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Penn State punctuates opening TD drive vs. UCLA with devastating block from Vega Ioane

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Penn State made it quite a while in the game against UCLA before the offense started to find some footing. The first 2 drives picked up just 21 yards and ended in punts before the Nittany Lions found their footing with a clinical drive against the Bruins.

In a possession that began on Penn State’s own 18, the offense rattled off 16 plays in a drive that took over 8 and a half minutes off the game clock. It eventually ended in a short touchdown carry by Drew Allar, but that was far from the highlight of the drive.

Kaytron Allen carried the ball 6 times on the drive as a workhorse for the Nittany Lions, and he picked up over 25 yards on the drive. Without Nicholas Singleton 100% for the game, Allen will be relied on Saturday afternoon.

One specific play design turned the attention to Penn State’s offensive line and the work of Vega Ioane. In a textbook design from the mind of Andy Kotelnicki, the offensive lineman was the motion man before the snap.

Sending Ioane in motion allowed him to tee up a UCLA defender for a one-on-one block, and Ioane capitalized in massive fashion. He buried the Bruin defender, springing Allen for a solid gain.

Take a look:

That’s the kind of wrinkle Kotelnicki brings to the offense, and it worked out beautifully on that play. The offense may have started slow against a struggling UCLA team, but we’ll see how the Nittany Lions capitalize moving forward.

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.