PHOTOS: Penn State football thrashes Nevada in season opener

Penn State football returned to action on Saturday, kicking off the 2025 season inside the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium. With the national spotlight glaring, the No. 2 Nittany Lions exhibited their championship potential, using stifling defense and a balanced offensive attack to cruise to a 46-11 win over Nevada.

“You see a ton of sloppy football early in the season. I didn’t see any of that,” James Franklin said following the game. “We didn’t have stupid penalties. We didn’t put the ball on the ground, we didn’t turn it over, we didn’t burn timeouts. That was big.”

Offensively, Drew Allar led the way, completing 85% of his passes for 217 yards and a score. Transfer linebacker Amare Campbell led the Nittany Lions with six tackles, while edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton turned in 2.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The special teams even made its mark, with Ryan Barker going 4-4 on field goals and King Mack breaking a 73-yard kickoff return.

Check out all the action from a victory Saturday in Happy Valley, courtesy of Basic Blues Nation photographer Heather Weikel. You can also see all the action from before, during, and after the game on Basic Blues Nation’s social media channels.

You can watch James Franklin’s postgame press conference here.

The Penn State Nittany Lion. © Heather Weikel / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.