Penn State’s offense had 718 yards against poor, poor Kent State on Saturday in Beaver Stadium, winning 56-0 after scoring a solitary first-quarter touchdown against the Golden Flashes-in-a-pan for the game’s first 15 minutes.
It was the most total yardage in a single game by a Nittany Lion offense. Ever.
Through 135 seasons of Penn State football. And 1,391 games. And six previous games against Kent State. (Who can forget that epic 63-10 Penn State win over Kent State, back in 2018?)
The 1994 Nittany Lion offense, one of the best-ever in college football history, never hit 718 — and Collins, Ki-Jana & Co. averaged 520 yards per contest. Neither did the ’82 team of Blackledge and Warner.
Neither did the Pennsylvania State College team of 1920, which throttled vaunted Lebanon Valley, 102-7. Nor the 1917 Nittany Lions, who beat St. Bonaventure, 99-0. And neither did the 1926 squad, which inhospitably defeated visiting Susquehanna, 82-0, in 1926.
But, that 1926 team did come close. Before Saturday’s game, the most total yards gained by a Penn State offense came in that Sept. 25, 1926 game against Susquehanna. That day, Penn State had 711 yards of offense. (Apparently, the Susky defense was always open.)
On Saturday, to add insult to the Kent State injury — just two plays into the game, Kent State’s starting quarterback, Devin Kargman, was slammed by Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton, breaking his femur and sending him to Mt. Nittany Medical center — Penn State also set a program record for first downs in a game, with 40.
The old first down record came against West Virginia in 1962, when the Nittany Lions had 38 first downs.
How staggering are those 40 first downs? Penn State had a first down on practically every other play, having run off 81 plays vs. the Golden Flashes. (For the record, during his post-game presser Penn State coach James Franklin did not complain about having enough plays to get everyone the ball.)
And Kent State? How many yards did the Golden Flashes gain? Ah, no offense, but only 67 — tied for eighth-lowest by a Penn State opponent since 1947.
WHAT FRANKLIN SAID
Here is what Franklin did have to say about the 718 yards and 40 first downs:
CHEAPER BY THE TWO DOZEN
Penn State’s offense got its 718 yards by getting a lot of mileage out of its roster. Eight players ran the football, led by Nick Singleton, with 11 carries for 81 yards. (He now has 314 rushing yards in three games.) Quarterbacks Beau Pribula and Drew Allar and backup running back Cam Wallace all ran for a TD.
Ten players caught at least one pass, led by tight end Tyler Warren, who had five catches for 50 yards, including a 16-yard receiving TD, and Omari Evans, who had four grabs for 116 yards, including a 59-yard scoring reception. Singleton, Liam Clifford and Kahlil Dinkins all caught a TD pass.
Three Nittany Lions also threw the football — Allar, Pribula and Warren. Allar had three TD passes, Warren had one (not a typo; the lefty who played QB in high school lofted a 17-yarder to Singleton) and so did Beau.
Overall, Penn State ran 50 times for 309 yards. And passed 31 times for 409 yards. Yes, 409 yards.
THE 700 CLUB
Longtime Penn State fans remember the 81-0 dismantling of Cincinnati back on Sept. 7, 1991, in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lion offense that day had 706 yards, now No. 3 on the all-time Penn State yardage chart.
It’s interesting to look at the top members of The 700 Club and their opening three-game schedules, and see how their season played out:
1926 (5-4, coach: Hugo Bezdek)
Sept. 24 — W, Susquehanna, 82-0
Oct. 2 — W, Lebanon Valley, 35-0
Oct. 9 — W, Marietta (Ohio), 48-6
Wins: Geo. Washington, 20-12; Bucknell, 9-0
Losses: at Notre Dame, 28-0; Syracuse, 10-0; at Penn, 3-0; at Pitt, 24-6
1991 (11-2, coach: Joe Paterno)
Aug. 28 — W, No. 8 Ga. Tech, 34-22 (Kickoff Classic)
Sept. 7 — W, Cincinnati, 81-0
Sept. 14 — L, at USC, 21-10
Wins: BYU, 33-7; Boston College, 28-21; at Temple, 24-7; Rutgers, 37-17; West Virginia, 51-6; at Maryland, 47-7; No. 12 Notre Dame, 35-13; at Pitt, 32-20; No. 10 Tennessee, 42-17 (Fiesta Bowl)
Losses: at No. 2 Miami, 26-20
2024 (3-0, coach: James Franklin)
Aug. 31 — W, at West Virginia, 34-12
Sept. 7 — W, Bowling Green, 34-27
Sept. 14 — W, Kent State, 56-0
