What started as a comparatively packed crowd at Beaver Stadium on Saturday was thinned to a sparse gathering of contented mates lengthy earlier than the ultimate buzzer. Greater than 110,000 sturdy had flooded to Penn State’s campus for a extremely anticipated showcase between the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions and UCLA, the stylishly outfitted newcomers to the Massive Ten who’d traveled 1000’s of miles for what proved to be a slightly impolite awakening towards a workforce poised to contend for the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
Penn State improved to 5-0 total and 2-0 within the convention with an emphatic 27-11 win over the Bruins wherein they by no means trailed. The mix of a smothering defensive effort that restricted UCLA to only 260 yards of complete offense and the surgical accuracy of quarterback Drew Allar, who accomplished 17 of 24 passes for 237 yards, one landing and no interceptions, was greater than sufficient to fend off the shorthanded Bruins, who have been with out their beginning quarterback, beginning heart and greatest broad receiver. The absence of Penn State tailback Nicholas Singleton, who was sidelined for precautionary causes, hardly mattered on a day when fellow operating again Kaytron Allen carried 21 instances for 78 yards and a rating.
The Nittany Lions will now journey to No. 11 USC subsequent weekend for a marquee convention battle.
Listed below are some fast takeaways from the sport:
Early distinction
There have been pockets of restlessness amid the striped-out crowd at Beaver Stadium on Saturday when a Nittany Lion offense that labored at instances throughout final week’s 21-7 win over then-No. 19 Illinois solely gained 21 yards on its first two possessions towards UCLA, each of which resulted in punts. The Penn State devoted knew their workforce was favored by greater than 4 touchdowns over a middling opponent that was making its second cross-country flight within the final three weeks and absolutely anticipated to dominate from the outset. They would not have to attend for much longer.
As if flipping a swap, first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki — previously of Kansas — shortly included the entire creativity, sleight of hand and formational selection that made him some of the sought-after playcallers within the nation as soon as Penn State took the sphere for the third time. What adopted was a 16-play, 82-yard landing drive that melted greater than eight minutes off the clock and included a little bit of one thing for everybody. There was a laser-like publish go from Allar to wideout Liam Clifford; a quarterback keeper wherein Allar lumbered ahead to maneuver the chains; a third-down “tush push” that will have made the Philadelphia Eagles proud; an offensive lineman that went in movement not as soon as, however twice, to assist flatten UCLA within the operating recreation; a quarterback sneak for a punishing rating.
That landing drive gave technique to one other on Penn State’s subsequent possession, this time traversing 75 yards in eight performs as Allar tore via a porous Bruins secondary for back-to-back-to-back completions of 24 yards, 12 yards and 25 yards, the final of which maneuvered Kotelnicki’s offense into the purple zone. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than Allar flipped a brief go to tight finish Tyler Warren for one more rating that prolonged his workforce’s result in 14-3 with 0:20 remaining within the half.
Penn State’s Drew Allar connects with Tyler Warren for a 5-yard landing
 Play of the sport
The graphic that flashed throughout the display screen close to the beginning of the third quarter on Saturday captured simply how dominant Penn State’s protection has been within the second halves of video games this season. Below the path of coordinator Tom Allen, who arrived after Manny Diaz left to grow to be the top coach at Duke, the Nittany Lions have solely allowed 9 complete factors and 248 yards after halftime towards West Virginia, Bowling Inexperienced, Kent State and Illinois mixed. It is a testomony to each the expertise Penn State has on protection and Allen’s eager skill to make influential changes in actual time.
The statistics rang true as soon as once more throughout a dismantling of the Bruins wherein UCLA’s opening drive of the second half grew to become emblematic of the dysfunction to come back. After receiving the second-half kickoff, UCLA proceeded to lose 16 yards on its opening possession courtesy of a run play for minus-two, one other run that gained zero and a expensive third-down strip sack wherein quarterback Justyn Martin was lucky to fall on his personal fumble.
That the sack got here from somebody apart from game-wrecking edge rushers Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton speaks to only what number of threats Allen has at his disposal. It was security Jaylen Reed who careened throughout the road of scrimmage untouched to wrangle Martin on the 3-yard line and drive a fumble that prompted UCLA to punt. When Penn State added a discipline purpose on its ensuing possession — a rating that pushed the result in 17-3 — the sport was all however over given the Bruins’ incompetency on offense.
Key stat
A bolt of pleasure rippled via the UCLA sideline when tailback Keegan Jones exploded via the road of scrimmage for a 22-yard carry within the early moments of the fourth quarter, pushing the Bruins into the purple zone for simply the second time all afternoon. The drive would later finish in deflating style with a brutal turnover on downs that helped seal Penn State’s win.
However as invigorating as Jones’ run was moments earlier, the breakthrough represented little greater than a flash within the pan towards a ferocious Penn State protection that entered Saturday’s recreation ranked seventh within the nation towards the run by permitting simply 72 yards per recreation. The unhappy and harsh actuality for UCLA was that the 22-yard run from Jones practically doubled the workforce’s speeding complete for your entire recreation. They’d solely managed to churn out 24 yards on the bottom via three full quarters of play.
Such inefficiency additional sophisticated the duty for Martin, who began rather than the injured Ethan Garbers. Martin was a four-star prospect and the No. 20 quarterback within the 2022 recruiting cycle, a participant whose scholarship checklist included gives from colleges like Washington, Ole Miss, Michigan, Oregon and USC, amongst others. He accomplished two passes for 12 yards throughout his first two years with the Bruins mixed.
With that stage of inexperience at quarterback, there’s nothing head coach DeShaun Foster would have preferred greater than to settle Martin’s nerves via an efficient speeding assault, the sort that may transfer the chains and assist dictate time of possession. However play after play, try after try, the Bruins have been rebuffed by one of many stoutest entrance sevens within the sport. They completed with 93 speeding yards on 29 makes an attempt whereas solely changing six instances on third down.
What’s subsequent for Penn State?
Over the past two seasons, head coach James Franklin has misplaced two video games apiece to Ohio State and Michigan because the Nittany Lions have been resigned to enjoying third fiddle within the Massive Ten’s loaded East division. They have been all the time good, generally nice, however by no means fairly distinctive sufficient to unseat the Buckeyes or Wolverines. Franklin’s report towards everybody else throughout that very same two-year span was a near-perfect mark of 21-1. After disposing of the Bruins on Saturday afternoon, the Nittany Lions will now expertise the tradeoffs that come from life in an expanded and division-less model of the Massive Ten. On one hand, Penn State will not be required to face Michigan and Ohio State yearly — and its 2024 schedule is, considerably conveniently, Wolverine-free. However, the convention’s second tier that used to belong nearly completely to the Nittany Lions is now inhabited by way more harmful opponents — and subsequent week’s journey to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with No. 11 USC actually matches the invoice. Can Franklin proceed his run of dominance towards everybody apart from Ohio State and Michigan? Or will highly effective newcomers like USC and Oregon nudge Penn State even additional down the convention’s pecking order?
UCLA Bruins vs. No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions Highlights
What’s subsequent for UCLA?
A hellacious geographical and oppositional begin to the season for the Bruins, who’re navigating the Massive Ten for the primary time after exiting the Pac-12 over the summer season, lastly enters a momentary reprieve with a house recreation towards struggling Minnesota subsequent week. UCLA started its marketing campaign with an extended flight to Hawaii for a non-conference matchup that proved a lot harder than anticipated after which vaulted right into a grueling run of opponents that included Indiana, LSU (away), Oregon and, most not too long ago, Penn State (away) — all of whom have been ranked in the latest AP Ballot, and a few of whom necessitated prolonged, cross-country flights. Foster and his workforce ought to have the possibility to construct some momentum throughout a string of forthcoming video games that options largely mid-level Massive Ten opponents. Starting with an Oct. 12 go to from the Gophers, who may slip to 0-3 within the convention in the event that they lose to No. 11 USC on Saturday night time, the Bruins will solely face one ranked opponent for the rest of the season primarily based on the present rankings. Extra manageable video games towards Rutgers, Nebraska, Iowa, Washington and Fresno State await.
Michael Cohen covers school soccer and basketball for FOX Sports activities with an emphasis on the Massive Ten. Observe him at@Michael_Cohen13.
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