3 takeaways from Penn State's major bounce-back win vs. Washington
Penn State is back in the win column, blasting Washington 35-6 in a cross-country game to keep the College Football Playoff hopes of the Nittany Lions alive and well.
Last week was a disappointing week for Penn State after falling at home to Ohio State. On the other side of things, the Huskies were coming off a thrilling win at home against USC.
This week, it was a completely different script for the two sides as Penn State came up with a defensive stop on the first drive of the game and never looked back. By the time halftime rolled around, it was a 28-0 lead for the Nittany Lions, and they never gave up control down the stretch.
Here are the key takeaways from the game:
Penn State shakes off last week’s loss with hot start
Coming off the sting of last week’s loss to Ohio State, a lot of attention was placed on how the Nittany Lions would respond. That question was answered very quickly as Penn State came out locked in across the board.
It is true Washington got into field goal range on the first drive of the game, but that try was off the uprights to keep Washington off the board. That would mark the most successful drive of the first half by the Huskies as Penn State’s offense took over.
James Franklin’s offense would score on all 4 first-half drives with lengths of 72, 80, 58 and 68 yards. That efficient start led to a 28-0 halftime lead.
The Nittany Lions would not score again until the fourth quarter, but that hot start delivered all Penn State would need.
Abdul Carter continues to shine
Expectations were high for Abdul Carter as a game-changing pass rusher coming into the season. He has delivered on those expectations and he continues to heat up as we hit the final stretch of the season.
Facing the Huskies, Carter finished tied for the 2nd-most total tackles on Penn State with 6 (5 solo stops), but his best work came behind the line of scrimmage. He finished with 2 sacks and 4 TFLs, tying his career-high in both categories.
Carter now has a sack in 5 of his last 7 games, including 3 separate games of multiple sacks. He is up to 8 sacks overall on the season.
Washington’s home-road splits continue
Jedd Fisch’s first season at Washington has produced some positive moments. However, it’s also clear the Huskies have a problem figuring out life on the road in the new-look Big Ten.
With the loss to Penn State, Washington is now 0-4 in road games this season, and the games have not been pretty. The average margin of defeat in those 4 road losses is 17.5 points with the Huskies losing 3 by 14+.
Meanwhile, the Huskies have been 5-1 at home with the only loss to Washington State to go with wins over Michigan and USC, among others.
What does that mean for the rest of the season? Washington will get UCLA at home and Oregon on the road to finish the year. The good news is that the Huskies will not have to head east again, but we’ll see if it has any impact on the final outcome.