{"id":67490,"date":"2024-11-02T18:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T22:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=67490"},"modified":"2024-11-02T17:45:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-02T21:45:31","slug":"where-does-penn-state-go-from-here-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/11\/02\/where-does-penn-state-go-from-here-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Does Penn State Go From Here?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Penn State and Ohio State renewed their rivalry on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.\u00a0 The visiting Buckeyes left Happy Valley happy, while the Nittany Lions move to 7-1 on the season.\u00a0 Penn State falls to Ohio State 20-13, in a game that will have a significant impact on both the Big Ten and College Football Playoffs standings.\u00a0 And the storyline will be PSU head coach James Franklin’s record against Michigan and Ohio State. A Beaver Stadium record crowd of over 111,000 was on hand to see this as-expected<\/a> hard-fought matchup.<\/p>\n

Ryan Day had Ohio State well-prepared for this matchup against #3 Penn State, and he remained undefeated against Penn State.\u00a0 Similar to last week’s game against Nebraska, the Buckeyes held on late for a close but very important win.\u00a0 For Penn State, it was a missed opportunity to put an emphatic stamp on the 2024 season. The upcoming schedule for the Nittany Lions eases, as it consists of Washington at home, followed by away games at Purdue and Minnesota, before ending the regular season at home against Maryland.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways: Penn State Falls to Ohio State 20-13<\/h2>\n

A loss to the #4 team is certainly not the end of the world.\u00a0 However, this particular defeat for Penn State was at the hands of rival Ohio State, again.\u00a0 Head coach James Franklin fails to win another key matchup against the big rivals.\u00a0 Of similar concern, quarterback Drew Allar<\/a> has shown good progression so far this season.\u00a0 However, he was pedestrian in this game, similar to his performances against the top competitors like Ohio State, Michigan, and Ole Miss last season.\u00a0 Ironically, Penn State stopped recruiting Will Howard<\/a>, the Ohio State quarterback from Pennsylvania that ended Penn State’s undefeated season.<\/p>\n

Allar Kneeded to Step Up, But Didn’t<\/h3>\n

Quarterback Drew Allar is a leader<\/a>, and his talents are undeniable.\u00a0 He has a cannon for an arm and has stepped up as a leader.\u00a0 He also dedicated himself to improving his ability to run the ball in the offseason. Heading into 2024, the biggest question mark for Allar was his ability to win the big game and rise to the level of the toughest competition.\u00a0 After this game, those questions persisted as the offense failed to score a touchdown.<\/p>\n

In last week’s game<\/a> at Wisconsin, Allar exited early with a knee injury.\u00a0 In his press availability earlier this week, Franklin would not say if Allar would play.\u00a0 Allar and Beau Pribula<\/a> both practiced, and some reps even went to Ethan Grunkemeyer<\/a>.\u00a0 However, when Penn State took the field, it was Allar under center.\u00a0 Whether he was impacted by last week’s injury may never be known, but Allar could not get the offense into the end zone.<\/p>\n

For only the second time this season, Allar failed to throw a touchdown.\u00a0 He threw for 120 yards and an interception.\u00a0 He also had 10 carries, which is the most rushes he has had in any game this season.\u00a0 With a running back tandem as talented as Penn State’s, the pieces were there for a creative game plan by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.\u00a0 However, that did not come to pass.\u00a0 Tight end Tyler Warren<\/a> was the team’s leading rusher with 47 yards.\u00a0 Of additional concern, Allar only completed three passes to wide receivers, for 49 yards.<\/p>\n

Franklin Misses a Golden Opportunity<\/h3>\n

This Penn State team is arguably the most talented collection of players that Franklin has had in his coaching career. If they had defeated Ohio State in this game, the path was clear to finish the regular season undefeated.\u00a0 Instead, Franklin faces more questions about if he will ever be able to get Penn State over the hump against quality opponents.<\/p>\n

Franklin’s record against Top 10 teams is now 3-18. His record against Ohio State is now 1-10.\u00a0 Those records are simply not good enough for a team that peaked this season at #3, which was their ranking entering this matchup against Ohio State.<\/p>\n

In-Game Management<\/h3>\n

Franklin’s in-game management did not quash any concerns in this game.\u00a0 Earlier this season, Penn State got off to very slow starts and had to come back in the second half of games.\u00a0 Against Ohio State, Penn State actually jumped out to a 10-0 lead before trailing 14-10 at halftime.\u00a0 As a coach, one should look to capitalize on any potential competitive advantages.\u00a0 The wild card out of the gates was who would start at quarterback, the rocket-armed Allar, or more fleet of foot Pribula.\u00a0 Penn State failed to adequately capitalize on this.<\/p>\n

Franklin and Allar were not the only members of the team to seemingly shrink under the pressure.\u00a0 Kotelnicki drew up some creative motions pre-snap, but again the offense failed to capitalize on that.\u00a0 The epitome of this was seen in the fourth quarter when Penn State failed to score on four straight plays inside the five-yard line.\u00a0 With players like Allar, running backs Nick Singleton<\/a> and Kaytron Allen<\/a>, and tight end Warren, there should been a touchdown scored.<\/p>\n

Recruiting<\/h3>\n

On the recruiting front, Ohio State’s quarterback Howard came in holding a grudge for not being recruited to Penn State.\u00a0 Ironically, Allar is an Ohio native.\u00a0 After the game, Howard said, “It was an emotional game for me.\u00a0 I did not play my best game, but I have the best team in the country around me.”\u00a0 Again, one should use any competitive advantages that are possible.\u00a0 Day and Howard were able to use this extra motivation to help Howard grit his way to victory.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers: Penn State Falls to Ohio State 20-13<\/h2>\n

Offense<\/h3>\n

Passing:\u00a0<\/strong>Penn State threw for 150 yards, compared to 182 for Ohio State. \u00a0Allar completed 12 of 20 for 146 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.\u00a0 Pribula completed his only pass attempt, for four yards.\u00a0 For Ohio State, Howard completed 16 of 24 for 182 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.<\/p>\n

Rushing: <\/strong>Penn State had 120 yards, compared to 176 yards for Ohio State.\u00a0 Warren led Penn State with 47 yards on three carries.\u00a0 Allar had 31 yards on 10 carries.\u00a0 Allen gained 27 yards on 12 carries, while Singleton carried six times for 15 yards.\u00a0 Quinshon Judkins<\/a> led all players with 95 yards on 14 carries for Ohio State. \u00a0TreVeyon Henderson<\/a> ran 10 times for 54 yards.<\/p>\n

Receiving:\u00a0<\/strong>Singleton led Penn State with 54 yards on six catches.\u00a0 Warren caught four passes for 47 yards. \u00a0For Ohio State, Jeremiah Smith<\/a> led the team with four receptions for 55 yards. \u00a0Ohio State receiving touchdowns were scored by Brandon Inniss<\/a> and Emeka Egbuka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Defense\/Special Teams<\/h3>\n

Defense: <\/strong>Zakee Wheatley<\/a> led Penn State defenders with nine tackles.\u00a0 Kobe King<\/a> had seven tackles and a sack, while Abdul Carter<\/a> had four tackles and two sacks.\u00a0 Zion Tracy<\/a> had an interception.\u00a0 Cody Simon<\/a> led Ohio State with 10 tackles and a sack, while Davison Igbinosun<\/a> had the Ohio State interception.<\/p>\n

Special<\/strong>\u00a0Teams:<\/strong> For Penn State, Ryan Barker<\/a> converted on both of his field goal tries, and his only extra point attempt. \u00a0Riley Thompson<\/a> had four punts, averaging 42.8 yards per punt. \u00a0For Ohio State, Jayden Fielding<\/a> both of his field goal attempts, and both extra points tries. Joe McGuire<\/a> punted twice, averaging 47.0 yards per punt.<\/p>\n

\"Where
Photo courtesy: Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Penn State and Ohio State renewed their rivalry on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.\u00a0 The visiting Buckeyes left Happy Valley happy, while the Nittany Lions move to 7-1 on the season.\u00a0 Penn State falls to Ohio State 20-13, in a game that will have a significant impact on both the Big Ten and College Football Playoffs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5172,"featured_media":67507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2],"tags":[32817,7983,14252,5647,837,73,309,7524,8852,3348,32803],"class_list":["post-67490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","tag-andy-kotelnicki","tag-big-ten-football","tag-cfb-top-25","tag-cfp","tag-james-franklin","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-penn-state-quarterbacks","tag-penn-state-running-backs","tag-ryan-day","tag-will-howard"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5172"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}