What We Learned From Penn State's Week 1 Win Over Nevada

Outside of a pass that he threw behind wide receiver Kyron Hudson in the first quarter, which Franklin said should have been a touchdown, Allar was sharp on all cylinders. He completed 14 of his first 17 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Allar finished the game 22 for 26 for 217 yards and an 85-percent completion rate. 

Allar also looked more mobile and willing on the ground, a key story line after the quarterback dropped 10 pounds in the offseason. Although he had just six carries for 20 yards, Allar looked faster and picked the right times to run. 

At least early, Allar seemed to live up to the expectations placed on him entering this season. Most everything clicked for the third-year starter: he got the ball out quick, went through his reads, was mobile and was uber-accurate.  

Penn State works its big men but is inconsistent in the run game

Penn State began its first drive in 12 personnel, with tight ends Khalil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds on the field. As the drive went on, the Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator brought in as many as seven offensive linemen, which Franklin said would be a formation to watch.  

“It just creates a lot of challenges for the defense because we have seven guys that can legitimately start for us,” Allar said. “So to be able to utilize our seven in the game at one time is really good for us because of how physical they're going to be up front.”

The past several years, Penn State has been a run-heavy team. And even though Allar and Kotelnicki have plans to air it out this season, they stuck to that gameplan early against Nevada, running the ball 15 times on the first three drives. However, the run game wasn’t entirely successful, with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combining for just 62 yards.

“[Nevada] played a ton of zone, trying to get an extra hat in the box, and that impacted us a little bit,” Franklin said. “So we didn’t have the explosive runs like you’d hope. But there’s a reason for that. I think that was kind of part of their plan: soft coverage, get an extra hat in the box, not allow the two running backs [Singleton and Allen] to beat you.”

Dani Dennis-Sutton goes off

Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was nearly unstoppable Saturday. He finished with five tackles (2.5 for loss), two forced fumbles, one sack, one quarterback hit and one pass breakup. He set the tone for the Nittany Lions defensively. When Nevada was on an eight-play, 34-yard drive in the first quarter, Dennis-Sutton peanut-punched the ball out of Ky Woods’ hands to stymie the drive. From there, Nevada could not find a rhythm offensively. 

With Penn State thin at defensive end. Dennis-Sutton wreaking havoc isn’t a want, it’s a need. And he seemingly did that all afternoon on Saturday. He became the first Penn State player to force two fumbles in a game since 2019, which was done by none other than linebacker Micah Parsons.

“He’s extremely strong,” Franklin said. “He’s quicker and faster than people realize. He’s a well-rounded defensive end. And there’s some guys across the country that are great pass rushers. There’s some guys that are good against the run. He can do both. He’s a unique guy.

“He is hungry, he is motivated, he is driven. He wants to be great. A lot of guys say they want to be great. This guy eats, sleeps and dreams football, and wants to be special.”

Hudson and Trebor Peña excel; Devonte Ross limited

The trio of new receivers put some of the preseason doubt to rest, notably USC transfer Hudson and Syracuse transfer Trebor Peña. The timing and anticipation were there, good signs for a new relationship between quarterback and receiver. 

“[Peña and Hudson] are all about ball. They’re always asking me questions about, you know, different routes, what I’m seeing,” Allar said. “And you know if there’s anything better they can do to, you know, maybe make me trust them more, like [with] what I’m seeing, just for them to understand that’s why I’m looking at [what I’m looking at]... We watched film a couple times throughout this week, and you know, it showed up. It was really cool to see that extra time we spent on film really paid off for us today.”

In the first half, Hudson emerged as Allar’s new premier target. The redshirt senior hauled in five catches on seven targets, totaling 75 yards and one touchdown. He was open often. 

Peña was a security blanket for Allar, working the short to intermediate parts of the field. He finished Saturday’s contest with seven catches on eight targets for 74 yards, with a majority of his production coming in the second half. 

“Trebor Peña kind of surprised,” Franklin said. “I thought Kyron Hudson would’ve led us, but Peña had seven catches for 74 yards. … Obviously, Peña did some really good things.”

Ross was limited due to an offseason injury, making one catch for four yards. Franklin said postgame that he’ll “continue to get Ross involved,” along with Hudson and Peña. 

Penn State’s red-zone offense struggles

In just the first half, the Nittany Lions intercepted Nevada inside the 20-yard line, and King Mack returned a kickoff 73 yards, which set up two red-zone chances. Both times, Penn State settled for just three points. 

The struggles resulted from shaky execution and clumsiness. On Penn State’s first opportunity with plus field position, Allar fumbled a snap from Nick Dawkins on third down. The Nittany Lions’ second try inside the red zone saw back-to-back plays with Nevada defenders in Penn State’s backfield. 

Franklin joked postgame that he told Kotelnicki to “call a couple plays that wouldn’t convert so [Penn State] could work on [its] field goals.”

Then, on the first drive of the second half, Allar drove the Nittany Lions into the red zone again but settled for another field goal. 

“Obviously, we didn’t execute down there, and we need to do that,” Franklin said. “I thought our run game, especially our outside zone stuff, could have been better, but yeah, we stalled out there. Now, exactly why, I don’t have that answer for you right now.”