Instant Reaction: Penn State cruises past Ball State 44-13
Penn State had themselves a day, cruising past the Ball State Cardinals 44-13. Penn State’s defense got it going early, routing the Ball State offense to two straight three-and-out drives.
Ball State’s offense didn’t really start to get it going until late in the first quarter, and even then, Penn State’s red zone defense put a stop to that quite easily.
Ball State just couldn’t find their groove today on offense. Whenever they got moving, Penn State’s defense always found a way to prevent them from putting six points on the board. They weren’t able to score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions defense didn’t miss a beat after last week’s upset win over Wisconsin, especially after losing linebacker Ellis Brooks for the first half of this game due to his targeting penalty from last week. There were several big defensive plays throughout the game, including a pick-six from linebacker Jesse Luketa late in the third quarter.
We saw plenty of struggles from Sean Clifford last week. However, that was not the case today. Clifford looked much more confident in this revamped offense under Mike Yurcich. We saw a good amount of mobility from Clifford and his ability to get several of his receivers involved in the passing game.
There was also a ton of involvement from the running back room of Penn State. Noah Cain was involved early in both areas of the game, Keyvone Lee and Devyn Ford showed shiftiness and power to their game.
Penn State hosts the Auburn Tigers next weekend, who are coming off two strong wins and strong performances from quarterback Bo Nix.
