After losing to Ohio State last weekend in a game where Penn State had every chance to win, the Nittany Lions needed a White Out-inspired game. They got just that Saturday evening against Washington, as Penn State took down the Huskies, 35-6. It was an impressive showing from a Penn State team that looked ready to put the Ohio State loss behind them.
Penn State’s offense started tremendously, scoring a touchdown on all four first-half drives. The Nittany Lion defense also came out to play, grabbing an interception on Washington’s third drive and making quarterback Will Rogers feel all sorts of pressure.
The Husky offense was limited to just two second-half field goals. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was a massive factor in disrupting Washington’s offense, recording two sacks and four tackles for a loss.
Two of PSU’s first four drives were scored courtesy of [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], who lined up in the backfield on both two-yard touchdown runs. Warren was just part of Penn State’s impressive ground attack that broke down the Washington defensive front. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag] all contributed to the running game, rushing for 266 yards as an offense. Smith saw his first extended action in a game this season and broke away for a 78-yard run on Penn State’s final drive.
[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was back to his efficient self, hitting on 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 220 yards and a touchdown. Allar was on point, throwing to his receivers over the middle, going through his progressions and being decisive. [autotag]Harrison Wallace[/autotag] was the biggest beneficiary, hauling in five catches for 84 yards.
Penn State ended the half with an impressive two-minute drive down the field, resulting in a two-yard Julian Fleming touchdown grab, the first touchdown by a Penn State wide receiver in Big Ten play. Kaytron Allen would add Penn State’s only second-half score with under five minutes to go in the game to completely ice away the game.
Despite switching quarterbacks in the second half, Washington could never overcome Penn State’s red-hot first half. The Nittany Lions will likely improve their standing within the next College Football Playoff rankings, with a couple of top 5 teams losing this weekend.
Penn State will be on the road next week to take on the Purdue. The Boilermakers were shut out 45-0 against Ohio State this weekend. Penn State and Purdue will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.