No. 7 Penn State (5-0, 2-0) pulled away after a slow start to defeat UCLA (1-4, 0-2) 27-11 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Behind backup QB Justyn Martin, the Bruins threatened early, but the Nittany Lion defense kept them out of the end zone until the game’s final seconds with the decision already in hand and a mix of backups on the field.
After starting the game with consecutive punts, Penn State’s offense scored on its next four possessions and the defense smothered UCLA for a key stretch in the second half.
Still, the Nittany Lions only outgained the Bruins 322 to 260. Penn State QB Drew Allar was 17-24 for 237 yards and a TD, and Liam Clifford had his first 100-yard game with three catches for 107.
With Nick Singleton listed as questionable and not playing on Saturday, Kaytron Allen turned in a yeoman’s effort as the featured back with 21 carries for 78 yards and a score.
On defense, Tony Rojas had a team-high eight tackles, including one for loss. Safety Jaylen Reed forced a fumble on a strip sack.
The game was the first meeting between Penn State and UCLA since 1968 and first as Big Ten foes.
Penn State travels to Los Angeles next week to face No. 11 USC at 3:30 p.m. EDT on CBS.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Penn State went three and out on the game’s first possession, UCLA moved the ball on its opening drive behind sophomore QB Justyn Martin, starting his first game in place of the injured Ethan Garbers. Keyed by a 16-yard pass on third and 4 and a fourth down conversion in Penn State territory, the Bruins went 46 yards to the Nittany Lion 23. But on fourth and 1, Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley stuffed running back T.J. Harden for a loss to end the threat.
The Nittany Lion offense did little for the remainder of the quarter, picking up two first downs on its second drive before punting back to the Bruins. UCLA moved near midfield on its next possession, but linebacker Tony Rojas blew up a short pass for a loss on third down to force a Bruin punt.
Second Quarter
Penn State’s offense found some rhythm on a lengthy drive as the first quarter ended and into the second. On third and 11, quarterback Drew Allar threw a strike across the middle to Liam Clifford for a 26-yard gain to the Bruin 45, then connected with tight end Tyler Warren and receiver Trey Wallace for gains of 15 and 7 to move inside the UCLA 25.
The Nittany Lions then pounded away on the ground with seven consecutive rushes, capped by an Allar keeper in the push formation for the game’s first score. Ryan Barker’s extra point gave Penn State a 7-0 lead after the 16-play, 82-yard drive that took 8:36 off the clock.
UCLA responded with its first points of the game. Facing third and 2, Martin took advantage of broken coverage to hit Harden, who made an over the shoulder catch down the sideline for a 53-yard gain to the Penn State 10. The Nittany Lion defense stiffened from there, though, as defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton hurried Martin and tipped a pass on second down, then chased down the QB on a scramble for no gain on third down. UCLA settled for a 25-yard Mateen Bhaghani field goal to narrow Penn State’s advantage to 7-3 with under three minutes left in the half.
Allar and the Nittany Lion offense weren’t done, putting together a masterful two-and-a-half minute drive to close out the first half. Facing third and four after the two-minute warning, Allar hit Clifford for a 24-yard gain into Bruin territory. After a 12-yard gain on a pass to Julian Fleming, Allar found Wallace, who went 25 yards to the Bruin 8. Following a short Kaytron Allen run, Allar tossed to an open Warren near the goal line for the score with 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
The Nittany Lions went 75 yards in eight plays to take a 14-3 lead into the locker room.
Third Quarter
Penn State’s defense smothered UCLA to start the second half, throwing the Bruins for a loss and no gain on the first two plays of the opening drive. On third and long, safety Jaylen Reed forced a Martin fumble that the Bruin QB recovered at his own 3.
That forced a UCLA punt and the Nittany Lions took over in Bruin territory. Allen runs of 11 and six yards, a nine-yard pass from Allar to Warren and a defensive holding penalty moved Penn State to the 11, but the drive stalled from there. Two Allen runs went for losses and a seven-yard Allar pass to freshman back Quinton Martin Jr. wasn’t enough to convert. Barker, replacing Sander Sahaydak as placekicker, hit a 25-yard field goal to extend Penn State’s lead to 17-3 with 8:36 left in the third quarter.
The Penn State defense kept up the pressure on UCLA’s next drive. The Bruins picked up a first down on an 18-yard Jalen Berger run, but defensive end Abdul Carter took Berger down for a seven-yard loss on a screen pass and Amin Vanover and Zane Durant sacked Martin for an eight-yard loss to force another UCLA punt.
A 10-yard Allen run and a face mask penalty quickly had Penn State at the UCLA 33. Allar then connected with Warren for a gain of 14 and Fleming for 15 yards to get inside the 1. Allen took it in from there and Penn State had a 24-3 lead with 2:57 remaining in the third.
Fourth Quarter
After both sides traded punts, UCLA got deep into Penn State territory. Martin passed to Bryce Pierre for a gain of 12 and Keegan Jones burst through for a 22-yard run to the Nittany Lion 19. A pair of runs and an incompletion set up fourth and 3 from the 12, but Martin through another incompletion and the Nittany Lion offense took over again.
On third and 8, Allar lofted a deep pass down the middle to Clifford for a 53-yard gain to the UCLA 29, but the drive stalled out and Penn State settled for a 40-yard field goal to expand its lead to 27-3 with 8:17 left in the game.
UCLA showed no urgency, but put together a 16-play, 73-yard drive that would last nearly the entire remainder of the game. With 16 seconds left, Martin threw to Logan Loya for a 1-yard touchdown pass, and a two-point conversion narrowed the score to 27-11.
Penn State recovered the ensuing onside kick and took a knee to end the game.
