Three takeaways from Penn State football’s 52-6 home win over Villanova
Penn State finished nonconference play with a 3-0 record after defeating Villanova on Saturday in Beaver Stadium, 52-6. The Nittany Lions will now have a bye week before beginning Big Ten play against the Oregon Ducks in two weeks in the annual White Out.
Here are three takeaways from the win over the Wildcats.
Heavy Singleton usage early doesn’t get him going
The Nittany Lions made it fairly obvious that getting the ball to running back Nick Singleton was a priority Saturday when they handed it to him eight times on the first drive, and gave him the carry from in close to ensure he scored a touchdown. His 34 yards on that drive were important after his performance last week against FIU was lacking, but it didn’t lead to broader success for him Saturday.
While his numbers last week against the Panthers were good (13 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown), he left plenty to be desired by missing openings in the defense, preventing him from having a career day like teammate Kaytron Allen. Singleton is capable of carving up a team like Villanova even when he isn’t playing well, and the fact that he didn’t has to be a concern for Penn State. Singleton finished Saturday with 84 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Allar remains a question mark
The ups and downs of QB Drew Allar’s game were on full display Saturday in Beaver Stadium. The Penn State quarterback struggled to get going for the second game in a row, missing easy throws and failing to see the whole field in the early portion of the game. But then came the team’s final drive of the first half, when he made a couple of very good throws, including arguably his best of the season when he drilled Trebor Peña for a touchdown between two defenders.
That’s the crux of his issue. When Allar isn’t thinking too much and is letting it rip, he can be great. But when he’s not in rhythm and over-thinking, he can be very bad. Running more no-huddle offense would help him quite a bit and let him get into the flow of the game without feeling like he has to make specific throws in specific situations.
Penn State defense dominates again
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defenses have always relied on communication and execution — requiring the group to play like one unit rather than 11 individual players. Saturday may have been the best example of that through three games, with defenders cleaning up for each other and making big-time plays when the Nittany Lions needed them.
It’s easy to get lost in the offensive struggles when talking about this team right now, but the defense has a chance to carry the entire team with how well it’s playing. Like with everything else about this year’s Penn State team, everyone will know more when Oregon comes to town. But, right now, the defense is riding high on the back of three performances where it took care of business against teams it should bury.
This story was originally published September 13, 2025 at 7:11 PM.
