This game lasted three hours and 17 minutes in the time space continuum but lasted far less time on the field. Penn State rolled into a puddle-filled Beaver Stadium and took care of business, left without any new injuries and heads into Ohio State week with a 63-0 score under the belt. This game was exactly what James Franklin wanted it to be and so are the grades.
Offense: A
The only reason this grade isn’t an A+ is simply because the defense played even better so there needs to be some way to reward the defense for that fact. Penn State’s offense got off to a messy start but after that it was pretty much a scrimmage from the second quarter on. The Nittany Lions ended the day 7-for-9 on third downs, 1-for-1 on the fourth down. Drew Allar and his receivers couldn’t quite connect on some deeper passes – a Tyler Warren drop also took a touchdown off the board – but on the whole Allar finished the day with an effective 16-for-23, three touchdown day. Kaytron Allen (68 yards) and Nick Singleton (79 yards) both pounded away as Penn State had seven rushes for 10 or more yards. The explosive plays didn’t quite come but it’s hard to deny that Penn State didn’t have its way on offense all afternoon. Add in some awful weather and you can’t complain too much about a 49-point output. Trey Wallace was a welcome sight in the wideout room and both tight ends did their fair share catching all three of Allar’s touchdowns, Theo Johnson getting two to his name.
Defense: A+
This was almost unfair. UMass had nothing to offer up Penn State’s defense and gave up 14 tackles for a loss and seven sacks as a result. UMass faced third down on 17 occasions and converted five times with an average distance to gain of 9.2 yards. The Minutemen had a few chunk plays later on in the afternoon but otherwise couldn’t do anything of note all game long. This was a mismatch the moment the game started. Adisa Isaac led the way with 2.5 sacks and Dvon Ellies helped dominate the interior with 3.5 tackles for a loss. This was a feeding frenzy of a game for a defense that is firing on all cylinders at the right time of the year. Ohio State ain’t UMass but not a bad way to head into that contest for Manny Diaz and co.
Special Teams: A
Penn State had to punt once all day and got a 47-yarder out of it. Daequan Hardy returned two punts for a touchdown and Alex Felkins and Sander Sahaydak made all of their extra points on a slick field. Hardy was the obvious start of the show but all things considered it was a vacation day for most of Penn State’s special teams. You don’t want to minimize a two touchdown return afternoon but there isn’t much else to talk about. Kaden Saunders also had his longest return of the year, a 37-yarder in the rain. Can’t miss field goals if you only score touchdowns. Technically there was a turnover on special teams, but a blocked punt resulting in a bad bounce isn’t a systemic issue, it’s just bad luck.
Coaching: A
This game wasn’t rocket science but Penn State took care of business after a clunky start. There’s not much here to unpack, Penn State probably wins this game without coaches, but that’s not a fair way to grade.
Overall: A
Dominating defense, balanced offense, a 63-0 win. You can’t find much fault in a glorified practice. Onward to bigger and more important things.
