{"id":68015,"date":"2024-11-10T14:00:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T19:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=68015"},"modified":"2024-11-10T10:42:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T15:42:54","slug":"cfp-intrigue-for-penn-state-following-win-over-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/11\/10\/cfp-intrigue-for-penn-state-following-win-over-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"CFP Intrigue for Penn State Following Win Over Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coming off a humbling, but all too familiar, loss to Ohio State last week, Penn State needed a statement victory against Washington.\u00a0 The White Out environment at State College, 110,000 strong, provided the backdrop.\u00a0 By the end of the game, Penn State was positioned well moving forward, their do-it-all star on offense kept building his resume, and the defense played one of their best games of the year.\u00a0 There is renewed College Football Playoff (CFP) intrigue for Penn State following the win over Washington.\u00a0 With the 35-6 victory, James Franklin rights the ship in time for the home stretch.<\/p>\n

This victory was a decisive one, as Penn State scored on their first four possessions to jump out to a 28-0 halftime lead.\u00a0 The first three possessions ended in rushing touchdowns (interestingly, none by a running back), and the fourth was the first touchdown reception for Julian Fleming<\/a> at Penn State.\u00a0 While the second half provided a chance for Penn State to coast to the victory, it was not all good.\u00a0 Starting the second half, running back and kickoff returner Nick Singleton<\/a> returned the kickoff for a touchdown.\u00a0 However, it was called back on a holding penalty.\u00a0 Adding literal injury to insult, Singleton was not seen after that.\u00a0 Following the game, Franklin did not have an update on Singleton’s injury status.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways: Penn State Rights the Ship<\/h2>\n

CFP Implications<\/h3>\n

Despite having a loss on their resume, Penn State is still positioned well for the CFP.\u00a0 Entering the game ranked sixth, Penn State bolstered their chances while others ahead of them fell.\u00a0 There is renewed CFP intrigue for Penn State following this win over Washington.<\/p>\n

The only loss for Penn State this season has been at the hands of their rivals, #2 Ohio State.\u00a0 While any loss is still a loss, falling to Ohio State will certainly not be the end of Penn State’s opportunity to make the 12-team playoff field.\u00a0 The remaining schedule is favorable, too.\u00a0 Following the win over Washington, Penn State travels to Purdue to take on the 1-8 Boilermakers.\u00a0 The next week, they go to Minnesota and face the currently 6-4 Golden Gophers.\u00a0 Minnesota is coming off a 26-19 loss to Rutgers.\u00a0 The regular season then ends at home against the currently 4-5 Maryland Terrapins.<\/p>\n

Of the few teams ahead of Penn State in the CFP rankings, a few had a rough weekend.\u00a0 #3 Georgia lost to #16 Ole Miss by a score of 28-10.\u00a0 Additionally, #4 Miami fell to Georgia Tech 28-23.\u00a0 The two teams right behind Penn State also won, as Tennessee defeated Mississippi State, and Indiana beat Michigan.\u00a0 Indiana, an undefeated Big Ten team, is one to watch.\u00a0 Following a bye week, they will next face Ohio State.\u00a0 Indiana’s results will have a direct impact on Penn State’s CFP profile.<\/p>\n

Tyler Warren Does It All… Again<\/h3>\n

There is not much more to say about Tyler Warren<\/a>.\u00a0 The tight end continued to build his credentials for postseason awards, as well as the NFL draft.\u00a0 Drew Crabtree wrote about Warren’s current positioning for the Mackey Award<\/a>, as he is a semifinalist.\u00a0 Warren continues to be the engine that makes coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense go.\u00a0 With the postseason looming and the CFP intrigue for Penn State following the win over Washington, it will be important for Warren to continue to have his presence felt.<\/p>\n

Against Washington, Warren was all over the stat books.\u00a0 He caught eight passes for 75 yards.\u00a0 He also rushed three times for seven yards.\u00a0 However, two of those carries were for touchdowns.\u00a0 This was Warren’s first multi-touchdown game of the season.\u00a0 He even attempted two passes.\u00a0 His two rushing touchdowns came at important points in the game, putting Penn State up 14-0, and then 21-0.\u00a0 With his strong production, Warren continues to give credence to Penn State’s evolution to Tight End U<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Defense: Reed Between the Lines<\/h3>\n

The Penn State defense, under coordinator Tom Allen, stepped up against Washington.\u00a0 After the Huskies took the opening drive down the field, and clanked the field goal attempt off the upright, the Penn State defense locked in.\u00a0 The defense gave up only 193 total yards, with 119 yards coming through the air and 74 on the ground.\u00a0 Washington was sacked five times.\u00a0 Two of those were at the hands of Abdul Carter<\/a>.\u00a0 Carter had six total tackles on the game, with four tackles for loss and two sacks.<\/p>\n

In the defensive backfield, Jaylen Reed<\/a> continues to make a name for himself.\u00a0 Entering this season, the defensive backs, and safeties in particular, were the strongest part of the defense<\/a>.\u00a0 The long-term injury<\/a> to KJ Winston<\/a> brought about questions.\u00a0 However, Reed has stepped up to become a leader of the defense.\u00a0 Against Washington, Reed had an interception to go along with a team-leading seven tackles.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers: Penn State Beats Washington 35-6<\/h2>\n

Offense<\/h3>\n

Passing:\u00a0<\/strong>Penn State threw for 220 yards, compared to 119 for Washington.\u00a0 Drew Allar<\/a> completed 20 of 28 for 220 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions.\u00a0 Warren did not complete either of his two pass attempts.\u00a0 For Washington, starter Will Rogers completed 10 of 13 for 59 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.\u00a0 He was replaced by Demond Williams Jr.<\/a>, who completed six of 10 attempts for 60 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions.<\/p>\n

Rushing:\u00a0<\/strong>Penn State had 266 yards, compared to 74 yards for Washington.\u00a0 Kaytron Allen<\/a> led Penn State, and all players, with 98 rushing yards on 20 carries, and a touchdown.\u00a0 Corey Smith gained 95 yards on only five carries, including a 78-yarder.\u00a0 Backup quarterback Beau Pribula<\/a> had one carry, which was an eight-yard touchdown.\u00a0 Warren had three carries for seven yards and two touchdowns.\u00a0 Williams Jr. led Washington with 38 yards on 10 carries.\u00a0 Jonah Coleman<\/a> ran 11 times for 24 yards.<\/p>\n

Receiving: <\/strong>Trey Wallace<\/a> led Penn State with a game-high 84 yards on five catches.\u00a0 Warren caught a game-high eight passes for 75 yards.\u00a0 Fleming had two catches for 19 yards, including the touchdown.\u00a0 For Washington, Denzel Boston led the team with two receptions for 35 yards.\u00a0 Giles Jackson<\/a> had five catches for 23 yards.<\/p>\n

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

Defense: <\/strong>Reed led Penn State defenders with seven tackles and an interception.\u00a0 Kobe King<\/a> also had seven tackles (for the second straight time) and a sack, while Carter had six tackles and two sacks.\u00a0 Carson Bruener led Washington with a game-high 11 tackles, while Alphonzo Tuputala<\/a> added nine tackles.<\/p>\n

Special<\/strong>\u00a0Teams:<\/strong>\u00a0For Penn State,\u00a0Ryan Barker<\/a> missed his only field goal try, with the 44-yarder being his first miss of the season.\u00a0 He converted all five of his extra-point attempts. \u00a0Riley Thompson<\/a> had a boring day, with Penn State not punting once. \u00a0For Washington, Grady Gross<\/a> converted two of three field goal attempts. Jack McCallister punted twice, averaging 43.5 yards per punt.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coming off a humbling, but all too familiar, loss to Ohio State last week, Penn State needed a statement victory against Washington.\u00a0 The White Out environment at State College, 110,000 strong, provided the backdrop.\u00a0 By the end of the game, Penn State was positioned well moving forward, their do-it-all star on offense kept building his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5172,"featured_media":68026,"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":[34344,32817,7983,33796,34373,33247,837,309,1073,509,7237],"class_list":["post-68015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","tag-2024-college-football-playoff-rankings","tag-andy-kotelnicki","tag-big-ten-football","tag-carson-bruener","tag-corey-smith","tag-denzel-boston","tag-james-franklin","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-tom-allen","tag-washington-huskies","tag-will-rogers"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68015","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=68015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}