Instant Analysis: Penn State vs. UCLA | Injuries Affect the Offense but Defense Shows its Potential
The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the UCLA Bruins 27-11 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Blue White Illustrated takes you through the major situations that affected the game, game flow, and final score. Nate Bauer, Sean Fitz, and Greg Pickel discuss what they saw from the field at Beaver Stadium.
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Penn State working through bumps and bruises
Penn State was without top running back Nick Singleton in the game. Blue White Illustrated tracked that this week and knew it was a possibility coming into the game. However, James Franklin said that it was a last-minute call to keep him out of the contest.
Related: Blue White Illustrated reporting on Nick Singleton
“I thought we’d have him Thursday, I thought we’d have him Friday, I thought we’d have him today. I didn’t find out until after warmup, Ja’Juan [Seider] and Andy Mutnam came into the locker room and told me. Literally, it was a last-minute deal.”
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We discuss the impact on the team’s final stat totals, a slow start, and a lack of explosive plays from the Penn State offense. The team also lost Anthony Donkoh in the second quarter. Fitz points out the injury and discusses how backup Nolan Rucci performed as a run blocker and pass protector.
Penn State’s defense gets off to a slow start but erases UCLA
Once again, Penn State started slowly on both sides of the ball. The defense allowed a six-minute drive to start the game, which resulted in no points for the Bruins. But that long drive, plus the new clock changes in college football, is shortening the games on the Nittany Lions. The trio discuss how that keeps the game closer than most would expect. Penn State’s defense allowed negative nine yards in the third quarter while Penn State raced ahead to a big lead.
Finally, the trio discusses the realities of Penn State’s schedule and their competition level this year. Have they needed their best to win, and have we seen the best they can produce? Bauer discusses the team’s position in college football, where all but the top teams can challenge the Nittany Lions, and they don’t have to play their absolute best to win. With USC looming, can they finally put it all together next week?
