After scoring a late touchdown to send the game into overtime and then quickly reaching the end zone again in the extra period, momentum was squarely on Minnesota's side.

The Golden Gophers took a 27-21 overtime lead over Penn State on Bryan Cupito's pass to Eric Decker, and it was up to sophomore kicker Jason Giannini to tack on the extra point.

Giannini's kick clanked off the left upright, falling to the synthetic turf, changing the complexion of the game. Trailing by six points instead of the anticipated seven, the Nittany Lions could secure a victory with a touchdown and a successful extra point by their own kicker, Kevin Kelly.

The breaks continued to go Penn State's way, as Tony Hunt scored and Kelly nailed his game-winning kick, a task he knows from experience is never a sure thing.

In last season's Orange Bowl against Florida State, Kelly missed two field goals that would have iced the game for the Lions, before converting on his third opportunity in the game's third overtime.

Though his own situation turned out fine last year, Kelly can certainly empathize with Giannini.

"With what happened in the Orange Bowl, I was in that situation last year," Kelly said. "He just didn't hit the ball right that time. It's unfortunate, and he'll bounce back."

Since his career extra point rate before the crucial miss was a mediocre 59-of-68, Giannini's point after attempt should not have been taken for granted.

Still, that can't make Giannini feel much better.

"I really feel for the kid," Minnesota coach Glen Mason said. "I don't think there's anything I can say to him right now to make him feel better. That's what I think the great thing about playing in this league is. This game teaches you how to be a man."

Though Mason didn't try to console his kicker in the immediate aftermath of the loss, Giannini's teammates did. Star receiver Logan Payne told Giannini that if he had gotten enough yardage for a first down on a reverse, the entire game might have been different, and that the entire team missed opportunities to seal the victory.

"Sometimes people look at it as one play making the difference in the game, but it's really not like that," Payne said. "It's not one guy. It's a team game. We win as a team and lose as a team."

Day to remember

Offense: Tony Hunt. For the fourth consecutive week, Hunt rushed for more than 100 yards, pushing his total in that span to 559 yards. Hunt, the only senior making significant contributions on offense, had 29 carries for two touchdowns, and one catch for another six points.

Defense: Jay Alford. The senior defensive tackle recorded career-highs in stops (7) and tackles for loss (4), while also finishing with 1.5 sacks.

Day to forget

Offense: Chris Auletta. Filling in at left tackle for the injured Levi Brown, Auletta was flagged for a false start penalty on Penn State's first play from scrimmage. He finished with two such transgressions on the day. Auletta did, however, make a good block downfield on a third down pass to Derrick Williams.

Defense: Secondary. The defensive backfield was unable to defend against Minnesota's passing attack. Cupito threw the ball quickly after the snap, limiting Penn State's ability to take him down, and then routinely hit his receivers on quick routes. It didn't help that the defensive backs had trouble tackling.

Quotable: Quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, on trying to conceal Anthony Morelli's dislocated finger from the public. Under orders from the head coach -- his father -- no one was to know about Morelli's injury.

"I told [Morelli] I'd go over to the training table and bring dinner over to his apartment. My wife said, 'Who are you taking dinner to?' I said I was taking it to [director of branding and communications for football] Guido D'Elia because he's got bronchitis. So [Friday] night my wife called me and said, 'Hey, what's going on?' We tried to keep it quiet. My wife found out from [the media]."

Extra Point: Over the past few weeks, Hunt has proven as valuable as any back in the country, though he doesn't receive the national attention other tailbacks do. Saturday, in front of much of the country and with Levi Brown back in action, Hunt will get his chance to make a name for himself.