Three takeaways from Penn State football’s 46-11 win over Nevada in season opener
Penn State dominated Nevada on its way to a 46-11 victory over the Wolf Pack in both teams’ season opener Saturday evening. The Nittany Lions moved to 1-0 on the year and will likely hold on to their No. 2 spot in the AP top 25 because of the victory.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s win.
Wide receivers are significantly better
It was always going to be difficult for the Nittany Lion receiving group to be as bad as it was at the end of last season, but it’s already abundantly clear that the receivers are going to be an asset in this offense. The three new additions from the transfer portal — Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross and Trebor Peña — all showed what they can do on Saturday. All three consistently got open against Nevada and made plays on the ball when it was sent their way. Hudson in particular looked like a significantly better receiver than he did at USC last season. He was able to get open with quickness and used his physicality once he had the ball in his hands. He may not have had the stats of the other two last year, but he might be a legitimate No. 1 option for the Nittany Lions this season and had the numbers to back it up on Saturday — catching six passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Dani Dennis-Sutton might be the best defensive end in the country
There was little doubt that Dani Dennis-Sutton was going to take a step forward with Abdul Carter off to the NFL, but what he did on Saturday is much more than just a step. Dennis-Sutton looks like the best defensive end in college football. He had 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a sack in just over a half of football. The Nevada offensive line had no chance against him the entire game and was on its heels any time he chased the quarterback. Dennis-Sutton has a chance to be the most productive pass rusher in the country this season and follow in the footsteps of players like Carter and former Penn State defender Micah Parsons.
Slow day of no concern for running game
There were sky-high expectations coming into the season for Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, but neither was able to get going on the ground. They combined for 16 carries for 62 yards — albeit with three rushing touchdowns — and weren’t overly impressive as runners. That was largely because the Wolf Pack were clearly prioritizing stopping the running game and forcing Penn State to throw the ball to win. Singleton and Allen are still the best running back duo in the country even if they didn’t have a highlight reel-worthy day on Saturday. The only actual negative takeaway from how they played is that is will make it a little bit harder for both of them to gain enough yardage to become the program’s all-time leading rusher this season — a mark they both entered the day just over 1,000 yards short of reaching.
