Penn State went into Minneapolis and walked out with a victory Saturday over Minnesota. The Nittany Lions earned a 26-25 win over the Gophers to move to 10-1 on the season and 7-1 in the Big Ten.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Defense steps up after early offensive failures

The Nittany Lions' offense struggled early on in this one, like they have frequently this year -- but the team's defense was able right the ship relatively quickly. At least, it did when the offense wasn't putting it in bad positions. The Gophers' first drive -- which ended in a touchdown -- was their best of the first half, but failures by the Penn State offense and special teams allowed Minnesota to tack on an extra 12 points.

PSU quarterback Drew Allar took a bad sack on fourth down that gave the Gophers three points on the ensuing drive when they gained only 25 yards. Then a blocked Penn State punt led to a trick-play touchdown for Minnesota, and a Gophers block on an extra point gave them two more points when they returned it all the way. Those miscues allowed Minnesota to go into the half with a 19-16 lead, putting Penn State in peril. Luckily for Nittany Lions fans, the defense stood tall and allowed just six points in the second half. PSU's defense also finished with nine tackles for loss on the day.

Allar's inconsistency puts Penn State in danger

Penn State has been able to rely on quarterback Drew Allar to keep the team in games, but on Saturday he was a part of the reason for the offense's struggles. Allar had opportunities to connect with wide receivers downfield, but it looked as if there were multiple miscommunications and a few misses by him that led to incompletions.

That's not to say Penn State would have put up 50 points if Allar had played better, but the offense would have looked like it was in cruise control rather than struggling to move the ball. Minnesota was determined to stop the Penn State running game, and did it successfully enough that it put the onus on Allar. And for the first time this season he was unable to hit the throws that were available to him.

Playoff bid nearly secured

A halftime deficit turned into a crucial win for Penn State, with the first College Football Playoff berth in program history all but secured. All that stands in the Nittany Lions' way is a home matchup against Maryland in the regular season finale.

Even losing to the Terps doesn't eliminate PSU, but a win seals the deal. And it should seal a home playoff game in the first round, giving the Nittany Lions a big advantage over their opponents. Saturday's result was in doubt at times, but at the end of the day getting the win is all that matters. That will allow the program to have a shot to make a run at a national title.