The Penn State Football Report Card: Washington Edition

The Nittany Lions got right, or at least executed right, in a 35-6 victory over the Washington Huskies.

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State got right, or at least executed right, in a 35-6 win over Washington on Saturday night that re-established the team's November course to the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions (8-1) moved up two spots in each of the major polls (to No. 4 in the AP Top 25) and proved another measure of its 2024 resilience.

Penn State overwhelmed the Huskies, which coach Jeff Fisch acknowledged after the game, and turned toward the season's final three weeks clearly understanding their mission after losing to Ohio State.

"I felt like, in the last two years of college football, if we lost that game last week it probably would have ended our season," Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter said. "But college football is different this year. That one game isn’t going to derail our season."

With that, to the grades.

OFFENSE: A-

The Nittany Lions inverted their season-long ethos at just the right time. An admittedly low-scoring first-quarter team, Penn State bounced to a 28-0 halftime lead by scoring on its first four possessions for the first time this season. The Nittany Lions began the game 7-for-7 on third down, produced five red-zone touchdowns and used tight end Tyler Warren inside the 5-yard line for two of them. Everything they didn't do right against the Buckeyes.

Quarterback Drew Allar (20-for-28, 220 yards, one touchdown) was underratedly terrific. He was 7-for-8 on third down and didn't get sacked, a companion nod to his offensive line. Warren ran wild again, and the wide receivers emerged from their Big Ten funk. Tre Wallace (five recpetions, 84 yards) ran solid routes all night, and Julian Fleming gave the receivers their first conference touchdown catch of the season. Kaytron Allen (20 carries, 98 yards) led a run game that totaled 266 yards without Nicholas Singleton for most of the second half. Seventy-eight of those yards belonged to freshman back Corey Smith, who delivered the Lions' longest offensive play of the season.

DEFENSE: A-

Defensive end Abdul Carter, who produced his second straight multi-sack game, is playing at an All-America, money-making level. He's blooming into the kind of player who leads postseason runs. Washington could not hold back Penn State's defensive line, which helped create five sacks and nine tackles for loss. The Huskies had 126 yards of total offense before their final drive, which included a 43-yard scamper from their backup quarterback. Penn State so withered Washington that Fisch kicked two field goals down by four possessions instead of trying to convert fourth downs.

The Huskes did generate two long drives, including a 13-play series to start the game, but could not convert them into serious scoring opportunities. Safety Jaylen Reed (interception) and linebacker Kobe King (seven tackles) helped ensure that.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-

Kicker Ryan Barker's perfect season ended with a missed 44-yard field goal. He's 8-for-9 in a still-exceptional year. Singleton delivered his most explosive kickoff return of the season, a 97-yarder to the end zone, but a holding penalty (evidently called on Liam Clifford) brought it back. Punter Riley Thompson had the night off, and former starting kicker Sander Sahaydak was "out" for the game, according to the Big Ten pregame availability report.

COACHING: B+

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki demonstrated that he learned a goal-line lesson against Ohio State. Kotelincki called Warren's number twice inside the 5-yard line, resulting in two touchdowns. He also ran Beau Pribula wide in the red zone, generating another score. The coordinator issued an apology and a mea culpa in real time.

Head coach James Franklin and his staff also kept the Nittany Lions properly pointing forward. The team spent all week repeating Franklin's lines about "flushing" the Ohio State game and not allowing one loss become two. The right words can be difficult to heed, though, and Penn State's staff got the players into that frame of mind. They also did so quickly, removing any discussion of hangovers at Beaver Stadium.

OVERALL: A-

Penn State's best first half of the season also was its timeliest. The Nittany Lions needed to tie off the Ohio State loss quickly and decisively. They did. Now, they can begin the march toward that possible playoff rematch with the Buckeyes.

More Penn State Football

What they said after the Nittany Lions' win over Washington

What we learned from a dominant Penn State victory against the Huskies

Penn State defensive lineman no longer with the team

Penn State on SI 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 X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.