Penn State-UCLA Takeaways: Receivers get involved, Warren sets record, more
By Greg Pickel
No. 7 Penn State is 5-0 after another Big Ten victory at Beaver Stadium. Following a sluggish start, the Nittany Lions’ offense came to life over the final three quarters and the defense preyed on UCLA first-time starting quarterback Justyn Martin en route to a 27-11 win. Here are our initial takeaways from the victory.
Tyler Warren adds to his already lengthy resume
Penn State do-everything star Tyler Warren now has his name etched in the program’s record book. His 5-yard touchdown reception late in the first half was his 17th score as a Nittany Lion. That means he passed Pat Freiermuth for the most total touchdowns ever by a Penn State tight end — with plenty of season left to play, of course. Warren was again used as a quarterback, pass catcher and blocker on this day. He finished with 3 receptions for 29 yards and the score. He continues to be a key cog in this offense.
Injury watch
There will be three major talking points coming out of this game on the injury front. The first focuses on junior running back Nicholas Singleton. He warmed up but never took the field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday despite being on the sideline in uniform. The reason for his absence was unclear. Coach James Franklin didn’t elaborate on Singleton’s health after the game but said the decision to hold him out was made shortly before kickoff.
The second player who will be talked about is right tackle Anthony Donkoh. The redshirt freshman left in the first half after appearing to pop his left shoulder out of its socket. Donkoh briefly put his pads back on but never returned to the game. In addition, punt returner Kaden Saunders was seen wearing a walking boot on his right foot. His long-term outlook is unclear. In his absence, sophomore defensive back Zion Tracy fielded punts for the Nittany Lions.
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Liam Clifford and the Penn State receivers have a day
Hello, Liam Clifford. The redshirt junior Penn State receiver had himself a day. Clifford had just 3 catches but totaled 107 yards. His receptions went for 26, 24 and 57 yards, and he averaged 26 yards after the catch. It was a good day of all the receivers. Redshirt junior Trey Wallace had 3 catches for 46 yards, while senior Julian Fleming and junior Omari Evans combined for 3 receptions. The numbers may not be overwhelming, but any time the Lions needed a receiver to make a play, someone came through. That’s a big step forward for this group.
Penn State-UCLA odds and ends
–Penn State will likely not be happy with how it ended the game. It did not put UCLA away on offense or defense in the fourth quarter despite winning handily.
–The UCLA offensive line was down a starter and not very good last week. The Penn State pass rush was better than the numbers indicate. But, the Lions still only had 2 sacks. So what’s the good news? Seven tackles for loss played a big role in the game, and there were 4 quarterback hurries.
–Penn State is now set for a likely top-15 matchup at USC. Is it ready for it? We think so. But the slow starts must be fixed quickly.
