Penn State football collected its second conference win of the season after beating UCLA 27-11 on Saturday.

Nick Singleton didn’t play at all during the victory, and the run game lacked an explosive element as Kaytron Allen averaged 3.7 yards for carry. Eight players caught passes as Liam Clifford ended the day with three catches for 107 yards and showed he can be a deep threat.

But it wasn’t always pretty as the teams ended the first quarter scoreless after another slow start from the Nittany Lions. As always, fans took to Twitter to voice their opinions.

Penn State Is Not The No. 4 Team In The Country

CJ Doebler: Through all of the upsets during week six of the college football season, Penn State was one of the biggest beneficiaries. The product on the field Saturday, though, didn’t warrant rising three spots to enter what used to be the coveted top four. The Nittany Lions are 5-0 and trending upward, but such a high ranking is a bit premature.

Georgia sits right behind the Nittany Lions at No. 5, but I don’t think Penn State is ready for teams that have consistently occupied the top five throughout the last few years. The AP Poll is a flawed system, but it’s the system we have until the first College Football Playoff poll on November 5.

Mitch Corcoran: Penn State is 100% a top-10 team in the country, but being the No. 4 team is a stretch. There is still a lot for the Nittany Lions to improve on this season, and I think Alabama, despite losing to Vanderbilt, and Georgia are both better teams.

The AP Poll is not an accurate representation of the top-25 teams in the country and this week’s rankings show that.

Nolan Wick: I could name multiple teams better than Penn State aside from the three above it in the poll. I find it hard to believe the Nittany Lions could take down Georgia, Alabama, or Tennessee regardless of where a hypothetical game is played. However, they’re a definite top-10 team that should make the College Football Playoff.

Penn State’s trip to Los Angeles for USC marks the team’s embarkation on its toughest stretch of the season. We’ll soon find out how legit the Nittany Lions truly are.

The Secondary Is A Liability

CJ: The Penn State defense gave up 167 yards through the air on Saturday, but 53 yards was on one play. Typically, numbers like that wouldn’t be an issue, but I think it stood out to some fans because UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin was the backup who only had limited action so far.

Passing the ball was where UCLA had the most success on Saturday, but it still couldn’t find the end zone until very late in the ball game. Penn State’s defense is just fine.

Mitch: Penn State has the 12th-best pass defense in the country, allowing 157 pass yards per game. That doesn’t sound like a liability to me.

The secondary does let up the occasional big play, but that’s how football goes sometimes. It’s not like the defense is getting passed all over or letting up explosive plays left and right.

Nolan: I couldn’t have said it better than Mitch. Keep in mind Penn State is without safety KJ Winston, who is dealing with a long-term injury. So far, I don’t think the secondary is a liability, but let’s assess how the team looks after it faces USC and Ohio State’s receivers.

The Pribula Package Kills Drew Allar’s Rhythm

CJ: I saw this take come across the timeline at a few different points during Saturday’s victory, but I really don’t think it’s that serious. Yes, there was the ugly interception earlier in the year, but for the most part, Pribula is a third running back who brings something different for the opposing defense to prepare for. 

Mitch: I think it does kill Allar’s rhythm a little bit. I also think the offense needs to restructure the Pribula package. If Pribula enters the game, it should be out wide or in the backfield, not at quarterback.

Allar should touch the ball every offensive snap of the game and Priubla should be used as more of a decoy to threaten the run or double pass. Having Allar in, then moving him to the slot, then putting Tyler Warren in to take the snap, and then putting him back in is disruptive to the flow of the offense’s rhythm.

Nolan: Pribula hasn’t had a big impact on games recently, but his ability to scramble can cause opponents headaches. I don’t think it messes up Allar’s rhythm. If anything, it gives the defense another thing to worry about.

Kaytron Allen Needs Nick Singleton

CJ: While Allen and Singleton don’t play at the same time very often, there’s still something different to Allen about Singleton not playing. The two running backs work off of each other a lot, telling the other what they’ve seen to help try and break off more of the explosive runs that have become customary again this year.

After rushing 21 times for 78 yards, Allen admitted postgame that he didn’t have the type of game he wanted to and said there were mistakes he will learn from in the future.

Mitch: Allen is thunder and Singleton is lightning. Singleton is a fastball and Allen is a change up. These two need each other for the offense to be at its best.

UCLA’s run defense isn’t bad as it’s currently the 25th-best team in rush yards allowed per game, but not having Singleton did hurt Allen’s numbers. Allen doesn’t have the speed Singleton does to break off a big run, and as a result, he was held to 78 yards with 3.7 yards per carry.

Nolan: They’re a dynamic duo. Singleton is a speedy, elusive running back who is a home-run threat every play. He’s physical and said he wants to be even more violent, but Allen’s physicality makes him stand out. These strengths play into each other and create a problem for opposing defenses all the time.

After all, Allen did say running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider makes sure the crew knows they’re the “baddest motherf—–s on the field.”

The Passing Game Is Back

CJ: After last year, it’s been refreshing to see a corps of wide receivers that can consistently give Allar an option to throw to. Through the first five games of the season, it’s been different receivers who have gotten hot in different games. Against UCLA, it was Liam Clifford’s turn as he caught three passes for 107 yards.

The wide receivers, along with Warren, have taken the pressure off of Singleton and Allen through their ability to be a threat in the air, and I think Allar has become a lot more comfortable because of it.

Mitch: If Clifford is getting over 100 receiving yards against a Big Ten opponent, then yeah, the passing game is back. I’d argue it’s been back since week one, too.

Clifford, Warren, Trey Wallace, and Omari Evans all have 100-yard receiving games this season. Last season, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Warren were the only two. Lambert-Smith’s game came in week one against West Virginia and Warren’s came in the Peach Bowl.

Allar’s numbers have improved, too, especially his completion percentage. Through the first five weeks of last season, Allar’s competition percentage was at 64.5% and fell to 61.3% at the end of the season. This year, he has completed almost 71% of his passes.

Nolan: Yeah, Allar finally has weapons besides Warren or Theo Johnson he can throw to. Wallace, Evans, and now Clifford have all proven they can be relied on to an extent. Even Julian Fleming had some good looks last week. It’s been fun to watch.