Takeaways: Penn State football learns valuable lessons against Bowling Green

After a dominant week 1 against West Virginia that saw the Penn State defense hold what is expected to be a solid Mountaineers offense to just 12 points, the Nittany Lions struggled mightily on Saturday. Most of those struggles came in the first half where the Bowling Green offense torched Penn State for 286 yards and 24 points.

A combination of missed tackles and great play by Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak led to a problematic half. The Falcons at one point led 17-7 and seemingly couldn’t be stopped. What was even more strange from the entire game as a whole was the lack of pressure that the defensive line was getting, there were no sacks by any player. Part of that was Bowling Green’s scheme, constantly getting the offensive line moving and not creating a normal pocket. The other was once again how quickly Bazelak was getting the ball out, not allowing Penn State to pin its ears back and go get the veteran quarterback.

The question that everyone is asking is whether this game is a one-off or something to be worried about moving forward. The defense did settle in during the second half and allowed only 3 points and 89 total yards of offense. Something more reminiscent of what we saw in week 1 against West Virginia. After a bye week, the Nittany Lions will return to play Kent State, a team that just lost to FCS Saint Francis over the weekend. It won’t be a good indication of whether this was a one, but Illinois the following week will be the real test of which Penn State we can expect to see moving forward.

Worrisome Penn State WR play returns

One of the key factors to Penn State’s great week one win over West Virginia was the wide receiver play. Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans seemed to have taken a step forward this season against the Mountaineers. While Evans caught two balls for 34 yards, one of which was a 29-yard touchdown in the 2^nd quarter, Wallace failed to get on the stat sheet.

Evans had two notable drops in the game, one of which was on a 3^rd and 17 on the second drive of the game that would have kept the Penn State offense on the field and potentially led to a touchdown to retake the lead. We also can’t discount the fact that Tyler Warren hauled in 8 catches for 146 yards and Nick Singleton also added a 14-yard TD reception.

Julian Fleming got on the board with 1 catch for 3 yards but has been kept off the stat sheet besides that lone reception. Liam Clifford has yet to record a reception this season. Kent State might be just the opponent that this offense needs to get all their pass catchers in rhythm.

Running backs remain solid

Both running backs continue to thrive in Andy Kotenicki’s offense. Both appear to have returned to their freshman-year form and are breaking long runs and getting involved in the passing game. Nick Singleton rushed 13 times for 114 yards for an average of 9.2 yards per carry. Kaytron Allen carried the ball 14 times for 101 yards, good for an average of 7.2 yards per carry.

Nick Singleton scored both of Penn State’s second-half touchdowns and was crucial in the Nittany Lions escaping with the win. The first was a 14-yard receiving touchdown and the second was a 41-yard game-winning rushing touchdown. If both Singleton and Allen continue to have success, it will take off some pressure that we saw placed on Drew Allar continually in 2023.

Tyler Warren adds another dimension to Penn State offense

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

There were high expectations for Tyler Warren to be able to produce for the Penn State football offense coming into the 2024 season. Warren was seen as another potential offensive leader and expected to continue the recent stretch of Nittany Lion tight ends to eventually make the NFL. Against Bowling Green, Warren secured 8 catches for 146 yards, a new Penn State single-game record for receiving yards by a tight end.

He often had to bail out the Penn State football offense when it seemed they were struggling at times to find open receivers on third down. While Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans didn’t produce as much as in week 1, Warren was the perfect pass catcher to keep Drew Allar and the offense in rhythm. He will be a crucial offensive weapon as the season progresses and the competition gets tougher.

Survive and learn

On a day where Northern Illinois upset No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend, No. 4 Alabama needed a solid 4^th quarter to survive South Florida in Tuscaloosa, and No. 7 Oregon squeaked by Boise State, the Nittany Lions weren’t as much of an aberration as it felt while the game was going on. Saturday proved once again why fans love the sport, anything can truly happen. These games consist of a bunch of 18–24-year-olds and that will always mean that upsets will happen.

This weekend’s slate didn’t look like anything special but featured two top-10 teams losing and 3 others surviving. What Penn State football can use the Bowling Green game for is a wake-up call for the rest of the season. It is better to get a clunker out of the way early before the grueling conference slate begins. Better to perform poorly on defense against Bowling Green than against Illinois or USC in the next few weeks.

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