UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — While many were out trick-or-treating, it was Penn State handing out what fans wanted Saturday afternoon, a 31-17 win over Purdue.
PSU exorcized its demons offensively and defensively in as complete of a win as it’s had since Big Ten play began. It provided a chance to get back to .500 and get the weight of a conference win off head coach Matt Campbell’s shoulders as they look to gain bowl eligibility.
Despite the win, there’s still room for improvement, but a dominant win over an overmatched Boilermakers team is a great place to start.
ESTABLISHING THE RUN
Purdue entered the game with the No. 17 rush defense in the Big Ten. It was very easy to tell early on why that is the case. On just his second touch of the game Carson Hansen rushed for a 42-yard gain, a run that beat his yards per game average on the season.
Hansen and Cam Wallace ran like runaway freight trains against the Boilermakers with both recording a touchdown. Hansen finished with 96 yards on 11 carries while Wallace rushed for 135 yards on 22 carries. Both helped the rushing blow past the 130.7 yards per game average.
Penn State finished with 269 yards on 56 carries for a 5.3 yards per carry average. While Washington won’t be Purdue (third worst run defense and overall defense in Big Ten statically) , it will be important to yet a gain establish the run next week.
NO TOP 2 RECEIVERS, NO PROBLEM
With no Chase Sowell or Koby Howard, Penn State was limited in the receivers it could play, but it didn’t matter in this one. True freshman Amarion Jackson led those who play wide receiver with two catches for 31 yards. Brett Eskildsen and Zay Robinson each recorded a catch apiece for 17 and 7 yards respectively.
It was the tight ends who really mad an impact, with Ben Brahmer leading the way. Brahmer hauled in four catches for 58 yards. Andrew Rappleyea caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Gabe Burkle also go in on the fun with a 12-yard reception.
Being able to win without your top two receivers is a tough task, but Penn State pulled it off. Still, the return of Howard and Sowell return could pay some huge dividends offensively as Penn State looks to gain bowl eligibility.
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For the first time in what seems like forever, the Penn State defense was helped out in a big way by the offense. They certainly used it to their advantage by holding Purdue to 175 yards and 10 points.
They dialed up pressure in the second half and forced a turnover while also making the life of Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne a living nightmare. Yvan Kemajou even recorded the first sack by a defensive lineman in Big Ten play, which is one of the craziest things of the losing streak.
As part of making Browne frustrated, Penn State also recorded a pair of interceptions by Jamison Patton and Jeremiah Cooper.
It was the dominant performance the defense needed and continued to build on a trio of solid games Penn State has had defensively of late.
BONUS: QUESTIONABLE OFFICIATING
Though it was a crowd of only 102,041 announced, they certainly made their voices heard on multiple occasions, mostly at the direction of the officials who had a very underwhelming game.
From no-calls (Eskildsen getting interfered with on a deep ball) to bad calls, (Kemajou getting hit with a roughing the passer penalty,) the officials made sure to let the Beaver Stadium faithful know they were there for work and not in costume.
It’s usually not a good thing when fans are well aware of the crew on the field and the job they did, but that was the case Saturday afternoon and fortunately for the Nittany Lions, they were able to avoid it being a complete hindrance to their day.
