Highs & Lows: Penn State stuffs Blue Hens, 63-7, in dominant performance
Penn State wanted to build on its week one win, clean up its shortcomings, and emerge with a win against FCS Delaware on Saturday afternoon. Welcoming the Blue Hens to Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions did all that and more.
Shutting down the visitors, 63-7, Penn State reeled off a dominant, mature, and steady performance to improve to 2-0 on the 2023 season.
Here, we’re examining the highs and lows from the afternoon.
Penn State 63 – Delaware 7: Highs and Lows
PLAYER OF THE GAME His yards per carry average was a tick lower than what he’d produced against West Virginia the week prior. Alas, three touchdowns are three touchdowns. Nick Singleton cashed in from 2-, 5-, and 5 yards out, all in the first half, giving Penn State a 28-7 lead going into the half. The effort was his first with three scores in 15 career games played as a Nittany Lion.
PLAY OF THE GAME Dom DeLuca missed his first gift-wrapped interception of the game in the second quarter. He wouldn’t miss the second. Tracking Zach Marker’s pass to James Collins in front of the Nittany Lion sideline with time running out on the third quarter, DeLuca stepped in front, secured the pick, and skirted through traffic 26 yards into the end zone. The play propelled Penn State to a 56-7 advantage.
BEST PASS Drew Allar finished with an outstanding 22 completions on his 26 attempts, racking up 204 yards and a touchdown in the process. None were especially spectacular, and in many ways, that’s the point. Allar took what Delaware’s defense presented, making safe throws for modest completions. The highlight, from a yardage perspective, came on a 26-yard catch-and-run to Dante Cephas in the second quarter.
BEST RUN Penn State didn’t put up much resistance, but Delaware running back Marcus Yarns cut through the heart of Penn State’s defense, a vacant spot in the secondary, and off to the races up the Hens’ sideline. The result was a 66-yard touchdown for the guests and a 14-7 score heading into the second quarter.
Superlatives from Penn State win
BEST CATCH The most difficult reception of the day was also the Nittany Lions’ first. Picking up an 8-yard gain on a pass from Drew Allar, Theo Johnson earned his first catch of the young season.
WORST DROP Gifted a fresh set of downs thanks to a Penn State offsides on a punt, Delaware botched its first-and-10 look with a 9-yard loss on the very next play. Snapped high, quarterback Zach Marker couldn’t wrangle the ball, eventually falling on it to set up a yards-to-go scenario where the Hens couldn’t get back on schedule.
BEST SACK Jaylen Reed showed he was blitzing from the slot on Delaware’s second possession of the afternoon. It wasn’t a fake. Closing in on Delaware cornerback Ryan O’Connor, Reed needed two chances at the sack. but finished off second for a 7-yard loss. The third down stop forced a Blue Hens punt, leading to a lousy punt and, ultimately prime field position for the Nittany Lions midway through the first quarter.
BEST HIT Aggressive in his pursuit of O’Connor, Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant landed a vicious sack on the Hens’ quarterback midway through the third quarter. The 8-yard loss forced the visitors to punt possession back to the Nittany Lions. Jameial Lyons’ first sack, to close out the third quarter, was also quite the lick to quarterback Zach Marker.
BEST EFFORT Keaton Ellis ensured Penn State could cruise its way through the rest of the second half when he stripped Yarns on the Hens’ first possession out of the locker room. The fumble landed in the hands of KJ Winston, delivering prime field position to the Nittany Lions early in the third quarter.
Special teams superlatives
BEST KICK Delaware’s punter, Ryan Kost, had a miscue early in the afternoon. He responded to the adversity with inarguably beautiful punts for the Hens afterward. His most effective, a 61-yard bomb late in the first half, flipped the field to force the Nittany Lions to span 70 yards in the final 3:30 before the break.
WORST KICK Facing a fourth-and-17 from their 25-yard line, the Blue Hens hoped to swing field position on the Nittany Lions midway through the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Beaver Stadium visitors, Kost was unable to deliver that result. Shanking one just 19 yards, the failed attempt gave Penn State a first down at the Hens’ 38-yard line.
BEST DECISION With no threat from Delaware at any point in the first quarter, James Franklin’s decision to go for a fourth-and-4 at the Hens’ 19-yard line proved prudent. The call led to an Allar-to-Harrison Wallace connection, good for a first down that would set up a touchdown three plays later.
WORST DECISION Delaware safety Christian Pierce dropped his right shoulder as Penn State receiver Dante Cephas picked up 26 yards midway through the second quarter. It cost him and the Hens half the distance to the goal. Called for a late hit and targeting, a video review absolved Pierce of an ejection, but the damage was done. The Nittany Lions scored a touchdown easily on the very next play.
MOST TELLING MOMENT With backup Beau Pribula sidelined momentarily, true freshman quarterback Jaxon Smolik entered the game late in the fourth quarter, and submitted two hand-offs before Pribula came back in to finish the game. Comfortably ahead, 63-7, the moment was one of many firsts for Penn State’s crop of true freshmen and transfers.
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