Penn State football delivered one of its most dominant performances of the season on Saturday, defeating Washington 35-6 in the annual White Out game.

The Nittany Lions started fast and quickly jumped out to a lead, scoring on all four of their first-half possessions.

The internet was relatively quiet as the Nittany Lions dismantled the Huskies, but there was still plenty for our football writers to break down.

The First Half Was The Best Half Of Football This Season

CJ Doebler: It was up there. James Franklin was asked this question post-game and didn’t have an opinion before grading the tape, but four touchdowns in four first-half drives is a pretty impressive metric.

All the more impressive, the defense pitched a first-half shutout, albeit with a missed field goal early. From an execution standpoint, it doesn’t get much better than the Nittany Lions’ first half.

Mitch Corcoran: Penn State scored a touchdown on every drive of the first half against Washington. That’s the first time the Nittany Lions have done so this season and they did so against the No. 2-ranked pass defense coming into the game. This was unquestionably the best half of the season.

Nolan Wick: It undoubtedly was. Penn State typically starts slowly by putting up a few points, allowing a score, and pulling away in the third quarter. We saw it against Bowling Green, USC, and Wisconsin, to name just a few games. On Saturday, the script completely flipped. The Nittany Lions ran up the score and had effectively wrapped up the game by halftime with a 28-0 lead. Their offense, along with shutout defense, made the first half against Washington their best of the season so far.

Tyler Warren Will Win The Mackey Award & Hornung Award

CJ: This one is straight from Franklin himself. After the win on Saturday, Franklin said he “can’t see how this guy doesn’t win the Mackey Award and Hornung Award.”

Warren is breaking Penn State records left and right this season and has become one of the most versatile players in college football. Franklin doesn’t normally comment on award lists and other outside influences like national rankings, so the praise for Warren is genuine.

Mitch: Warren is already a finalist for the Hornung Award and he’s a semi-finalist for the Mackey Award. I think he has a decent shot of winning at least one of the awards, but he probably won’t win both.

The Hornung Award is given to the most versatile player in college football and while Warren is certainly up there, he’s competing with the likes of Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who some think will win the Heisman Trophy and might be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft in April.

As for the Mackey Award, which is given to the most outstanding tight end, Warren has the second-most receiving yards by a tight end with 681 yards. He’s behind one of the award’s other semifinalists, Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., who has 1,033 yards.

Nolan: At the very least, Warren is the best tight end in the power four. The only tight end who might be better in all of college football is Fannin, who Penn State saw in the Bowling Green game. Fanin has more receiving yards, but Warren is the better overall player, in my opinion. As we’ve written many times, he can catch, block, run, pass, and dive into end zones after his performance against the Huskies. He’s a contender for both awards, but I wouldn’t say he’s a lock just yet given Fannin’s season and the likes of Hunter competing for the Hornung Award.

Abdul Carter Is A Top-Five Draft Pick

CJ: There was little doubt that Abdul Carter would succeed on the defensive edge this year. After slow games against both West Virginia and Bowling Green, Carter recorded his first sack against Kent State.

Carter has eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss on the season and has become a presence on the defensive line. The edge has always been touted as a first-round talent, but I think Carter will hear his name called fairly early in this year’s NFL Draft.

Mitch: Carter has taken a step up this season since switching to defensive end. He went the first two games of the season without recording a sack and since then, he has eight sacks and four in his last two games. Carter also has two forced fumbles, three pass deflections, and has the third-most tackles for loss in the country with 15.5.

Those are impressive numbers but I think Carter doesn’t have enough experience at edge yet to be considered a top-five pick. Plus, if Micah Parsons didn’t go top five, then I don’t think Carter does either.

Nolan: The good thing about Carter is he’s proven he can successfully play middle linebacker and defensive end. Many mock drafts have him within or near the top five, so given his play it’s reasonable to think he’ll go early.

What’s unusual about the 2025 draft is many projected top picks aren’t quarterbacks, which makes some sense. Jacksonville has Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye is showing positive signs in New England, and no college quarterback (except maybe Cam Ward) has been good enough to be viewed as a consensus top-five selection, at least not yet. NFL teams take months to vet prospects by scouting, interviews with the player and his coaches, top-30 visits, and more. The bottom line: It’s early to have a good sense of when he’ll be picked, but the signs bode well for him being a top-five selection so far.

Penn State’s Wide Receivers Are Back

CJ: I hesitate to say they’re back, but Washington was a big improvement. Julian Fleming scored his first touchdown in the blue and white while Trey Wallace added a team-high 84 yards through the air and Liam Clifford rounded out the group with a 20-yard reception.

Warren was also a threat in the passing game, managing 74 yards through the air. While Warren will continue to be a threat in all facets of the offense, the wide receivers are a nice complement when the tight end is covered.

Mitch: It was a step in the right direction but the answer is still no. The receivers played a bigger role in Saturday’s win but having 123 yards and one touchdown in a game where Penn State scored 35 points isn’t all that impressive.

Wallace got back on track with 84 receiving yards and Fleming had his first touchdown as a Nittany Lion, but Omari Evans was still held without a catch for the third straight game and Clifford had just one grab on the game.

Franklin always says keeping drives alive will lead to more opportunities, but I don’t think that applies to the receivers. Penn State was 10-for-13 on third down and two of its top three receivers combined for three catches and 39 yards.

Nolan: Wallace may be “back,” but what about Clifford, who had just one catch for 20 yards? What about Fleming, who took nine games to record his first touchdown in a Penn State uniform? What about Evans, who hasn’t recorded a stat in three consecutive games? Wallace is the best option, but even he can be inconsistent. The wide receivers have taken a step in the right direction, but it still isn’t good enough for a team that’s expected to be in the College Football Playoff.

The White Out Needs To Be On Cable Television

CJ: While there were the normal football-related takes flying around Twitter on Saturday, there were a lot of fans lamenting the fact the game was being broadcast on Peacock. The experience must not have been great as reports of no pregame show and bad play-by-play continued coming through social media.

It was a shame that the White Out was relegated to a streaming platform, but I think when weighing a night game Peacock against a 3:30 p.m. White Out on television, somebody made the right choice.

Mitch: Having the White Out on Peacock was an absolute disgrace. There is no way the people in charge of that decision actually care about college football or tradition. The greatest show In college football should never be kept behind a paywall.

Folks on Twitter also complained about the lack of a pregame show and the poor play-by-play and game presentation on behalf of Peacock. It’s one thing to have Penn State-Delaware on a streaming platform like Peacock did last season, and it’s another to have it for one of the best environments in the sport.

Don’t even get me started on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff either.

Nolan: FOX, ABC, and CBS’ actions have made life difficult for Penn State not once, but three consecutive times. The latest screw-up by forcing Penn State into selecting Washington as its White Out opponent, not announcing the kickoff until practically the 11th hour, and putting it on a streaming service is disrespectful. With all due respect to Washington, Iowa, Minnesota, and Auburn, I would’ve liked to have seen at least one White Out against Ohio State or Michigan as a student here. Hopefully, the stars align and next season’s White Out is against Oregon. If not, Indiana wouldn’t be a bad option, assuming Curt Cignetti sticks around.