Penn State has decisions to make after 46-10 win; freshmen steal the show: What they're saying about the Lions

Penn State is 2-0 and poised to enter both the Associated Press top-25 and the Coaches Poll after blowing out Ohio 46-10 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions led 26-7 at halftime and blew the game wide open with a 14-point third quarter. It featured a 32-yard freshman-to-freshman scoring connection when quarterback Drew Allar hit receiver Omari Evans and a Nick Singleton 44-yard scamper that ended in the end zone.

All told, Penn State outgained the Bobcats 572-264. It wasn’t a perfect day in the mind of head coach James Franklin. But, it was pretty close.

“Oh, yeah, it could have gone better,” Franklin said. “I didn’t love the second quarter offensively, I thought we stalled out a few times. I thought we could have been better on third down. That’s being critical. Besides that, it was a lot of good things to build on. One of the things I talked to the team about in there is that games like that are really important because there’s so many players that work their tail off every day, in season, some guys have been doing it for years, and they never get an opportunity to get on the field.

“I appreciate the fact that that our starters were able to execute in a way that allowed a number of guys to get on the field and get some playing time. For some guys, that that can be a memory they take with them for the rest of their life. There’s a lot of positives that come out of games like that, and for the most part I was very pleased with how we handled it.”

Each week, Blue-White Illustrated highlights what is being said about the Lions locally and nationally following each game. Here is this week’s sampling.

Penn State has decisions to make

That’s the take of PennLive’s David Jones. James Franklin is in the somewhat enviable but also difficult spot of having to work with his staff to decide future rep counts for reliable veterans versus their younger but equally or more talented counterparts.

Jones writes:

I asked Franklin afterward about shifting playing time from vets to freshmen when the situation and talent dictates, as it seems on the verge of doing here. His answer was as inclusive as you would expect. He emphasized that all are needed. That team success showers all with praise and recognition. He acknowledged that a large part of a head coach’s job is to manage the personalities and egos and make everyone understand these tenets.

However, he eventually got around to the money quote:

“To continue to emphasize how we’re going to grow is critical. But ultimately, we’ve gotta do what’s best for the team.”

And there you are.

When does Drew Allar’s future begin?

That’s the slant Statecollege.com’s Ben Jones took when assessing the play of the freshman quarterback. He was impressive in a six-for-eight for 88 yards and two touchdowns outing over the course of four series. But, it goes without saying this is Sean Clifford’s team, even if the questions about when and how much No. 15 will play going forward will continue to be endless.

Ben Jones writes:

That feeling you get when Allar throws a pass and it makes you raise your eyebrows a bit. IT has to count for something, right? Or am I simply excited about whatever is new?

This is the question that will plague Penn State all year if the Nittany Lions don’t come out on top against Auburn next week or some productive combination of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. If Penn State wins some/all of those games with Clifford then it all becomes elementary. But if Penn State struggles, if the offense sputters and Clifford makes a few critical mistakes, it will be impossible not to wonder what might have been. Then again the Nittany Lions have enough issues elsewhere that quarterback may not end up being the fulcrum for the season.

The Singleton era has started at Penn State

That’s from Mark Wogenrich of SI.com. The hype surrounding Singleton from the moment he dazzled during spring practice has been huge. And really, it existed long before the former five-star and Gatorade national player of the year even stepped foot on campus. He rushed for 179 yards and two long touchdowns on 10 carries against Ohio. The question now is, what will he do for an encore?

Wogenrich writes:

And the streak ends. With a 48-yard run to begin the third quarter, Singleton became the first Penn State player to rush for 100 yards in a game since Keyvone Lee in 2020 (134 vs. Michigan).

Singleton ended the Lions’ 17-game streak without a 100-yard rusher and proved to be the big-play rushing threat the Lions have lacked since Journey Brown retired. His speed looked effortless on a pair of outside runs, notably his 70-yard touchdown in the first half.

Kicking game cannot be glossed over

That was one part of BWI publisher Sean Fitz’s first impressions from the Lions’ win. Penn State kicker Jake Pinegar missed both a 42-yard field goal and an extra point but was true on a 25-yard try. After the game, James Franklin backed his first-teamer, but concerns linger.

Fitz writes:

Penn State’s special teams have been pretty darn good through two weeks considering the offseason movement both on the field and in the booth. Barney Amor was once again spectacular for the Nittany Lions punting the ball and Parker Washington was very good as a returner. Jake Pinegar had a chance to silence doubters on Saturday, but he sailed a 42-yarder wide and put an extra point off the upright. The 2019 season, in which he hit 11-of-12 field goals, feels like a lifetime ago. Those misses will catch up with the Nittany Lions sooner or later.