Tom Allen held an extended embrace with Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak. Just two seasons ago, Allen was the head coach at Indiana and Bazelak was his quarterback. Allen ultimately emerged victorious on Saturday as No. 8 Penn State claimed a 34-27 victory, but it didn’t come without a stellar job by Bazelak that left the Nittany Lions searching for adjustments.
Allen’s defense has been hyped up by his players, and rightfully so after a dominating season-opening victory at West Virginia last week. But on Saturday, things didn’t come so easily. Maybe it was low energy, Beaver Stadium jitters or complacency. Whatever it was, it was ugly, and James Franklin will need to make modifications as his team enters a bye week.
“There’s a ton of teams across the country that will be trying to make corrections after a loss, and we got to make a bunch of corrections after a win, and obviously we got some work to do,” Franklin said postgame.
Penn State paid the Falcons $1.5 million for what was supposed to be a walk in the park to open the home slate. It didn’t turn out that way. Here are eight key takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ narrow win.
Tyler Warren’s historic day
If not for the disastrous defensive performance, a significant bulk of the postgame banter likely would’ve centered on tight end Tyler Warren, who caught eight passes for a career-high 146 yards — the most in a game by a tight end in program history. Franklin called Warren the “most complete tight end in the country” two weeks ago, and that showed on Saturday.
“He’s a really big target, so that’s nice. And he just finds ways to get open,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “Like, he does a really good job of feeling zone versus man and those sorts of things. And he’s super crafty and savvy in that aspect of his game. And obviously he’s a really good run blocker, so a very complete tight end.”
“This game plan had some shots for the tight ends, and that’s what was open,” Warren said. “But like you saw last week with Trey (Wallace), he had a lot of big plays. I think it just kind of speaks to the skill we have around the offense. And this week, it was me. Last week, it was Trey. The next upcoming game, it could be somebody different and we’ll keep going through the season like that.”
Pass defense ‘low’ to start game
What exactly went wrong on defense? That should be the question on everyone’s mind after seeing a recently dominant unit abused in the first half by a middle-tier MAC program. It’s easy to point fingers at a number of position groups, but the pass defense — one of the team’s greatest question marks in the offseason — struggled maybe more than any.
A.J. Harris and Cam Miller got the starts at cornerback, but Franklin constantly rotated in a mix of Jalen Kimber, Elliot Washington II and Zion Tracy. Penn State’s defense allowed Bazelak to throw for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Safety Kevin Winston Jr.’s second-quarter injury didn’t help, either, moving nickel corner Jaylen Reed back to safety and Miller to nickel.
Bowling Green’s passing attack did slow in the second half, a period in which the Nittany Lions came away with two interceptions. But by then, the game was already closer than it ever should’ve been, and the defense was at the center of all the concerns.
Where was the edge pressure?
Let’s be fair. The blame can’t be placed entirely on the secondary. It’s possible that the defensive line, specifically the edge, is just as responsible for Bazelak’s explosive day as any other group. Penn State’s defense has collected just two sacks in 69 pass attempts through two games, and neither have come from starting defensive ends Dani Dennis-Sutton or Abdul Carter.
Franklin said he saw defensive players trying to “make plays, rather than play the defense” on Saturday, and Carter owned up to doing as such. There was hardly any pressure placed on Bazelak, which allowed him the time and space to make some impressive throws to open receivers down field.
“Obviously, I know I have the ability to make plays doing what I do, but I also want to help my teammates make plays and just do my job,” Carter said. “Just being unselfish, helping my teammates make the plays and not trying to force it, not trying to do so much. Just play within the system, do my job and the plays will come to me.”
Singleton, Allen ‘running different’
Another facet of the game that’s been largely overlooked, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen each eclipsed 100 rushing yards on Saturday. That had only been done once in 2023, a down year for both playmakers. Singleton led the way with a 41-yard touchdown, and has combined for 233 rushing yards in just two games.
“For me, I’m just running different, being more patient and, obviously, receiving the ball better,” Singleton said. “You know, just trying to be a complete back from last year. Just running more physical, being more patient.”
Drew Allar throws first INT of 2024
It took Allar an FBS-record 311 pass attempts to throw his first collegiate interception last season. This year, it took him just seven quarters. Allar’s turnover — which came when he misread a cover zero package — was, however, one of the lone downsides of an otherwise solid performance. He finished the day with 204 passing yards and three total touchdowns.
Kotelnicki, Allar shy away from WRs
Harrison “Trey” Wallace III broke out against the Mountaineers, and it appeared as if the Nittany Lions had a quality wide receiver corps on their hands. That may still be the case, but few players at that position were targeted on Saturday. In fact, only two wide receivers — Omari Evans and Julian Fleming — tallied a reception.
Evans led the way with a pair of catches for 34 yards and a long touchdown while Fleming registered a lone three-yard reception. Wallace was targeted a few times, and on a couple deep balls, but most of Penn State’s passing production came from Warren.
Sahaydak finds kicking stride
Franklin said he remained confident in placekicker Sander Sahaydak after he missed a 47-yard field goal attempt against the Mountaineers. Sahaydak, the prospective leading placekicker out of training camp, rebounded on Saturday, nailing each of his two attempts, one being from as far as 43 yards out.
Injury updates
Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who played significant snaps at West Virginia, was ruled out ahead of kickoff. He was seen on the sideline in crutches, and whatever happened to him, Franklin said it was “very, very recent” and could not provide further updates. Fellow tight end Khalil Dinkins did, however, return on Saturday and caught one reception for seven yards.
Winston, who was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Week after his 12-tackle performance against the Mountaineers, exited early into the second quarter against Bowling Green and did not return.
“I can’t get into KJ Winston and why he wasn’t there,” Franklin said. “You guys know, I don’t talk about those things.”
Kaden Saunders, who dealt with preseason “bumps and bruises,” was once again limited to punt-returning duties and did not see action at wide receiver.
