Highs & Lows: Penn State dominant in victory over Boilermakers

By Nate Bauer

Penn State journeyed to Purdue this weekend with an opportunity to take advantage of the Big Ten’s last-place program. Closing in on a College Football Playoff berth with three games to go, the Nittany Lions would be required to win and win convincingly.

They did.

Controlling the Boilermakers in every phase of the game, the Nittany Lions pounded their way to a 49-3 win at Ross-Ade Stadium. With the result, Penn State improved to 9-1 on the season and will next travel to face Minnesota next Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS).

Here are the highs and lows from the game:

Highs & Lows: Penn State engineers dominant win at Purdue

PLAYER OF THE GAME Denying the excellence of either performance from Tyler Warren or Drew Allar this space would be unjust, so we won’t.

Warren finished with 190 all-purpose yards in another highlight-reel afternoon. On the ground, he picked up 63 yards and a touchdown on three carries, including a 48-yard score.

Allar, meanwhile, carried the ball four times for 22 yards to go along with another remarkably efficient passing day. He completed 17-of-19 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns.

PLAY OF THE GAME Toying with Purdue early in the second half, Penn State finished off its meal late in the third quarter with ease. Bursting past two levels of the Boilermaker defense, receiver Trey Wallace paused, then slipped into the promised land, just waiting for Allar to fire. For the big-armed quarterback, the throw from midfield was pitch-and-catch for a touchdown and a 35-3 lead for the visitors.

Offensive superlatives

BEST PASS Considering his need to catch the ball before throwing it, the degree of difficulty for Allar’s 38-yard connection with Warren midway through the second quarter deserves acknowledgment. Split wide, well behind the line of scrimmage, Allar pulled in the initial screen from Warren, only to load up and fire back to the all-everything tight end

BEST RUN No one touched him. Taking a direct snap on third-and-2 at the Purdue 48-yard line Warren followed blocks from Sal Wormley and Luke Reynolds into the open field and, eventually, the end zone. The run was Penn State’s second-longest of the season, behind only Corey Smith’s 78-yard carry against Washington last week. Or, it was, until Beau Pribula ripped off a 49-yard touchdown carry for the Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter, taking the mantle from Warren in the game.

BEST CATCH Allar’s first-quarter touchdown throw to Warren appeared to be a sure thing before the Nittany Lion tight end even reeled in the ball. Tying Pat Freiermuth for the most TDs by a tight end in program history, the box-out and reception looked easier than it was. 

WORST DROP Anthony Ivey saw his first career touchdown just 20 more yards in front of him. Sneaking past Purdue’s coverage again, the receiver had the deep pass from midfield in both hands, only to lose it to the turf late in the third quarter. Pribula made up for the snafu with a 49-yard rushing touchdown the next play. Still, the opportunity lost for a crucial bit of momentum toward Penn State’s receiver position was notable, magnified by a similar opportunity going unrealized by Tyseer Denmark in the final minutes of the game.

Defensive superlatives

BEST SACK Enjoying a big edge on the scoreboard and repeatedly advantageous down-and-distance circumstances, Penn State’s defense capitalized late in the third quarter. Forcing the Boilermakers into a third-and-11 at the 24, Coziah Izzard pushed through the heart of the Boilermakers’ offensive line to bring Ryan Brown to the ground for a 3-yard loss. Dani Dennis-Sutton also gets a nod here for his 5-yard sack on Purdue’s first possession of the afternoon.

BEST HIT Facing the difficulty of a first-and-goal for Purdue midway through the second quarter, Penn State safety Tyrece Mills upended Devin Mockobee after just two yards gained with one of the game’s most aggressive hits.

BEST EFFORT Stymied by a Purdue offensive line that held him all game, including eventually drawing a few holding calls for it, Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter still wouldn’t be diminished. Looping upfield to pressure Hudson Card, a dump-off pass to C.J. Smith left Carter trailing the play from the back side. Not giving up, Abdul caught up anyway, bringing down the running back for 11 yards, well short of the necessary first down yardage.

Odds and ends

BEST KICK Purdue punter Keelan Crimmins destroyed a punt at the start of the fourth quarter for the Boilermakers. His 52-yard blast was fielded by a backpedaling Zion Tracy, who managed no return.

BEST DECISION Penn State, sensing its complete command of the game from the onset, made a commitment to inserting its depth early and often against the Boilermakers. The type of opportunity that has at times been lost by more competitive games than the Nittany Lions would have preferred, they took advantage this time, earning valuable experience and resting starters along the way.

WORST DECISION De’Nylon Morrissette was sure he’d scored Purdue’s first touchdown of the game midway through the second quarter. Easily hauling in a second-and-goal pass from Card at the 5-yard line, the receiver could be excused for the thought.

Standing in the back of a black-on-black paint end zone, though, Morrissette was a step out of bounds. With only a white line and pylon separating the black of the end zone paint from the black of the paint just beyond it, the practical choice defied explanation. 

MOST TELLING MOMENT In a game that was controlled completely by Penn State, head coach James Franklin rode poor officiating and lackadaisical effort from the Nittany Lions’ depth with the same intensity as a high-stakes matchup. Clearly intending to instill a sense of urgency that keeps attention to detail front of mind through the program’s stretch run, Franklin’s message was unmistakable.

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