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3 takeaways from Penn State’s total domination of UMass

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Penn State entered Week 7 for its final nonconference game against UMass. While the Nittany Lions were massive favorites for the game, the final outcome was truly a display of dominance.

Penn State headed to halftime with a 28-0 lead behind a punt return touchdown and a trio of scoring drives in the second quarter. By the time the halfway point of the fourth quarter rolled around, the Nittany Lions had built a 63-0 lead with the backups getting plenty of playing time.

All eyes will be on Penn State’s road trip to Columbus next Saturday, but the team stayed focused to avoid a letdown in Week 7. And things were so thrilling, the student section was spotted celebrating with a dog at one point!

With that being said, here are the key takeaways from Penn State’s win:

Offense finds big-play gear

For much of the season, Penn State’s offense has struggled to find big plays despite performing well in the 5-0 start. That was not the case against the Minutemen.

Once the game rolled into the second quarter, Penn State found big play after big play while racking up the yards. Overall, the performance included 6 Nittany Lions with a play of 10+ yards and 4 players with a play of 20+ yards.

Of the 7 offensive touchdowns scored by the Nittany Lions, 3 of them came from 15 yards out, including a pair of touchdowns by Theo Johnson. Backup QB Beau Pribula also delivered a 31-yard rushing touchdown.

Johnson led the receiving game with 66 yards and 16.5 yards per catch. In the ground game, Kaytron Allen averaged 7.6 yards per carry, Pribula averaged 7.6 yards per carry and Nicholas Singleton averaged 5.3 yards.

That is not the kind of output Penn State should expect against the rest of the B1G slate, but it is still good to find those types of plays in Week 7.

Defensive front feasts in a big way

Penn State’s defense has been brilliant all season long, and it is not surprising that the Nittany Lions would have a huge day against the front of UMass. However, the front was still dominant and kept up its elite play against the Minutemen.

When it was all said and done, Penn State finished the game with 14 TFLs and 7 sacks in the win. It’s that kind of performance that led to UMass posting 64 rushing yards and 1.6 yards per carry. UMass finished with 109 total yards of offense and went 5-for-17 on 3rd-down tries.

Adisa Isaac led the charge for Penn State’s defense with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL in the dominant display. Cam Miller and Chop Robinson each added a pair of sacks while Dvon Ellies added 2.5 TFL.

Daequan Hardy steals the show

Entering Saturday’s game, Penn State did not have a kick or punt return for a touchdown this season. Hardy changed that in a big way.

With the offense scuffling in the first quarter, Hardy dialed up an electric 55-yard punt return for the first points of the game. It was also the first of Hardy’s career.

He did not stop there. With the game already in hand, Hardy took another punt back to the house for his second touchdown of the game. In the process, he became the first B1G player with 2 punt return touchdowns in the same game since Iowa’s Kevonte Martin-Manley in 2013. Have a game, indeed.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.