No. 6 Penn State got a history-making two punt returns for touchdowns from Daequan Hardy to go along with a dominant defensive performance and an efficient offensive outing as the Nittany Lions rolled over UMass 63-0 on a soggy Homecoming Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Hardy’s returns of 56 and 68 yards marked the first time a Penn State player has had two punt returns for touchdowns in a single game. They were also the Nittany Lions’ first punt returns for touchdowns since Jahan Dotson had one against Michigan State in 2020.
Penn State outgained UMass 408 yards to 109 as the Nittany Lion defense recorded seven sacks and 14 tackles for losses. Sixty-two of the Minutemen’s yards came in the fourth quarter after Penn State had pulled most of its starters.
Drew Allar was 16-23 for 162 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of work. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen split the bulk of running back duties, with Singleton running for 79 yards on 15 carries and Allen picking up 68 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts. Second-team QB Beau Pribula had 59 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Penn State improves to 6-0, while UMass falls to 1-7.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State’s opening drive ended with the Nittany Lions’ first offensive turnover of the season, as Trey Wallace fumbled at the Minuteman 32 after an 11-yard reception.
The Nittany Lion defense smothered UMass from the start, forcing a three-and-out on the Minutemen’s opening drive. Penn State’s offense was stymied again, however, and punted after consecutive plays went for a loss.
Following another three-and-out, Daequan Hardy took his first punt return of the season 56 yards to the house for the first score of the game and a 7-0 Penn State lead with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter.
After another defensive stop, Penn State’s offense finally got rolling. An 18-yard Kaytron Allen run and a 21-yard catch-and-run by Wallace keyed the Nittany Lions’ drive inside the Minutemen 5. Drew Allar got a push into the end zone on a keeper to cap an eight-play, 71-yard drive as Penn State opened up a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
UMass picked up a first down on a roughing penalty, but a Chop Robinson sack put the Minutemen in a hole and another punt ensued. Penn State went to work again on offense with Allar completing passes to Wallace and Theo Johnson and Allen carrying the load on the ground. The sophomore back had for 34 yards on five carries, including a 9-yard run up the middle for a touchdown. The seven-play, 80-yard drive gave Penn State a 21-0 lead with 6:20 left in the half.
The Minutemen went backwards on their next possession, thanks to an Isaac sack of Taisun Phommachanh and a tackle of Gregory Derosiers for a loss, and Penn State took over at the UMass 35.
Nick Singleton was the featured back this time around, running on four consecutive plays for a total of 25 yards before Allar finished it off with a 7-yard touchdown throw to Tyler Warren with 2:37 left in the half. Alex Felkins’ fourth PAT of the day gave Penn State a 28-0 lead.
Penn State’s offense looked to get one more shot at the end zone after another three-and-out, courtesy of a Robinson sack and an Abdul Carter TFL. But a tipped UMass punt hit Cam Miller in the back and the Minutemen recovered at the 50 with 37 seconds remaining. UMass couldn’t do anything with the second chance, though, and the Nittany Lions took their 28-0 lead into the locker room.
It was more of the same to start the second half. A Miller sack on third down forced another UMass punt and the Penn State offense set up at its own 49. Allar converted a fourth-and-2 with an 8-yard run, then went deep down the middle to Johnson for a 30-yard touchdown pass and a 35-0 lead early in the third.
The Nittany Lions started with good field position once again on their next possession, taking over at their own 46 after a punt. Singleton rushed for 36 yards on five carries to get Penn State to the UMass 18. Allar then found Johnson again, and the tight end leaped into the end zone for his second score of the day as Penn State extended its lead to 42-0 with 5:12 left in the third quarter.
After yet another three-and-out by UMass, Hardy fielded a punt at his own 32 and sliced his way through the Minutemen coverage 68 yards for his school-record second touchdown return of the day.
Holding a 49-0 lead, Penn State ended the third quarter with State College native and safety Keaton Ellis picking off an Ahmad Haston pass. Ellis ran it back 40 yards for what would have been a touchdown, but an illegal block penalty instead gave the Nittany Lions the ball at the UMass 49.
Beau Pribula took over at quarterback to start the fourth and immediately led the Nittany Lions on a scoring drive. Pribula ran for 20 yards, UMass got hit with a pass interference penalty and Trey Potts punched it in for the touchdown and a 56-0 lead.
The Nittany Lion backups continued to get in on the action in the fourth quarter. After another Minutemen punt, running back Tank Smith broke off a 39-yard run and Pribula burst through a hole for a 31-yard touchdown run as Penn State went ahead 63-0 to round out the scoring.
NOTES
• In addition to becoming the first Penn State player to return two punts for touchdowns in one game, Daequan Hardy is now just the fourth Nittany Lion to have two in a season, joining Jimmy Cefalo (1977), O.J. McDuffie (1991), Bruce Branch (1999) and Larry Johnson (2001).
• Hardy is also the first Big Ten player with two punt return TDs in a game since Iowa’s Kevonte Martin-Manley in 2013.
• Three Penn State defenders recorded two or more sacks: Adisa Isaac (2.5), Cam Miller (2) and Chop Robinson (2).
• Drew Allar has yet to throw an interception in 241 career attempts spanning 2022 and 2023.
• Penn State has won 11 consecutive games by 14 or more points.
• The attendance might not have been quite the reported 105,533, but credit to the Nittany Lion faithful who did turn out on a miserably rainy day in State College.
• The Nittany Lions now get ready for their biggest test of the season so far. Penn State heads to No. 3 Ohio State for a noon showdown next Saturday on Fox.
