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Penn State Vs. Purdue Breakdown: Nittany Lions Unleash Tyler Warren Again

The tight end totals 190 all-purpose yards and scores two touchdowns in a comfortable Penn State victory.

Mark Wogenrich

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren looks at Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Hudson Miller during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren looks at Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Hudson Miller during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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Penn State coach James Franklin has been pitching Tyler Warren for weeks as the nation's top tight end. At Purdue, the Nittany Lions called a game seeking to get Warren an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Warren finished with 190 all-purpose yards, caught eight passes and scored two touchdowns as No. 4 Penn State routed Purdue 49-10 at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday. The Nittany Lions (9-1) removed their starting offense late in the third quarter but continued scoring points with the College Football Playoff committee in mind.

Penn State outmanned Purdue across the board. The Nittany Lions scored three second-half touchdowns of 48, 46 and 49 yards, totaled 539 yards of offense, went 9-for-14 on third down with their lead offense and prompted a Purdue quarterback change. Quarterback Drew Allar played a superbly efficient game, going 17-for-19 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Allar's only two incompletions were a dropped pass and an overthrow to a running back.

And, of course, Penn State gave Warren another showcase.

It's Tyler Warren time

Penn State's athletic communcations department sent an email Friday titled, "TYLER WARREN: The Best Tight End in College Football." The game plan sought to prove that. It didn't begin with this play, but this was a highlight.

Penn State has worked Warren into a variety of sets in which he can run or throw. But he hasn't thrown (a lateral, to be fair) and caught a pass on the same play. Warren turned this into a 38-yard gain. Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton scored on a quick snap the very next play.

Warren finished with 190 all-purpose yards in yet another multi-use game. He caught eight passes for 127 yards, carried three times for 63 yards from the Wildcat formation and outran Purdue's back seven for a 48-yard touchdown, Penn State's longest rushing score of the season (to that point). Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki unvelied some new wrinkles with Warren, including the lateral throwback and an inside pitch. On his direct-snap touchdown in the second half, Warren followed pulling guard Sal Wormley across the formation's left side and outraced a linebacker for the score.

Warren had six catches for 81 yards before Purdue quarterback Hudson Card had even completed his second pass. The tight end again moved across the formation, ran routes out of motion and caught passes in a variety of situations. He went downfield, caught a short slant on third down and converted the back-shoulder touchdown catch in the second quarter. The toughest defense he face was the turf, which he caught trying to get some yards after catch. Warren also gained eight yards on a 4th-and-1 direct snap in the second half.

Dani Dennis-Sutton emerges

Dennis-Sutton, injured at Wisconsin, played limited snaps the past two weeks against Ohio State (five) and Washington (10). But the defensive end returned to a full-time role at Purdue with impact. He made two tackles for loss, including a sack, and was consistently disruptive in the backfield.

Abdul Carter shows his burst

Not to be outdone, Carter played another explosive game, causing backfield havoc on Purdue quarterbacks Hudson Card and Ryan Browne. Carter added two tackles for loss, bringing his FBS-leading total to 17.5, and made this exceptional chase-down on third-and-long. The explosiveness in coverage is something NFL scouts certainly noticed from the defensive end.

Nittany Lions get out to another quick start

Penn State scored touchdowns on its first two possessions Saturday, continuing a theme it began against Washington last week (four first-half touchdowns). The Nittany Lions went on drives of 75 and 93 yards, converted their first four third-down attempts and mixed offensive calls.

Allar, who completed 13 of 14 first-half passes, didn't have to make difficult throws. Warren thrived against man coverage, catching four passes on Penn State's opening drive. He was no match for Purdue's attempts to cover him with a safety. The Nittany Lions capped their first scoring drive with an easy pitch-and-catch from Allar to a wide open Kaytron Allen, who got that way because Purdue convened its attention on Warren inside.

Allar also showed no lingering effects of the lower-body injury he sustained at Wisconsin in late October. The quarterback scrambled well, escaping the rush and gaining 14 yards by breaking two tackles (one high, one low).

An oops for Purdue

The Boilermakers might want to rethink their endzone paint scheme. Purdue put together a run-heavy second-quarter drive, getting into the red zone on a 29-yard completion from Card to tight end Max Clare. Card then had receiver De'Nylon Morrissette open in the back of the end zone, but too far back.
Morrissette thought he had an easy touchdown catch. But he was behind the white line, and the pylon, and the play was incomplete. Purdue settled for a field goal.

An oops for Purdue, Part II

Penn State receiver Tre Wallace waited alone in the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown catch from Allar in the third quarter? How did he get so open? Because the Boilermakers' defense was transfixed on Warren. A Purdue defensive back cheated downward to focus on Warren open in the midfield, leaving Wallace a free run to the end zone.

Noteworthy for the Nittany Lions

Warren had Penn State's longest touchdown run of the season for barely a quarter. Quarterback Beau Pribula topped it by one yard later in the third quarter, racing through Purdue's secondary for a 49-yard touchdown.

Penn State was determined to get Pribula some work throwing the ball late in the game. The quarterback threw three passes downfield in the final 3 minutes, the last of which produced a 24-yard touchdown pass to freshman Luke Reynolds.

Penn State got plenty of freshmen into the game. Among them was receiver Tyseer Denmark, who took a potential touchdown toss from Pribula off the facemask. Running back Corey Smith took the bulk of Penn State's fourth-quarter carries, rushing eight times for 37 yards.

Injury Update

After Purdue's fourth-quarter touchdown, freshman defensive end Jaylen Harvey had to be helped off the field with a left leg injury. Offensive lineman JB Nelson went to the injury tent in the first half on Warren's fourth-quarter conversion. Cornerback Elliot Washington II was hury in the first half as well.

Up Next

Penn State plays its final regular-season road game Nov. 23 at Minnesota. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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