Penn State Downs UCLA, 27-11
UNIVERSITY PARK– No. 7/7 Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) defeated UCLA (1-4, 0-3 Big Ten) 27-11 on a beautiful Stripe Out Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium. Penn State welcomed 110,047 fans to Happy Valley, the 10th-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history, for the Nittany Lions’ fifth-straight win.
Tight end Tyler Warren continued to etch his mark in Nittany Lion history Saturday afternoon, eclipsing PSU alum Pat Freiermuth’s four-year-old record for career touchdowns scored by a Penn State tight end. Warren hauled in his third receiving touchdown of the year with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to record his 17th career touchdown, breaking a tie with Freiermuth.
Penn State controlled the contest from start to finish, leading to its fourth double-digit win in five games. Quarterback Drew Allar went 17-for-24 for 237 yards and a touchdown through the air. Running back Kaytron Allen carried the load on the ground, totaling 78 yards on 21 carries for 3.7 yards per attempt. Allen reached the endzone in the third quarter for his second rushing touchdown in the last two games. Allar punched in the first touchdown of the contest with a quarterback sneak up the middle, his third rushing score of the year.
As a passer, Allar spread the ball to eight different receivers, a group highlighted by Warren, who hauled in his third receiving touchdown of the season. He finished with 29 yards on three catches. Wide receiver Liam Clifford caught three balls for 107 yards, achieving his first career 100-plus-yard game. His 57-yard catch set up a Penn State touchdown in the fourth quarter. Freshman running back Quinton Martin Jr. grabbed the first three receptions of his young career for 18 yards.
Once again, the Penn State defense put together a dominant performance, holding UCLA to just 11 points in the game. The Bruins’ only touchdown in the contest came with just 16 seconds left in the game. The Nittany Lions buckled down on third down, allowing just six conversions in 15 attempts. Additionally, Penn State stopped the Bruins twice on fourth down.
The Blue & White caused havoc in the backfield with seven tackles for loss and two sacks. Safety Jaylen Reed recorded a sack, and a forced fumble while defensive tackle Zane Durant and defensive end Amin Vanover combined for the other Penn State sack. Defensive end Abdul Carter made 1.5 stops in the backfield to go along with a quarterback hurry. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton posted two quarterback hits that resulted in two pass breakups.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State got on the board in the second quarter with a one-yard rushing score by Allar. The Nittany Lions constructed a 16-play, 82-yard scoring drive to open up a 7-0 lead at the 6:40 mark of the second quarter.
UCLA connected on a 25-yard field goal attempt with 2:51 to go in the opening half to cut the Nittany Lion advantage to 7-3. The Bruins traveled 68 yards down the field in eight plays for their first scoring drive.
The Nittany Lions answered back with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a five-yard touchdown pass by Allar to Warren. Penn State shaved 2:31 of time, leaving just 20 seconds on the clock in the first half.
Penn State added a field goal at the 8:36 mark of the third quarter to go up 17-3 over UCLA. Ryan Barker connected on a 25-yarder to wrap up a seven-play, 39-yard scoring drive for the Nittany Lions.
Allen found the end zone for a rushing score in the second consecutive game, a one-yard touchdown to increase Penn State’s lead to 24-3 with 2:57 to play in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions traveled 58 yards on five plays for the score.
The Penn State defense stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs by the Bruins in the red zone with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game to maintain their 24-3 lead.
The stop led to a Nittany Lion field goal by Barker on the ensuing drive. The scoring drive covered 65 yards in seven plays and increased Penn State’s lead to 27-3 with 8:17 to play.
UCLA scored its first and only touchdown of the game with just 16 seconds left in the game. The Bruins took 16 plays to go 73 yards for their lone touchdown. Their two-point conversion pass attempt was successful, but it was too little, too late, as the Nittany Lions earned the 27-11 win.
The 2024 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.
