Penn State football: After escape at Purdue, linemen, true freshmen need to break out vs. Ohio

I want to feel sorry for the Ohio Bobcats 8 days from now.

Why? Because I want to see Penn State’s offensive line pummel somebody. Anybody. A Group of 5 school that finished 106th nationally in rushing defense last year will do. Also, I want the Nittany Lions’ true freshman backs and backup quarterback to see plenty of action in a confidence-boosting scenario after their debuts Thursday night.

Having escaped a blacked out Ross-Ade Stadium with an improbable victory, the program needs to build on its good fortune.

Penn State tried to turn things around up front against Purdue. It really did. But in the end, the Nittany Lions had to ride Sean Clifford’s arm and some dominant late-game defense to get by the Boilermakers 35-31.

Meet the new line, same as the old line.

Head coach James Franklin told media members throughout the preseason that he knew they would tell him how his revamped young group in the trenches was doing. Well, coach, there’s still plenty of work to be done. So when the Bobcats arrive at Beaver Stadium a week from Saturday for a noon kickoff, some mauling will be in order.

Penn State has now gone 17 straight games without a 100-yard rusher, and the shootout in West Lafayette, Ind., was another in which the Lions didn’t even reach 100 collectively. It looked early on like the true freshman backs might change that dynamic, particularly when 5-star recruit Nicholas Singleton pounded forward for 9 yards on the first carry of his career. Both he and fellow true freshman Kaytron Allen got 5 carries during the offense’s second and third drives of the game, respectively.

But after gaining 77 yards on 23 attempts and possessing the ball for 17:08 of the first 30 minutes, the Lions ran only 9 times in the second half. They finished with 98 yards on 3.1 per carry, and no back had more than 10 carries or 31 yards. Keyvone Lee had the only run of 10+ yards, a second-half jaunt that went for 12.

“We weren’t able to get any explosive runs, which is something we’re committed to doing,” Franklin said in a postgame media session.

It wasn’t all bad, though. The line gave up only 1 sack, and Landon Tengwall and Sal Wormley got their first college starts out of the way, flanking center Juice Scruggs at the guard spots. Olu Fashanu started his 2nd career game at left tackle and Caedan Wallace his 21st at right tackle. They kept Clifford clean on the game-winning drive, allowing him to go 6-for-7 for 72 yards and hit Lee for the winning score from 10 yards out.

It was a redemptive drive for Clifford, who accounted for all 5 PSU touchdowns but was in line to be the goat before the late heroics. His awful overthrow led to a 72-yard interception return that put the Boilermakers ahead 31-28 with 8:29 left in regulation.

Penn State’s 24-year-old 6th-year senior QB finished strong, though, something Manny Diaz’s defense didn’t allow Purdue’s 6th-year guy to do. On his 24th birthday, Aidan O’Connell — who emerged as a star in Jeff Brohm’s pass-happy offense a year ago — couldn’t seal the deal. His Boilermakers lost to PSU for a 10th straight time as he misfired on 13-of-20 passes in the fourth quarter and finished with only 1 TD throw. He had been red-hot through third quarters, going 22-of-38 for 282 with no interceptions.

“Obviously, it’s much better to learn these lessons and grow with a win,” Franklin said.

More learning will have to happen vs. the Bobcats, because after that it’s back out on the road for a Week 3 trip to Auburn. The Lions have never played the Tigers on their home turf in 136 years of football. Before last night, they had never played a season-opener on a Thursday. So a lot of new things are happening.

Allar gets his feet wet

Clifford missed the first series on the second half with cramps, giving the 18-year-old Allar a chance to play a meaningful possession in his first college game. The 5-star from Medina, Ohio, handled it well, going 2-for-4 for 26 yards and dropping a pass right on the hands of tight end Tyler Warren that he somehow missed.

“I thought Drew did some nice things when he was in,” Franklin said. “Hopefully we can get him some time next week as well.”

Other newcomers debut

True freshman Abdul Carter, wearing No. 11, got into the game early at linebacker and then got tossed out of it almost immediately for targeting. Transfers jumped right into the fray, with Hunter Nourzad getting time on the line, Chop Robinson at DE and Mitchell Tinsley at WR. Tinsley caught 7 balls for 84 yards — both team highs — and had a 12-yard touchdown for the Lions’ first points.

Fun with numbers

Penn State is now 112-22-2 in season-openers and has started seasons on every day of the week except Tuesday. The Lions have won 18 of their past 21 openers and 6 of 7. They are 16-14 all-time in B1G openers.

Gotta love this punter

Barney Amor, taking over for Jordan Stout, punted 8 times for a 46.9-yard average. He put 3 inside the 20-yard line and it should have been 4. A coverage gaffe kept the ball from being downed at the 1-yard line.

Luke Glusco

Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.