Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford (14) waves to fans while celebrating a victory over Michigan State in an NCAA football game Saturday in State College.
                                 AP photo

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford (14) waves to fans while celebrating a victory over Michigan State in an NCAA football game Saturday in State College.

AP photo

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<p>Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher (97) helps hold the Land Grant Trophy following the team’s 35-16 victory over Michigan State in an NCAA football game Saturday in State College.</p>
                                 <p>AP photo</p>

Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher (97) helps hold the Land Grant Trophy following the team’s 35-16 victory over Michigan State in an NCAA football game Saturday in State College.

AP photo

It wasn’t the senior day combination most expected to make the play of the day. Betting odds might have gone to quarterback Sean Clifford connecting with wideout Mitchell Tinsley.

Barney Amor and Ji’Ayir Brown did the job just as well.

In danger of losing control of the game during a rough third quarter, an excellent punt by Amor led to Brown flying down the field to force a fumble.

Penn State ball in red zone. Two plays later, it was in the end zone for the winning score of Saturday’s 35-16 triumph over Michigan State that gave the Nittany Lions their fourth 10-win season — and potentially their fourth New Year’s Six bowl bid — since 2016.

It’s the type of havoc that Brown has excelled at causing in his career, first at Lackawanna College before transferring to Penn State. It was the 15th turnover he’s had a hand in for the Lions.

Tight end Tyler Warren made it all possible by hustling to jump on the loose ball, then haul in a contested catch in the end zone a few moments later to put the Lions ahead 21-3.

It proved to be a key score for No. 11 Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten), which struggled for much of the second half against a last-gasp effort from the Spartans (5-7, 3-6) to become bowl-eligible.

“I’m really proud,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “Where this team started, in terms of how people talked about us in preseason, to where we finished, I would think inside the top 10 at the end of the regular season. … That’s probably the biggest thing. We just kept getting better all year long.”

Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne endured constant harassment from the Lions defense to pull his team within 21-16 in the fourth quarter by throwing for a score and running for another.

But it was his Penn State counterpart who put the game away.

Clifford had to endure some boos from the home crowd in this, his sixth season with the program and fourth as the starter. But it was cheers at the start for his senior day walk and again at the end for a terrific finish to his 23rd and final start at Beaver Stadium.

As it was, Clifford completed his final 13 passes in Happy Valley and ended the game with nearly as many touchdowns (four) as incompletions (five).

With Michigan State keying on the run most of the way, it was up to others to make an impact on offense. The tight ends came through and wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith delivered his best game in his three seasons with the Lions.

Tight ends accounted for Penn State’s first three scores, as Theo Johnson caught a pair of wide-open touchdowns in the first half to take Penn State to a 14-0 lead after a slow start.

The second one came on a well-executed trick play as Clifford tossed a long lateral to the sideline to Lambert-Smith, who immediately flung the ball to Johnson for a 48-yard score.

Lambert-Smith led the team with five catches for 83 yards and another score, snaring a deep ball from Clifford after a late turnover to close things out. He also set up the game’s first touchdown with some nice improv work on fourth-and-2, shaking loose a defender to give a scrambling Clifford a last-second target.

“I’m proud of him,” Franklin said of Lambert-Smith. “It hasn’t always gone easy for him but he’s really been resilient and battled through it.”

Up 21-16, the Lions gave themselves some breathing room on a fourth-and-1 play in the red zone. Kicker Jake Pinegar had missed two short field goals in the first half, and Penn State elected to go for the knockout. It came on a quick screen to Nick Singleton for a 12-yard touchdown.

On defense, Michigan native Kalen King finished with five break-ups and a game-sealing interception. Linebacker Abdul Carter, a sure candidate for the freshman All-America team, had seven tackles (three for loss), two sacks and narrowly missed a pick-six on a batted ball.

SENIOR DAY

Penn State recognized 22 players for senior day ceremonies before the game. But because of extra eligibility provided by the 2020 pandemic season, that means there might be a player or two who opts to return.

Four players who were recognized last November — Clifford, PJ Mustipher, Jonathan Sutherland and Chris Stoll — all opted to come back for 2022.

More telling are the players who made the walk with traditional years of eligibility remaining. Three scholarship players signaled their intent to move on — cornerback Joey Porter Jr., defensive tackle Dvon Ellies and cornerback Marquis Wilson.

Porter has long been expected to declare for the NFL draft. Ellies and Wilson were both second-teamers this season.

The full list: Amor, Brown, Clifford, DB Sebastian Costantini, OL Bryce Effner, Ellies, DL Alex Furmanek, LB Charlie Katshir, TE Grayson Kline, Mustipher, Pinegar, Porter, LB Cody Romano, OL Juice Scruggs, Stoll, DB Jaden Seider, Sutherland, DL Nick Tarburton, WR Mitchell Tinsley, Wilson, LS Michael Wright, OL Blake Zalar.

INFIRMARY REPORT

After missing the last two games while recovering from appendicitis, Porter was back in uniform for his final game at Beaver Stadium. He started the game but spent most of the day on the sideline.

Still up in the air is the future for left tackle Olu Fashanu, who missed his fourth straight game with an apparent lower-body injury suffered against Ohio State.

Fashanu may have the biggest offseason decision of anyone on the roster, as his first two months of the season were so good that the third-year lineman began receiving some first-round draft grades.

DOM ON THE SPOT

Dominic DeLuca’s knack for being around the ball for key plays continued, closing out a strong regular season for the former Wyoming Area star.

The redshirt freshman linebacker had a tackle on the opening kickoff and then snuffed out Michigan State’s best drive of the first half, breaking up a fourth-and-4 pass from the Penn State 33.

UP NEXT

For the Lions, it’s now a week-long wait for details on their bowl game.

Best case? A surprise trip to the Rose Bowl against a Pac-12 squad. Worst case would be a Citrus Bowl matchup vs. an SEC team.

The path to Pasdaena is only possible if both Michigan and Ohio State are chosen for the College Football Playoff — a door that might have been opened by the Wolverines’ win over the Buckeyes.

If USC loses in next week’s Pac-12 championship, Ohio State may very well be the next team up for a playoff spot, leaving the Lions left to take the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the Rose.

Penn State’s chances at reaching any New Year’s Six bowl got a big boost Saturday night with No. 5 LSU’s loss to Texas A&M. But it’s not a guarantee.

If LSU upsets Georgia in the SEC championship, the Tigers claim the automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl. That likely means Alabama and Tennessee claim the open spots to the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, as both are ranked ahead of Penn State.