Penn State report card: High marks after the UMass win
When a team blows out an opponent the way Penn State did against UMass in Week 7, filling out the postgame report card is one of the easiest things to do. There are high marks to go all around for Penn State after a 63-0 victory over the Minutemen. Of course, perhaps you want to grade this one on a curve given the level of competition presented by an overmatched UMass program. That’s fair. But even if you did that, Penn State would likely ruin the curve anyway.
Here is a look at this week’s report card following Penn State’s win over the Minutemen.
Quarterback
Grade: A-
Were some passes where Drew Allar might have been able to make a better pass? Probably, but we won’t be complaining much about completing 16-of-23 for 162 yards with three touchdowns in a constant cold drizzle against an opponent of this caliber. Allar continues to avoid making a costly mistake with another interception-free outing. Allar clearly got in a better groove with his tight end options in lieu of finding a true second wide receiver to connect with.
Allar also had a short touchdown run on the goal line for four total touchdowns in the game accounted for.
Beau Pribula also took advantage of his backup playing time. Pribula didn’t attempt a pass but he did run for 59 yards and a touchdown late in the game.
Running Backs
Grade: A
No 100-yard performances for either of Penn State’s leading rushers against a weak defense, but that was OK. Penn State rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns as a team. Nick Singleton rushed for 79 yards with an average of 5.3 yards per attempt, and Kaytron Allen rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown with an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
Trey Potts had just one rushing attempt late in the game but it was good for 2 yards and a touchdown. And Tank Smith broke loose for a long run in the fourth quarter.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
Grade: B
The tight end combo of Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren did their part to alleviate any concerns about a lack of a second wide receiver. At some point, Penn State may need someone to step up at receiver to take some of the pressure off KeAndre Lambert-Smith, but the tight ends contributing the way they did is always a confidence boost.
Johnson had 4 receptions for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns. Warren added a touchdown for one of his 2 catches. Harrison Wallace III was back in the mix after missing some games with an injury, and he caught 3 passes for 44 yards. He did have a fumble on the game’s opening possession, but he knocked off some of the rust after that.
Defense
Grade: A+
Look, we can be honest. Penn State’s defense was not going to be tested by the UMass offense. But Manny Diaz still had his guys playing on fire in this one after a week off. Penn State’s defense had 7 sacks for a loss of 40 yards and 14 tackles for a loss for a TFL yardage total of -55 yards. Adisa Isaac had 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL to lead the way. It also forced one turnover with an interception by Keaton Ellis, who would have scored a touchdown of not for a blocking penalty on the return.
Penn State also pitched its second straight shutout in Beaver Stadium and held its fifth straight opponent to fewer than 15 points. Penn State has not allowed more than 15 points in a game in any game this season.
Special Teams
Grade: A
Any time your special teams can score for you, you are going to get some high marks. Score twice on special teams and it is a nearly guaranteed A+ from me. There was one special teams gaffe late in the first half with a muffed punt return as the football hit a Penn State player to allow UMass to jump on the ball and retain possession.
But Daequan Hardy delivered with his two punt return touchdowns with one in the first quarter and another in the third. He is the first player in school history with two punt return touchdowns in the same game.
Penn State didn’t need any field goals and there was just one kickoff return possible, with Nick Singleton taking one 24 yards at the start of the game. Punter Riley Thompson was only asked to punt once, in the first quarter, and he booted one 47 yards to pin UMass inside their 20-yard line.
Coaching
Grade: A
Penn State may have gotten off to a bit of a slow start on offense, but there was never a reason to panic. The passing game was efficient enough, the running game got things going, and the defense was as good as it had been all season long. There was a lot to like about the way Penn State dismantled an opponent it was supposed to, so there is no reason to be critical of the coaching in this one.
Maybe there were some coachable moments with a couple of roughing-the-passer penalties, but it can be difficult to be nitpicky in a 63-0 victory.
Overall
Grade: A
We don’t need to dig much farther into this one. Penn State did everything it was supposed to do and now it has helped set the stage for next week.
Penn State now prepares for a big road game next week at Ohio State. The stakes will be high for both teams as the Big Ten East race truly picks up steam with the first massive Big Ten contest for each. Kickoff is set for noon eastern next Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
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