Tag: Delaware Blue Hens

Key stats from Penn State’s win over Delaware

Key stats from Penn State’s win over Delaware

Penn State is now 2-0 this season after dominating Delaware on Saturday. It was a game that they were expected to win in convincing fashion and they did just that.

With the Nittany Lions expected to have a successful season, it’s important for them to look as good as possible and rack up style points to look appealing for the selection committee.

While wins over FCS programs won’t factor heavily into the process of making the College Football Playoff, it still shows the firepower that Penn State has to offer.

As always, there are things to take away from the game. Here are some key stats from Penn State’s victory over Delaware.

James Franklin says Singleton and Allen have embraced starting RB strategy

James Franklin explains how Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have bought into Penn State’s starting RB strategy

In the world of college football, it is not uncommon for players who may not be getting starting reps to consider potential alternative situations with more opportunities. Penn State has been fortunate to have two running backs who could easily be starting just about anywhere they wanted to buy into what Penn State is planning with its running game strategy.

[autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] have developed a relationship fueled by competitive fire and a team-first attitude that has led to each player getting a starting nod based on the week and the opponent. [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] appreciates how those two players, in particular, have bought into the concept.

“So, those guys have bought in to the idea that we have two starting tailbacks,” Franklin said in his postgame press conference following a Week 2 win over Delaware. “We will see how that goes week to week, based on preparation throughout the week, but we are going to play both like starter reps.”

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Singleton and Allen each came to Penn State in the Class of 2022 as highly-touted recruits, and each had an impact on the Penn State offense last fall. If not for Singleton, Allen would have set the Penn State freshman rushing touchdown record. Against Delaware, Allen took the majority of the reps on the first offensive series before Singleton finished the drive scoring the first of his three touchdowns against the Blue Hens. Allen ended the game with a game-high 103 rushing yards.

“I think obviously, there are competitors, and they get out there and they want the ball, and they want opportunities to make plays,” Franklin said after the game. “Sometimes in the heat of the battle, they want more opportunities and more touches, but I think big picture wise, they really get it, so I’m proud of them.”

As for what comes next for the Penn State running game? It seems as though Franklin will continue to run with what has been working since the start of the 2022 season with Singleton and Allen. Each week could have a different plan for the duo.

“We will continue to play them both like starters, that’s how we view them,” Franklin said.

Penn State plays on the road for the first time next weekend with a Big Ten opener at Illinois.

James Franklin responds to strength of schedule criticism following win over Delaware

James Franklin had no apologies to issue for Penn State dominating Delaware, an FCS opponent, in Week 2.

Penn State easily dispatched of Delaware in a Week 2 matchup in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, and head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is not about to apologize for the mismatch. Delaware may be among the 25 best FCS programs this season, but the Blue Hens do little to provide any boost to the overall strength of schedule for the Nittany Lions. As far as Franklin is concerned, that is a bit of a necessary evil and the reality of the landscape of college football.

“I think if you look at the model of teams that have been in the championship, teams that have been in the playoffs, teams that have won conference championships, I think there’s pretty good data and evidence on what’s the right thing to do,” Franklin said when asked for his thoughts to criticisms over Penn State scheduling a game against an FCS program like Delaware.

Of course, Franklin has a case to be made here. Take last year’s four College Football Playoff participants, for example. Georgia, last year’s national champion, hosted Samford and won 33-0 in their second game of the season after opening against a power conference opponent (Oregon). The season before, when Georgia won its first of back-to-back national titles, the Bulldogs opened with a game against Clemson and hosted Charleston Southern late in the regular season, as a handful of SEC teams tend to do with their schedules.

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TCU, who lost in the national championship game to Georgia, also hosted an FCS team in Week 2 last season. The Horned Frogs blew out Tarlton State a week after facing Colorado. Ohio State and Michigan, to their credit, did not face any FCS opponents last season, but the Wolverines were hardly tested with their non-conference slate of Colorado State, Hawaii, and UConn.

The scheduling of FCS schools has been a talking point for a number of years. Penn State avoided it for a long time but a game against an FCS school on a regular basis is probably here to stay, whether Franklin agrees with it or not. When nine games are locked in for conference matchups, a school like Penn State will do what it feels is necessary to ensure getting as many home games as possible. A one-off game against an FCS school is the easiest way to go about filling a vacancy on the schedule in a sport where schedules can be booked years, if not decades in advance.

“And again, like we talked about before, nine [conference] games factors into that as well,” Franklin explained. “Those things have kind of changed college football more than anything back when you used to play the kickoff classic games and things like that, but with eight conference games it was different.”

“So, I think at the end of the day, you’re trying to do what you think is right for your university and your program,” Franklin said. “That’s myself and the athletic director, but you’re also doing studies and studying the data and seeing what the data says. So, this could be a long discussion.”

Penn State’s last non-conference game in the 2023 schedule will not be played until Oct. 14, against UMass. The Nittany Lions will host Villanova in 2025 after hosting the Wildcats in 2022. Delaware will return to Penn State’s schedule again in 2027.

6 takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Delaware

Here are 6 big takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Delaware in Week 2.

It was a mismatch on paper and it turned out to be a mismatch on the field. Penn State dominated Delaware on Saturday winning 63-7.

The game was a scheduled tune-up despite what head coach James Franklin was telling the team and media before kickoff. That showed on the field as the Nittany Lions dominated the game from the jump and cruised to a victory that put them 2-0 on the year.

As with every game, there are always takeaways. While Saturday wasn’t going to show much in terms of the outlook on the rest of the season, there is plenty to discuss.

Here are six takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Delaware.

Best social media reactions to Penn State’s Week 2 win over Delaware

Social media reacts to Penn State’s victory over Delaware and what’s coming up next for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State was not about to serve up some crazy fan takes on social media following a win over Delaware, but that doesn’t mean there were not some moments that captured the social media buzz. Penn State’s offense and defense were too much for visiting Delaware to combat, which made for an afternoon with very little concern or doubt about the Nittany Lions, who improved to 2-0 following their second home win to start the season.

Penn State’s 63-7 victory over Delaware saw a solid outing from offensive players like Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Tyler Warren, and the defense was nearly perfect against the Blue Hens.

Here are some of the top moments from social media during and following Penn State’s dominant performance against Delaware in Week 2.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s dominant Week 2 win vs. Delaware

Grading Penn State’s performance against Delaware in Week 2

There are some weeks in the course of a college football season where you can probably fill out the postgame report card ahead of time and not have to worry about it. Penn State’s Week 2 matchup against Delaware was one of those games where you hoped things would go as planned and you wouldn’t have to worry about too many issues against an FCS program.

And they did.

Penn State’s offense and defense each took care of business against the Blue Hens in the first all-time meeting between the two schools. Delaware may go on to have a solid season in the FCS championship hunt, but they were overmatched in every facet of the game against Penn State, which is also hoping to set the tone for what they hope will be a playoff push of their own this season.

It may have been a home game against an FCS program collecting a solid check, but Penn State did just about everything you would expect a top-10 team to do in this situation. Here are the grades for Penn State’s performance following its 63-7 victory over Delaware.

Quarterback

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A

After being named the Big Ten offensive player of the week, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] picked up right where he left off a week ago. The touchdown pass count was down but Allar completed 22 of 26 pass attempts for 204 yards with a touchdown pass (and a touchdown run) for a fine outing before getting an early rest in the second half.

Allar showed great vision and patience and just made smart throws that were taking advantage of the holes Delaware’s defense was giving him.

Backup quarterback Beau Pribula played for most of the second half in relief of Allar. Pribula attempted five attempts with three completions for 22 yards and a short touchdown in the fourth quarter. Pribula added to the ground attack with

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Best photos from Penn State’s Week 2 win over Delaware

Check out the best photos from Penn State’s lopsided Week 2 victory over Delaware from Beaver Stadium.

Penn State went about business as usual in Week 2 against visiting Delaware. The first all-time meeting with the Blue Hens was all Penn State on both sides of the football from start to finish as Penn State improved to 2-0 with a 63-7 victory over the FCS program.

The game went about as you would expect for Penn State. The offense had far too much for Delaware to handle, the line of scrimmage battles favored Penn State on both sides of the football, and the Penn State defense really made just one bad play all afternoon, leading to Delaware’s only score in the game.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s blowout victory over Delaware in Week 2.

Instant Reaction: Penn State offense overpowers Delaware, 63-7

Instant reaction as Penn State football overpowers Delaware in Week 2 blowout win

After a comfortable primetime victory in Week 1 against West Virginia, there was no noon kickoff hangover against an FCS opponent for Penn State in Week 2. Penn State (2-0) overpowered Delaware (1-1) in the first all-time meeting between the two schools on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. Penn State’s 63-7 victory over the Blue Hens was powered by a running game that saw [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] rush for three touchdowns and a 100-yard afternoon from [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag].

Singleton rushed for all three of his rushing touchdowns in the first half of the game, and he ended up getting a nice early rest after halftime following a brief appearance with the offense.  Singleton ended the day with just 47 rushing yards on 12 carries. Singleton also added an 18-yard reception and a 26-yard kickoff return. Allen rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The running back duo scored each of the first four of five touchdowns for Penn State before halftime.

Quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had a fine performance in his second career start for the Nittany Lions as well. Allar was smooth and used good field vision and patience to take whatever the Delaware defense was willing to give him. Allar completed 22-of-26 pass attempts for 204 yards with a touchdown pass and 27 rushing yards on five carries with one rushing touchdown. It may not be enough to receive a second-straight Big Ten offensive player of the week award from the conference, but it was more positive results from Penn State’s maturing starting quarterback.

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A 56-7 result was not without some miscues sure to be enforced by James Franklin in the coming week. The defense allowed just one touchdown, a 66-yard touchdown run by Marcus Yarns, on a 3rd-and-1 play. Penn State’s defense left too big a hole on the left side for a back like Yarns, not to mention some of the backs Penn State will be facing later this season.

Penn State’s special teams also gave Delaware a free first down with an offside penalty when the Blue Hens were punting on 4th-and-1. Franklin will have some teaching moments on film for the offense as well, although it was difficult to complain too much about what Penn State put on display against one of the better FCS programs.

The defense allowed just 110 yards of total offense going into the fourth quarter, and 66 of those came on the Delaware touchdown run in the first quarter. Linebacker and team captain [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] was unable to come up with an interception in the first half deep in Delaware’s end, but he made up for it in the third quarter with a pick-six.

 

Penn State will play its Big Ten opener next week with a road trip to Illinois. Penn State lost the most recent meeting in the series with the Illini with a 20-18 loss in a 9 overtime game in 2021 in Beaver Stadium. Penn State beat Illinois in a 63-24 rout the last time the Nittany Lions visited Champaign in 2018.

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Nick Singleton scores three touchdowns in first half vs. Delaware

Watch all three of Nick Singleton’s first-half touchdowns for Penn State vs. Delaware.

You just had to think that Penn State’s Week 2 matchup with Delaware would be the right kind of game to rely heavily on the running game. And it is safe to say Penn State has done that through one half of play in Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Drew Allar has been impressive in his first-half decision-making, but Penn State knew going into this week’s game against the Blue Hens they would be able to rely on the ground attack to take care of business. Four of of Penn State’s five first-half touchdowns came on the ground with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] scoring three and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] adding another.

Kaytron Allen extended Penn State’s lead later in the first quarter with a short touchdown run. Allen pushed the Penn State lead to 14-0.

Delaware running back Marcus Yarns got in on the fun for the first, and only score, by the visitors in the first half. Yarns took off on a 3rd-and-1 for a 66-yard scoring run after capitalizing on a big hole left by the Penn State defense. The secondary could not catch up to the speedy Yarns once he got going.

But Penn State responded the way you would expect; with a lengthy touchdown drive capped by Singleton for the second time of the game.

Singleton added a third touchdown before halftime. Singleton’s third touchdown run gave Penn State a 28-7 lead on Delaware.

With Penn State establishing a bit of a comfortable lead, the opportunities for Singleton and Allen may dwindle quickly in the second half as Penn State takes advantage of some opportunities to get some other players on the field. That would help to keep Singleton and Allen a bit more fresh ahead of the Big Ten opener next week.

Allen has rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries. Singleton has 52 yards on 11 attempts. Allar added a fifth touchdown with a pass over the middle late in the first half to give Penn State a 35-7 lead. Expect plenty of backup time from others coming int he second half.

Penn State will play its Big Ten opener next week with a road trip to Illinois. Penn State lost the most recent meeting in the series with the Illini with a 20-18 loss in a 9 overtime game in 2021 in Beaver Stadium. Penn State beat Illinois in a 63-24 rout the last time the Nittany Lions visited Champaign in 2018.

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Penn State WR Keandre Lambert-Smith takes trip to medical tent

Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith took a trip to the medical tent in the first half vs. Delaware

With Penn State marching toward a possible double-digit lead on visiting Delaware, the Nittany Lions saw one of their top offensive weapons leave the game with an apparent injury. Wide receiver [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] was helped off the field late in the first quarter of Penn State’s home game against Delaware on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium.

A video replay showed Lambert-Smith had his ankle rolled over toward the end of a play as Penn State was running the football. He was slow to get off the field but did so under his own power.

Lambert-Smith returned to the game on Penn State’s next offensive series, following a long touchdown run by Delaware. Lambert-Smith picked up a gain of 20 yards on a flea flicker from quarterback Drew Allar but ended the drive with a  trip to the medical tent on the Penn State sideline.

 

Lambert-Smith did reportedly come out of the tent with no helmet in hand.

We will keep an eye on this developing situation. Lambert-Smith is no stranger to injury issues during his time at Penn State. Whatever the degree of this particular medical concern is, Penn State may be wise to let him have the rest of the afternoon off.

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