Penn State football traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana, on Saturday and delivered a 49-10 beatdown of the Boilermakers.

Drew Allar threw for three touchdowns and Tyler Warren had another star performance, scoring both a passing and rushing touchdown while leading the team in rushing and receiving yardage. With a big lead in the second half, Franklin went to the backups, and freshman tight end Luke Reynolds scored his first collegiate touchdown.

While a win was never really in question, there were still a lot of takes flying around the internet.

The Future Is Bright For Penn State Football

CJ Doebler: With a large lead in the second half, the Nittany Lions got a lot of players further done the depth chart action against the Boilermakers. Some had good reps, but Franklin said he thought some of the players further down the depth chart “did not play up to the standard” during the win. Tyseer Denmark had a 16-yard punt return and Luke Reynolds caught three passes for 53 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown. 

There was next to nothing to be learned about the team during the expected rout of Purdue, but flashes of talent down the depth chart bodes well for the future of Penn State football.

Mitch Corcoran: Franklin said Monday that 66 players got in the game against Purdue. Most of the young players appeared in the fourth quarter and there was an obvious dropoff.

The defense allowed the only touchdown of the game and the offense only had 85 yards and was outgained by the Boilermakers. Some guys like Reynolds looked good with 53 yards and a touchdown but there were other mistakes like Anthony Ivey dropping a wide-open touchdown.

Nolan Wick: Well, yes. Although we didn’t see much from anyone besides Luke Reynolds, there’s talent waiting in the wings. The offensive line and secondary are the two areas I’m most excited about in the future, with Alex Birchmeier, Jven Williams, Jon Mitchell, and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter among those worth looking forward to.

Drew Allar Is A First-Round Talent

CJ: Saturday was one of Allar’s most complete games as a Nittany Lion. One of his incompletions was a drop, and the other never made it to the target, but those were the only blemishes on Allar’s record.

Allar unleashed a long ball and ended with three touchdowns on the day. He also ran the ball four times for 22 yards. I don’t think Allar leaves Penn State after this season, though. Even with another year in college, there’s a lot of improvement to be made.

Mitch: Allar has without a doubt taken a step up this season. He looks more comfortable and more confident than he did last season but he isn’t a first-round talent yet.

Allar ranks 39th in passing yards, tied for 42nd in touchdown passes, which is not good enough to be first rounder, but he ranks fifth in completion percentage. Completions have been the stat Allar has improved at the most this season. He has completed 71.9% of his passes compared to his 59.9% rate a season ago.

This season has shown more good than bad from Allar and if he stays another year, I think he can become a first-rounder in 2026.

Nolan: Allar had an 89% completion rate against Purdue, which is a career-best. Right now, he probably isn’t a first-round talent, but he’s an NFL quarterback. However, he strikes me as someone who’d benefit significantly from another year in college, especially under Andy Kotelnicki and (hopefully) a competent wide receiver corps.

Tyler Warren Should Be Invited To The Heisman Ceremony

CJ: James Franklin has touted Warren as the best player in college football, and said after Purdue that Warren should be in the conversation for all awards, including the Heisman.

Tyler Warren won’t win the Heisman, but he should be in New York City next month. The tight end has broken countless records and continues to be a presence week in and week out. He led the team in both rushing and receiving yards against Purdue in just another in a string of dominant performances from the senior.

Mitch: Yes, but he won’t. Between his receiving, running, and block abilities, I think Tyler Warren is the best tight end in the country. But the Heisman is looking quite competitive this year with Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, and Cam Ward leading the way.

Those three have the best odds to win the award, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. It’s going to be very difficult for Warren to be in the Heisman conversation on a national level as a tight end. Warren has carried this offense several times throughout the season and Penn State wouldn’t be a top-five team without him.

Nolan: He should, but he won’t. Warren isn’t being mentioned by any oddsmakers as a top-four candidate for the Heisman, which is what it would take to get him to New York. I do agree with Franklin that he should be a candidate because his ability to catch, run, block, and even pass makes him an elite player. The statistics, sadly, will probably be glossed over by the committee, as it’s hard enough most of the time for a non-quarterback to get serious consideration in most years.

The Line Is The Defense’s Greatest Strength

CJ: Abdul Carter didn’t register a sack against the Boilermakers, but the edge rusher had two tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry, and five solo tackles, a team-best. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Coziah Izzard, and Amin Vanover all had sacks against Purdue, and the Boilermakers had just 47 yards in the first half.

While the secondary and the front seven have struggled at times, both groups are starting to find their groove during the homestretch of the season.

Mitch: Football is won and lost at the line of scrimmage and Dennis-Sutton, Carter, and Zane Durrant have all had productive seasons to this point. The trio has combined for 90 tackles and 13.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.

The defensive line has stopped the run, attacked the quarterback, and disrupted offenses all season long and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon.

Nolan: Penn State has the fifth-best run defense in America. It struggled against Quinshon Judkins and the rest of Ohio State’s backfield, but this is still a good group. It chases opposing quarterbacks all over the field and is top 25 in most tackles for loss. Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton are both NFL-level talents and the depth is also impressive.

Penn State Will Host A Playoff Game

CJ: It’s been generally accepted that if Penn State won its last three games, a College Football Playoff game would be coming to Happy Valley. Penn State completed a third of that goal on Saturday, but Minnesota and Maryland still stand in the Nittany Lions’ way. 

Penn State is favored against Minnesota and will also be favored against Maryland. College football is unpredictable, so I hesitate to issue a judgment either way. If all goes to plan, though, there will be December football in Happy Valley.

Mitch: All Penn State has to do is win out. It’s that simple.

Minnesota and Maryland are both beatable opponents. Depending on how Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana fair the rest of the season, winning out could also send Penn State to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship. That’s part is unlikely but finishing the regular season 11-1 shouldn’t put the Nittany Lions any lower than the No. 8 seed in the playoff.

Nolan: Penn State’s final two games at Minnesota and against Maryland are winnable, but nothing is guaranteed. The Golden Gophers could be challenging, especially because the game is in Minneapolis. They have one of the best defenses in college football, but their offense ranks fifth-worst in the Big Ten.

The Terrapins have struggled significantly this season, and their only conference win was against USC approximately one month ago. Mike Locksley could be coaching for his job at Beaver Stadium, but I have a hard time envisioning him pulling off a massive upset.

If all goes to plan, I don’t see how there isn’t playoff football in Happy Valley. Knock on wood, of course.