The Nittany Lions have started their season 2-0 following a 46-10 victory at Beaver Stadium against Ohio on Saturday.
Penn State led for the entirety of the game with six total touchdowns scored by the team. The lone touchdown allowed came on a one-yard rush by Bobcats running back Sieh Bangura with 1:34 left in the first half. Ohio finished with 264 total yards to Penn State’s 572 yards.
Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Ohio.
Curtis Jacobs stepped up
The junior linebacker had a game that not enough people will mention when discussing Penn State’s win. Curtis Jacobs had five tackles (four solo), 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass deflection. What didn’t show up in the stat line will show up in the tape. He flew around the field and moved from sideline to sideline to eat up blockers while others made the tackle. The statistics will come, but the hustle and intensity he played with were there.
Drew Allar looks the part
Sean Clifford went 19-for-27 (70%) on passes for 213 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He was pulled with 11:33 left in the third quarter to get freshman quarterback Drew Allar some repetitions. Allar immediately shined with a 32-yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Omari Evans on his first drive of the game. The true freshman quarterback later scrambled around and found redshirt freshman Khalil Dinkins on a 28-yard touchdown pass.
The 6-foot-5, 238-pound quarterback finished the day 6-for-8 (75%) on passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Every bit of Allar’s play displayed poise, even when delivering a deep pass that resulted in a roughing the passer call.
Allar was eventually replaced by redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux with 6:43 remaining in the game.
Ohio’s Tariq Drake dives after Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton as he runs with the ball during the game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
Nick Singleton nearly broke the freshman rushing record
True freshman running back Nick Singleton exploded on the scene for the Nittany Lions with a number of explosive runs and a flurry of stiff arms throughout. Singleton finished the game with 10 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 70-yard rush with 2:28 left in the first quarter and his second was a 44-yard rushing touchdown with 4:33 left in the third.
Singleton nearly touched Penn State’s true freshman rushing record, held by Eric McCoo against Penn State in 1998, per The Athletic’s Matt Brown.
Penn State’s secondary swarmed the football
The Nittany Lions’ secondary flew around the ball and were able to finish with five of Penn State’s nine pass deflections in the game. While it didn’t lead to turnovers, that could change soon with defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s attacking defense.
The Nittany Lions played past the level of their competition
Ohio had no chance of winning the game. That’s exactly what the expectation was heading into the game from media members, fans and maybe the Bobcats themselves. Penn State made sure of it by playing a complete game — dominating Ohio on both sides of the line and the skill position players wreaking havoc.
Even when the game was in reach for Ohio with 1:34 left in the first half and the Bobcats trailing 19-7, the Nittany Lions drove down the field for a 7-yard touchdown pass from Clifford to Mitch Tinsley. They scored four more touchdowns to cap off the game.
Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown reaches for Ohio wide receiver James Bostic during the game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 4:14 PM.
Kyle J. Andrews is a 2018 graduate of the University of Baltimore, home of the perennially undefeated Bees. Prior to heading to the Centre Daily Times, he spent times as a sports reporter for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, covering the Ravens and Orioles for 105.7 The Fan, Baltimore Beatdown and Fox Sports 1340 AM.
