Tag: Tyler Warren

Penn State obliterates UMass, 63-0, in final warmup before Ohio State

Penn State took care of UMass, as expected. Now it’s on to Ohio State.

A cold and dreary day in State College coupled with an expected blowout against an overmatched opponent meant this week’s game for Penn State lacked a certain energy. But [autotag]Daquan Hardy[/autotag] was ready to light a spark that catapulted Penn State to a 63-0 victory over UMass in its final tuneup before traveling to Ohio State next week. Hardy made school history, the defense continued to dominate its opponent, and Penn State’s offense chewed up yards on the ground in a solid showing despite less-than-pleasant weather conditions.

Hardy became the first player in Penn State history to score two touchdowns on punt returns. Hardy scored the game’s first touchdown with a 56-yard punt return in the first quarter. It was his first punt return for Penn State this season. But Hardy wasn’t done showing what he can do on punt duty. Hardy returned his second punt return for a touchdown with a 68-yard return in the third quarter, building Penn State’s lead to 49-0 at the time.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed 16-of-23 passes for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns in another interception-free outing as Penn State’s starting quarterback. Some passes missed the marks at times, but a slippery football could be part of the cause for that. Allar relied on his tight ends, [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], consistently in the game. Two of Alalr’s touchdowns were hauled in by Johnson, who also led all players with 66 receiving yards.

Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen continued to split the primary rushing duties. Singleton was featured on the first offensive series from Penn State and he ended his day with 79 rushing yards on 15 carries. Allen, who left Penn State’s last game against Northwestern, looked good as he rushed for 68 yards on 9 carries with a touchdown.

Penn State’s defense was once again in full control. Granted, UMass was not expected to be any threat on offense, but the Nittany Lions didn’t sleep on their opponent this week. UMass had just 61 yards of total offense midway through the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions had 7 sacks in the game with [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] leading the team with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Penn State’s defense also pitched its second shutout of the season, and second in a row at home in Beaver Stadium. Penn State blanked Iowa in its last home game, 31-0, in Week 4. Penn State has outscored its opponents at home 195-22. This is also the second time Penn State has scored 63 points in a game this season. Penn State also scored 63 points against Delaware in Week 2.

But now things are about to get much more challenging for Penn State.

Penn State will now prepare for the biggest game of the year coming up in Week 8. Penn State will put its undefeated record to the test next Saturday with a game at Ohio State. First place and a possible inside track to the division crown and a spot in the Big Ten championship game will be on the line. And, of course, the weight of College Football Playoff hopes will also be on the line in Columbus. Penn State has had its struggles against the Buckeyes over the course of the James Franklin era, but these Nittany Lions could be ready to change the outlook.

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Best photos from Penn State’s Week 3 win at Illinois

Best photos from Penn State’s Week 3 win at Illinois.

It sure looked like a beautiful mid-September afternoon for some college football in Week 3, and the Penn State defense looked absolutely stunning. Penn State improved to 3-0 in the 2023 college football season with a 30-13 victory at Illinois, the Big Ten opener for both schools. Penn State’s defense forced five turnovers in the win, and each one of them was as pretty as could be for those watching with blue and white glasses on.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s third game of the season, its first road test of the season.

Penn State running back throws much-needed touchdown vs. Illinois

Penn State running back Trey Potts delivered on this trick play for a Penn State touchdown vs. Illinois.

This may not have been the reason why Penn State wanted to bring [autotag]Trey Potts[/autotag] into the program out of the transfer portal this past offseason, but they may be glad he did. With Penn State’s offense having some trouble establishing much of a rhythm in a defensive battle with Illinois, Potts delivered a halfback pass to tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] for a massive touchdown late in the third quarter.

Warren did a great job of catching the ball before stepping out of the end zone, even keeping both feet just inside the lines as he made the catch.

This appears to be the first career pass attempt by Potts, now in his fifth year of college football. Potts transferred to Penn State as a graduate transfer from Minnesota in the offseason. His first pass, and first touchdown pass, could not have come at a better time for Penn State.

The touchdown pass put Penn State up 23-7 as the Nittany Lions started to establish full control of the game. Nick Singleton rushed for a touchdown following an Illinois interception on the ensuing possession to put the Nittany Lions up 30-7 early in the fourth quarter.

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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

NEXT: Running Backs

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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.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Week 1 win vs. West Virginia

The first Penn State report card is in for the 2023 season. Grading the Nittany Lions following the West Virginia game.

Penn State started the 2023 season with a glimpse of things to come this season. It also showed a few areas that could be worrisome later this season.

But after celebrating a 38-15 victory over West Virginia in front of a packed Beaver Stadium, it will be all smiles for the Nittany Lions the rest of the weekend.

Drew Allar was officially named the team’s starting quarterback with a scoreboard announcement less than half an hour before kickoff, and he looked every bit the star in the making he was expected to be. The defense had some physical battles won and a few lost, and the special teams will have to work on a few things. But all things considered, Penn State had a solid debut to be happy with going into Week 2.

With the first game in the books, here is the first report card of the 2023 season for Penn State.

Quarterback

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A-minus

Was it a perfect starting debut for sophomore [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]? No, of course not. There were a few moments where things looked a little disorganized, but that is being a little bit nitpicky on a night when Allar passed for 325 yards (the most by a Big Ten quarterback in Week 1) and three touchdowns. Allar completed 21 of 29 pass attempts and seemed to connect well with KeAndre Lambert-Smith as his primary target. Allar took a couple of hits you would like to see him not take and NBC analyst Todd Blackledge pointed out at least one throw he felt Allar could have made better his intended target, but it was hard not to be impressed by his vision and patience throughout the game.

NEXT: Running backs

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 44 Tyler Warren

Tight end Tyler Warren could solidify himself as a consistent threat in Penn State’s offense.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], who could break out for the Nittany Lions this fall. Warren should take on a larger role this season with Brenton Strange off to the NFL and Theo Johnson’s status up in the air. Warren’s limited tape shows he has the skills to make a name for himself in Happy Valley. Here’s a look at a tight end with good upside and far more breakout opportunities ahead of the 2023 season.

James Franklin shared positive injury news for key players who missed spring

Penn State head coach James Franklin shared a status update for a few notable players ahead of fall camp.

After being without a few notable players for spring football practices due to various injury issues, Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] had a much more positive outlook for those missing pieces as he looked ahead to the start of fall practices.

Franklin was asked about the expected availability of tight ends [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Coziah Izzard[/autotag], and linebacker [autotag]Tyler Elsdon[/autotag] when meeting with the media on Thursday. And the head coach seems to think all systems will be go for them for the start of the season.

“All those guys are back fully doing workouts and should be should be ready for camp,” Franklin reportedly said to reporters.

Franklin didn’t disclose any information regarding the specifics of the injury issues those players had that held them out of spring practices, but his words on Thursday are encouraging for a team expected to utilize each of those players as key players on offense or defense this fall.

Johnson and Warren in particular should be the key players at tight end this season after losing Brenton Strange. The absence of Johnson and Warren during the spring helped get some younger players some extra reps.

Izzard is a player that could easily be thrown into the defensive line rotation even if he is not starting this fall. Elsdon is a player competing for a starting job at middle linebacker with Kobe King.

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Penn State recruiting profile: Luke Reynolds could be a hidden gem at tight end

Luke Reynolds will be a fun tight-end prospect to watch develop in Penn State’s Class of 2024.

Penn State has developed a nice track record of developing tight ends over the years, and Class of 2024 commit [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag] could be a player well worth paying attention to in the coming years. Reynolds will bring some good size to the tight-end position and should blossom in the role once he arrives on campus.

Reynolds has played quarterback and tight end in high school, but Penn State will focus on developing and utilizing Reynolds at the tight end position to best take advantage of his size. Also because the quarterback position should be in good hands with Drew Allar in place as the team’s quarterback in 2024 and, perhaps, 2025. So Reynolds will follow more of the mold of [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], another tight end with quarterback experience who has become a solid contributor to the offensive game plan.

Here is a look at Penn State Class of 2024 commit Luke Reynolds.

What does James Franklin want Penn State’s offense to improve this spring?

James Franklin outlines the spring practice goals for the offense

Penn State officially opened spring football practices on Tuesday with a full staff now put in place. The Nittany Lions are looking to build off the rejuvenated momentum of the 2022 season that ended with a 10-2 regular season record and a victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl, and there will be a number of key positions to pay attention to this spring. But head coach James Franklin outlined what he is looking to improve on all parts of the roster beginning this spring.

Franklin noted a number of areas to improve on offense, including getting more out of the running game, increasing the toughness, and getting more explosiveness out of the offense on the ground and through the air. But perhaps the more pressing issue on offense is finding new leaders on the offense. After losing veteran and experienced starting quarterback Sean Clifford, two NFL wide receivers in Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, and tight end Brenton Strange, the Nittany Lions have some big shoes and a good chunk of offensive production to replace in 2023.

Penn State will open the spring with [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] expected to be the successor to Clifford in his sophomore season. Allar was given a number of opportunities to get some playing time last season in relief of Clifford. Allar will have some new targets to get in sync with the return of [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and the transfer portal addition of [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] from Florida State this spring. The tight ends will be anchored by returning vets [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag].

The passing game does begin the spring with more questions than any other facet on the offense, it would seem. Such is bound to happen with a young quarterback set to take over and after losing the top three receivers on the roster from the previous season.

“That room, we think there’s the talent in that room to go where we want to go,” Franklin said in a press conference on Tuesday. “I think we have to be tougher and we have to be more consistent. If you look at college football and if you look at the NFL, probably the area where you can change games the fastest in college football and the NFL right now, is at wide receiver.”

Franklin’s mentioning of the running game was interesting considering the strength of its young running back duo last season. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] each exceeded the former freshman rushing touchdown record for the program last season. Penn State had the Big Ten’s fourth-best rushing offense last season with an average of 181 rushing yards per game.

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