Penn State beat UCLA 27-11 in a Big Ten matchup in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions followed a familiar formula in this game. Despite a scoreless first quarter, the offense hit its stride by halftime and ran away with it in the second half. On the other hand, UCLA continued with its challenging early season schedule and combined heavy travel with an early kickoff. While the Bruins put forth a solid effort, the Stripe Out at Penn State was too much for UCLA to overcome. UCLA’s only touchdown came with 16 seconds left in the game when the Bruins were trailing 27-3 and the Penn State defense’s backups were in. They scored only three points against the starting defense. Time will tell if the first touchdown in 149 minutes for UCLA’s offense will be a spark for them moving forward, with a game against Minnesota looming next week.
Following last week’s win over Illinois, as expected this matchup was more one-sided in the favor of Penn State. The Nittany Lions move to 2-0 in the Big Ten and 5-0 overall. There was discipline on both sides of the ball. After the game, head coach James Franklin simply stated, “Penalty-wise we did good today.” While the season has started well, it has not been perfect. An area of concern exiting this game is the abundance of slow starts to games. The slow starts have impacted the offense in particular. Coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has made adjustments as necessary. However, there will be a game where a fast start is needed. The competition continues to ratchet up with a trip to USC next on Penn State’s schedule.
Key Takeaways: Penn State Beats UCLA 27-11
Balancing Allar’s Attack
Quarterback Drew Allar was able to spread receptions around to his receivers in this game. He completed 17 passes, to eight different receivers. No Penn State player had more than three catches. Allar’s throws were spread among the usual contributors. Additionally, to some players that have started slower than expected this season. After the game, Franklin said, “Each week there’s a different guy stepping up. Now people are going to be concerned about all those guys.”
Junior wide receiver Liam Clifford led all players with 107 receiving yards in this game. It was his first career 100-yard game. He was a big play contributor, gaining those 107 yards on only three catches. Clifford’s longest reception of the game covered 57 yards. That is the second-longest completion of the season For Penn State, only behind a 59-yard reception by Omari Evans against Kent State. In this game, Evans only had one catch for three yards.
Star tight end Tyler Warren continued his strong 2024 campaign. He only had three receptions for 29 yards, his lowest yards in any game this season. However, one of those catches was his third receiving touchdown of the season. It was Allar’s only touchdown pass of the game. Warren will continue to be a focal point for the offense moving forward, especially as the Big Ten schedule ramps up from here.
All Eyes on Allen
Penn State has the luxury of arguably the strongest running back room in the country. The depth that comes with two superstars at the position comes to the forefront if one goes down with an injury. That is exactly what happened in this game. Kaytron Allen was put in the spotlight for this game, as Nick Singleton was not able to play.
Singleton seemed healthy last week against Illinois. However, he was listed as questionable on the injury report for this game, with an undisclosed injury. It was seemingly a game-time decision. After the game, Franklin said the team, “Found out right before kick we would not have Nick today.” Of Singleton being out, added Franklin, “That caught us off guard.” Obviously, the combination of Allen and Singleton is a differentiating factor for Penn State’s offense. Singleton’s status will be an area of focus moving forward. Franklin said that he expects to have Singleton back next week.
Allen rushed 21 times, a season-high for him. Over those carries, he produced 78 yards and a touchdown. His longest run of the game was 11 yards. While the rushing attack was not as much in favor of Penn State as it has been in past games, both Allen and Allar had rushing touchdowns. Allar’s score was a one-yard sneak to start the game’s scoring.
Kicking Competition Continues
The continued kicking competition was a part of the game to watch in the lead-up to the game. Sander Sahaydak won the job entering the season, for the second season in a row. However, for the second season in a row, he seems to have kicked his way out of the job.
Freshman kicker Ryan Barker was given his opportunity in this game. He did well with it. Before this game, Barker had converted both of his extra point tries, one in the win against Kent State, and one against Illinois. Against UCLA, he remained perfect on extra points, converting three more. Barker was also successful on both of his field goal attempts. He converted from 25 and 40 yards.
By the Numbers: Penn State Beats UCLA 27-11
Penn State beat UCLA by a score of 27-11. Here are some of the key statistics that underpinned the Penn State win.
Offense
Passing: Penn State threw for 237 yards, compared to 167 for UCLA. Allar completed 17 of 24 for 237 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. For UCLA, Justyn Martin completed 22 of 30 for 167 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions.
Rushing: Penn State had 85 yards, compared to 93 yards for UCLA. Allen led all players with 78 yards on 21 carries. Allen and Allar scored rushing touchdowns. Keegan Jones and Jalen Berger led UCLA with 38 yards each. UCLA did not have a rushing touchdown.
Receiving: Clifford led all players with 107 yards, on three catches. Trey Wallace was second on the team, with 46 yards on three receptions. For UCLA, T.J. Harden had five receptions for 59 yards, and Logan Loya had six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Defense/Special Teams
Defense: Tony Rojas led Penn State defenders with eight tackles. Jaylen Reed had three tackles and a sack. Carson Schwesinger led UCLA with 15 tackles, and Oluwafemi Oladejo had 10 tackles and a sack.
Special Teams: For Penn State, Barker converted on both of his field goal tries, and all three extra point attempts. Riley Thompson had two punts, averaging 36.5 yards per punt. For UCLA, Mateen Bhaghani made his only field goal attempt and did not try any extra points. Brody Richter punted four times, averaging 45.0 yards per punt.
