UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State football’s 34-0 win over Florida International was never in doubt at Beaver Stadium, but there’s a lot left to be desired for the team, especially on offense.
The offense sleepwalked through most of the game save for second half touchdowns by Kaytron Allen and Devonte Ross to expand the lead.
Drew Allar struggled mightily at times and the results showed Penn State had an inability to consistently move the ball down the field, but the Nittany Lions still were able to dominate the Panthers and leave with a lopsided victory.
‘Not Good Enough’ : Penn State QB Drew Allar Critical of Performance Post-FIU
OFFENSIVE WOES
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Penn State put up 409 yards of offense and had 34 points, but the offense left a lot of meat on the bone throughout the game. From struggles on 2nd and 3rd down to a consistent lack of execution, there’s a lot of room to grow.
Allar struggled at times despite an offensive line that kept him upright for a majority of the game. The line had its issues, but played well overall and sprung Allen and Nicholas Singleton to the second level many times.
Through two games, the offense has yet to fire on all cylinders, yet, it’s still been able to put serious points on the board and win easily.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
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Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The defense pitched a shutout and FIU was really never in a position where it felt like a score was going to happen. The Panthers were aggressive and weren’t afraid to take risks, but the Nittany Lions shut them down when needed and kept them off the scoreboard.
It’s been the defensive line doing most of the domination as they spent most of the afternoon in the FIU backfield. Chaz Coleman racked up four tackles, a strip sack and a fumble recovery he nearly returned for a touchdown.
Dani Dennis-Sutton had four tackles and two for a loss while Alonzo Ford, Jr. had an interception, the first of his career and second for the defensive line group this season.
Amare Campbell and Tony Rojas racked up nine and 10 tackles respectively as the defense played a physical, aggressive brand of football and made the Panthers uncomfortable throughout the game.
MAKING A SPLASH
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Penn State struggled in 2024 to have any sort of deep threat capability. There was an emphasis on developing a deep threat and revamping the wide receiver room and the team did just that.
Allar found Ross for a 42-yard touchdown reception to extend the lead and give Penn State its first touchdown of the second half. Ross was used briefly in week one due to an injury in camp, but he was used often Saturday and it paid dividends.
In the running game, Allen was rattled off a 67-yard rush for a touchdown. Big runs and big games are going to be needed as the season continues especially as the quality of opponents gets better.
Gabe Nwosu saw his first action as punter this season and boomed three punts inside the 20 and two that were 50-plus yards including a 67-yarder.
