Let's Go State! 9/21/24 vs. Kent State
Penn State dominated with a 56-0 win, setting a program record for offensive yards and getting valuable reps for their depth players.
This will be a quick column because Penn State handled business on Saturday. They won 56-0, broke the program record for most offensive yards in a game, and got valuable reps for players who hadn’t seen much action until now.
“The most important thing,” Penn State coach James Franklin told the AP, “is our veteran players performed well enough to get a lot of guys on the field who deserve to play. That’s going to be great film for us to learn from.”
It was great to see Liam Clifford score his first career tuddy, while ten different players recorded receptions. Of course, take it with a grain of salt—Kent State was clearly overmatched. Still, the film now includes a wide variety of receiving options, which will be valuable for both internal review and for future opponents.
Drew Allar looked confident again. Maybe I’m buying into the hype, but he has a swagger this season that wasn’t there before. Yes, tougher opponents are coming, but completing 17 of 21 passes for 309 yards and four total touchdowns isn’t something to dismiss.
And how about that defense? They’re banged up for this point in the season, which is a concern heading into Big Ten play, but to give up just 67 yards on 43 plays—while much of the first-string defense rested—is pretty spectacular.
Defensive coordinator Tom Allen was up in the coach’s box for the first time this season. I’m curious to learn more about why that change was made and what it might mean moving forward.
Did you see Luke Reynolds’ incredible catch? The concentration and strength he showed, holding onto the ball while being hit and flipped mid-air, was impressive!
Lastly, keep an eye on the injury to Cam Wallace, who went down late in the game. Wallace had solidified himself as the No. 3 running back behind Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. He was helped off the field by teammates, but we don’t yet know the extent of his injury, though it seemed to be lower-body/ankle-related.
Next up is the Big Ten opener, a home game against ranked Illinois at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.