No. 2 Penn State Football Handles Villanova 52-6
No. 2 Penn State football (3-0) dominated Villanova (1-1) 52-6 at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
While Penn State suffered more misfires on offense throughout the game, several breakaway plays from Luke Reynolds and Kaytron Allen put the Wildcats down. The Penn State secondary registered its first interception of 2025 with Elliot Washington II’s pick in the third quarter. Trebor Peña scored his first touchdown as a Nittany Lion with a 23-yard catch at the end of the first half.
Some younger Nittany Lions took advantage of their time in the fourth quarter. Tight end Joey Schlaffer wiggled free for his first career touchdown. Cornerback Jahmir Joseph picked off Villanova quarterback Tanner Maddocks and took the rock 49 yards to the house.
How It Happened
Drew Allar handed the ball off to Trebor Peña on the first play of the game for an 11-yard gain and a fresh set of downs. Peña picked up another first down on the next play on a play-action pass. Nick Singleton got two rushes in before Allar hit Kyron Hudson on the far side for a 13-yard gain.
Singleton gained 10 yards on a direct snap, setting Penn State up at Villanova’s 15-yard line. Singleton carried the ball three more times to pick up 1st-and-goal. He rushed four yards up the middle for the game’s first score.
Villanova fumbled its ensuing kickoff return, but jumped right back on the ball as the Wildcats set up their first offensive drive at their own 19-yard line.
The Beaver Stadium crowd got loud as Penn State faced two penalty calls. Zion Tracy blew up running back Ja’briel Mace for a 5-yard loss. Mace picked up eight yards on 2nd-and-15, but the Nittany Lions swiftly thwarted Villanova’s drive behind a Tony Rojas sack.
Devonte Ross made some noise with a reverse on the punt return, but was pushed out at the 25-yard line.
Ross picked up 15 yards on a reverse pass from Allar on the inaugural play of the ensuing drive. Allar missed a chunk play to Peña on first down, but immediately ran back a similar play as Peña gained 19 yards. A Nolan Rucci false start set the Nittany Lions back five yards.
Allar tossed a home run shot to Ross in the end zone, but he couldn’t make the grab with a Wildcat defender all over his face. Allar’s next pass was batted right back to him as he registered a catch and a completion on the same play. The offense stalled on 3rd-and-9 as the punting unit took the field.
Amare Campbell wrapped up Villanova running back Isaiah Ragland for a 2-yard tackle-for-loss, pushing the Wildcats back to their own six. Zane Durant deflected the ball on the next play, almost leading to a pick-six in the end zone. Zakee Wheatley tackled wide receiver Luke Colella to end Villanova’s drive.
Villanova picked up a delay-of-game penalty as it formed itself for a punt. Wildcat punter Luke Larsen kicked the ball from essentially the back of his own end zone, and his short punt took a Penn State bounce as the Nittany Lions regained possession at Villanova’s 32-yard line.
Villanova called its first timeout as Penn State worked to a 3rd-and-5 at the 27-yard line. Villanova defensive back Jamie Tyson broke up a pass to Peña as Penn State settled for a field goal.
Rojas sacked Villanova quarterback Tanner Maddocks for a quick three-and-out. The Penn State offense exchanged the favor on its next drive. Gabe Nwosu’s punt put Villanova at its own 18-yard line. The Nittany Lions forced another three-and-out on the ensuing drive.
Singleton broke the second-quarter deadlock with a first-down pickup. Kaytron Allen got some carries as Allar picked out Luke Reynolds to win a trip to the red zone.
Vega Ioane’s false start pushed Penn State back to the 20. Allar missed Hudson on a tight pass on the sideline. Peña gained nine yards on the ground before Tyson broke up another pass to Peña at the goal line. Ryan Barker converted his kick for three.
Villanova fed Ragland and Mace as the Wildcats made solid progress on offense near the end of the first half. Ragland bounced off of Rojas on a sure-fire tackle-for-loss for a 1-yard pickup. Running back David Avit pounded through a hole on 4th-and-2 for a gain of 27 yards, setting the Wildcats up at Penn State’s 17-yard line.
Audavion Collins stalled Villanova on 3rd-and-8. The Wildcats converted their field goal before the play was called back on a blocking penalty. Wildcat kicker Jack Barnum hung it left on the re-try as Penn State preserved its shutout.
Reynolds got popped near the sideline on the next drive. Allen picked up a first down on 3rd-and-1 before Allar picked out Liam Clifford and Hudson near the sideline for back-to-back first downs.
Allar rifled a 23-yard dart to Peña as he crossed into the end zone for his first passing touchdown of the game. He tossed a screen pass to Peña again for the two-point conversion. The Nittany Lions took a 21-0 lead.
Campbell sacked Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide on the opening series of the second half for another three-and-out.
Allar overthrew Ross by a wide margin on another deep touchdown shot. The Penn State quarterback used his legs for a 16-yard run and a fresh set of downs. Singleton failed to break through on his ensuing rushes as Barker drilled a 42-yard attempt through the uprights.
Dennis-Sutton pressured McQuaide, who tossed a weak ball up anyway. Elliot Washington II snagged it out of the air for the Penn State secondary’s first pick of the season. Washington returned the rock to Villanova’s 23-yard line.
Allar immediately returned the favor with an interception of his own. Omari Bursey read Allar’s look to Allen. It was Allar’s first pick of the year. Penn State got the ball back after another three-and-out by the defense.
Andrew Rappleyea reeled in his first catch of the game with a solid 11-yard gain down the sideline. Singleton picked up a first down on 4th-and-1.
Allar spread the love to Reynolds, who made a slick move outside of a Wildcat cornerback for a 21-yard gain all the way to the 3-yard line. Singleton barreled in for the touchdown on 1st-and-goal.
Nick Singleton is strong
— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 13, 2025pic.twitter.com/UzAty31CX7
Chaz Coleman checked into the game and made his presence known with a 1-yard tackle-for-loss at the end of the third quarter.
The defense continued to pound down the Wildcats. Villanova punted it back.
Reynolds tabbed another chunk play with a 21-yard catch and run. Allen showed some elusiveness with cuts and jabs as Penn State entered Villanova’s half of the field. Allen rushed 16 yards before Hudson had to play defense on a touchdown shot from Allar.
Allen let another run loose as he rushed in for an 18-yard score with around 10 minutes remaining in the contest. Penn State went up 38-0.
Ross took Villanova’s punt from its next drive 34 yards into enemy territory. Ethan Grunkemeyer checked in at quarterback for Penn State.
Grunkemeyer found a wide-open Joey Schlaffer up the seam for an easy Penn State score. Barker converted the extra point to elevate the lead to 45 points.
Jahmir Joseph picked off Maddocks and took it to the house with an electric return weaving in and out of the Wildcat offense.
Villanova drove at the end of the game behind Maddocks. The Wildcats made it all the way down to Penn State’s 1-yard line. Maddocks made a cross-body throw to wide receiver Ralee Stephens as time expired to put the Wildcats on the board and spoil Penn State’s party.
Takeaways
- Drew Allar missed receivers left and right throughout the game. He never settled in comfortably, and most of Penn State’s big chunk passing plays came at the hands of elusive moves from his pass catchers. In a season with Heisman expectations, Allar hasn’t met the mark through three weeks.
- Kaytron Allen has established himself as Penn State’s home run hitter at running back. While Nick Singleton scored two touchdowns on the ground from within five yards, Allen added another solid touchdown run to his 2025 resumé. He tabbed an 18-yard dash to the end zone in the fourth quarter after his 67-yard score a week ago against FIU.
- The Penn State defense is elite. No matter the level of the competition, the Nittany Lions came one play close to pitching their second shutout in a row and have only allowed 17 points through the opening three games of the season. The secondary also recorded its first interception of the season with Elliot Washington II’s awareness. While Audavion Collins didn’t pop out on the stat sheet, he also had a solid day and was all over the Wildcats.
What’s Next?
Penn State will take its first bye week of the season in week four before facing Oregon in the White Out game at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, at Beaver Stadium.
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