Penn State-Bowling Green Takeaways: Tyler Warren's big day, defensive struggles, more

By Greg Pickel

STATE COLLEGE — Well, that went exactly as expected, right? Of course, it didn’t. So we’ll get the most obvious Penn State-Bowling Green takeaway out of the way right away. The Nittany Lions did do what they set out to do, which was beat the Falcons. But, they hardly did so convincingly. Head coach James Franklin’s team trailed at halftime, did not have its first lead until midway through the third quarter, and mostly struggled throughout the 34-27 victory.

Here are our initial takeaways as the Lions improved to 2-0.

Tyler Warren had a day

Franklin is looking pretty smart for calling Warren the most complete tight end in the country recently. The Virginia native certainly is doing all he can to prove his head coach right through two games. And, that was especially true on this day. He set a Penn State single-game record for receiving yards by a tight end with 146 yards. Seven of his eight receptions went for more than 10 yards. Four eclipsed the 20-yard mark. Whenever the Lions needed a play, the veteran was there to make it. His NFL Draft stock will only continue to rise after this outstanding performance.

As for the rest of the offense, it was a ho-hum day. At times, Drew Allar looked great, and at times, he was making the same mistakes that plagued his game a year ago. We’ll discuss the receivers below. But protection was also an issue. The Lions surrendered two sacks and four tackles for loss plus two quarterback hurries.

What happened to KJ Winston Jr.?

Star Penn State safety KJ Winston Jr., exited the game following the first play of the second quarter. It was unclear why. But, the Maryland native walked off the field slowly after giving up a reception to outstanding Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. He briefly walked around on the sideline before someone took his helmet away. Winston Jr., remained on the field and in pads throughout the rest of the first half and all of the second but never returned to the game. We’ll find out more after Franklin speaks.

The Penn State defense has a lot to clean up

There’s an old saying that teams make their biggest jump from Week 1 to Week 2. But, the only movement the Penn State defense did was backward. This was an ugly performance by Tom Allen’s defense after a strong showing last weekend at West Virginia. Communication was a mess. Tackling was an issue. Assignments were missed. And the pass rush frequently struggled to get home. Make no mistake: Bowling Green has some talent on offense and will give a lot of MAC teams trouble. But there’s no reason the Falcons should have moved the ball as effortlessly as it did for the majority of the contest.

Credit linebacker Tony Rojas for returning from injury and making an interception near the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter before safety Zakee Wheatley made one a drive later to set up Nicholas Singleton’s game-sealing score. But, there is not a lot of praise to go around for this unit otherwise.

Did you notice?

Some quick hitters before we hear from James Franklin:

–The Penn State receivers were mostly a no show again. Omari Evans had two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown but also big drop, and Julian Fleming registered one grab for three yards. Otherwise, position coach Marques Hagans’ room was shut out.

–For the second week in a row, there was rarely a pass rush to speak of. It was a bit better in the second half compared to the first. But, it should not scare future Big Ten opponents in its current state.

–The Lions had no answers for Fannin Jr. The All-MAC standout finished with 11 catches for 137 yards and a score. If not for Warren, he would have been the player of the game on offense.

—Sander Sahaydak bounced back from his Week 1 miss to make a pair of field goals, one from 43 and another from 28, in addition to all of his extra point tries. It has to be a confidence booster for the veteran kicker.