1-0.

Penn State football handled Nevada in a convincing fashion in its season-opening win over the Wolf Pack. Despite the win, James Franklin noted a variety of things that the team can do better as the Nittany Lions head into week two.

Here’s a quick review of how every position group fared on Saturday.

Quarterbacks: A

Drew Allar opened his senior season with an extremely solid outing, going 22-for-26, 217 yards, and a touchdown. He tied his second-highest completion percentage as a starter from when he had an almost identical stat line against Delaware in his second game as Penn State’s signal caller at 84.6%. He added 20 yards on the ground on six attempts.

Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer checked in for the fourth quarter and posted a respectable 7-for-9, 86-yard performance to run the game out for the Nittany Lions. While Grunkemeyer didn’t find the end zone through the air, he did scramble in a 6-yard score for his first career touchdown.

Running Backs: A-

Running back duo Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen didn’t exactly light the world on fire on Saturday, but they didn’t really need to after Penn State went up early. Singleton only got eight touches for 19 yards, but did score two touchdowns as he rose to No. 2 on Penn State’s all-time rushing touchdowns list behind Saquon Barkley.

Singleton’s main source of productivity on the day came through the air. He was Penn State’s third leading receiver on the day, reeling in four receptions for 37 yards, 33 of which came after the catch.

Allen showcased some early productivity, amassing 43 yards on eight carries. He bullied his way through Nevada’s defense for his sole score early in the second quarter. He snagged two receptions for two yards.

The Nittany Lions had a chance to flex their running back depth as redshirt sophomore Cam Wallace and redshirt freshman Corey Smith saw time on the field in the fourth quarter. They both got five carries each, with Wallace rushing for 19 yards and Smith rushing for 13. There’s a strong chance the pair might see more time as Penn State continues its non-conference slate.

Wide Receivers: A

A main focus going into the season opener was Penn State’s new-look wide receiver group. And from what we saw on Saturday, the Nittany Lions might just have cracked the code at the position.

For starters, USC transfer Kyron Hudson formed a strong connection with Allar out of the gate. They connected three times on Penn State’s opening offensive drive and almost linked up for the game’s opening score. Hudson and Allar did ultimately find the end zone together on a beautiful 31-yard play in the dying minute of the first half. Hudson’s final line stood at six receptions for 89 yards and a score to open his Penn State account. He led the team in receiving yards.

Syracuse transfer Trebor Peña also made his presence known as a new weapon for Allar. While Hudson made noise in the first half, Peña and Allar connected on four passes in the third quarter, three of which were for first downs. He led the team in receptions with seven against the Wolf Pack and tabbed 74 yards with 40 after the catch, showing his elusiveness in the open field. Peña also rushed once for 13 yards.

Outside of Hudson and Peña, it was rather quiet. Their fellow transfer wideout Devonte Ross was only targeted once but reeled it in for four yards. Tyseer Denmark snagged two balls for 17 yards in the fourth quarter. Veteran receiver Liam Clifford’s stat sheet was left empty after a dropped pass and two targets from Grunkemeyer.

Tight Ends: C-

The first game in the post-Tyler Warren era for Penn State’s tight end room left a lot to be desired, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. It was clear from Penn State’s first offensive possession that Allar wanted to work with the receivers, creating a little less opportunity for the tight ends to carve out some true productivity.

Allar connected with Luke Reynolds twice late in the second quarter for 11 yards. Andrew Rappleyea stepped back onto the field after suffering a season-ending injury in last year’s opener, connecting with Grunkemeyer three times for 33 yards. Senior Khalil Dinkins reeled in a 24-yard pass up the middle from Grunkemeyer at the top of the final frame.

Offensive Line: B

Franklin and Andy Kotelnicki notably manufactured some seven-man offensive line packages for certain rushing plays in the first half. The starting unit flattened the Nevada front seven at times and held its own fairly easily.

While the line did do a good job of protecting Allar, who only suffered one sack, it failed to create a lot of space for Singleton and Allen to work with. Singleton’s two scores were goal-line rushes, and Nevada posted a staggering six tackles-for-loss, but most of those came in the fourth quarter with the second unit.

Front Seven: A+

The front seven stole the show on Saturday, and there’s no way around it. Dani Dennis-Sutton put in arguably his best career performance, immediately setting the tone by punching the ball out of Nevada running back Ky Woods’ hands on the opening drive. He forced another fumble in the third quarter, this time on Herschel Turner, en route to a season-opening statement. The defensive end also tabbed four solo tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, one pass breakup, and one quarterback hurry. Sheesh.

Another Nittany Lion defensive lineman who wreaked havoc in the turnover battle was Zane Durant. He picked off Nevada quarterback Chubba Purdy in the first quarter and returned it 14 yards to Nevada’s 6-yard line.

The Nittany Lions held the Wolf Pack to only 78 yards rushing, with 55 of those coming from the legs of quarterback Purdy. He constantly scrambled out of the pocket because Dennis-Sutton and Co. immediately broke down Nevada’s pocket, which contributed to most of that yardage. Both of Nevada’s top rushers were Purdy and backup quarterback AJ Bianco. Turner’s line ended at -15 yards on eight attempts.

Amare Campbell led Penn State in tackles in his program debut with six. Tony Rojas recorded two tackles-for-loss, and Dom DeLuca recorded one. The defense as a whole ended the day with three sacks, nine tackles-for-loss, one pick, four quarterback hurries, and two fumbles. Statement made.

Secondary: C+

This is a bit of an unfair judgment of the starting unit since the front seven’s dominance didn’t really require much work from the secondary. The Nittany Lions kept Purdy to a strict 7-for-15 passing performance, keeping him under 100 yards at 97.

Bianco found some more luck against Penn State’s backups, firing off 4-for-6 passes, 28 yards, and a garbage-time touchdown. Cornerback A.J. Harris and safety Zakee Wheatley did recover Dennis-Sutton’s forced fumbles, though, so there’s that.

Special Teams: A

Penn State’s misfires in the red zone paved the way for a powerful special teams performance on the back of Ryan Barker’s four made field goals. The punting unit was kept off the field completely as Penn State scored on every drive until the late fourth quarter, where the backup offense turned the ball over on downs.

Junior safety King Mack produced one of the most exciting plays of the game with a 73-yard punt return in the second quarter. He returned another for 11 yards, totaling 88 return yards on the day.

Peña and Denmark both tested their hand at punt return, but neither produced much. Peña fielded two for 10 yards, and Denmark lost two yards on his sole attempt.