2023 Penn State football film review: Nittany Lions dominate UMass

In the 103rd Homecoming Game, No. 6 Penn State got its second shutout victory of the season, stomping UMass 63-0.

Coming off the bye week, the Nittany Lions roared without hesitation on all sides of the ball in its largest shutout victory since 1991.

Mike Bolger and Amanda Vogt detail the plays that stood out during the season’s final non-conference contest before No. 7 Penn State travels to Columbus and faces No. 3 Ohio State.

Amanda

Plays we liked: 1st&5 MAS 30 – Drew Allar hits Theo Johnson for the 30-yard touchdown

Penn State has a habit of using the third quarter to pull away from its opponents. Despite being up 28-0 at halftime, it kept its foot on the gas and scored within the first five minutes of the quarter.

With Kaytron Allen in the backfield, the Nittany Lions with two wide on the right and Johnson on the left. When Allar took the snap, the tight end ran a route between two defenders up the middle of the field before making the catch at the six-yard line.

Because of the distance Johnson created, he had a wide-open lane to the endzone. Allar’s pass hit him in stride, and the quarterback was able to set his feet in the pocket before delivering the ball.

The junior finished the game with four receptions for 66 yards and another receiving touchdown later in the third quarter.

Plays we didn’t like: 2nd&9 MAS 43 – first offensive fumble of the season

UMass won the coin toss and elected to defer, so for the first time all season, Penn State started the game with the ball. On its opening drive, Allar led the offense nearly 10 yards into Minutemen territory before the unit lost possession.

Allar completed an 11-yard pass to Harrison Wallace III, who was unable to maintain control as Isaiah Rutherford brought him to the ground. Tyler Mas Rudolph recovered the ball to give UMass its first possession of the contest.

Penn State was the only team in the FBS that hadn’t turned the ball over entering the game. Luckily, the Minutemen didn’t capitalize on the change in possession, but against tougher opponents, turnovers early in the game can be pivotal momentum and confidence shifters.

Unique play: Daequan Hardy reaches the house on two different punt returns

For the first time in school history, a player recorded two punt returns for touchdowns in a single game.

Hardy opened up the game’s scoring with just over four minutes to go in the first quarter. UMass punted from deep in its own territory, and on his first career punt return, the redshirt senior maneuvered through blockers to travel 56 yards for the touchdown.

In the third quarter, Hardy ran it back – literally. The Minutemen sent a punt to Penn State’s 32-yard line, and after breaking initial tackle attempts, Hardy beat out the punter to reach the house for a second time.

The special teams unit shined for the Nittany Lions, and they showcased scoring abilities that contributed to the team’s ability to impact the game in aspects.

Mike

Plays we liked: 3rd&10 MAS 32 — Dani Dennis-Sutton and Adisa Isaac combine for Penn State’s first sack.

Off a Wallace III fumble on the first drive of the game, the Minutemen looked to strike first in a hostile Beaver Stadium environment.

Taisun Phommachanh was set up on third down and long in the backfield, with two wide receivers to the far and near side.

The third-year quarterback faced a five-man rush with the secondary in press coverage and Kevin Winston Jr. over the middle to shadow the running back. Manny Diaz also put Jaylen Reed deep to prevent any big plays but was letting the world know he was coming after the quarterback.

That pressure came quickly, but with four men on the rush, Dennis-Sutton pulled from the outside into the middle, and Isaac came flying from the near side edge to sack Phommachanh.

It was a well-drawn rush design that was highlighted by Curtis Jacobs, who pulled away from the pressure to pick up the running back and give Winston Jr. the ability to take the underneath route away.

Plays we didn’t like: 3rd&14 MAS 49 — Drew Allar is sacked by JB Brown

The offensive line for the Nittany Lions had an outstanding day against UMass under the cold and wet conditions, except for this play.

On the fourth third down attempt of the first quarter, Allar faced a four-man rush against his five-man protection and Nicholas Singleton in the backfield.

With three wide receivers to his left and Theo Johnson at the top of the play, the sophomore quarterback took a low snap before he faced immediate pressure up the middle.

UMass came back with a similar pull technique that saw Brown and Billy Wooden switch and confuse the interior of the offensive line.

Only Johnson and Singleton were close enough for Allar to dump the ball off before he was brought down to the wet field. Allar was flushed away from Singleton’s route and had to abandon the read with Johnson covered up five yards away from the line of scrimmage.

Lack of communication led to a punt, which gave UMass its second offensive drive as Penn State put nothing on the board to this point.

Unique play: 1st&10 MAS — Kaytron Allen bulldozes his way through the UMass defense for an 18-yard gain

After Hardy returned the first punt return for a touchdown since 2020, the Penn State offense went back on the field as it looked to match the production from the special teams.

Allen came in for his first carry of the day, and his first since he was pulled in the first quarter of the Northwestern game in Week 5.

On his first carry, the sophomore running back lined up in the backfield with Allar next to him and six blockers on the line of scrimmage.

The Virginia native took the ball off the snap and immediately cut to the far side as the offensive line got a fantastic push down the field. Allen turned the corner, put his foot on the gas and lowered his shoulder to gain a first down.

As he got twisted up with Tyler Warren, who was blocking downfield, everyone in Beaver Stadium thought the play was done except for Allen.

The star running back bounced off Warren and continued to stay up for his offensive line to get back in the play and push him forward for another five yards.

The effort from Allen showed the Nittany Lion faithful that he was back as he proceeded to run for another 50 yards off of eight more carries and a score.

Micheal Bolger is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mpb6233@psu.edu.

Amanda Vogt is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com.