Three Things We Know About Penn State Heading Into the Oregon Game

The No. 2 Nittany Lions are unbeaten and untested. They will confront their first challenge vs. the Ducks.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) lines up behind center Nick Dawkins (53) against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State is through a quarter of its regular season, and coach James Franklin has lifted the squad to its fifth straight 3-0 start, albeit against subpar competition. Heading into the White Out against Oregon on Sept. 27, Penn State has plenty to be excited about but also enough issues to cause concern.

Before Penn State begins the Big Ten schedule, here’s a look at some of the good, some of the bad, and what else awaits.

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The good: Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is as advertised

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles looks on from the sideline during the Blue-White spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Three weeks into the season, Penn State’s defense has allowed just 17 points and pitched one shutout under first-year coordinator Jim Knowles. And the Nittany Lions were a last-second Villanova touchdown from shutting out consecutive opponents for the first time since 1996.

Statistically, all signs point to Knowles’ defense performing as advertised. The Nittany Lions rank third nationally in scoring defense (5.7 points per game), are tied for fifth in red-zone defense (50-percent scoring rate) and, with help from the offense, are tied for second in turnover margin (+6).

Further, the two touchdowns allowed by the Nittany Lions have come with backups on the field, meaning the starting 11 have yet to allow a touchdown. For now, Penn State’s defense is performing as expected under Knowles, though the first true test is against Oregon.

The bad: Quarterback Drew Allar’s inconsistencies

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar drops back in the pocket while looking to throw a pass during against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Allar entered his senior year with sky-high expectations. CBS’ David Cobb ranked Allar as the third-best quarterback in college football, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt ranked him fifth and The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales placed Allar sixth.

However, Allar’s performance through three games didn’t even qualify him as a top-100 quarterback nationally, according to ESPN. Through three weeks Allar ranked 111th in ESPN’s Adjusted Quarterback Rating, or QBR (38.4). To put that into perspective, Oregon’s Dante Moore’s QBR is more than double that of Allar (85.3) on the 0-100 scale.

But what exactly is troubling Penn State’s starting quarterback? In Week 2, Franklin alluded to Allar overthinking as a contributing factor, but the quarterback was quick to say that changed after the Villanova game. “I felt pretty good overall. … I felt better about my performance,” Allar said.

Since completing 84.6 percent of his passes against Nevada in the season opener, the senior has yet to eclipse 60 percent and has struggled on third down. He’s 6-for-15 overall and went 0-for-5 against Villanova. One thing is certain: Allar must perform better for Penn State to have a chance against Oregon.

What could be coming: Nicholas Singleton is due

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Singleton, Penn State's star running back, has made headlines this season, though not for the reasons he anticipated. Fellow back Kaytron Allen has outgained in all three games and is averaging 8 yards per carry to Singleton’s 4.4. Singleton is averaging 59.7 yards per game, and his longest run is just 16 yards.

But that’s due to change, and there’s no better time for Singleton to break out than in the White Out game against Oregon. The Ducks rank 13th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed per game (122.7), and run defense has been one of their few questionable aspects.

Additionally, in Singleton’s lone matchup against Oregon, which came in 2024’s Big Ten Championship, he totaled 105 yards on just 10 carries and gashed the Ducks for a game-high 41-yard gain.

Penn State hosts Oregon for the annual White Out on Sept. 27 at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) carries the ball against the Oregon Ducks during the Big Ten Championship Game. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images