What did Purdue's Ryan Walters and multiple Penn State players have to say following the game?
Penn State improved to 9-1 Saturday with a dominant win over Purdue. Not only did the Nittany Lions lead throughout, but they thoroughly outmatched the Boilermakers on both sides of the ball, outgaining Purdue by more than 200 yards, 539 to 302.
However, they did show life in the second quarter. After limiting quarterback Hudson Card and the offense to just 16 yards in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions defense allowed the Boilermakers to total 150 yards in the second quarter alone, including a 12-play, 71-yard drive that led to a field goal. They then drove the ball nine plays for 57 yards in a 1:25 but ultimately missed a field goal that could’ve brought the game within two scores going into halftime.
Purdue head coach Ryan Walters noted after the game that the missed kick, along with a three-and-out to start the third quarter, crushed his team’s chance at making a comeback.
Highs & Lows: Penn State engineers dominant win at Purdue
“We missed on some opportunities, and when you do that against a good team, you’re not going to be in it after the game. I thought we had a chance going into halftime to double dip. I thought we did a good job of moving the ball down there in field goal range, then missed it. Then, we went three and out on the next opportunity coming out of halftime.”
But it wasn’t just the offense that struggled for the Boilermakers, as Purdue’s defense allowed quarterbacks Drew Allar and Beau Pribula to complete a combined 22 of 27 pass attempts. They finished the game with 305 yards passing and four touchdowns.
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“It’s very disappointing,” Walters said when asked about his defense. “Obviously, we’ll have conversations in-house, but it’s inexcusable to have guys wide open or guys not being touched on explosive runs. That can’t happen. I know we have a lot of young guys playing, but it’s been happening a lot. It is disappointing.”
What did Penn State’s players say after the win?
– Tight end Tyler Warren on how he’s influencing the young players in tight end room.
“The best thing I can do is just kind of be myself and lead by example. But they’re great players themselves and [Luke Reynolds] is gonna be a heck of a tight end here. He got his first touchdown today, so that was awesome. Khalil Dinkins did a lot of good stuff today on the field that weren’t necessarily flashy things, but he played a great game as well. So there’s a lot of talent in this tight end room. It’s going to be good for a while.”
– Quarterback Drew Allar on whether Warren should be considered for the Heisman Trophy.
“100 percent. Tyler doesn’t like being in the spotlight a lot, but he’s going to do whatever it is to put the team in the best position to win. If that’s him blocking every play, he’ll do that. If that’s him throwing the ball, he’ll do that. If that’s him running the ball, he’ll do that. If that’s him catching the ball in the pass game, he’ll do that. I don’t think you’ve seen a tight end have an overall impact on an offense like he’s had this year. I think it’s a really special year that he’s having and I would absolutely endorse Tyler Warren for Heisman in 2024.”
– Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton on his health
“I felt close to 100 [percent]. If I had to guess, probably next week, I should be back to 100 percent. But I felt pretty good. Good enough to get some extra snaps today.”
