UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State put the finishing touches on the home slate of the season with a dominant 37-10 performance over Nebraska Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
It was the performance many expected them to have every game coming into this season, but that never came to fruition for a multitude of reasons.
Regardless of what’s gone on the rest of the season, Penn State put on a show for its fans and the seniors who played their final game in front of the home crowd.
TOTAL DOMINANCE
It was far and away the best performance Penn State has put together and it came when it was needed the most. The season has been full of turmoil and losses, but the constant has been the leadership of interim head coach Terry Smith who had chants of his name echoing throughout the stadium.
Offensively, Penn State scored 37 matching the most points its scored against a Big Ten team.
Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton amassed two touchdowns apiece while Ethan Grunkemeyer was 11-for-12 for 181 yards and a touchdown to Andrew Rappleyea.
It was as productive an offensive outing as the team has seen this season and was helped in large part by a stout Penn State defense that allowed only 10 points and forced four turnover on downs.
The defense gave up 318 yards, 187 of which came through the air and 131 on the ground. Jim Knowles’ unit once again stepped up and did their part in getting another win in the win column for Penn State.
RECORD-SETTING
Allen had the type of night that’s come to be expected from the senior and he put on a show to the tune of 25 carries, 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. His performance helped him eclipse Evan Royster’s all-time rushing record by 22 yards.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Singleton tied Saquon Barkley’s all-time rushing touchdown record at 43 with his second quarter touchdown.
The most impressive thing with both records is that both were accomplished with the duo splitting carries throughout their careers as Nittany Lions and were able to put up those numbers in spite of that.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE
The deep ball has eluded Penn State this season, but Saturday night, big plays were to be had all around. There were five passing plays of 20 or more yards by Grunkemeyer who had an insanely efficient evening against the Cornhuskers.
On the ground, there were seven rushes of 10 or more yards including a 50-yard run by Allen.
The splash plays were there and Penn State executed in a big way.
THE RETURN OF 409
The name Joe Paterno has not been uttered by many since 2012 or since his death, but since taking over, Smith has frequently referenced his former coach and donned a pin with Joe and 409 on it for Saturday’s game.
His willingness to embrace the past and not be afraid to mention Paterno has been noticed at length by fans far and wide. It’s also very fitting Singleton scored his second touchdown of the first half with 4:09 left in the half.
