Takeaways: Dominant finale sets Penn State up for postseason run

Last weekend, Penn State football had its path cleared to advance to its second Big Ten Championship Game in school history thanks to a Michigan upset win over Ohio State. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions overcame a slow start on the field to put away Maryland 44-7 on Senior Day in Beaver Stadium.

Penn State now prepares for its toughest test of the year against undefeated, top-ranked Oregon. What can we take away from the Nittany Lions’ regular-season finale performance that will help them pull an upset over the No. 1 Ducks on Saturday in Indianapolis?

Tyler Warren cements spot as greatest tight end in Penn State football history

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tyler Warren flashed in his final regular season game at Penn State. Warren finished with six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, three carries for 32 yards, and 1-1 passing for nine yards against the Terrapins defense.

Warren now owns the Big Ten single-season record for catches from a tight end with 81, breaking a tie with Wisconsin’s Travis Beckum (75) from 2007. He broke the Penn State football record for career touchdown receptions among tight ends, surpassing Pat Freiermuth. Warren also broke Mike Gesicki’s program record for career receptions among the position group.

In total, Warren now owns Nittany Lions tight end records for career touchdowns (17), career receptions (130), career receiving yards (1,584), career 100-yard receiving games (5), season receptions (81), and season receiving years (978). He will have an opportunity to become just the fifth player in Penn State football history to eclipse the 1,000-receiving-yard mark on Saturday against Oregon. Potentially the only tight end to achieve the feat, Warren would join Bobby Engram (1994, 1995), Allen Robinson (2012, 2013), Chris Godwin (2015), and Jahan Dotson (2021).

With each new broken record, it is becoming more apparent that Warren is one of the greatest offensive weapons in program history. The Nittany Lion tight end needs just 51 yards to reach the top five in school history for receiving yards in a season. With at least two more games to play, it’s not unreasonable to think Warren could do even more damage to that list before his Penn State football career is finished.

If James Franklin and Penn State hope to leave Indianapolis victorious on Saturday, then the offense will have to run through Warren. With the lack of wide receiver production, 100-plus yards from the star tight end will most likely be needed to supplement the ground game.

Defense dominates once again

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

After allowing a touchdown on its first play of the afternoon, the Nittany Lions defense returned to dominant form, holding Maryland to just 194 yards on the day. The Penn State pass rush picked up six sacks, including two from star edge rusher Abdul Carter, who led the team with six tackles.

Tom Allen’s defense forced three critical turnovers, setting up two of the offense’s six touchdown drives. While the offensive woes faces by the Terrapins must be acknowledged, the outing showed just how dominant the Nittany Lions defense has become down the stretch.

That said, Oregon will be the best offense Penn State football has faced this year. The Ducks offense ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring (35.2), second in pass offense (272.9), and fifth in rushing offense (170.9). Quarterback Dillon Gabriel leads the Big Ten with 3,275 passing yards and is third with 24 passing touchdowns. It’ll be critical for Allen to make sure his unit starts fast and doesn’t put the Nittany Lions in a hole heading into the second half.

One positive the Penn State defense can take into the Big Ten Championship Game is the ability to tackle in space. In its tight 16-13 win at Wisconsin, Oregon struggled with a Badger defense that consistently made plays in the open field. That skill will be key in stopping the Ducks’ explosive weapons, such as wide receiver Evan Stewart.

Ultimately, this game may depend on what Penn State can generate on the offensive side of the ball. But Saturday will give the defense a great opportunity to show whether or not it is a championship contender.

Ground game will need to build on solid regular season finish

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

Throughout Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions running game has noticeably taken a step back from the production of the non-conference slate. While flashing at times, the rushing attack hasn’t opened up the passing game as much as anticipated early in the year. In fact, while battling injury Nicholas Singleton was just as effective through the air as he was on the ground.

But Singleton returned to form against Maryland, turning in a very productive 87 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The junior’s legs produced a solid 6.7 yards per rush, often setting the Nittany Lions up with manageable situations on second and third down.

On the year, Singleton now has 733 yards on 121 carries, good for 6.1 yards per rush. Kaytron Allen has 159 carries for 698 yards this season, an average of 4.4 yards per carry. Neither back seems like they will eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in 2024 without a deep playoff run.

As an offense, Penn State is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. That is tied for the most since 2018, a team led by Trace McSorley (798 yards) and Miles Sanders (1,274 yards). To beat the Ducks, the Nittany Lions will need to establish the run similar to what we saw against Maryland. Turning in some early chunk plays on the ground would help to open up the field, creating opportunities for Drew Allar to find Tyler Warren in space and take deep shots to Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans.

As much praise as the defense gets for being great this season, the length of Penn State’s postseason run will depend on its offensive production. If Andy Kotelnicki can find explosive plays, specifically in the run game, the Nittany Lions will have every opportunity to capture the conference crown and make a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

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