Penn State TE ties FBS record; scores on crazy trick play

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) is stopped by USC Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey (7) after a short gain in the second half at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Penn State TE Tyler Warren ties FBS record; scores on crazy trick play

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 12, 2024 8:10 PM ET

The No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions scored a massive 33-30 win at USC on Saturday afternoon, improving to 6-0 on the season and continuing their push for a College Football Playoff appearance.

The big star of Saturday's win was without question tight end Tyler Warren.

He tied an FBS record for a tight end with 17 catches, recorded 224 yards and scored a touchdown.

It was a huge performance.

The touchdown was also noteworthy because it came on a trick play that saw him not only catch the touchdown but also snap the ball.

Here is what it looked like.

Don't see this every day.
Tyler Warren snapped the ball and then caught the touchdown. pic.twitter.com/JylEKQGPvB
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2024

That is a wild play and crazy formation. Penn State used an unbalanced line that had Warren line up over the ball and snap it to Beau Pribula, who threw it backward to quarterback Drew Allar who was lined up out wide, with Allar then finding Warren down the middle of the field for the touchdown.

The formation was legal. The passes were legal. Just a well-designed trick play that USC has probably never seen before and was almost certainly not ready to see.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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