The Highs and Lows of Penn State's 6-0 Start

The Nittany Lions are in prime position for the College Football Playoff. Still, they have some issues to address.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar calls a play in the second half against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When kicker Ryan Barker made his 46-yard field goal in overtime last weekend, he clinched Penn State’s 33-30 victory over USC that lifted the Nittany Lions to 6-0 for the second straight season.

However, lost in the storylines and emotions of the impressive road win — one of the most significant comeback efforts Penn State’s had in recent seasons after trailing 20-6 at halftime — was the fact that the Nittany Lions’ were officially halfway through their 2024 regular season. Now ranked No. 3 entering its second bye week, head coach James Franklin’s group can’t help but be pleased with how the 2024 season is trending. There have been mostly positive themes, but a few concerns, with the team’s output this season.

High: Statement road wins

Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum aren’t easy places to play as a road team in college football. Plus, West Virginia and USC’s combined 6-6 record this season doesn’t provide the full picture of how talented both teams are. If Penn State proved one thing between its road matchups against the Mountaineers and Trojans, it's that an environment outside of Beaver Stadium isn’t going to affect it 

Despite some preseason hype surrounding the matchup, the Nittany Lions cruised to a 34-12 win over West Virginia in Week 1. A four-game home stretch followed. So by the time the USC matchup came around, Penn State had a second opportunity to prove it could handle a road game. That matchup resulted in an impressive 518-yard showing from the offense, which powered through with a record-breaking day from tight end Tyler Warren and some gutsy fourth-down calls down the stretch.

The Nittany Lions have three road games remaining: Oct. 26 at Wisconsin, Nov. 16 at Purdue and Nov. 23 at Minnesota. As each week passes, the team looks increasingly likely to host a playoff game in Beaver Stadium. But if Penn State does wind up traveling for a playoff game, it's proving that being the road team isn’t going to affect its performance.

RELATED: Penn State's first-half report card

Low: Slow starts 

The Nittany Lions are 6-0. That’s a preface to any criticism facing them this season. That said, for the sixth consecutive game, Penn State started its matchup against USC slowly.

The team averages 34.2 points per game but just four in the first quarter. Against USC, Penn State had to orchestrate a comeback because of its lackluster play on both sides of the ball in the first half. Franklin’s group looks talented and deep enough to make a playoff push, but against top-tier opponents, like its upcoming Week 10 meeting with Ohio State, a lack of early production isn’t going to cut it.

There’s no simple fix for scoring points earlier outside of better execution. But as Penn State moves forward, its slow starts are a trend worth monitoring.

High: The long-awaited offensive explosiveness 

The term “explosive” has been mentioned countless times surrounding the Nittany Lions since the end of last season. At first, it was used in questions: Could Penn State’s offense be more explosive under first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki? Now, “explosive” is a word widely used to describe an offense that’s pounding the ground game, letting it fly through the air and consistently going deep into its playbook, including its use of the team’s star tight end as a quarterback, running back, center and wide receiver.

 Penn State ranks 10th in FBS in yards per play (7.21) and 14th in yards per game (471.2). Those numbers, of course, are products of what Kotelnicki brought from Kansas: creative, yet simple play designs for the offense that cater to the team’s strengths. Significant leaps in individual development from several players, like Warren and quarterback Drew Allar, have only helped.

Low: Injury concerns

Luckily, most of Penn State’s most important pieces have remained healthy. But through seven weeks, the Nittany Lions have been a bit beat up with both short and long-term injuries.

Safety KJ Winston, who led the team with 60 tackles in 2023, represents the biggest loss so far. Franklin described Winston’s injury as “long-term” after the captain left the Bowling Green game. Without Winston, defensive coordinator Tom Allen has been tasked with finding production from a variety of players in the secondary as they step into bigger roles. Senior Jaylen Reed has excelled in Winston’s absence, leading the team in tackles (39). 

Tight end Andrew Rappleywa, who started against West Virginia, sustained another long-term injury. An explosion in production from Warren has helped Penn State’s tight end room get through Rappelyea’s injury so far, but the offense has seen a number of short-term concerns lately as well. Running back Nicholas Singleton watched from the sidelines in Week 6 against UCLA, while No. 3 running back Cam Wallace is out long-term. Punt returner Kaden Saunders and offensive linemen Sal Wormley and Anthony Donkoh have dealt with various injury concerns as well. Defensively, the Nittany Lions lost lineman Zuriah Fisher and linebacker Keon Wylie, both potential contributors, to injuries before the season.

The Nittany Lions’ depth has taken some hits in the first half of the season. But to this point, Franklin and his staff have plugged their holes effectively. As Penn State enters its second-half stretch, it hopes to get healthier on its run to the College Football Playoff.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.