Tag: Penn State Nittany Lions

Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) looks for a receiver during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Big Ten championship game capsule: Oregon vs. Penn State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Big Ten championship game
Oregon (12-0) vs. Penn State (11-1)
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET
Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: CBS
Early line: Oregon -3.5 (FanDuel)

What’s at stake:
Oregon is a sure-fire pick no matter what happens in this game but the Ducks want the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye. Having your first game being in the quarterfinals is much more preferred than risk being upset in the first round.

Penn State also is part of the 12-team field no matter what transpires in Indy. But stun the Ducks and get a bye and home-field advantage? That would be a huge development for the Nittany Lions.

How they got here:
The Ducks needed a last-second field goal to beat Boise State on Sept. 7 and then won their next three games by at least 21 points. They defeated Ohio State 32-31 in a major showdown on Oct. 12 and then beat four straight Big Ten opponents — including Illinois and Michigan — by an average of 26.5 points. Saturday’s 49-21 whipping of Washington furthered displayed that Oregon is by far the best team in the land.

Penn State won its first seven games before once again falling to Ohio State, dropping coach James Franklin to 1-10 versus the Buckeyes during his tenure. The Nittany Lions bounced back impressively with wins of 29 and 39 points against Washington and Purdue, respectively. Penn State closed with a 44-7 rout of Maryland and landed the championship game spot due to Michigan’s win over Ohio State.

Names to know:
–Oregon
QB Dillon Gabriel
The transfer is always efficient, and he completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,275 yards, 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

RB Jordan James
Put together a strong season of 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, contributing 95 or more yards on eight occasions.

S Tysheem Johnson
Leads the team in interceptions with three, ranks second in tackles with 55 and always seems to know where to be in the back end.

–Penn State
QB Drew Allar
Allar completed 71.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,668 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions during the regular season.

TE Tyler Warren
He has 81 receptions for 978 yards and six scores, topped by that memorable career-best outing of 17 catches for 224 yards against Southern California on Oct. 12.

DE Abdul Carter
Put together a dominant season that counts 19.5 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks, while terrorizing opposing offensive linemen.

Xs and Os:
The Ducks departed the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, where wins weren’t supposed to come so easily. But Oregon thrived in its new environment and has been the top team in the nation all season. No matter what happens in the conference title game, the Ducks are the team to beat in the 12-team playoff field.

One narrative Franklin despises is that his program beats all the teams it should and falls short in the big games. Well, here you go coach, a perfect chance to temporarily silence that chatter, especially since a win over the Ducks gives the Nittany Lions a first-round bye.

Prediction:
Oregon 41, Penn State 30

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee (45) is tackled by several Penn State Nittany Lions during the second quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

No. 4 Penn State takes it turn pummeling Purdue

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Drew Allar passed for three touchdowns and Tyler Warren found the end zone twice as No. 4 Penn State rolled over host Purdue 49-10 on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Allar finished with more touchdowns than incompletions, as he went 17 of 19 for 247 yards without a turnover for the Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten). Warren totaled eight catches for 127 yards and a score and also had a 48-yard scoring run.

Hudson Card passed for 151 yards and Max Klare had 91 receiving yards and a touchdown for Purdue (1-9, 0-7), which has not won since Week 1 and has not beaten Penn State since 2004. The Boilermakers have faced three top-five opponents in the last month, losing those games by a combined margin of 129-10.

The Nittany Lions wasted no time featuring the Allar-to-Warren connection. The two hooked up for gains of 15, 17 and 27 yards on the opening drive of the game, setting up Allar’s 2-yard scoring strike to Kaytron Allen.

On the next Penn State trip, Allar found Warren for 9 yards on third-and-2 early on the drive. The march ended with Allar’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Warren, making it 14-0.

The Boilermakers got on the board with a field goal midway through the second quarter, but the ensuing possession featured a backwards pass from Warren to Allar, who then threw back across the field to Warren for a 38-yard gain. Nicholas Singleton plunged in for a 10-yard score on the next play, making it 21-3.

That was still the score at halftime before the visitors erupted for three touchdowns in the third quarter — all covering 40-plus yards.

First, Warren took a direct snap and went 48 yards for a touchdown. Then Allar found a wide-open Harrison Wallace III in the end zone for a 46-yard score. And finally, backup QB Beau Pribula kept the ball on a read-option and sprinted 49 yards to make it 42-3.

Purdue’s only touchdown came midway through the fourth, when backup quarterback Ryan Browne found Klare for a 20-yard score.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) jumps over top of the Washington Huskies defense and into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Tyler Warren shows off versatility as No. 6 Penn State thrashes Washington

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Tight end Tyler Warren made a game-high eight receptions and rushed for two touchdowns as No. 6 Penn State trounced Washington 35-6 Saturday night in the Nittany Lions’ annual white-out game in University Park, Pa.

Drew Allar completed 20 of 28 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown for Penn State (8-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten), which could move up in the College Football Playoff rankings after losses by No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Miami. Teammate Kaytron Allen rushed 20 times for 98 yards and a score.

The Nittany Lions had a 486-193 edge in total offense.

The normally staid Penn State offense came up with some intriguing plays in taking a 28-0 halftime lead.

Backup quarterback Beau Pribula came off the bench and scored on an 8-yard run around the left end to open the scoring with 3:48 left in the first quarter. That capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive after Washington’s Grady Gross hit the upright on a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Facing third-and-goal from the UW 2-yard line with 9:23 remaining in the second, Warren — a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as college football’s most versatile player — lined up as the quarterback in a Wildcat formation. Warren took the snap and vaulted into the end zone to make it 14-0.

With 3:23 left in the quarter, Penn State faced the same situation — third-and-goal from the 2 — and again used Warren in the Wildcat formation. This time he muscled his way over the goal line behind the left tackle.

Allar then threw an 8-yard scoring strike to Julian Fleming with 23 seconds left in the half.

Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton returned the second-half kickoff 97 yards, but the touchdown was called back because of a holding penalty.

The Huskies (5-5, 3-4) finally got on the scoreboard on Gross’ 24-yard field goal with 9:47 left in the third. He added a 35-yarder early in the fourth to make it 28-6.

Allen scored on a 1-yard run with 4:50 to go to cap the scoring.

UW quarterback Will Rogers III was 10-of-13 passing for 59 yards and one interception in the first half before being replaced by Demond Williams Jr., who was 6-of-10 passing for 60 yards and rushed for a team-high 38 yards on 10 attempts.

–Field Level Media

Nov 2, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Defensive stand propels No. 4 Ohio State past No. 3 Penn State

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A goal-line stand late in the game helped No. 4 Ohio State record a 20-13 win over No. 3 Penn State on Saturday afternoon in State College, Pa.

The Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) have defeated the Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) eight straight times since 2016.

Trailing 20-13, Penn State had a first-and-goal from the 3. Three runs produced only two yards, however, and a pass intended to Khalil Dinkins was incomplete with 5:13 left in the game.

The Buckeyes ran out the clock with quarterback Will Howard, a Pennsylvania native, rushing for seven yards on a third-and-3 from the Penn State 47 with 30 seconds left. He took a knee to end the game.

Howard was 16 of 24 for 182 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while Quinshon Judkins ran for 95 yards.

Penn State’s Drew Allar was 12 of 20 for 146 yards and an interception.

Ohio State led 14-10 after a bizarre first half in which both teams had apparent touchdowns result in turnovers after video review.

Howard ran 13 yards along the left sideline but Zakee Wheatley stripped him of the ball at the 1 and it flew over the pylon and out of bounds for a touchback. Initially it was ruled a touchdown to make it 20-10 in the second quarter.

Just before halftime, the Nittany Lions thought they had a 16-14 lead after Harrison “Tre” Wallace made a catch in the end zone on the right boundary with 11 seconds left. However, the replay showed cornerback Davison Igbinosun had snatched the ball while dragging his right foot for an interception.

Howard had an adventurous first half. He threw a pick-six that was returned 31 yards by Zion Tracy for a 10-0 Penn State lead before putting the Buckeyes ahead with TD passes of 25 yards to Emeka Egbuka and 21 to Brandon Inniss.

Jayden Fielding kicked field goals of 46 and 39 yards to sandwich a Ryan Barker 44-yard field goal to give the Buckeyes a 20-13 lead with 10 minutes left in the game.

–Field Level Media

Oct 5, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

In rare trip to Coliseum, No. 4 PSU seeks some revenge vs. USC

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For the first time since 1991, Southern California welcomes Penn State to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a pivotal Big Ten Conference showdown Saturday.

The fourth-ranked Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) are facing the Trojans at USC’s home stadium for the first time as conference foes. Saturday also marks the first meeting since USC won a thrilling 52-49 matchup in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 2, 2017.

The Trojans’ victory in that classic Rose Bowl encounter spoiled Penn State’s latest Big Ten-title-winning season. The Nittany Lions aim to return to that apex in 2024 and are off to a solid start with back-to-back double-digit wins in their initial league games.

Penn State cruised against USC’s fellow Los Angeles-based Big Ten newcomer, UCLA, in a 27-11 rout last week. After taking the lead in the second quarter vs. the visiting Bruins, the Nittany Lions controlled the game, surrendering only a touchdown in the final minute with the outcome no longer in doubt.

With running back Nick Singleton out last week due to an undisclosed injury, Kaytron Allen led the way with 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. Penn State coach James Franklin anticipates Singleton returning this Saturday to pair the standout every-down back averaging 7.7 yards per carry and 102 yards per game with Allen, an effective short-yardage back.

Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar connected on 17 of 24 passes for his third consecutive game with a completion percentage of better than 70 percent and no interceptions thrown. He has thrown nine touchdown passes and only one interception through five games.

In moving to 5-0 with the blowout win, Penn State became the only program in the country to start 5-0 in each of the past four seasons.

“Those things are special,” Franklin said in his news conference Monday. “Don’t take them for granted, because a ton of programs would love to be able to say the same thing. But at the end of the day, all that matters is that we’re 1-0 this week. If we don’t handle our business this week, that stat we’re talking about won’t mean anything.”

While the Nittany Lions come in looking to extend their perfect start, USC (3-2, 1-2) is attempting to avoid falling to .500 overall this deep into a season for the third year since 2018. The Trojans are also trying to avoid a deep hole in their inaugural Big Ten campaign after enduring road losses in the closing minute at Michigan on Sept. 21 and at Minnesota last Saturday.

The 24-17 setback against the Golden Gophers was the first time this season USC was outscored in a second half, as the Trojans gave up two late rushing touchdowns to Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer. The second came on a fourth-and-goal sneak with 56 seconds remaining to break a 17-17 tie and give Minnesota a 14-7 second-half edge.

Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said at media availability Tuesday that USC contacted the Big Ten about various calls in last week’s game, including Brosmer’s game-winning touchdown, which was initially declared stopped before a video review.

“We had plenty of other opportunities. I’m not sitting here blaming the officials,” Riley said. “It’s unfortunate, yes, but obviously a lot of things we can do better and need to do better.”

Part of USC’s recent misfortune has been turnovers. The Trojans had two possessions at Minnesota stall in Golden Gophers territory due to interceptions thrown by Miller Moss.

USC is also playing without linebacker Eric Gentry. Riley said on Tuesday that Gentry’s absence appears to be indefinite and that the standout might wind up sitting out the remainder of the year to use it as a redshirt season.

–Field Level Media

Oct 5, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

QB Drew Aller, No. 7 Penn State handle UCLA

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Drew Allar passed for a touchdown and ran for another, and No. 7 Penn State cruised to a 27-11 win over visiting UCLA on Saturday in State College, Pa.

The Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten Conference) started slow offensively for the second consecutive week of league play. But after almost 25 minutes of a scoreless stalemate, Allar broke through with a goal-line touchdown carry in the second quarter.

His score capped a 16-play, 82-yard drive that consumed 8:36. Penn State tacked on another touchdown just before halftime. Allar connected with Tyler Warren on a 5-yard TD catch with 20 seconds on the clock.

The Nittany Lions’ score answered Mateen Bhaghani’s 25-yard field goal that got UCLA (1-4, 0-3) on the board with a drive of eight plays and 75 yards in 2:31.

The floodgates opened from there. Ryan Barker’s field goals of 25 and 40 yards bookended a goal-line touchdown carry from Kaytron Allen to cap a 58-yard drive.

Allen’s 78 yards paced Penn State on the ground, though the rest of the Nittany Lions combined for just seven rushing yards. Allar’s 237 yards on 17-of-24 passing buoyed the offense.

He completed three straight passes of 24, 12 and 25 yards on the pivotal touchdown drive before intermission, hitting three different receivers: Liam Clifford, Julian Fleming and Harrison Wallace.

Clifford caught three passes for 107 yards in the win.

Penn State’s defense, meanwhile, held UCLA to just 260 yards of offense. Nittany Lion tacklers got into the backfield for seven hits for loss, contributing to Penn State limiting UCLA to 93 yards on 29 carries, a 3.2 average.

The Bruins did not cross into Nittany Lions territory on their first three possessions of the second half. Their fourth drive stalled on downs in the red zone.

UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin, making his first college start in place of an injured Ethan Garbers, went 22-of-30 passing for 167 yards and threw a 1-yard touchdown to Logan Loya in the final 16 seconds.

T.J. Harden caught five passes for 59 yards. Keegan Jones led the Bruins with 38 yards rushing on five carries, with Jalen Berger matching that total on nine attempts.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back CJ Donaldson Jr. (4) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Allar, No. 8 Penn State have little trouble dispatching West Virginia

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Drew Allar threw for three second quarter touchdowns and 216 yards Saturday as No. 8 Penn State opened its season with a 34-12 road drilling of West Virginia in Morgantown.

Allar was 11 of 17 for the Nittany Lions, which shrugged off a slow start to outgain the Mountaineers 457-246. Not even a storm delay of more than two hours, which resulted in some flooding at Mountaineer Field during an extended halftime, could help the home team.

Garrett Greene hit on 15 of 28 attempts for 161 yards for West Virginia, which struggled to run the ball and convert on third down. The Mountaineers gained only 85 yards on 37 rushes and made just 4 of 14 third downs.

After a scoreless first quarter that saw Penn State possess the ball for less than five minutes, Allar cranked up his arm. He hooked up with Harrison Wallace on passes of 18 and 14 yards before their 50-yard scoring connection on the first play of the second period.

Allar made it 13-0 just over five minutes later, completing a 71-yard drive with a short pass to Kaytron Allen that the running back turned into a 20-yard touchdown. West Virginia pulled within 13-6 on field goals of 38 and 39 yards by Michael Hayes.

However, the Mountaineers’ momentum was blunted when Allar followed a 55-yard strike to Omari Evans by hitting Wallace with an 18-yard score with six seconds remaining in the half for a two-touchdown advantage at the break.

The Nittany Lions made it 27-6 on the first drive of the second half as Nicholas Singleton broke a 40-yard run for six points, the highlight of his 114-yard game.

West Virginia got into the end zone with 12:49 left in the game on a 1-yard run by CJ Donaldson. But backup quarterback Beau Pribula capped the Penn State scoring with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Warren with nine minutes remaining.

Wallace collected 117 yards on five receptions.

–Field Level Media

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins (4) is tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Abdul Carter (11) in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

No. 11 Ole Miss takes down No. 10 Penn State in Peach Bowl

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Jaxson Dart threw three touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown as No. 11 Ole Miss defeated No. 10 Penn State 38-25 in the Peach Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Atlanta.

Dart completed 25 of 40 passes for 379 yards and had two touchdown throws to Caden Prieskorn, who finished with 10 catches for 136 yards. Dart also connected on a TD pass to Quinshon Judkins, who rushed for 106 yards.

Tre Harris finished with seven catches and 134 yards for the Rebels (11-2), as Ole Miss recorded 11 wins for the first time in program history. The Rebels also had the second 10-win season in school history.

Ole Miss, which entered 15th in the country in total offense (455.4 yards per game), was even more productive, finishing with 540 yards against Penn State, which led the country in total defense (223.2).

Drew Allar passed for 295 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Warren had five catches for 127 yards for the Nittany Lions (10-3), who had 510 yards.

The Rebels’ first possession of the second half ended with a 52-yard field goal by Caden Davis that extended the lead to 23-17.

Dart threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Judkins and a two-point conversion pass to Prieskorn that produced a 31-17 lead at the end of the third quarter. Dart also ran 2 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown and a 38-17 lead.

Allar’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Wallace III and a two-point conversion pass completed the scoring with 4:14 remaining.

On its first possession PSU drove to a 26-yard field goal by Alex Felkins and Davis followed with a 36-yarder to tie the score.

Dart threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Prieskorn to give the Rebels a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Allar threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Theo Johnson to tie the score at 10.

Davis kicked a 45-yard field goal and Dart and Prieskorn teamed on a 37-yard touchdown pass that gave Ole Miss a 20-10 lead.

Beau Pribula threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton to pull the Nittany Lions within 20-17 at halftime.

–Field Level Media