No. 7 Penn State football (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) defeated UCLA (1-4, 0-3 Big Ten) 27-11 in the Stripe Out on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.

Neither offense consistently moved the ball in the first half, but it ended with Penn State up 14-3. However, Eric Bieniemy’s UCLA offense had a few explosive plays, including a 53-yard gain by running back T.J. Harden.

Penn State scored a touchdown and two field goals in the second half, while UCLA scored a garbage-time touchdown. However, Penn State outplayed the Bruins throughout the game to secure its fifth win.

How It Happened

Quinton Martin Jr. returned the opening kickoff to his own 27-yard line. Penn State went three-and-out as Kaytron Allen’s five-yard run was the only gain of the drive.

Backup quarterback Jusytn Martin and UCLA’s offense took the field as a Big Ten away team for the first time. Harden picked up six combined yards, which made it 3rd-and-4. Martin fired a 16-yard pass to Logan Loya to extend the drive. The Bruins faced 3rd-and-4 again, but Keegan Jones’ reception wasn’t enough. However, Moliki Matavao made a nine-yard catch on fourth down to keep things going. An incompletion and two Harden gains brought up 4th-and-1 from Penn State’s 23-yard line, but he was short and UCLA turned the ball over on downs.

Allen ran 11 yards to open Penn State’s drive. Two plays later, Martin caught a pass and bulldozed six yards for another first down. An incompletion and Allen run brought up 3rd-and-10, and Oluwafemi Oladejo sacked Allar.

Martin fired an 18-yard pass to Loya on 3rd-and-11. Matavao made an eight-yard catch to set up 3rd-and-3, but the Bruins didn’t convert.

Beau Pribula picked up five yards to bring up 3rd-and-1. A holding call set the Nittany Lions back 10 yards, but Allar fired a 26-yard dot to Liam Clifford. He found Tyler Warren two plays later with a 15-yard pass to reach UCLA’s 29-yard line. On 3rd-and-3 three plays later, Allar scrambled three yards for a first down. Allen bodied his way eight yards forward, and Allar tush-pushed his way to a first down on 3rd-and-2 to set up 1st-and-goal. Three plays later, another tush-push gave Allar and Penn State a 7-0 lead with 6:40 left in the first half.

No denying Drew

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— Onward State (@OnwardState) October 5, 2024

Runs by Harden and Martin brought up 3rd-and-2. The duo connected for four yards to extend the drive, and then for a massive 53-yard play to reach Penn State’s 10-yard line. Jalen Berger picked up three yards on 1st-and-goal, but an incompletion made it 3rd-and-goal from the seven-yard line. Martin scrambled out of bounds, and Matheen Bhaghani’s field goal made it 7-3 with 2:51 left in the first half.

An incompletion and a six-yard pass to Khalil Dinkins quickly set up 3rd-and-4. Allar and Clifford connected again for an explosive play, this time for 24 yards. Allar found a rhythm, as he completed a 12-yard pass to Julian Fleming and a 25-yard dot to Trey Wallace to set up 1st-and-goal. It took three plays, but Allar hit Warren with a five-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-3 lead into halftime.

After a UCLA three-and-out, Penn State took over from the Bruins’ 47-yard line. Allen rushed for 11 yards, and a holding call against Oladejo moved Penn State to the 26-yard line. A nine-yard shovel pass to Warren resulted in a first down two plays later, but two losses by Allen made it 3rd-and-14. Martin’s reception didn’t reach the line to gain, and Ryan Barker’s 25-yard field goal attempt made it 17-3 with 8:36 left in the third quarter.

Jack Pedersen made an eight-yard catch and Berger ripped an 18-yard run, but the Bruins still struggled. A run for no gain and an incompletion happened, and the Nittany Lions ended the drive with a sack for a 16-yard loss.

Allen’s 10-yard gain and a holding call against UCLA put Penn State at the Bruins’ 33-yard line. Allar completed a 14-yard pass two plays later, and Fleming was tackled at the one-yard line after a 15-yard catch. Allen waltzed into the end zone on the next play to give the Nittany Lions a 24-3 lead with 2:57 left in the third quarter.

Both teams had three-and-outs to end the third quarter.

However, UCLA put together a drive that got all the way to Penn State’s 12-yard line. The Bruins stayed on the field on 4th-and-3, but Martin’s pass sailed incomplete.

Allar and Clifford connected on a deep ball for a third time for a 57-yard pass to UCLA’s 29-yard line. The drive only got to the 24-yard line, though, as Ryan Barker’s 40-yard field goal made it 27-3 with 8:17 left in regulation.

Jones picked up five yards, and Martin scrambled for another eight for a first down. Loya caught a 14-yard pass to move across midfield to the 42-yard line, and Berger’s reception gave UCLA another nine yards. UCLA was at 3rd-and-6 three plays later, and Martin again picked up the first down with a seven-yard run. Martin ran on 3rd-and-4, and the offense remained on the field for 4th-and-2. He completed a pass to Loya to reach the five-yard line, and he hauled in a touchdown pass three plays later to make it 27-11 with 16 seconds left in the game.

Takeaways

• Warren’s touchdown was his 17th total as a Nittany Lion, which broke Pat Freiermuth’s record for most touchdowns by a tight end in program history. Warren continues to get significant attention for his play, and it’s deserved. He’s been a Swiss army knife for Penn State, proving he can run, block, catch, and even pass.
• Penn State’s defense typically held UCLA’s offense in check, but it gave up a touchdown in garbage time. It had a few other close touchdown calls, but UCLA’s 260 offensive yards is about an average showing per game.
• Barker appears to have solidified his status as Penn State’s starting kicker. He made two field goals and both extra points, including a 40-yard field goal in the second half.
• Allar had another good outing, as he went 17-for-24 on passing attempts with a 71% completion rate for two total touchdowns. He had some explosive moments, including a 57-yard bomb to Clifford. It was an efficient day Penn State should be happy with.

What’s Next

Penn State plays No. 11 USC at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, October 12, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.