Penn State Football’s Post-Purdue Report Card
Penn State football is 9-1, folks.
The Nittany Lions took care of business against Purdue, steamrolling the Boilermakers 49-10 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. It was generally a very good day for Penn State’s position groups, so let’s break down how things went.
Quarterbacks: A+
Drew Allar completed 17 of 19 passing attempts for 247 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also had four carries for 22 yards. Allar’s 89% completion rate was a career-high, and his ability to run the offense from the jump set the tone for a great game.
Beau Pribula took over for Allar in the second half and went 5-for-8 for 58 yards and a touchdown. He was active as usual on the ground, with five carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. Pribula has talked about being prepared to step in and execute on short notice, and he certainly did that against Purdue.
Running Backs: B-
The running backs weren’t great from a rushing standpoint, as Nick Singleton had seven rushes for 40 yards and a touchdown, the third-most rushing yards on the team, while Kaytron Allen had six for 20, the sixth-most yards. Corey Smith stepped in later in the game, and the Wisconsin native had eight carries for 37 yards. He’ll be fun to watch over the coming years.
From a receiving standpoint, though, they were better. Allen had four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown, while Singleton had two for 20. One would’ve expected more rushing yards in a blowout, but this group has seen worse weeks.
Wide Receivers: D+
The wide receivers were barely involved in the game. Trey Wallace had two catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, while Omari Evans broke his multi-game absence on the stat sheet with a catch for two yards. Anthony Ivey and Tyseer Denmark saw action, but neither had catches. Like the running backs, it’s problematic when this group doesn’t do much in a blowout.
Tight Ends: A+
Part of the reason the wideouts are so sparsely involved is because of Tyler Warren. Warren was unsurprisingly the best player on the field by a country mile. He led all receivers with eight catches for 127 yards and a touchdown and all rushers with three carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. James Franklin said Warren should be in the Heisman conversation, and he’s right. Warren’s ability to take over a game is remarkable, which makes him one of the most dangerous players in college football.
Offensive Line: B+
Penn State took a false start and allowed seven tackles for loss, but everything else was fine. Neither quarterback got sacked, and both had enough time to make plays. The Nittany Lions amassed 234 rushing yards, which is always a testament to solid play up front.
Front Seven: A+
Purdue had just 85 rushing yards the whole game, and leading rusher Devin Mockobee was held to 3.6 yards per carry. Penn State got nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and three quarterback hurries. The Nittany Lions’ front seven put on a defensive clinic in a resounding victory up front.
Secondary: B
Purdue’s quarterbacks were limited throughout the game. Hudson Card completed just 55% of his passing attempts, while backup Ryan Browne completed just 43%. Christian Gelov saw brief action, going 1-for-3. The Boilermakers had 217 receiving yards, with Max Klare getting 91 of them and a touchdown. That was the only problem for Penn State, as it had three breakups, too.
Special Teams: A
Penn State made all extra-point attempts, and nothing went unusually good or bad for the Nittany Lions special teams-speaking. That’s plenty enough.
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