen down short of the line to gain before he saw the flag. Washington had just used a timeout, and a second one would have drawn its own penalty with the same result. Penn State got a fresh set of downs at the 12. The Seattle Times' Andy Yamashita, writing in The Spokesman-Review, reported that Rocco Becht converted a fourth-and-1 sneak four plays later with 1:59 left. The Nittany Lions then knelt out the clock. Coach Jedd Fisch said the team tried to wave a player off the field but could not get the message through.
The defense struggled before that sequence, too. Penn State scored four touchdowns on its first five drives. It averaged 9.8 yards per play and made 10 of its 12 explosive plays in the first half. Under Walters, Washington did not allow more than 26 points in any game last season.
What it means for Michigan State
Washington is 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten, one win short of bowl eligibility with three games left. Saturday's trip to Michigan State (BTN) may be its best chance to get there. The Spartans are 3-6, and Washington has played better away from home. The Huskies won at Purdue 38-26 and at Nebraska 17-10. All three of their home losses came by a field goal or more: Minnesota 27-24, Iowa 41-24 and now Penn State.
Washington is favored on this site's board. Novig has the Huskies at -163 on the moneyline and Michigan State at +156. Novig also lists Washington at -3.5 (+104). The best price on Michigan State is BetRivers at +4 (-115), half a point more than Novig's +3.5 (-113). The total sits at 43.5 at most of the 12 venues. Pinnacle has the over at 43 (-109), against Novig's -106 at 43.5. BetMGM's under at 43.5 (-110) is a cent better than Novig's -111. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.5% to 6.3% on the moneyline and up to 7.0% on the spread.
Penn State is also 5-4 after its second straight win. It hosts Minnesota on FS1 and is favored at -317 on Novig, with a spread of -9.5.