Penn State-UMass Report Card: The Lions Tune Up Their Tuneup

Penn State worked efficiently, and with some flash, in dispatching UMass at Beaver Stadium.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State played its most transactional game of the season Saturday, rightly finishing UMass 63-0 in a driving rain at Beaver Stadium. Both teams got what they came for: UMass made $1.6 million, and Penn State built a preseason game into its schedule — and before playing Ohio State, no less!

But the game provided some interesting moments to grade, both on their merits Saturday and in context for the future. With that, to the report card.

OFFENSE: B

"I feel really good about this team," quarterback Drew Allar said after throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for another (on the largely unstoppable goal-line sneak). And for the most part, he should. The Lions' top backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, combined for a solid day: 24 carries, 147 yards, one TD and a 6.1 average per carry. Penn State was a perfect 10-for-10 on so-called power rushing plays, those of 2 yards or fewer to convert a first down or touchdown. That's line dominance. Allar threw all three touchdown passes to his tight ends, a tidy data point for next week. And tight end Theo Johnson, who caught two of those, is arriving at just the right time. Still, Allar went 1-for-5 on passing attempts of 15+ yards, thus carrying the explosive-play conversation into the biggest game of the season.

DEFENSE: A

The Lions posted their second consecutive home shutout and haven't allowed a point at Beaver Stadium in 11 quarters. Now, will that defense travel to Columbus? It certainly demonstrates a penchant for bringing the pass rush in waves and breaching the line of scrimmage. The Lions made 14 tackles for loss, 3.5 by end Adisa Isaac, who also is peaking at the right time. Keaton Ellis' potential pick-6 was waved off by a penalty, but that's certainly the kind of centerfield play the Lions want from their veteran safety. One bone to pick: How did Penn State's defense manage to get called for delay of game? Coordinator Manny Diaz looked exasperated after that. Oh, and nickelback Daequan Hardy broke up two passes, which leads to...

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Penn State could not have picked a better time to debut Hardy on punt returns, and Hardy could not have done more with the opportunity. He became the first player in Penn State history to return two punts in the same game for touchdowns. That even tied Penn State's single-season record. Of course, Penn State coach James Franklin made sure to note afterward what that might mean for the future: "This is going to create issues for people that are evaluatingthose on film and something that's going to cause them to kind of think about how they're going to defend him."

COACHING: B+

Franklin would take three trains out of his way if it meant keeping a single point in front of him. That point Saturday was this: Beat UMass before peeking around the corner to Columbus. And last week, which several players called the best set of practices this season, the Lions stayed true to that. The staff furthered Allar's confidence with a gameplan that gave him a little more room to throw, ran functional third-down sets (going 7-for-9), rotated players freely and still won by 63.

OVERALL: A-

Of course Penn State was going to win a cash game by a lot. But it also looked pretty sharp doing so. As Isaac said, "I feel like we're on the right track. We've just got to polish it up."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.