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Clifford’s masterful final drive sends Penn St. past Purdue

Purdue wide receiver TJ Sheffield (8) catches a tipped ball in front of Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Sean Clifford capped a masterful final drive by throwing a 10-yard TD pass to Keyvone Lee with 57 seconds left, rallying the Nittany Lions to a 35-31 victory.

Penn State has won 10 straight in the series and six of its last seven season openers. Purdue hasn’t beaten the Nittany Lions since 2004.

Purdue was on the verge after Clifford’s errant throw midway through the fourth quarter resulted in a 72-yard interception return for a score by Chris Jefferson. That gave Purdue a 31-28 lead. But he avenged the mistake by leading Penn State on an eight-play, 80-yard drive to win it.