Tag: Kaytron Allen

5 reasons Penn State will beat Michigan State in Detroit

With a Black Friday showdown against Michigan State, we break down five reasons Penn State finishes the regular season with a victory.

This Friday, the Land Grant Trophy is on the line when Penn State (9-2) kicks off against Michigan State (4-7) to close out the regular season. The Nittany Lions and Spartans will face off at Ford Field in Detroit. Despite the series being tied 18-18-1 all-time, Penn State is a comfortable 19.5-point favorite on FanDuel as of Monday morning.

Since the trophy was implemented in 1993, Penn State has won 17 of the 27 meetings against Michigan State. Friday’s matchup will mark the tenth consecutive meeting of the two schools, and with the Big Ten expanding next year, the next matchup won’t be until 2025.

The Nittany Lions and Spartans are both coming off wins. Penn State beat Rutgers 27-6, while the Spartans held off Indiana for a 24-21 victory. Several questions surround the Nittany Lions, specifically the injury status of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and whether [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] gets a shot against a below-average Spartan team. A win would put Penn State in a prime position to secure a New Year’s Six bowl.

Let’s take a look at five reasons Penn State takes home the Land Grant Trophy for back-to-back seasons.

5 takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Rutgers

Here are five final thoughts on the direction of Penn State football after a win over Rutgers.

Penn State improved to 9-2 on Saturday afternoon after a 27-6 victory over Rutgers in Happy Valley. It wasn’t always pretty for the Nittany Lions, but they pulled out the win with their tough defense and gritty offensive performance. Penn State will end the regular season next week against Michigan State in Detroit on Friday evening.

No team could get the passing game going in the first half, and it seemed like every yard Penn State gained was hard-earned. Starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] left the game early while running and taking a brutal hit that left him on the turf for a minute. He appeared to injure his right shoulder area and did not return, and he airmailed a screen pass out of bounds on the next play. Redshirt freshman Beau Pribula came into the game and seemed to give the offense a jolt of energy with his ability to find the edge on several of his runs. Allar’s health will be a fascinating storyline to follow this week.

Rutgers was able to drive the ball down the field for a couple of drives with quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, giving Penn State’s defense fits with his legs. The defense forced the Scarlett Knights into three turnovers and pressured Wimsatt often.

Let us dive into a few takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ ninth win of the season.

Drew Allar injured in Penn State’s win vs. Rutgers

Penn State’s defense and running game helped take care of Rutgers in Week 12.

Penn State starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] Saturday’s game early in the third quarter with an apparent injury, leaving [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to run the offense for the remainder of the game. After inheriting a 10-6 lead, Pribula helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 27-6 victory over Rutgers to improve to 9-2 on the season. The win helps keep Penn State in the mix for a New Years Six bowl game.

Allar took a rough, but clean, hit while running with the football on a run up the middle. He took contact as he was going down without clearly giving himself up, which would have drawn a penalty on the Scarlet Knights. Allar stayed in for one more play and was way off the mark on a pass to the right side of the field. He came out of the game immediately following the incompletion and did not return.

Penn State’s defense gave up some long drives to Rutgers on a couple of occasions, including the first offensive drive by the Rutgers offense in the first quarter that ended with a field goal. Rutgers drove down to the 1-yard line but had the ball pushed back due to a holding penalty.  Penn State trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and was locked in a tight 10-6 battle at halftime after Rutgers kicked a field goal to close out the first half.

[autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] rushed for two touchdowns and 69 yards in the game. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] added 61 yards on 11 rushing attempts as Penn State is still without a 100-yard game from either running back this season. Pribula ended the game leading the Nittany Lions in rushing with 71 yards. Penn State combined for 234 rushing yards and let the running game take care of business after halftime.

Penn State’s defense held Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai to just 39 rushing yards on 16 carries. Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt completed 10-of-16 passes for 130 yards but lost a fumble and was intercepted, which led to 10 points by Penn State. Penn State has not given up a touchdown to Rutgers in Happy Valley since 1994.

Penn State will close out the regular season next Friday, Nov. 24 with a Black Friday game against Michigan State. The game will be played in Detroit’s Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions and it will appear in primetime on NBC.

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Offensive keys for Penn State against Rutgers

Three keys for Penn State’s offense as they aim for a bounce back win against Rutgers.

The Nittany Lions are likely to come out aggressive and want to prove a point after their defeat to Michigan. With Rutgers being a formidable defense, it might take Penn State a few drives to get separation, but overall, this matchup should be good for the Drew Allar-led offense.

Rutgers is also coming off a loss after getting shut against Iowa. If the Hawkeyes, who own the worst offense in the Big Ten (243 ypg), were able to put up 22 points against an average Rutgers defense, Penn State should be in a good spot to do some damage.

With new play callers Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle in charge after Penn State fired offensive coordinator Miek Yurcich, it remains to be seen how the offense looks with new voices at the helm.

Penn State is a heavy favorite at home against Rutgers, a team it has not lost to since Rutgers joined the Big Ten. But the Scarlet Knights played Ohio State tough in the first half, so they are not a team to be taken lightly. are not a team that looks to be easily intimidated this season. The Nittany Lions offense must be on their A game.

Here is a look at some offensive keys for Penn State.

What should Penn State be looking for in its new OC?

Four qualities James Franklin should be looking for in his new OC.

Last Sunday morning saw the end of the Mike Yurcich era in Happy Valley. The Penn State offense, which Yurcich has led for three years, looked almost anemic throughout much of Saturday’s contest against Michigan. The lack of creativity, explosion and smart playcalling was all absent, and James Franklin said as much when he spoke on the firing earlier this week. It will be interesting to see how the offensive play calling looks this weekend against Rutgers with Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle in charge.

The recent norm in State College has become a 10-2 season with losses to Michigan and Ohio State. The repeat failures to execute offensively against the two best teams in the Big Ten have been a real problem, and Franklin must prioritize that in his next offensive coordinator. This hire marks a pivotal moment for both Franklin and Penn State as the Big Ten reshapes itself next year. With that magnitude in mind, let’s take a look at some must-haves for the Nittany Lions new coordinator.

5 reasons Penn State will beat Rutgers this Saturday

Here are five reasons to expect Penn State to get a rebound win this weekend against Rutgers.

Coming off a frustrating and disappointing loss to Michigan on Saturday, Penn State is looking for a bounce-back performance against Rutgers at Beaver Stadium this Saturday. The offense, especially the passing game, was the major disappointment against the Wolverines, as Drew Allar and company could only muster 70 yards through the air. Mike Yurcich’s firing last Sunday makes this weekend even more intriguing for the Nittany Lions’ offense and how they look with new play callers.

The Scarlett Knights are no slouches when it comes to pass defense, ranking 9th in the nation in yards per game (166.2). Rutgers doesn’t present a considerable challenge to offensively ranking in the bottom four of the Big Ten in yards per game (310.5). The Scarlett Knights are also coming off a defeat after getting shutout by Iowa last weekend.

With FanDuel listing Penn State as a 20.5-point favorite against Rutgers, we look at five reasons the Nittany Lions get back into the win column.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s performance against Michigan

How does Penn State football grade out against Michigan…not so well at all

It was a tough day for James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions against the Michigan Wolverines. Saturday’s 24-15 loss marked another defeat to a top-10 opponent and to Michigan. With Penn State sitting at 8-2 with two games to play, their hopes for a Big Ten title game berth are all but lost.

As they have all season, the defense played a respectable performance against one of the top offenses in the nation. It was not enough, however, as the offense sputtered after a promising first quarter and could never get quarterback Drew Allar into a rhythm.

It was not a happy afternoon in Happy Valley, and this week’s postgame report card reflects it.

Best photos from Penn State’s game vs. Michigan

The game may not have ended well for Penn State, but these photos are terrific.

Penn State suffered its second loss of the season, with many familiar offensive frustrations coming to a boil in a 24-15 loss at home to Michigan. Penn State’s defense was up to the task but couldn’t stop some of the big runs by the Michigan Wolverines. Meanwhile, the lack of any Penn State offensive threats was too much to overcome against a defense as good as Michigan’s.

The second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history was witness to a true Big Ten defensive battle that delivered from start to finish, but the Wolverines managed to establish the control that was needed to gain an edge in this matchup with their running backs doing what Penn State’s could not.

The game may not have gone the way Penn State was hoping or needed, but it still served up some great imagery in front of a striped-out Beaver Stadium.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s Week 11 game against the Wolverines.

Penn State offense frustrated in 24-15 loss to Michigan

Penn State’s loss to Michigan all but eliminates the Nittany Lions from the Big Ten East Division.

After injecting a bit of positive energy in the offense a week ago in a blowout win at Maryland, Penn State’s offense was given a dose of reality on Saturday afternoon in a defensive battle with the Michigan Wolverines. If your offense can’t throw the football, you simply are not going to beat Michigan. Penn State lost to Micigan, 24-15, in front of the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history and was effectively eliminated from contention for the Big Ten East Division championship.

Michigan played the game without head coach Jim Harbaugh able to attend the game. Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for the remainder of the regular season for an alleged sign-stealing investigation tied to a former staffer. Despite a legal effort by the university, Harbaugh was unable to coach the game. But it ultimately did not matter as the Wolverines were too tough and too well-prepared for the matchup.

As for Penn State, the narrative of [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] in big games once again took over with untimely penalties on special teams, a lack of any real offensive development against a good defense, and another loss to Michigan and a top-10 team going against him.

What was expected to be a strong defensive game lived up to the hype. Both Penn State’s and Michigan’s defense did their part, but Michigan’s was just slightly better. The Michigan running game took control of the football game in the second quarter after Penn State owned a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards got some big and key runs in the second quarter to help dictate the game behind an offensive line bringing in extra linemen to create a push up front against Penn State’s defense. Corum and Edwards each rushed for a touchdown, essentially giving the Wolverines the win.

Michigan rushed for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Nittany Lions. Corum rushed for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 44-yard touchdown run to pretty much put the game out of reach for good after a Penn State turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.

Penn State’s running back duo of [autotag]Kaytorn Allen[/autotag] (72 yards on 12 carries) and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] (43 yards on 13 carries) were each held out of the end zone by the Michigan defense. And the Penn State receivers combined for just 5 catches for a total of 29 yards. Tifght end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] had 2 catches for 25 yards and [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] had 2 catches for 10 yards and a late touchdown.

Penn State’s defense did as much as it could against the strong Michigan offense, and it came up with some key stops in the fourth quarter to give the Nittany Lions chances. But Penn State’s lack of any offensive threats was the downfall for the home team, just as it was a few weeks back in Penn State’s only other loss at Ohio State.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had just 51 passing yards midway through the fourth quarter, but he did have the team’s only touchdown of the game. Unfortunately, Allar also lost a fumble on the opening possession of the second half, with Penn State trailing 14-9 at the time. Michigan cashed in on the turnover after settling for a field goal, but not before running just over eight minutes off the game clock. Allar’s fumble was the only turnover of the game. He ended the game with just 70 passing yards

Penn State’s decision to go for a two-point conversion in the first half after a touchdown cut the Michigan lead to 14-9 ultimately came back to haunt a little bit late in the game. If Penn State had kicked the extra point at that time, Penn State’s late fourth-quart touchdown could have cut the Michigan lead to 7 with another extra point. Instead, Penn State was down by 9 points after failed two-point conversion attempts instead of a one-score game.

Penn State will look to close out the home schedule on a winning note next week when they host Rutgers. Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 18 is set for 12:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast info for the game has not yet been confirmed.

Michigan will travel to Maryland for one final game before their big rivalry game against Ohio State at the end of the regular season. But for now, the focus will be on the status of Harbaugh.

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Keys for Penn State’s offense against Michigan

Penn State’s offensive keys to success against the Michigan Wolverines and their top-ranked defense.

A rejuvenated and more creative offense dismantled the Maryland Terrapins 51-15 a week ago. Now, the Nittany Lions’ offense welcomes in their stingiest opponent of the season and the number one scoring defense, the Michigan Wolverines.

The talk throughout the season has been that the Wolverines haven’t played anyone close to their level. Penn State is the best defense and offense Michigan will have faced so far this season by a wide margin. Despite that, Michigan still comes into Beaver Stadium boasting the best defense in the country, giving up a paltry 6.7 points per game and only six touchdowns allowed through nine games. The Nittany Lions offense averages a sixth-best 40.2 points per game and will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. But after last week, confidence and optimism are high coming out of Happy Valley that they can show Michigan something they haven’t seen this season.

Penn State can’t knock off the No. 3 team in the country on defense alone, so below, we break what the Nittany Lions’ offense needs to do against the top defensive unit in college football. We kept it simple with three offensive keys because overthinking never leads to a good outcome when you’re the underdog.