Highs and Lows: Ball State

Penn State football improved to 2-0 on the young 2021 season with its 44-13 win against Ball State on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.

Blasting off to an early 14-0 lead, the Nittany Lions never looked back as the Cardinals were unable to muster much of anything offensively, held under 300 total yards of offense for the game.

With Auburn up next for the Nittany Lions (7:30 p.m., ABC) on Saturday in White Out conditions, here's running through the highs and lows from a comfortable 44-13 win for Penn State in its return to playing in front of a home crowd:

PLAYER OF THE GAME Sean Clifford's performance couldn't be described as his best by any measure, but in completing 21 of 29 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown, plus another 66 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes, the Nittany Lions' senior signal-caller did more than enough to pace Penn State to a win.

PLAY OF THE GAME Locked in something of a snoozer, the two teams struggling to do much of anything offensively, Penn State do-it-all defender Jesse Luketa upended that narrative. Facing Ball State on a fresh first-and-10 at its 20-yard line, Luketa initially pushed upfield only to drop into coverage as quarterback Drew Plitt fired a little dump-off pass to Donny Marcus to his right. Outstretched to his limit, Luketa managed to make a left-handed, one-handed interception and return it 16 yards into the end zone to give the Nittany Lions a 31-6 advantage with 5:56 to play in the third quarter.

BEST PASS Other passes might have gone for more yardage, but none were put on a dime better than Sean Clifford’s first quarter, play-action connection with Parker Washington between the hashes. Faking the handoff to Noah Cain, Clifford calmly delivered a gentle floater through a tight window to Washington, who snatched it from the air to make a 23-yard completion and a first down.

BEST RUN Looking to get on the scoreboard once more before the end of the first half, Clifford’s 16-yard quarterback keeper was an essential element to the Nittany Lions reaching their goal. Pushing Penn State out of a third-and-7 and into Ball State’s side of the field, Clifford’s slipped tackle carry set up points just a few plays later when Jahan Dotson went 25 yards into the end zone on a screen pass. Clifford deserves another nod for his easier, though longer, 43-yard scurry upfield late in the third quarter.

BEST CATCH Making the most of the opportunity Penn State helped allow, Plitt’s play-action pass up the right sideline was hauled in with a beauty of a catch from Jayshon Jackson. The reception was called up for review but the officiating crew ultimately landed on a good catch, setting Ball State up with first-and-goal at the 4-yard line.

BEST SACK Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs came screaming up the middle of the field on Ball State’s third-and-9 midway through the second quarter. Jacobs initially missed as Plitt stepped up into the pocket, but catching a hand on the signal-caller was enough for Jacobs to keep him in check and to the turf.

BEST HIT Nick Tarburton didn’t get the tackle, but his initial hit on Ball State running back Carson Steele at the end of the first half was vicious. Meeting the freshman in the backfield, Tarburton’s effort was finished off by Jonathan Sutherland for a 3-yard loss.

BEST EFFORT One-on-one in space on a key third-down for Ball State early in the second half, Daequan Hardy’s open-field tackle was textbook. The Nittany Lions’ slot corner easily wrapped up Cody Rudy for no gain to force a Cardinals punt.

BEST KICK Following a disappointing outing at Wisconsin, purely from a place-kicking perspective anyway, Jordan Stout found better success back at Beaver Stadium. His 45-yard attempt in the second quarter easily split the uprights to give the Nittany Lions a 17-3 lead, though he'd also later miss a 45-yarder well to the left.

BEST INTERCEPTION Daequan Hardy had himself a nice third quarter for the Nittany Lions, helping to keep the Cardinals at bay with his pick on a pass from Plitt late in the frame. The interception didn’t include a return but set Penn State up with prime field position to build on its lead, which it did with a field goal in the red zone to go ahead 37-6.

BEST DECISION In a second-quarter that was a slog through the mud for both sides, Penn State’s push to make the most of a late first-half opportunity proved fruitful. In just 2:41, the Nittany Lions traversed 64 yards and reached the end zone to take a 24-3 lead against the Cardinals.

WORST DECISION Trailing 14-0 at the start of the second quarter, Ball State head coach Mike Neu’s choice to take a field goal instead of going for a virtual fourth-and-goal wasn’t the type of approach needed in a game like this. Whipped by the Nittany Lion offense in every facet to that point in the game, scoring is paramount and he prohibited his Cardinals from keeping up.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Maybe this should also belong in the “worst decision” category, but Clifford coming up with a little limp from his right leg after a late third-quarter tackle is the first of a season of “oh crap” moments Penn State is going endure this year. This one, however, probably wasn't necessary. With Clifford as the program’s only legitimate option at QB, that he was running late in the game with a 31-6 lead, let alone taking on a nasty pileup, defied logic.

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