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MINNEAPOLIS — Penn State pulled off a vital win over Minnesota Saturday night in Minneapolis, earning a 26-25 win that makes the Nittany Lions 10-1 on the season and 7-1 in the Big Ten. Let’s get right into the analysis — with the good, the bad, and the ugly from PSU’s victory. Good Fourth quarter aggressiveness: As someone who will die on the hill of almost never punting, I appreciated James Franklin’s willingness to go for it on three different fourth downs on his team’s game-ending drive. The Nittany Lion head coach does not always make aggressive decisions — he even showed passivity at times Saturday — but when it mattered most he believed in his team and it got the job done. The first was a fake punt that was only successful because PSU didn’t check out of, thanks to Minnesota bringing out its punt return unit and not anticipating the fake. But the second and third were him putting it all on the line with his offense and trying to, as he put it, end it on Penn State’s terms. That’s the kind of aggressiveness that’s needed to win in big moments. Minnesota may only be a middle of the pack Big Ten team, but there was a lot on the line for Penn State Saturday. And that created the type of chances for the Nittany Lions to go out and earn what they aspire to achieve. And on those fourth downs, they did just that. Drew Allar: Saturday was not Allar’s best game, but what he did in crucial spots was more than enough to take him out of having a bad game. The junior quarterback picked up crucial yards on the ground on several occasions and on the final play of the game made the correct call to seal the win for Penn State. On that play in particular, he could have easily thrown the ball in the dirt or tried to force a throw to a covered Nick Singleton on his first read, but instead he made a play. Allar evaded a rusher and stepped up, initially looking like he was going to try and run for the first down with only a yard needed to end the game. But instead he kept his eyes downfield, hitting a wide open Tyler Warren to end it. Those are the kinds of plays that veteran quarterbacks decide to make and the kind that some of the best make consistently. Sure, there was an errant throw or two downfield on Saturday, but ultimately it was Allar who closed out the win. College Football Playoff chances: This is pretty much settled. If Penn State wins against Maryland next week, it is going to be in the 12-team College Football Playoff field and probably seeded between No. 5-8, hosting a first round game at Beaver Stadium. Frankly, the Nittany Lions might even be in with a loss now that Ole Miss has picked up a third defeat. There was a lot of discussion about this program being the primary beneficiary of a 12-team field, and we’re all seeing why. The Nittany Lions remain one of the best teams in the country year after year, even if they don’t necessarily crack the top four. And that may be the irony of all of this. There’s a good chance they finish in the top four in the final rankings — but they’d be seeded lower because they wouldn’t be a conference champ, which the top four seeds are reserved for — making it likely that without playoff expansion they’d have made a four-team field anyway. Andy Kotelnicki: Penn State’s offense isn’t the best in the country, but it is very good and a lot of the credit for that has to go to its offensive coordinator. Kotelnicki has come in and implemented a scheme that relies on complicating everything for the defense. Even the most basic of plays usually involves some sort of motion to challenge the opponents’ ability to make changes with offensive players on the move. He’s taken the group from good to great and has allowed Allar to evolve into one of the best quarterbacks in the country with tight end Tyler Warren as one of the best weapons in the nation. There will be some quibbling about exactly how he does things — some will say he gets too cute and needs to simplify his offense. But those people are wrong. Kotelnicki’s disguises are what makes this offense successful and what has helped lead this team to an eventual playoff berth. Penn State’s defense: The first drive was bad, but the rest of the game was mostly great. The Nittany Lion defense under Tom Allen has bent but not broken most of the season and that’s what happened often against the Gophers. Their first touchdown came on a long drive to begin the game, an issue PSU has had this season, but the only other one came on a trick play after a blocked punt gave the Gophers a short field. The 25 points allowed doesn’t do the defense justice in this game. Very rarely was that group at fault for the Gophers having success scoring, and when Minnesota was in desperate need of points, the Nittany Lion defenders delivered. They helped the team win the turnover battle against a group that was one of the best at getting takeaways and ultimately they kept them alive despite one facet of the game trying to give it away. Bad First quarter passivity: Franklin should be applauded for his aggressiveness late, but he should also be criticized for being passive early. Twice on the team’s first two drives they had fourth-and-1 and twice they decided to punt. And again, as someone who almost never thinks it’s a good idea to punt, I did not like those decisions. The first one is, admittedly, one that most people would punt on. The team was at its own 34-yard-line and it was the first drive of the game. That being said, you are the No. 4 team in the country with the most creative offensive mind calling your plays. You should be able to pick up a yard there. It doesn’t help that Minnesota drove down and scored a touchdown on its ensuing drive, either, rendering any field position gained pointless. The second decision to punt was even more egregious, with PSU having the ball on its own 46. Not going there is fighting for a minimal advantage and — again — not trusting that your offense can gain a single yard. Those plays proved inconsequential to the result, but had the Nittany Lions not become aggressive late and lost, that would have been one of the most obvious reasons as to why. Ugly Special teams miscues: Ryan Barker made his field goals and Luke Reynolds converted a crucial fourth down on a fake punt, but pretty much everything else went wrong for the special teams on Saturday. Riley Thompson had a punt blocked that led to a Minnesota touchdown on the next play. Then Barker had an extra point blocked and returned for two points after a Minnesota defender came through the backfield untouched. And to top it all off, Warren — who was an all-state punter in high school — shanked one 16 yards on a wildly unnecessary trick play that ended with Allar storming off the field furiously. Penn State won, so none of that will matter in the long run as long as the Nittany Lions fix the issues. But they’ll have plenty to fix when they get back from Minneapolis.
Watch: Salman Khan’s Sikandar teaser, blockbuster loading?PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The mood in the Eagles' locker room was a bit more bleak than it should have been for a team riding a nine-game winning streak and celebrating a franchise rushing record. Former 1,000-yard receiver DeVonta Smith — who caught a touchdown pass and not much else — was exasperated at the offensive no-show. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.France has pulled their top negotiators from the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, intensifying divisions at a climate conference already disrupted by Donald Trump’s election. The French move came following a speech by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at the event, where he accused French President Emmanuel Macron's "regime" of "brutally" killing citizens during recent protests in New Caledonia. Aliyev also referred to France's Pacific island territories as "colonies," pointing to nuclear tests conducted in French Polynesia and Algeria. Paris accused Azerbaijan of meddling in its internal affairs by escalating tensions in its overseas territories and dependencies, such as New Caledonia. Additionally, Macron has opted not to attend COP29 . Azerbaijan has rejected accusations of interference, while Aliyev criticized France for keeping Corsica and its distant overseas island territories "under the colonial yoke." Before Macron’s tenure, Azerbaijan and France engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation. From 1995 to 2019, French companies invested $2.2 billion in Azerbaijan's economy, with $2 billion allocated to the oil sector and $194.1 million to other industries. In return, Azerbaijan invested $2.6 billion in the French economy. These developments led France to maintain a relatively balanced stance in the South Caucasus. A clear example was former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in 2011. However, this balanced approach has shifted in recent years, with French foreign policy in the region moving increasingly in Armenia's favor. Key factors driving this change include Nikol Pashinyan's rise to power in Armenia in 2018, the weakening of Armenian-Russian relations, the Second Karabakh War and the intensifying tensions between France and both Türkiye and Azerbaijan, all of which have pushed France toward a more unbalanced approach in the South Caucasus. It is important to note that France is home to approximately 650,000 Armenians, the largest Armenian diaspora in Europe and the third-largest globally, after Russia and the United States. Traditional Armenian parties, particularly the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), along with Armenian lobbies and associations, wield significant influence in France's political, social and media spheres. On June 18, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the sale of 36 Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Armenia. This decision quickly triggered harsh reactions from both Baku and Moscow. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry described the sale as a "provocative" move that could turn the region into a "hotbed of war" once again. Azerbaijan’s strong response is linked to Baku’s deep hostility towards France, stemming from Paris' firm support for Armenia during the three-decade-long struggle over Karabakh. This conflict concluded late last year with Azerbaijan's decisive victory over Armenian forces. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has attempted to exclude France from the ongoing Karabakh peace process. He has also sought to challenge France in other ways, condemning what he called French neocolonialism and promoting the formation of the “Baku Initiative Group against French Colonialism.” Baku is positioning itself as a champion and advocate for island nations and other small countries engaged in liberation movements against European powers. This approach aligns with Azerbaijan's history within the Non-Aligned Movement, established during the Cold War, to protect the interests of developing nations. France's policy toward Armenia is motivated by the aim of maintaining a presence in the South Caucasus amid a changing geopolitical landscape. Paris wields broader influence as a key power within the European Union and has been actively advocating for greater Western support for Yerevan. In April, Pashinyan met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to finalize a $350 million aid agreement. Although tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have eased to some extent, evidenced by their efforts to negotiate a peace deal – the outcome remains uncertain. Considering the stakes, the EU should reconsider its approach to the South Caucasus. Even if European countries are not directly involved in the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations, they will play a crucial role in ensuring the implementation of any agreement on the ground. For years, a flaw in Western strategy was the neglect or compartmentalization of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, leaving it to a small group of diplomats while other officials focused on generally easier matters in Yerevan. Without a proactive approach from Western actors to prevent further violence and encourage the parties to reach an agreement, the unresolved conflict is likely to resurge with even greater intensity in the future.