Saturday afternoon Penn State rolled past UMass in a homecoming victory. In their final non-conference game of the season, the sixth ranked Nittany Lions improved to 6-0 on the season with a 63-0 victory.
Following the victory, all eyes turn toward Columbus. Next Saturday, Penn State will play at Ohio State in one of the marquee matchups of the entire college football season. Before turning all eyes toward Columbus, let's take a look back over the blowout win over UMass with some position grades.
Quarterback: A
After struggling against Northwestern, Drew Allar bounced back against the Minutemen. Alar was 16/23 for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also hurt by 4 drops, including a drop by Tyler Warren that would have gone for a touchdown. Alalr also rushed for a touchdown and was in control throughout the game.
Beau Pribula did not throw a pass in the 4th quarter but averaged 9.8 yards per rush while rushing for 59 yards on 6 carries. Pribula also rushed for a touchdown in teh blowout victory.
Running backs: A
Entering Penn State's bye week, cleaning up the running game needed to be toward the top of the coaching staff's wish list. Against UMass, Nicholas Singleton was more decisive and a more violent runner than he had been all season. Kaytron Allen also reminded everyone that he is a very good running back.
Singleton averaged 5.3 yards per carry. For maybe the first time this year he was not afraid to put his foot in the ground and be a decisive, violent runner. Allen averaged 7.6 yards per carry while rushing for a score.
Trey Potts had just one carry, but it was a 2-yard touchdown run. Tank Smith also had some explosive splash plays, rushing for 41 yards while averaging 20.5 yards per carry for the Nittany Lions.
Wide receivers: B
Penn State's wide receivers were mostly good on Saturday night, but there were still some issues. At times there were struggles with separation and a few poor drops were an issue as well. Those are what cost them an A grade.
The wide receivers were probably the lone black eye on the Penn State offense in the 63-0 victory. The wide receivers will need to step up and play their best game of the season thus far in Columbus next Saturday afternoon.
Tight Ends: A
This was the best game of the season for the tight ends.
Tyler Warren had 2 receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown. Theo Johnson caught a team leading 4 passes for 66 yards, which also led the team. Johnson also recorded his first 2 touchdowns of the season.
Andrew Rappleyea stepped in for an injured Kahlil Dinkins in the Wing-T formation and helped push Allar in on his rushing touchdown. Also, Johnson's first touchdown saw Penn State attack the seams with him. This was great to see as attacking the seam with tight ends played a huge role in the offense's success last season.
Offensive line: A
This was one of the best performances of the season for the offensive line. That is exactly what you wanted to see in this game, but that does not make getting that performance any less encouraging.
The offensive line helped pave the way for 6.6 yards per carry and 246 yards rushing. For most of the game, Penn State quarterbacks were protected with a clean pocket, as the UMass defense recorded just one sack. An all around strong performance with the Buckeyes on deck.
Defensive line: A+
Manny Diaz's defense was dominant. Penn State allowed just 109 total yards nearly marking the second time in three games that Penn State allowed less than 100 yards of total offense.
The defensive domination started up front. Penn State's defensive line dominated on Saturday. Adisa Isaac, Chop Robinson, Dani Dennis-Sutton, D'Von Ellies, Coziah Izzard, and Zurish Fisher were all completely unblockable. Tip of the cap to the PSU defensive line on Saturday.
Linebacker: A
A dominant day for the Penn State defense was highlighted by the defense dominating. This included the team's linebacker crew. Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs were all over the field, and Kobe King impressed as well. The trio combined for 10 tackles and 3 tackles for a loss. True freshman Tony Rojas was also impressive.
Secondary: A
Penn State's secondary may be the best in the country, which continued against UMass. Strong coverage led to a great day for this group. Penn State allowed just 45 yards passing to go with an interception by Keaton Ellis. All around, a great performance.
The performance of the secondary included a two sack game for Cam Miller. Zakee Wheatley played a very strong game. Even though the damage he did on special teams is what people will talk about, Daequan Hardy also had a great game in coverage and reading/blowing up plays.
Special teams: A+
Saturday afternoon was one of the finest special teams performances you will see from a team. In addition to Hardy's two punt return touchdowns, Kaden Saunders also averaged over 20 yards per punt return to go with a 37-yard return. Alex Felkins was 6/6 on PATs while Sander Sahaydak went 3/3. Riley Thompson's lone punt was a good one traveling 47 yards.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
