What We Learned From Penn State's Dominant Win Over Washington

The Nittany Lions turned up the first-half offense, and turned loose Tyler Warren, in a rousing win over the Huskies.

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) jumps over the Washington Huskies' defense for a touchdown at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State turned the page on last weekend’s loss to Ohio State, slamming Washington 35-6 during its annual White Out at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions (8-1) played possibly their best half of the season, putting away the Huskies with a 28-0 first half. Here’s what we learned from the Nittany Lions’ win over the Huskies. 

Penn State’s offense had a perfect start

It seemed like offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki listened to the critics. After not scoring an offensive touchdown against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions flew out to a 28-0 halftime with a nearly flawless offense. On four first-half drives, Penn State totaled 264 yards and went 7-for-7 on third down. Penn State also converted all four of its red-zone trips into touchdowns, with tight end Tyler Warren cementing himself as the team’s best short-yardage weapon, albeit a week late. 

“We’ve had our moments this year, but I think we really put it together in that first half,” Drew Allar said. 

Things slowed down in the second half, with Penn State fumbling and then missing a field goal in the third quarter. In the fourth, the Nittany Lions got back on track with an excellent 16-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that milked 8:39 off the clock. 

Penn State finished with 486 yards of offense and had its way through the air and on the ground against Washington’s defense. The team hasn’t proven it can achieve this production in big games, and it won’t get another opportunity to prove it again until the postseason. But at least on Saturday night, the Nittany Lions looked impressive offensively. 

RELATED: Penn State's Nicholas Singleton injured against Washington

Abdul Carter and the pass rush get to work

Defensive end Abdul Carter has been a menace recently, as he tormented the Washington tackles with another multi-sack game. Carter had two sacks and four tackles for loss. He’s up to eight sacks on the season, and this was his third game this year with multiple sacks after having two apiece against Illinois and Ohio State. 

“He’s a dominant force. He does a lot for a defense, they have to scheme up for him and game-plan for him in a way,” linebacker Kobe King said. “But man, he must be the best player on the field, best player in the world really. Just from me knowing him, he’s a guy.” 

The Nittany Lions finished with five sacks. King notched one in the first quarter, Jordan Mayer and Ta’Mere Robinson combined for one in the fourth quarter and cornerback Audavion Collins added another sack late. They could have had more sacks if it wasn’t for some great individual scrambles by Washington replacement quarterback Demond Williams Jr. in the second half. 

Penn State’s front seven got great push overall, neutralizing running backs Jonah Coleman and Adam Mohammed. The duo combined for only 44 yards on 19 total runs, 2.3 yards per carry. 

Tight end Tyler Warren has another elite performance

Tyler Warren continued on his quest to rewrite Penn State’s tight end record books. Warren broke the program’s single-season receptions record for a tight end, eclipsing Mike Gesicki’s 57 catches in 2017. He also surpassed Gesicki’s single-season record of 679 yards in 2016. 

Warren played a huge role in the offense, making eight catches for 75 yards, rushing for two touchdowns and attempting a pass in the second half that fell incomplete. It’s not just the volume for Warren; it’s what he does with it. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end bowled over defenders for 57 yards after contact and put that frame to good use on the goal line. 

On Warren’s first score, he leaped over the line and stretched the ball across the goal line while suspended in the air. The second one required a bit less effort, as he plowed through a nice opening on the left side. Both scores came on third down, and it appears that Penn State knew it needed to get the ball in its playmaker’s hands on crucial plays. 

Warren is a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player, and also is in the running for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end. Penn State coach James Franklin said Warren should be the frontrunner for both. 

“I can’t see how this guy doesn’t win the Mackey Award and the Paul Hornung Award. I don’t see how he doesn’t,” Franklin said. “And they’d be proud that that guy represented their award because he does everything right both on and off the field. … [He’s] just a great example of what a Penn State football player is.”

More Penn State Football

Penn State has been great lately. But is that good enough?

Penn State defensive lineman no longer with the program

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