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Penn State 46, Nevada 11: Rapid Reaction From the Nittany Lions' Week 1 Win

The Nittany Lions scored on nine straight possessions and forced three turnovers. But some issues arose.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Kyron Hudson (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Kyron Hudson (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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STATE COLLEGE | Second-ranked Penn State rolled past Nevada 46-11 in its 2025 opener Saturday, a perfect game for coaches to devour. The Nittany Lions scored on nine straight possessions, forced three turnovers and got an efficient start from quarterback Drew Allar.

But Nittany Lions coach James Franklin also left Beaver Stadium with plenty of complaints, notably with his uneven run game and that late touchdown: Nevada scored with 25 seconds left after a pass-interference call inside the 10-yard line. The rapid reaction from Penn State's Week 1 win.

Drew Allar likes his receivers

Penn State football coach James Franklin talks with quarterback Drew Allar during the game vs. the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin talks with quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

In an interview before the game, Gary Danielson concluded that Penn State's receivers didn't have a catch in the Orange Bowl because they were underused during the regular season. It's a fair point, considering tight end Tyler Warren caught 104 passes last year and Penn State's top six receivers caught 102.

So far, Allar seems to like this new group. He targeted the transfer receivers (Kyron Hudson, Trebor Pena and Devonte Ross) on 17 of his 26 attempts. Pena led Penn State with seven receptions, while Hudson looked like a No. 1 (six receptions, 89 yards, TD). Allar particularly coded the offense to those guys on a 2-minute scoring drive, targeting them five times. He finished 22 of 26 for 217 yards and a passer rating of 167.4

A key first-half series for Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar runs with the ball vs. the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs with the ball while trying to break a tackle during the second quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Nittany Lions' offense moved erratically in the first half, expected for an opener, but two series were notable. Penn State capped two gifted red-zone possessions (one on a Zane Durant interception, another on King Mack's 73-yard kickoff return) with just two field goals.

The first hinged on a snap that Drew Allar didn't catch, but the second was more notable. Nevada's defense shut down Nicholas Singleton on a first-down run and a second-down screen, which had no blockers, to force the field goal. Then Penn State got a chance to run its 2-minute offense.

Allar looked sharp on the 8-play, 64-yard scoring series, completing six of eight passes. He also side-armed a short fourth-down conversion to Ross, then found Hudson for a 31-yard touchdown. Hudson waved at Allar from the 15-yard line, which the quarterback finally recognized. That seemed like a tool-sharpening drive.

An uneven start for Penn State's offensive line

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen runs through contact in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada.
Penn State running back Kaytron Allen runs through contact in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Andy Kotelnicki clearly loves this offensive line and wants to show it off this season. Penn State ran multiple six- and seven-linemen sets, shifted players around and asked them to dance in the tempo offense.

On Penn State's opening touchdown drive, Kotelnicki called a seven-man front for a 3rd-and-1 conversion, then split tackle Drew Shelton and guard Vega Ioane wide on the next play. Guard Cooper Cousins played H-back for one play on the series. And of course Ioane went in motion.

All good stuff. Alas, not everything was sharp. Nevada checked Singleton well (eight carries, 19 yards), though he did score two touchdowns. And that botched screen deflated Mack's first Penn State return. Singleton and Kaytron Allen surprisingly combined for only 62 yards rushing on eight carries each.

Nevada held its own against Penn State's interior line, albeit with a lot of bodies, and defensive lineman Dylan Labarbera (6-1, 246 pounds) was a handful with two tackles for loss. Overall, though, a fair debut with room to improve.

Dani Dennis-Sutton, menace. But what else?

Miss Abdul Carter yet? Penn State is in a tough spot early at defensive end, which sounds strange with Dani Dennis-Sutton on the field. Dennis-Sutton expectedly broke Nevada's tackles, making 2.5 tackles for loss, forcing two fumbles, breaking up a pass and pushing the defensive pace constantly. He's an All-American in the making, but Penn State has won games with multiple edge rushers the past few seasons and does not have that yet.

Sixth-year senior Zuriah Fisher, who Franklin pitched as a preseason player to watch, did not play after missing the 2024 season with an injury. Redshirt sophomore Mason Robinson was out for the game. And redshirt freshman Max Granville already is out with a long-term injury. Redshirt freshman Jaylen Harvey started, and true freshman Chaz Coleman got some run, as did Yvan Kemajou.

Penn State certainly has an interior presence, with Zane Durant getting his first career interception and fellow tackle Xavier Gilliam setting up two turnovers with his middle surge. But this team needs bodies on the edge soon.

Welcome to the show, and welcome back

Ethan Grunkemeyer led his first scoring drive at Penn State, which he capped with his first rushing touchdown. Grunkemeyer showed some polish on the series, going 4-for-6 for 73 yards.

Penn State's second-string defense produced a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter that ended with Wolf Pack quarterback Chubba Purdy throwing a fourth-down pass off the crossbar. In for Penn State's defense on the series were transfers Owen Wafle (Michigan) and Enai White (Texas A&M).

Tight end Andrew Rappleyea played one promising game last season before ending his year with an injury. He returned in the second half with a determined 26-yard reception that included 17 yards after contact.

King Mack made an electric re-introduction to the Penn State fan base, returning a first-half kickof for 73 yards. Mack played for the Nittany Lions as a freshman in 2023, transferred to Alabama last year and returned to Penn State for his junior season.

Up next

Penn State hosts FIU on Sept. 6 at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on Big Ten Network.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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