On a beautiful day in State College, the Penn State Nittany Lions had a much more interesting 2024 home opener against Bowling Green than anyone would have anticipated. Playing their first of two straight MAC opponents (Kent State visits after next week’s bye), eighth-ranked Penn State survived a scare, beating Bowling Green by a score of 34-27. Head coach James Franklin moved to 25-0 in non-conference home games at Penn State. However, it was not easy against a tough Bowling Green team.
Tale of Two Halves: Penn State Beats Bowling Green 34-27
The game was a tale of two halves, with the first half featuring a lot of scoring, and the slower second half a combination of penalties, punts, and turnovers. Bowling Green primarily used the short passing game in the first half to control the clock. The Falcons held the ball for 18:53, compared to Penn State’s 11:07 of possession. Interestingly, Bowling Green had no punts in the first half. On the offensive side of the ball, when Penn State scored in the first half, it was quick. One touchdown drive took 2:25 off the clock, and the other was exactly one minute. Bowling Green led 24-20 at halftime.
In the second half, the Penn State defense made their presence felt, which invited the crowd of 103,861 at Beaver Stadium to get involved as well. The defense had two interceptions, and the crowd helped generate a false start penalty, and a Bowling Green timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. The Penn State offense held the ball longer in the second half, which subsequently enabled longer runs, and more ball control in the fourth quarter. Penn State outscored Bowling Green 14-3 in the second half.
Ultimately, Penn State was able to escape with a 34-27 victory in their home opener. The coaching staff will have a lot to work on with the team over the upcoming bye week. As Franklin said walking off the field at the end of the game, “Give Bowling Green a ton of credit, but we’ve got some work to do.” Penn State survived a scare, but not by much.
Spreading the Wealth on Offense
On offense, Penn State got into a rhythm against West Virginia in last week’s victory. Quarterback Drew Allar seemed to establish a rapport with a go-to receiver, and one of Penn State’s two-headed monster at running back was a focal point. However, this game showed versatility in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s playcalling. It also showed the versatility in skills presented by the offensive players.
Rushing Attack
Penn State has arguably the best running back room in the country, featuring Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They are threats each time they touch the ball, either through rushing or receiving. Last week, Singleton was the focal point of the offense, with over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown. Against Bowling Green, Singleton had very similar statistics, picking up his seventh career 100-yard rushing game, and second in a row. Additionally, he had a receiving touchdown.
Franklin has said on numerous occasions that the work at running back would continue to be shared between Singleton and Allen. The game against Bowling Green gave a glimpse of what can be. Allen also had a 100-yard game. While he was kept out of the end zone, he did impact this game.
The quarterbacks continued to contribute to the running game as well. Allar picked up his first rushing touchdown of the season on a five-yard first-quarter score. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula was also involved in the game plan. Interestingly, Pribula started the second half at quarterback.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Coming out of the West Virginia game, it seemed that Trey Wallace was the go-to receiver for Allar. Against Bowling Green, he did not have a catch. Julian Fleming was held without a catch last week, and Franklin said during the week that they would look to get him involved early in this one. That did not happen, and Fleming had one catch for three yards. However, similar to last week, Fleming was able to make his presence felt more through his blocking. Omari Evans had a touchdown for the second straight game and could have had another big play touchdown that was called back due to offensive pass interference.
A standout on the offensive side was tight end Tyler Warren. He was on the receiving end of eight of Allar’s 13 completions. Warren was seemingly open on every play, easily beating Bowling Green’s coverage. He also displayed a propensity for solid yards after the catch. Warren’s blocking ability was on display throughout the game, too. He is solidifying his reputation as an all-around tight end.
Speaking of the balance on the offensive side of the ball, after the game Franklin said, “We’re sporadic, and have to be more consistent.” He was referring to the quick scores in the first half, compared to holding the ball longer in the second half but having some drives stall (including an Allar end-zone interception). Penn State only converted two of nine third-down attempts. Franklin also said, “We need more opportunities on offense, to get guys more touches.”
Allen Wrench on Defense
After a first half where the defense struggled, coordinator Tom Allen had to go into his toolbox to make adjustments. Whether he went with the Allen Wrench, hammer, or something else, it worked. Bowling Green’s big offensive line had leverage throughout the first half and converted three of five third downs. The first play for the Falcons was a 30-yard completion, and the first drive ended in a touchdown. That set the tone for Bowling Green’s 24-point first-half offensive outburst, a half where Penn State did not have a sack.
In the second half, the Penn State defense stepped up. They generated two turnovers, and interceptions by Tony Rojas and Zakee Wheatley. While the defense did not produce any sacks in the second half either, they only gave up a field goal in the fourth quarter. For the second week in a row, the safeties led the charge for the defense. Jaylen Reed led the team in tackles. Abdul Carter had more of an impact in this game, with seven tackles, including one for loss, and a pass defended. Just as the first series of the first half set the tone, so did the first Bowling Green offensive series of the second half. Penn State’s defense produced a three-and-out and did not look back from there.
Regarding the defensive adjustments, Franklin said it was important to, “Calm the guys down and don’t force plays to happen.” It was important for players to, “Play within the defensive scheme.” Additionally, Franklin noted, “Turnovers were huge obviously. The turnovers our defense was able to get were the difference in the second half.”
By the Numbers: Penn State Beats Bowling Green 34-27
Penn State survived a scare and beat Bowling Green 34-27 in the 2024 home opener. Here are some of the key statistics that underpinned the Penn State win.
Offense
Passing: Penn State threw for 204 yards, compared to 254 for Bowling Green. Allar completed 13 of 20 for 204 yards, with two touchdowns and his first interception of the season. For Bowling Green, Connor Bazelak was 25 of 39 for 254 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. threw an incompletion on his only pass attempt.
Rushing: Penn State had the edge with 234 yards, compared to Bowling Green’s 121 yards. Singleton led all players with 119 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Allen ran 14 times for 101 yards, and Allar contributed seven yards, including a touchdown. Jaison Patterson led Bowling Green with 57 yards on 16 carries. Jamal Johnson had 46 yards on five carries, including a 41-yard touchdown.
Receiving: The tight ends were the receiving stars of this game. Warren led all players with 146 yards receiving on eight catches. Evans had 34 yards on two catches. For Bowling Green, tight end Fannin had 137 yards on 11 catches with a touchdown. Malcolm Johnson Jr. contributed 81 yards on eight receptions with a touchdown.
Defense/Special Teams
Defense: Reed led all defenders with 10 tackles. Rojas and Wheatley each had an interception. Joseph Sipp Jr. led Bowling Green with eight tackles. Jacorey Benjamin had the Bowling Green interception.
Special Teams: Sander Sahaydak was back as the kicker again. He converted both of his field goal attempts and all four extra points. Riley Thompson had four punts, averaging 47.0 yards per punt. For Bowling Green, Jackson Kleather converted both of his field goal attempts and all three extra-point tries. John Henderson had three punts, averaging 40.7 yards per punt.
Penalties: Penalties continue to be an area for Penn State to clean up. In total, they were flagged for seven penalties and 76 yards. Bowling Green was called for three penalties and 18 yards.
