No. 10 Penn State football (3-0) eviscerated Kent State (0-4) 56-0 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State ran up the score by the end of the first half, entering the break with a 28-0 lead. Drew Allar had three total touchdowns, and Tyler Warren got involved with a touchdown pass.

The Nittany Lions kept the foot on the gas pedal in the second half, doubling the score with four more touchdowns to win 56-0. The offense made history, picking up a total of 718 yards to give the Nittany Lions a 3-0 start.

How It Happened

Dani Dennis-Sutton sacked Devin Kargman, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Kent State. Kargman was carted off the field with an injury suffered during the play, and J.D. Sherrod replaced him. On 3rd-and-12, Jordan Lowe was stuffed to end the drive swiftly.

Kaytron Allen began Penn State’s inaugural drive with a seven-yard rush from the 24-yard line. After an incompletion, Drew Allar completed a four-yard pass to Trey Wallace to refresh the downs. In an unusual instance, tight end Tyler Warren took the snap and rushed 16 yards across midfield to the 49-yard line. On 3rd-and-4 three plays later, Allar found Wallace again for a nine-yard gain to reach the 34-yard line. Nick Singleton got involved with a nine-yard rush, but then disaster struck: Beau Pribula’s pass was intercepted by Kameren Olds, who returned it from the 28 to the 41-yard line.

Kai Thomas ran six yards for a first down after an offsides call on the initial play. However, two incompletions and a rush for minimal gain by Sherrod ended the drive.

Starting at the 11-yard line, Allar connected with Warren for a 10-yard play. Singleton picked up 12 yards, and Allar fired a 21-yard pass to Julian Fleming to put the Nittany Lions at the Golden Flashes’ 46-yard line. Singleton ripped a five-yard gain, making it 3rd-and-5. Then, Liam Clifford caught a 12-yard pass to extend the drive. Singleton burst through the defense, with a nine-yard and four-yard gain to propel Penn State into the red zone. And then, Allar completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Warren, and Sander Sahaydak’s extra point made it 7-0 Penn State with 2:38 left in the opening quarter.

AllarWarrenEnd zone

pic.twitter.com/XF331paq1E

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 21, 2024

Sherrod rushed for nine yards to make it 2nd-and-1. Lowe rushed for no gain, but Thomas picked up five yards to extend the drive across midfield to end the first quarter. Sherrod fired a five-yard pass to Luke Floreia, but Thomas was stuffed to bring up third down. Zakee Wheatley broke up a pass to silence the Golden Flashes’ hopes of getting on the board thus far.

Starting at the three-yard line, Allen rushed for a two-yard gain and then nine. Runs by Allar and Singleton made it 3rd-and-9, and Allar was forced to throw it away after facing intense pressure.

Sherrod rushed for four yards to open Kent State’s drive to reach the 49-yard line. He did not gain any yards on the next play and was sacked by Abdul Carter to force a punt.

From the 10-yard line, Warren gained five yards. Singleton and Allar combined for 16 rushing yards, and Warren made a one-handed grab to reach Penn State’s 45-yard line. Facing pressure, Allar waltzed around the pocket but found Omari Evans for a massive 38-yard gain. Warren took another snap and tossed it to a wide-open Singleton, who hurried into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 with 5:49 left in the half.

He can throw too!

pic.twitter.com/5L6d1baW7J

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 21, 2024

Ardell Banks made a 13-yard catch, and Thomas rushed for five yards to bring up 2nd-and-5. Sherrod attempted to run but stumbled on his own for a two-yard loss to bring up third down. Tommy Ulatowski entered as Kent State’s third quarterback of the day, and his handoff to Lowe culminated in another two-yard loss to end the drive.

After Allen rushed for 13 yards, Allar hit Clifford with a 42-yard dot to reach Kent State’s 28-yard line. A five-yard Singleton gain and three-yard Allen run made it 3rd-and-2, and Allar ran six yards to keep it moving. He fired a 14-yard touchdown pass to Clifford on the next play, giving Penn State a 21-0 lead with 1:29 left in the second quarter.

The Golden Flashes went three-and-out, and Penn State took over at the 25-yard line with one minute left. Allar found Warren for a five-yard pass, and then Wallace made a 16-yard catch. Fleming hauled in a 39-yard dot, and Allar scrambled to make it 2nd-and-goal from the five-yard line with 25 seconds left. Two plays later, Allar sped into the end zone to make it 28-0 with 15 seconds left in the first half.

Allen rushed for five yards and then six to begin the second half. Then, two plays later, Allar chucked a 59-yard touchdown pass to Evans, making it 35-0 with 13:13 left in the third quarter.

On 2nd-and-4, Ayden Harris rushed for nine yards for Kent State’s first first down since the opening quarter. The drive didn’t last much longer, as Ulatowski’s pass was tipped by Tyler Elsdon three plays later.

Singleton ripped a 10-yard gain from his own nine-yard line to start Penn State’s drive. Pribula handed it off to Clifford two plays later, who rushed for 12 yards. Pribula ripped an eight-yard gain, then Singleton had an 18-yard run. The Nittany Lions continued moving the ball on the ground, with Pribula rushing for another 14 yards and Allen combining for the same amount over the next two plays. From the 13-yard line, Pribula fired a touchdown pass to Khalil Dinkins to make it 42-0 with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

Cam Wallace rushed for five yards to start the drive after Kent State’s three-and-out. However, two fouls against Penn State impeded the offense from doing much more on the drive.

Another Penn State penalty gave Kent State a first down, but the Golden Flashes didn’t score. Kaden Saunders returned the punt 23 yards to the 33-yard line. On the third play, Luke Reynolds bodied a Golden Flash to make a 19-yard catch. Productivity from true freshmen continued, as Tyseer Denmark hauled in a 13-yard pass to reach Kent State’s 20-yard line. Evans made a 15-yard catch two plays later to have Penn State knocking on the door at the one-yard line. Then, Cam Wallace ran it in with ease to make it 49-0 with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter.

Penn State scored one more touchdown in the fourth quarter. A majority rushing drive featuring Quinton Martin resulted in Pribula scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown with 1:30 left in the game to give Penn State a 56-0 lead, which was the final score.

Takeaways

• Warren was the focal point of the passing game, with 50 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. He also lined up at quarterback, with one rushing play and a passing touchdown to Singleton. James Franklin continues to label him as the most complete tight end in America, which continues to look more and more true.
• On top of that, Allar and Pribula spread the ball around plenty. 10 players made catches, including true freshmen Reynolds and Denmark.
• Meanwhile, the run game continued to aid Allar and the passing game. Allen, Singleton, Wallace, and Co. picked up a total of 309 rushing yards.
• The defense bounced back from a rough showing against Bowling Green. On top of not allowing a single point, there were five tackles for loss, five breakups, four quarterback hurries, two sacks, and one forced fumble.

What’s Next?

Penn State hosts Illinois to open its Big Ten schedule at 7 or 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, at Beaver Stadium. The television network hasn’t been announced yet.