No. 4 Penn State football (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) dismantled Purdue (1-9, 0-7 Big Ten) 49-10 on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Nittany Lions put on a scoring extravaganza against the Boilermakers. Drew Allar and Tyler Warren led the way offensively, while the defense held Purdue to three points until the fourth quarter.

How It Happened

Allar fired a 15-yard pass to Warren on the game’s first play. They connected again three plays later on 3rd-and-7 for a 17-yard gain. Warren caught a 27-yard pass to put Penn State at Purdue’s six-yard line, and Kaytron Allen caught a touchdown pass on third down to take a 7-0 lead with 10:08 left in the first quarter.

An early Allen score

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— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 16, 2024

Devin Mockobee ripped an eight-yard gain, and Hudson Card fired a seven-yard pass to Max Klare to start Purdue’s inaugural drive. A pass breakup and a sack by Dani Dennis-Sutton made it 3rd-and-15, and Card threw an incompletion to force a punt.

A 10-yard rush by Nick Singleton made it 3rd-and-2 from Penn State’s 15-yard line, and Warren made a nine-yard catch to extend the drive. Singleton had a 13-yard reception, then caught another pass three plays later to refresh the downs. Allar scrambled 14 yards across midfield, then Allen reached the 15-yard line. On the next play, Warren caught a touchdown pass to give the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead with 2:31 left in the first quarter.

Both teams went three-and-out to end the first quarter.

Mockobee ripped a 17-yard gain, then five. He picked up four yards to set up 3rd-and-1, and he converted across midfield to Penn State’s 48-yard line. Card converted on third down with a three-yard scramble, then fired a 29-yard pass to Klare to reach the seven-yard line. The drive stalled, however, and Ben Freehill kicked a field goal to make it 14-3 with 8:47 left in the second quarter.

Two Singleton runs set up 3rd-and-3. Allar scrambled, but he didn’t convert. Penn State remained on the field, and Warren rushed eight yards to refresh the downs. Warren took the snap and tossed it to Allar, who then hit Warren with a 42-yard bomb to reach the Boilermakers’s 10-yard line. Singleton waltzed into the end zone to make it 21-3 with 6:04 remaining in the second quarter.

Card and Klare connected on a 15-yard pass. Their drive stalled again, and a punt gave the Nittany Lions possession at their 27-yard line.

Allen ripped an 11-yard gain, but Penn State faced 3rd-and-8 three plays later. He caught a five-yard pass, which forced the Nittany Lions to punt.

On 3rd-and-11, Card completed an 18-yard pass to Jahmal Edrine. He hit Klare with an 11-yard pass, then again for nine yards to reach Penn State’s 49-yard line. Edrine made another 30-yard catch, which set up Purdue with a 49-yard field goal attempt. The unsuccessful attempt ended the first half.

Purdue went three-and-out to start the second half. Penn State took over at the 43-yard line but quickly faced 3rd-and-1. Warren took the snap and ran all the way to the end zone to make it 28-3 with 11:26 left in the third quarter.

Kam Brown got involved with a 19-yard reception. However, multiple penalties were too much for the Boilermakers to overcome, and they punted again.

Warren caught an eight-yard pass, then rushed seven for a first down. Allar tossed it to Allen, who picked up 12 yards. Then, Allar hit a wide-open Wallace with a 46-yard bomb in the end zone to make it 35-3 with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Purdue went three-and-out, and the Nittany Lions took over at the 41-yard line. They got to the 49-yard line before Beau Pribula took it 49 yards to the house to give Penn State a 42-3 lead with 32 seconds left in the third quarter.

Both teams had three-and-outs. Jaheim Merriweather had an 18-yard carry, then caught a 12-yard pass from Ryan Browne. Browne completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Klare three plays later to cut Penn State’s lead to 42-10 with 9:50 left in regulation.

Both teams had another three-and-out. Corey Smith got involved with four carries, and Pribula fired a 21-yard pass to Luke Reynolds. Then, they connected again on a 24-yard touchdown pass to give Penn State a 49-10 lead with 1:51 left in the game.

Takeaways

• Once again, Warren deserved the spotlight. He had eight catches for 127 yards, three rushes for 63 yards, and two total touchdowns. The first was a reception in the end zone, and the second was a 48-yard dash to the end zone. His receiving touchdown tied Pat Freiermuth for most by a tight end in program history. Warren was by far the most productive offensive player for the Nittany Lions.
• Saturday’s game marked the first of three final games viewed as winnable for Penn State, and winning out would likely secure a home College Football Playoff game. The Nittany Lions looked prepared and engaged throughout the game, and they never let their feet off the gas pedal. Playing good football for all four quarters was a point of emphasis for James Franklin this week, which happened against the Boilermakers.
• Penn State started hot. The Nittany Lions led 21-3 halfway through the second quarter, which took the crowd out of the game and forced the Boilermakers to adapt, which they couldn’t do successfully. It wasn’t a challenging game, which was expected.
• Allar had an impressive game before he rested in the second half, as he completed 17-of-19 passing attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns. It’s his first game with three passing touchdowns since Kent State, and his 89% completion rate is a season-high.

What’s Next

Penn State remains on the road against Minnesota, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The game will be televised on CBS.