No. 8 Penn State football (2-0), narrowly survived Bowling Green (1-1) 34-27 on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium.

Bowling Green jumped out to a 24-20 lead to end the first half. The Falcons put up 286 total yards on Penn State’s defense in the half, with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and the run game thriving in particular. Penn State’s offense generally kept things close, but the crowd voiced its displeasure with the score as the teams ran into the tunnels at the break.

A Nick Singleton touchdown made it 27-24 in the third quarter, which ended with Drew Allar throwing an interception in the end zone. After two Penn State punts and Bazelak interceptions, Singleton rushed for another touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Bowling Green’s final drive resulted in a field goal to make it 34-27, but an unsuccessful onside kick attempt ended any hope of an upset.

How It Happened

Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak got the Falcons off to a hot start. He started the drive with a 30-yard pass to Fannin. He barely completed a pass to extend the drive on 3rd-and-6, which was followed up by a 29-yard pass to Malcolm Johnson Jr. to reach the six-yard line. Bazelak effortlessly found Fannin again in the end zone, stunning the Beaver Stadium crowd to take an early 7-0 lead with 12:39 to go in the first quarter.

Allar began Penn State’s inaugural drive with a 12-yard pass to Tyler Warren. Kaytron Allen exploded for a 26-yard run to get the Nittany Lions across midfield at the 37-yard line. Singleton then got involved with a 17-yard gain. Warren advanced to the five-yard line after hauling in another catch; and Allar dashed into the end zone two plays later, with Sander Sahaydak’s extra point tying it 7-7 with 10:14 left in the quarter.

Allar for 6⃣

pic.twitter.com/COjrHOVsLF

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 7, 2024

Fannin built on an impressive first drive with a 16-yard reception on second down. The Falcons picked up a first down three plays later, quickly moving the ball into Penn State territory. The Nittany Lions almost got off the field on 3rd-and-3, but a pass interference call on Cam Miller moved the Falcons to the 24-yard line. The drive stalled despite an offsides call against Hakeem Beamon, and Jackson Kleather’s 33-yard field goal made it 10-7 with 4:50 left in the quarter.

Allar tossed it to Singleton for a three-yard gain to open the drive. He threw an incompletion and would’ve had a first down had it not been for a holding call against Drew Shelton. Allar fired it to Omari Evans, who dropped it on 3rd-and-long to force a punt.

Johnson made a six-yard catch to extend Bowling Green’s drive on third down. Bazelak found Rahkeem Smith for a 14-yard completion to move into Penn State territory once again. The Falcons got even closer with a 32-yard play to Fannin, putting them at 11-yard line. A five-yard tackle for loss brought up 3rd-and-14, but Bazelak found Johnson Jr. despite pressure from two Nittany Lions to make it 17-7 with 12:48 left in the second quarter.

Penn State only took three plays to answer. First, Allar hit Warren for a 22-yard completion. Then, Singleton exploded for a 24-yard gain. Finally, Evans caught a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-14 with 11:48 left in the half.

pic.twitter.com/hnTEta41TW

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 7, 2024

Jaison Patterson picked up nine yards to open Bowling Green’s drive, but a false start made it 2nd-and-6. It didn’t matter, as Fannin made a seven-yard catch. A play of no gain and a pass breakup made it 3rd-and-10 on the 42-yard line. With the Beaver Stadium crowd hitting a crescendo, Patterson picked up another nine. On 4th-and-1, Abdul Carter stormed Bazelak and swatted the pass down to turn the ball over.

Starting at the Falcons’ 45-yard line, Allen picked up eight yards and then another six the next play. Singleton and Allen combined for seven yards over the next two plays to bring up 3rd-and-3. Allen was stuffed, and Sahaydak’s 43-yard attempt tied it 17-17 with 5:38 remaining in the half.

Patterson picked up 13 yards to start Bowling Green’s drive. Bazelak found Fannin again for an 18-yard completion to move across midfield to the 44-yard line. Then, Jamal Johnson exploded for a 41-yard touchdown run to regain a 24-17 lead with 3:32 left in the half.

Allar continued to connect with Warren, this time for a 30-yard play on 3rd-and-7. Singleton ripped a 15-yard gain but was stuffed on the next play. Allar, however, picked up a first down with a 14-yard run. Singleton gained three yards but gained nothing on the next play to make it 3rd-and-7. Allar was sacked, and Sahaydak’s 28-yard field goal was good to make it 24-20 to end the half as the boos rained down at Beaver Stadium.

Beau Pribula ripped an eight-yard gain, and Allen picked up the first down to open the second half. Two plays later, Allar’s pass to Allen was overturned to make it 3rd-and-8 from the 48-yard line. Allar scrambled and maneuvered his way around a few Falcons, but ultimately took a 23-yard sack to end the drive.

Carter tackled Patterson for a one-yard loss to start Bowling Green’s first drive of the half. Bazelak tossed it to Justin Pegues for a five-yard gain to make it 3rd-and-6. Zakee Wheatley broke up his pass on third down to end the drive.

Starting at the 15-yard line, Warren made a 10-yard catch. Allar dropped back and hit Warren again for a 29-yard completion to reach Bowling Green’s 46-yard line. The duo connected for the third straight time for a 23-yard gain after Allar was sacked. Singleton and Pribula picked up 10 combined yards for another first down at the 17-yard line. Then, Allar hit Julian Fleming for three yards, the first catch of his Penn State career. Allar capped off the drive by firing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Singleton, and Sahaydak’s extra point made it 27-24 Nittany Lions with 6:13 left in the third quarter.

Elliot Washington II nearly intercepted Bazelak’s pass on 1st-and-10. A false start pushed the offense five yards closer to the student section, and the raucous crowd forced a timeout. Bazelak scrambled for two yards, making it 3rd-and-15. His pass sailed incomplete to force a second consecutive punt.

Allen ripped an eight-yard gain but was then stuffed to make it 3rd-and-2. Allar hit Khalil Dinkins for a seven-yard gain. Evans would’ve had another touchdown on 2nd-and-7, but he was called for offensive pass interference. Allar gained 12 yards on 3rd-and-17, but the offense stayed put. Under pressure, he completed a pass to Evans to extend the drive. Things looked promising after Allen rushed to the 12-yard line, but then, Allar threw an interception to Jacorey Benjamin in the end zone to end the third quarter.

An incompletion and a five-yard run brought up a quick Falcon third down. Fannin caught a pass and broke a tackle to reach the first down at the 17-yard line. That about did it for the drive, though, as a run for no gain and a holding penalty was too much to overcome.

After Penn State went three-and-out, Bowling Green almost suffered the same fate. An offsides penalty assisted in Bazelak’s eight-yard completion to Johnson Jr. to extend the drive. Facing 3rd-and-3 three plays later, the Falcons once again stayed on the field with Fannin making a three-yard reception. But then, disaster struck for Bazelak as Tony Rojas intercepted his pass at Penn State’s 38-yard line.

Penn State went three-and-out again. Bazelak, under pressure, threw it out of bounds on the first play. Patterson was tackled by Coziah Izzard to bring up 3rd-and-11. Bazelak threw another interception, this time to Wheatley at Bowling Green’s 41-yard line. Singleton took it all the way to the house on the first play, making it 34-24 with 4:09 left in regulation.

Pegues ripped a 14-yard gain to reach the Falcons’ 48-yard line before being forced out of bounds. Fannin caught a four-yard pass to make it 3rd-and-6 two plays later, and Patterson picked up six yards to keep things going. Fannin caught another pass for 11 yards before running out of bounds. Johnson Jr. made a five-yard catch at the 25-yard line, and Patterson only picked up one yard on the next play. Bazelak’s pass on third down was incomplete, and Kleather’s field goal made it 34-27 with 47 seconds left.

The onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, effectively ending the game.

Takeaways

• Adjustments were made following that first half. After Bowling Green had 286 yards in the first half, it only had 89 in the second. On top of that, the Falcons’ only points in the second half were the aforementioned field goal at the end of the game.
• Penalties remained an issue Saturday, and nearly cost Penn State this game. The Nittany Lions had four offensive penalties and three defensive penalties. If that’s not addressed more this week, it’ll be a major factor in games later in the season.
• On the bright side, Singleton had a great day, with 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 14 receiving yards.

What’s Next?

Penn State has its first of two bye weeks this season. After that, the Nittany Lions host Kent State on Saturday, September 21. A time has yet to be announced.