Penn State’s defense dominated the day as the No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions (3-0) cruised past Villanova (1-1) 52-6 to close out the nonconference slate on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions struggled to turn good field position into touchdowns early, but still took a 21-0 lead into halftime before blowing it open in the second half.
Villanova couldn’t get on the scoreboard until the game’s final play against the Nittany Lions’ defensive reserves. Penn State got interceptions from cornerbacks Elliot Washington and freshman Jahmir Joseph, who returned his first career pick for a touchdown. Tony Rojas recorded two sacks, while Amare Campbell added one to go along with his team-leading seven tackles.
The Nittany Lions held the Wildcats to 179 yards on the day (96 passing and 83 rushing) and recorded 11 tackles for loss.
Penn State’s offense turned in a mixed performance that, despite the score, was at times less-than-inspiring against an overmatched FCS opponent. Quarterback Drew Allar finished 16-29 for 209 yards, a touchdown and his first interception of the season in just over three quarters of work. Kaytron Allen had 10 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown, and Nick Singleton ran 20 times for 84 yards and two scores.
After a bye next weekend, Penn State will turn its attention to a major showdown for its Big Ten opener when the Nittany Lions host No. 4 Oregon in a White Out game with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 27 at Beaver Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Quarter
Penn State took control at the outset against Villanova with a 12-play, 78-yard drive to open the game. Drew Allar completed all three of his pass attempts for 33 yards, Trebor Peña took a sweep for an 11-yard gain and Nick Singleton pounded away on the ground with eight carries for 34 yards. After Singleton’s 4-yard burst on first and goal, Penn State led 7-0 with 8:48 remaining in the first quarter.
Two Nittany Lion penalties helped Villanova to a first down on its opening possession, but a Zion Tracy tackle for loss and Tony Rojas sack ended the drive. Penn State moved from its own 22 to the Villanova 44 on the strength of an Allar pitch to Devonte Ross for 12 yards and a completion to Peña for 19. But a false start and two incompletions derailed the drive, and Gabe Nwosu came on for a punt that pinned the Wildcats at their own 8.
Defensive pressure and a penalty sent Villanova backwards on a three and out, and punter Luke Larsen’s kick went only 25 yards to give Penn State the ball at the Wildcat 32.
End 1st quarter: Penn State 7, Villanova 0
2nd Quarter
The Nittany Lion offense couldn’t do much with the prime field position and settled for a 46-yard Ryan Barker field goal to extend Penn State’s lead to 10-0 with 14:18 left in the half.
Penn State’s defense continued to smother Villanova on its next possession, forcing another three and out as Rojas took down Wildcat QB Tanner Maddocks for his second sack of the game. But the Nittany Lion offense stalled again with two Allar incompletions leading to a three and out, and Nwosu’s 48-yard punt gave the Wildcats the ball back at their own 18.
It was more of the same for the Villanova offense and the Nittany Lion offense was back on the field at its own 37 following a punt. Three Singleton carries and an Allar’s 22-yard completion to tight end Luke Reynolds had the Nittany Lions in the red zone, but the Nittany Lions again struggled to finish it off. Peña dropped a pass at the 1 on third down, and Barker came on for a 28-yard field goal. Penn State led 13-0 with 6:39 remaining in the second.
Villanova finally picked up some offensive momentum late in the half, relying on the ground game to gain two first downs and move into Nittany Lion territory. On fourth and 2 out of the two minute timeout, David Avit broke through for a 27-yard run to the Penn State 17. The Nittany Lion defense clamped down from there though. After Jack Barnum’s 32-yard field goal was wiped out by an illegal block, his 47-yard attempt was no good and the Wildcats came away empty.
With 1:08 remaining in the half, the Penn State offense worked quickly. After a 12-yard run by Kaytron Allen, Allar completed passes to Reynolds, Liam Clifford and Kyron Hudson to get the Nittany Lions to the Villanova 23. Allar then threw a strike that split defenders down the middle to Peña for a touchdown. Allar again tossed to Peña on the two-point conversion, and the Nittany Lions had a 21-0 lead as the half wound down after going 70 yards on seven plays in just 36 seconds.
End of 2nd quarter: Penn State 21, Villanova 0
3rd Quarter
Linebacker Amare Campbell’s sack of Villanova QB Pat McQuaide capped off a three and out to open the second half.
Penn State’s took over at the Villanova 48 after a punt, but once again couldn’t full capitalize on the prime field position. A 16-yard Allar scramble moved the Nittany Lions to the 31, and a couple more runs pushed ahead to the 25, but that was all Penn State could manage. Ryan Barker hit is third field goal of the day, this time from 42 yards, and Penn State led 24-0 with 10:02 left in the third.
On the first play of Villanova’s ensuing possession, pressure by Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton forced an errant McQuaide throw that was intercepted by cornerback Elliot Washington and returned 12 yards to the Villanova 23.
Penn State picked up a first down on a pair of runs to the Wildcat 11, but Allar floated a check-down pass intended for Allen and Villanova’s Omari Bursey picked it off at the 17 for the Nittany Lions’ first turnover of the season. The Nittany Lion defense continued to frustrate Villanova though, and the Wildcats quickly punted it back to the Penn State 41.
The Nittany Lion offense wouldn’t be denied this time. Allar completed passes of 11 yards to tight end Andrew Rappleyea, 7 to Nick Singleton and 21 to Reynolds, and Singleton carried four times for 18 yards including a 4-yard touchdown plunge. Penn State moved ahead 31-0 with 3:36 left in the quarter.
End of 3rd quarter: Penn State 31, Villanova 0
4th Quarter
After Villanova moved to midfield at the end of the third, the Nittany Lions shut down the Wildcats to start the final period as Campbell threw running back Isaiah Ragland for a 4-yard loss and defensive end Chaz Coleman pressured McQuaide into an incomplete.
Penn State’s offense went on an 84-yard march on its next drive. Allar connected with Reynolds for a 21-yard gain, and Singleton had an 11-yard carry. But it was Allen who was the star of the show, rushing for 42-yards, including an 18-yard touchdown run as Penn State widened its lead to 38-0 with 10:43 remaining.
The Nittany Lions quickly forced another Villanova punt that Ross returned 34 yards to the Wildcat 35. With the backups getting work, Nittany Lion second-team receiver Tyseer Denmark took a reverse 12 yards, and two player later QB Ethan Grunkemeyer hit wide open sophomore tight end Joey Schlaffer for a 19-yard touchdown, Schlaffer’s first as a Nittany Lion. Penn State’s lead grew to 45-0 with 7:05 to go.
Penn State freshman cornerback Jahmir Joseph picked off Maddocks on the second play of Villanova’s next possession and weaved his way 49 yards for a touchdown. Joseph’s first collegiate pick-six and Barker’s PAT gave Penn State a 52-0 lead with 6:24 left.
Villanova went 72 yards over the game’s final six minutes as Penn State used the blowout to give backups experience. After a first-and-goal from the 1, the Nittany Lion defense held strong until the final play of the game when Maddocks scrambled and found Brandon Binkowski, who made a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone to spoil the shutout.
Final: Penn State 52, Villanova 6
