James Franklin was all smiles as he embraced his family postgame. And rightfully so. Penn State broke a pair of school records for total yards and first downs in its 56-0 blowout win over Kent State on Saturday. That should mean a lot for one of the most historically successful programs in the history of college football.
The Nittany Lions were dominant on both sides of the ball, tallying 718 total yards and holding the Golden Flashes to just 67. It was exactly the type of victory Franklin could’ve hoped for to boost morale and confidence ahead of what should be a grueling test against undefeated No. 24 Illinois next weekend.
“Obviously, when you’re able to score that many points and that many yards and be explosive —you know, we put up some pretty big numbers in the past, but whenever you’re able to say a school record at a place like Penn State, it’s something to be proud of, and it’s something to build off of. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.”
What can be taken away from Penn State’s throttling of Kent State?
Allar throws near-perfect game
There’s no denying it. Drew Allar looks like a completely different quarterback this season. He’s poised, he’s comfortable and he’s not afraid to throw a deep ball. Saturday may have been Allar’s best game yet. He completed 17-of-21 pass attempts for 309 yards and four total touchdowns in under three full quarters of play. Allar was completely dominant, both in the pass and run game.
He added 26 rushing yards and maneuvered around the pocket with ease, launching passes as he deemed necessary, like a season-long 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Omari Evans.
“I think last year I was able to showcase it a little bit, but not as much as I would have liked, just with having to throw the ball away because I wasn’t fast enough to get away from some guys or just trusting myself more this year, and that’s one of my goals,” Allar said. “I’m not really scrambling to the run; I’m scrambling to throw the ball downfield.”
Warren proving he’s nation’s best TE
It should help Allar’s cause that he has tight end Tyler Warren as a top option. The 6-foot-6, 261-pound Warren broke a program record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a game against Bowling Green two weeks ago. He followed that up on Saturday with another incredible performance in which he caught and threw a touchdown pass, and rushed for 16 yards.
“Ty Warren is the best tight end in college football,” Franklin said. “The tight end position isn’t supposed to be about receiving yards. It’s about complete players, blockers, receivers, rushers, throwing the ball. He threw a touchdown. I told him it was one of the ugliest touchdown passes I’ve ever seen, but it went for a touchdown, which is all that matters.”
Allen rebounds from the box
Tom Allen would probably like to have the Bowling Green game back. It was a dreadful performance for Penn State’s defense in the first half and a rough first impression to make in his Beaver Stadium debut as the team’s defensive coordinator. He made amends this weekend, holding Kent State to just 67 yards in a shutout victory.
Allen’s defensive players were more efficient against the Golden Flashes, and that could have something to do with his move from the sideline to the box, where he called Saturday’s game.
“He didn’t want to do it last week, but wanted to do it this week. I don’t know if he’ll be up there next week, but it’s something to consider,” Franklin said. “I’m a big believer that, as a play caller, the best place to call the game, just truly call the game, is upstairs.”
You get a catch, you get a catch
Sharing the wealth with more offensive plays was a major point of emphasis over the idle week. Entering the game, just three wide receivers had tallied receptions on the year. That changed quickly as 10 different receivers touched the ball, led by Evans’ 116 yards, Liam Clifford’s 64 yards and Julian Fleming’s 60 yards.
“I think it just shows how many playmakers we have,” Allar said. “Obviously, we wanted to get them more involved in the first two weeks of the season, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to. But they took advantage of their opportunities today.”
Lane steps up in Winston’s absence
Kevin Winston Jr.’s “long-term” injury was a tough blow for a safety room lacking depth. In his place, veterans Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley held down the majority of position’s reps, but freshman Dejuan Lane also saw a significant increase in playing time. The heavy usage is only expected to continue for Lane, who has appeared in all three games this season.
Reed attributed Lane’s advanced abilities to the “talent that God gave him.”
“Dejuan did a great job trying to adapt to all the guys and learn different keys and qualities,” Reed said. “I feel like that’s what sets him apart. … He’s 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. It’s rare to see safeties like that.”
‘Huge’ day for Carter, Dennis-Sutton
One of the most head-scratching developments of this season has been the lack of edge pressure from defensive ends Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton. But on Saturday, both secured their first sacks of the year, leading the charge of a dominant defensive effort that saw five tackles for loss and five pass breakups.
“I think it’s huge. We’ve been talking about it. Obviously, we haven’t had the stats as a defense, specifically as a D-line, for us, TFLs and sacks and things like that. But today, we sort of started that trend,” Dennis-Sutton said. “And then, if you look back, once we start to get a couple sacks and TFLs, everything starts to roll.”
Freshmen overload
A total of 14 freshmen saw the field against Kent State: Lane, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, tight end Luke Reynolds, defensive end Max Granville, linebacker Anthony Speca, safety Vaboue Toure, cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr., wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, cornerback Jon Mitchell, defensive end Jaylen Harvey, cornerback Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, running back Quinton Martin Jr. and offensive tackle Eagan Boyer.
Reynolds stood out on the offensive side with two receptions — one being a remarkable leaping grab — for 27 yards. Speca, on the other hand, made the most impact on the defensive stat sheet, tallying a quarterback hurry and leading the team with five total tackles.
“There were a ton of guys that played late, but there’s also a ton of guys like Dae Dae [Lane], like Granville, that played early in the game, I think series three or series five,” Franklin said. “So that’s significant for us.”
