Takeaways: Penn State rebounds, sets path for postseason in blowout win over Washington

Penn State football bounced back from its loss against Ohio State with a 35-6 win over Washington on Saturday in front of a 110,000 fan White Out. The Nittany Lions improved to 8-1 on the season and remained in the College Football Playoff race as the bracketology continues to heat up into November.

What are we taking away from the Blue and White’s most recent dominant win in Beaver Stadium?

Andy Kotelnicki returns to Tyler Warren

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

After the loss to Ohio State, there was much criticism that Tyler Warren didn’t get any touches inside the five-yard line, both at the end of the first half and the final drive of the fourth quarter.

That changed against the Huskies, as Andy Kotelnicki made it a point to put the ball in his best player’s hands at the goal line, and it paid off in droves. Warren punched it in twice via direct snap from two yards out to cap off touchdown drives in the second quarter. The first score featured the star tight end diving over the top and stretching the ball across the goal line. The second was a mixture of great blocking by Nicholas Singleton and Warren using his giant frame to bulldoze his way into the endzone.

Warren finished the game with eight receptions for 75 yards three carries for seven yards and two rushing touchdowns. It was a performance that has become routine for the Penn State offense this season. Having a threat both in the run and pass game has given the Nittany Lions the ability to overpower weaker defenses, as we saw Saturday.

While the stat line wasn’t as gaudy as it was against USC a month ago, it was more the play calling that should leave fans optimistic moving forward. We’ll see if it continues to be a priority to give Warren the ball in scoring situations.

A perfect first half from the Penn State offense

There was plenty of concern about how Penn State football would look on offense heading into this game after failing to reach the endzone against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions quelled those concerns with a rather flawless first half.

Penn State scored on all four possessions in the half and, along with an excellent defensive performance, sprinted out to a 28-0 lead. An impressive display of the two-minute offense capped off the half, giving the Beaver Stadium crowd a taste of what this team is capable of.

Out of the locker room, the team seemed to put it in cruise control and took care of business. Spreading the ball around to players other than Tyler Warren was also promising. Penn State produced against what was the nation’s No. 2 pass defense coming into the week.

Of the final three games at Purdue, at Minnesota, and against Maryland, only the Gophers pose the biggest threat to Nittany Lions. But James Franklin’s squad will have a heavy talent advantage in all three matchups. We will see whether the performance against Washington was a result of feeding off the White Out energy and perfect storm of momentum, or if it is something to expect moving forward.

If Kotelnicki can continue to get his offense consistently in the endzone, these last few games could be a majorconfidence boost heading into the postseason.

Harrison Wallace answered the call

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

The criticism of the Penn State wide receiver room has dated back through last season. It’s part of why the Nittany Lions have lacked explosive plays in 2023 and this year. There were flashes in the nonconference this season, but once Big Ten play started, the receivers seemed to disappear this season.

Heading into the Washington game, Tyler Warren had 51 receptions while the top four receivers had 60 combined. Harrison Wallace III accounted for 24 of those, and has been the Nittany Lions’ most consistent option out of the room. But even Wallace’s production has dipped, not scoring since his two touchdown performance against West Virginia in Week 1.

But Saturday night was promising for the redshirt junior, who snagged five receptions for 84 yards, including a long of 28. Most of his catches came in the first half in key conversion situations for the Penn State offense.

While it isn’t the explosive 100+ yard, multi-score outing we saw against the Mountaineers, it was a promising performance for someone who will be key to the Nittany Lions’ success down the stretch. If Penn State football wants to make the CFP and potentially go on a postseason run, it’ll need production from weapons outside Warren. Wallace showed he has the potential to be that solid No. 2 option on Saturday.

Abdul Carter dominates

Abdul Carter was surprisingly quiet to start 2024 after transitioning from linebacker to defensive end this offseason. Carter recorded just one sack in the first three games against West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Kent State. He showed up late in the ranked matchup against Illinois, picking up two sacks when the Illini began passing more towards the end of the game. Carter then went quiet again, picking up only one combined sack against UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin.

But in the last two games, something has clicked. Carter picked up two sacks in each game, including a forced fumble and four tackles for loss against Washington on Saturday.

Sacks aren’t always a good indicator of how dominant or productive a player has been. Carter has been double-teamed on the majority of the snaps that he has played this season. The fact that he’s made it to the quarterback this frequently in the past few weeks is promising as Penn State football looks to the postseason. What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is forcing pressure against Washington quarterback Will Rogers, which on one instance led to Jaylen Reed’s interception.

It seems more evident now that the slow start this season was more an adjustment to a new position and defense than anything else. The final three games will give Carter plenty of chances to reach his double-digit sack goal for the year, as well as provide more opportnities for other Nittany Lions to stuff the stat sheet with the attention he garners.

Controlling the trenches is important for any team hoping to make a deep playoff run and compete for a National Championship. If Penn State football has any hope of achieving those goals, it will need to start with Abdul Carter.

Penn State football avoided clear letdown spot

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

This game was a classic James Franklin letdown spot. Far too often, we’ve seen Penn State football fall victim to consecutive losses and have its postseason hopes dashed.

The new CFP format changes the dynamic. But with the way the bracket has started to take shape, avoiding that second loss is still important. There’s a cluster of two-loss teams at the back end of the bracket that will surely cause a headache for the Selection Committee.

If Penn State football can finish with one loss, the Nittany Lions are essentially a lock to make the playoff and have a high likelihood of hosting a first-round game at Beaver Stadium.

Defeating Washington was one of two “trip up” games that Penn State still had left on the schedule, the other being next week’s road game against Minnesota. The dominant performance also showed the gap between Penn State and the rest of the mediocre Big Ten and should help the Nittany Lions’ perception with the CFP Committee, evidenced by the No. 4 ranking in this week’s poll.

While a Big Ten Championship appearance is unlikely, Penn State football is now in the driver’s seat to make the playoff. That, ultimately, was the goal this season. Avoiding an upset and playing well these next three weeks will determine just what type of momentum the program has heading into December.

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