WEST LAFAYTETTE, Ind. — OK, Tyler William Warren did not bang the Purdue marching band’s Big Bass Drum at halftime of fourth-ranked Penn State’s 49-10 win over the Boilermakers here in Ross-Ade Stadium. But he could have.
Really. Is there anything on the football field that Warren has not done this season?
Tyler Warren is Him. (Though he would admittedly be quite embarrassed if he heard you say that.)
“Tyler Warren,” said Penn State coach James Franklin after the decisive victory, “is putting on a clinic and leaving a legacy at Penn State.”
On Saturday, Warren led the Nittany Lions (9-1) in receiving…again…with eight catches for 127 yards and one 15-yard TD reception.
And, he also led the Nittany Lions in rushing against Purdue, with three runs for 63 yards — one of them a 48-yarder that went for a touchdown — after lining up at quarterback. Notice a pattern here?
Purdue may be the alma mater of 27 astronauts — including Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, and Eugene Cerna, the most recent to walk on the moon. But these days, it is Warren who is out of this world.
“I stated it earlier in the year,” said Franklin. “I stated it tonight. I think Tyler Warren should be a part of all the conversations that deal with the best football player in college football. I don’t think it’s even a question. And that’s all those types of awards, including the Heisman” Trophy.
Ten games into the 2024 season, Warren has 991 total offensive yards — 808 receiving (No. 1 on the team), 157 running (No. 5) and 26 passing (No. 3). He also has 10 TDs (five catch, four run, one throw).
Lest we forget: This dude is a tight end.
“What,” I asked Warren after the win over the Boilermakers, “do you do best?”
He literally shrugged, then replied. “I don’t know. I guess I try to be the best tight end I can be. I feel that as a tight end you do a lot of things. So that kind of comes with it. That’s how we look at it in our room, as being able to fill a lot of different roles in our offense. I’m just trying to do my job and make the plays.”
Warren’s 48-yard score in the third quarter was the longest touchdown run of the season for the Nittany Lions. Until another QB, Beau Pribula, ran for a 49-yard TD 11 minutes later.
(All Penn State’s “real” QB, Drew Allar, did against the hapless 1-9 Boilermakers was complete 17 of 19 passes for 247 yards and TD passes of 15, 46 and 48 yards. Allar had a completion rate of 89.5% and a passer rating of 250.8 before exiting the game.)
Then, there was this play in the second quarter; Warren:
+ Lined up as quarterback.
+ Threw behind the line of scrimmage to Allar, who was split right as a wide receiver.
+ Hustled downfield to catch a pass from Allar.
+ Gained 38 yards and a first down.
+ Set up the next play, a 10-yard touchdown run by Nick Singleton.
What’s next? Tyler Warren passing to Tyler Warren?
AN EPIC RUN (AND CATCH)
In Penn State’s last five games, beginning with Warren’s epic performance against USC (17-224-1 receiving), the senior from Virginia has more receptions than (44 to 32) and more receiving yards (519 to 462) and as many receiving TDs (2 to 2) as the Nittany Lions’ wide receivers. Combined.
On the season, Warren has 67 catches for 809 yards and five TDs. The entire Nittany Lions’ wide receiving corps is at 73, 1,136 and five.
Folks have noticed. Like tight end extraordinaire himself, Rob Gronkowski, who shared this video on social media this week about, “My boy, Tyler Warren.”
Franklin gets the final word on Warren. At least until next week in Minnesota:
“We’ve used him this way in the past. This is not the first time we’ve done it,” Franklin said. “What probably makes him more unique than most is that he checks a ton of boxes. You may want to use a guy like this, but they don’t have the football IQ to handle lining up in all the different positions.
“The motioning, the shifting. Being able to block. God forbid a tight end in today’s college football, and sometimes in the NFL, block. He does that, too, and takes great pride in it…. Running the quarterback sneak under center. Sometimes, in today’s college football, there are some quarterbacks who have not taken a snap under center — let alone a tight end.
“I think all of these things he can do makes him valuable. A lot of times when you use a guy like that, he can’t throw. But the fact that he can throw, keeps the defense honest…So, all of these little things you can do with him? It is a headache.”
