Penn State’s season took an unexpected and drastic turn for the worse when it lost as a 24.5-point favorite against UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
The dust has settled on the most shocking loss in head coach James Franklin’s 12-year tenure in State College, and the stats are telling.
Here’s a look at the Nittany Lions’ snap counts from the 42-37 loss on Saturday afternoon.
*Season total in parentheses
Quarterbacks
Drew Allar: 58 (299)
Ethan Grunkemeyer: 0 (31)
Jaxon Smolik: 0 (1)
Heading into the game as a heavy favorite, there was speculation Penn State could get Grunkemeyer some more game rep. That notion quickly collapsed. Instead, Allar was one of five offensive players to appear for every snap from scrimmage. He finished with a season-high 79.3 PFF game grade.
Wide receivers
Kyron Hudson: 52 (253)
Trebor Peña: 40 (219)
Devonte Ross: 38 (166)
Liam Clifford: 6 (72)
Koby Howard: 0 (26)
Tyseer Denmark: 0 (19)
Aaron Enterline: 0 (7)
Penn State maintained the same four-man rotation, with its three transfers playing a bulk of the snaps while Clifford subbed in as the slot receiver on occasion. Hudson was the highest graded receiver at 67.7 after four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Running backs
Nick Singleton: 37 (173)
Kaytron Allen: 22 (146)
Cam Wallace: 0 (15)
Corey Smith: 0 (11)
Inexplicably, Singleton continued to see significantly more snaps than Allen despite far inferior play. He also led 11-8 in carries, though Allen held a comfortable advantage in yards per carry at 6.3 to 3.5. Though he likely wouldn’t have played, Wallace was listed as out on the pregame availability report for the first time this season.
Tight ends
Luke Reynolds: 40 (195)
Khalil Dinkins: 36 (195)
Andrew Rappleyea: 19 (100)
Joey Schlaffer: 0 (7)
Reynolds edged out Dinkins on snaps and had more targets, hauling in four of five targets for 46 yards, though an untimely fumble marred an otherwise strong performance. Dinkins had three receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown, yet he graded as the worst offensive player by PFF. Surprisingly, Rappleyea had the highest grade among tight ends at 74.8 despite just two catches for 14 yards.
Offensive linemen
Nick Dawkins: 58 (299)
Drew Shelton: 58 (299)
Vega Ioane: 58 (266)
TJ Shanahan Jr.: 58 (134)
Nolan Rucci: 44 (276)
Anthony Donkoh: 14 (221)
Cooper Cousins: 0 (67)
Garrett Sexton: 0 (28)
Dom Rulli: 0 (28)
Owen Aliciene: 0 (22)
Eagan Boyer: 0 (4)
J’Ven Williams: 0 (2)
Chimdy Onoh: 0 (2)
Alex Birchmeier: 0 (2)
Ian Harvie: 0 (1)
Donkoh was listed as questionable on the availability report after getting banged up against Oregon last weekend, and Texas A&M transfer TJ Shanahan Jr. started at right guard in his place. However, when right tackle Nolan Rucci was pulled midway through the game — likely due to performance instead of injury — it was Donkoh who relieved him in the third quarter.
Defensive linemen
Dani Dennis-Sutton: 71 (243)
Xavier Gilliam: 53 (163)
Zane Durant: 52 (204)
Zuriah Fisher: 52 (165)
Alonzo Ford Jr. 33 (139)
Chaz Coleman: 28 (116)
Ty Blanding: 12 (67)
Jaylen Harvey: 10 (76)
Owen Wafle: 10 (56)
Yvan Kemajou: 0 (55)
Enai White: 0 (29)
Randy Adirika: 0 (19)
Cortez Harris: 0 (13)
Bobby Mears: 0 (11)
Liam Andrews: 0 (11)
Sam Siafa: 0 (6)
Penn State employed an extensive rotation of defensive linemen against the Bruins, trying different combinations to slow down UCLA’s high-flying offense. Though the overall unit graded poorly, freshman Coleman led with a 76.3 PFF grade, while Fisher wasn’t far behind at 72.6.
Linebackers
Amare Campbell: 77 (273)
Dom DeLuca: 77 (173)
Keon Wylie: 5 (49)
DaKaari Nelson: 1 (2)
Cam Smith: 1 (1)
Tony Rojas: 0 (176)
Anthony Speca: 0 (47)
Alex Tatsch: 0 (21)
Campbell continued to be a workhorse for the Nittany Lions, playing every snap of the game. DeLuca, who started in place of the injured Rojas, set a career high in snaps but had the second lowest grade on the defense, and lowest among linebackers. Wylie was brought in for three-linebacker packages, while freshman Cam Smith saw his first college snap.
Defensive backs
Zakee Wheatley: 73 (236)
A.J. Harris: 69 (248)
King Mack: 57 (207)
Kenny Woseley Jr.: 46 (133)
Audavion Collins: 45 (163)
Elliot Washington II: 37 (138)
Zion Tracy: 29 (154)
Dejuan Lane: 19 (110)
Daryus Dixson: 14 (94)
Antoine Belgrave-Shorter: 6 (87)
Kolin Dinkins: 1 (37)
Vaboue Toure: 0 (51)
Jahmir Joseph: 0 (42)
Tyler Armstead: 0 (12)
Mack retained his starting safety role opposite Wheatley but produced a meager 56.3 PFF grade. Tracy, who played 78 snaps against the Ducks a week prior, saw the field for just 29 plays against UCLA. Woseley was the beneficiary, playing a career-high 46 snaps including 33 in the slot. Freshman Dixson continued to see playing time, officially burning his redshirt in his fifth game of the season. PFF graded Lane as the best defensive back at 70.9, a season high.
