Penn State dominated Ohio on Saturday afternoon 46-10 thanks to strong performances from Sean Clifford, Nick Singleton, and Drew Allar.
Offense:
For starters, running back Nick Singleton is making his case to become the lead back. The five-star freshman showed his rare blend of speed and power in his 10 carries on Saturday afternoon. The true freshman totaled 179 yards and two touchdowns in the game on a 70-yard TD run in the first quarter before finding the endzone again on a 44-yard score in the second half. When watching Singleton run compared to the other running backs, it’s apparent how much greater big play potential that the true freshman brings to the Nittany Lions offense.
It also appears apparent to the coaches. Singleton took 10 handoffs, Kaytron Allen got six and Keyvone Lee only had one rush. Expect a similar ratio from here-on out.
In general, the running game was a much greater emphasis. Penn State was a run-first team and it worked great. The play action was very effective off of it and all the motion noticeably confused the Bobcat defense.
Mike Yurcich followed up his strong play calling against Purdue with another game of creative play calling. Penn State showed a lot of motion, various formations, and players lining up at different positions including running backs Kaytron Allen and Singleton lining up in the slot and at outside receiver positions.
The receivers themselves rotated in and out quite a bit as expected, with players like Omari Evans and Jaden Dottin getting a good amount of reps. Starting wide receiver Parker Washington continues to show his impressive run after catch abilities with some catch-and-runs and punt returns. KeAndre Lambert-Smith also showed great elusiveness after the catch.
Freshman quarterback Drew Allar got into the game in the 3rd quarter and did even more to excite Penn State fans. He lofted a great 40-yard touch pass to fellow freshman Omari Evans to score the first career touchdown for both. Allar was in control, navigating the pocket like a pro and hitting his receivers well. Fans got an encouraging look at their team’s future. He would later add a second touchdown pass as he avoided pressure, climbed the pocket, and found redshirt freshman tight end Khalil Dinkins for a touchdown. Allar would finish his day 6-for-8 for 88-yards and two touchdowns.
Penn State also showed its aggression on a pair of 4th-and-short plays inside the Ohio 40. Rather than attempt a long field goal, Franklin opted to go for it, converting one of two tries.
It wasn’t a perfect day, though. Clifford was sacked three times and took hits you don’t want your starting QB to take. Overall, Ohio totaled five sacks in the game. Clifford, however, a solid afternoon completing 19-of-27 passing attempts for 213-yards and one touchdown.
- Lastly, guard Hunter Nourzad went down in the 2nd quarter with an apparent lower-body injury. He would later return to the game in the second half.
Defense:
- The defense looked much more like the blitz-happy, hard-hitting unit that was promised with the hiring of DC Manny Diaz. Penn State’s defensive line won the battle up front, particularly defensive end Chop Robinson. The Maryland transfer dominated Ohio’s right tackle and was a menace all day. A big improvement from the pass rush’s effort against Purdue
- The outside coverage was solid, with the secondary mainly opting for man coverage. Outside corner Joey Porter Jr did a good job in coverage. The middle of the field was an open void which Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke was able to pick apart when he had time.
- Ohio pulled out several nice trick plays on a 2nd quarter drive, including a “Philly Special” play and a hook-and-ladder, which Penn State had a hard time defending. The tackling was particularly sloppy on this possession.
- Freshman linebacker Abdul Carter flew around the field and hit hard. Carter missed most of the Purdue game after a targeting penalty, but he showed against Ohio that he deserves to be an every-down player.
- The backup defenders did have some trouble defending Ohio’s backup quaterback, Parker Navarro. Navarro ran a lot, both on designed and improvised plays. Stopping mobile quarterbacks will be something the Nittany Lions will have to focus on going forward.
Special Teams:
- Punter Barney Amor had a great punt in the second quarter, pinning Ohio at its own 1-yard line. The punt led to a safety to give Penn State a 16-0 lead at the time.
- Placekicker Jake Pinnegar was a little shaky. He missed one extra point and a 42-yard field goal on the day. Fortunately, Penn State didn’t need his services in the blowout.
- Parker Washington handled punt returns and Nick Singleton returned kickoffs. Both looked explosive in those roles. Singleton particularly had great blocks on kick returns.
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