3 Things We Learned From Penn State's Precarious Win Over Bowling Green

The No. 8 Nittany Lions withstood a challenge from the Falcons, who capitalized on some early cracks in Penn State's defense.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State opened as a 34.5-point favorite against Bowling Green on Saturday. After slamming West Virginia last weekend, the Nittany Lions were expected to roll to 2-0. Instead, Penn State found itself in a dogfight with the visiting Falcons, who went blow-for-blow with the No. 8 team in the nation. 

The Nittany Lions pulled out a 34-27 win, but the effort was far from inspiring, particularly on defense in the first half. Here’s what we learned about Penn State from Saturday’s game.

Penn State’s defense took a step back

After an impressive debut at West Virginia last week, Tom Allen’s defense came out flat against Bowling Green. The Falcons racked up 286 total yards in the first half and led 24-20 going into halftime. In the full game last week, West Virginia had only 246 total yards and 12 points at home. 

Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak was outstanding in the first half, going 16-for-20 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Penn State struggled to get pressure on the veteran passer, who worked quick passes to a highly efficient group of pass-catchers. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was the Falcons’ biggest receiving threat, finishing with 137 yards on 11 receptions. 

The Nittany Lions tightened things up in the second half, shutting out Bowling Green and holding its offense to 89 total yards. Interceptions in the second half by Tony Rojas and Zakee Wheatley, two first-year starters, helped Penn State take the lead and close out the game. 

Still, the Falcons exposed some holes in the Nittany Lions defense that weren’t apparent after the dominant Week 1 win. Penn State will get the bye next week to try to iron out those kinks.

Tyler Warren emerges as a game-changer

For all we’ve heard about Penn State’s wide receiver room making strides this offseason, tight end Tyler Warren was the one who dominated against Bowling Green. The senior caught eight passes for 146 yards, coming through time and time again on third down. 

Only four other players had catches for the Nittany Lions: two for receiver Omari Evans and one each for tight end Khalil Dinkins, running back Nick Singleton and receiver Julian Fleming. 

Wide receiver Harrison Wallace III had a disappearing act against the Falcons. After catching nine passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns in Morgantown, Wallace didn’t make a catch this week. Coach James Franklin attributed that to the number of playmakers his offense has.

Allar attempted only 20 passes, as Penn State pounded the rock 37 times. The junior quarterback looked sharp overall, and Warren looked to be his favorite target on Saturday.

"He’s very consistent, probably one of the most consistent guys on our team on both sides of the ball," Allar said of Warren. "And obviously he’s a really big target. He just finds ways to get open. He does a realy good job of feeling zone vs man [coverages] and he’s super crafty and savvy in that aspect."

Singleton and Allen break 100 yards

The two-headed monster of Singleton and Kaytron Allen got the job done and then some against the Falcons. Singleton totaled 119 yards and a score on 13 carries and caught a touchdown pass out of the backfield. Allen contributed 101 yards on 14 carries. 

The duo combined to average 8.1 yards per carry, which often helped set up Penn State with favorable second- and third-down situations. Penn State averaged 9.7 yards rushing on first downs alone. 

The big-play element was also in play, as Singleton ripped off a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to effectively seal the game. 

Through two games, it’s been encouraging to see Penn State’s star running backs make plays. The better they play, the more things will open up for the passing game.

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson