The Fighting Irish continue their College Football Playoff run this week versus the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl. We preview the Nittany Lions’ offense, which features two 1,000-yard rushers, below:
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Penn St enters this game 13-2 on the year, with losses to Ohio State and then Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. Here is how the Nittany Lions have fared this season:
at West Virginia (34-12, Win)
vs Bowling Green (34-27, Win)
vs Kent State (56-0, Win)
vs Illinois (21-7, Win)
vs UCLA (27-11, Win)
at USC (33-30, OT Win)
at Wisconsin (28-13, Win)
vs Ohio State (13-20, Loss)
vs Washington (35-6, Win)
at Purdue (49-10, Win)
at Minnesota (26-25, Win)
vs Maryland (44-7, Win)
vs Oregon (Big Ten Championship, 37-45, Loss)
vs SMU (CFP First Round, 38-10, Win)
vs Boise State (Fiesta Bowl, 31-14, Win)
The Nittany Lions’ offense has been impressive this season, ranking 25th among all FBS teams in points (33.7) and total yards per game (436.3). Additionally, both of these numbers are top-four among Big Ten competition. Offensive-minded Head Coach James Franklin has Penn State rolling at the right time with a strong rush attack mixed with an effective pass game.
One specific area that this offense has had success in is third-down conversions. The Nittany Lions enter the Orange Bowl converting 47% of their third-down attempts, the third-best percentage in the Big Ten and top-15 in the country. On the other side, Notre Dame possesses a top-five third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 29.8% of their attempts. Much like the Sugar Bowl, if the Irish defense can play well in these late-down scenarios, they should come out on top.
Penn St utilizes an effective passing game led by QB Drew Allar, which averages 234.1 yards per game, the eighth-most in the Big Ten and 58th among all FBS teams. However, the Nittany Lions’ 30 total passing touchdowns are tied for the third-most in the conference. Let’s preview Allar and some weapons that should impact Thursday’s outcome.
As mentioned above, Penn State’s starting quarterback is junior Drew Allar. Last season, his first as a full-time starter, he completed 59.9% of his throws for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns (led the Big Ten) with just two interceptions in 13 games played. This year, Allar has improved his accuracy, completing 67.4% of his attempts for 3,192 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions. The junior’s 67.4% completion rate is the fifth-most in the Big Ten and 12th among all FBS passers. In addition, his 157.2 passing efficiency is the fourth-best in the conference and tenth among all FBS passers. Allar’s 12.77 yards per completion also ranks fourth in the conference and 36th in the country. The junior has four games this season with three passing touchdowns and no interceptions, including last week versus Boise St. Overall, Allar is a good passer who has found consistent success on deep throws while rarely making mistakes. A key for the Notre Dame defense will be getting pressure on the quarterback all day as that is when he tends to underperform.
The most talented player on this offense, and Allar’s top target, is senior tight end Tyler Warren. This year’s John Mackey Award Winner, awarded to the top tight end in the country, will likely be one of the first two at his position to be selected in the ‘25 NFL Draft. Last season, Warren was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten after recording 34 receptions for 422 yards and seven touchdowns (tied for the most among Big Ten tight ends). This season, as Penn State’s leading receiver, he has totaled 98 catches for 1,158 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition to winning the Mackey Award, Warren was named to the First Team All-Big Ten and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. The senior’s 77.2 receiving yards and 6.5 receptions per game are both the fourth-most in the conference among all pass-catchers. He has at least three catches and 29 yards in each game including ten games with five or more receptions and nine games with 50-plus yards. Warren’s best game occurred at USC when he finished with a historic stat line of 17 receptions (most in PSU history) for 224 yards (most by a TE in PSU history) including a touchdown. In all, the senior is an elite receiving tight end with just three drops, two of which have occurred within the past two weeks, and one fumble. Warren, who sometimes lines up as the slot man, averages 6.7 yards after the catch. He struggles as a blocker but his receiving prowess offsets this issue.
Behind Warren, Penn St features two solid wide receivers including redshirt junior Harrison Wallace III. Before this season, he had 38 receptions for 501 yards and two touchdowns in 21 games played across the past two years. This year, Wallace has 46 catches for 723 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games played. He missed the Nittany Lions’ contest versus Maryland. The junior has at least two receptions and 29 yards in 13 games, although he was shutout versus Bowling Green on three targets. Wallace posted season-highs at West Virginia when he recorded five catches for 117 yards including two touchdowns. Wallace is probably the most talented wideout on the team, he can also line up in the slot, with four drops on 74 targets and no fumbles. Interestingly, four of the nine total Penn St interceptions were targeted for the junior wideout.
The other featured wideout is junior Omari Evans. He is experiencing a breakout season with 21 receptions for 415 yards and five touchdowns. Despite undergoing a three-game span (at Wisconsin, vs OSU, vs UW) where he saw no targets, Evans has at least one reception in 11 games. His best performance of the year came versus Kent St when he recorded four catches for 116 yards including a touchdown. Like Warren and Wallace, the junior wideout also lines up as the slot man at times. Evans has been solid most of the year, with two drops on 36 targets and no fumbles. The junior is Allar’s favorite deep threat, so Notre Dame’s secondary will need to always have an eye on Evans.
The last threats to highlight in the passing game are their two all-purpose running backs including junior Nicholas Singleton. Last season, he had 26 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games played. This year, Singleton has 39 catches for 342 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games played. He missed the UCLA game. The junior has at least one reception in 13 games, however, he did not have any targets last week versus Boise St. He had a season-high of six catches for 54 yards versus Ohio St. Singleton has proven to be a solid option when Allar is under pressure as he has three drops on 46 targets, including two versus SMU. He struggles as a pass blocker, but I would expect the Nittany Lions to involve the junior in the pass game plan this week.
Behind Singleton, is fellow junior back Kaytron Allen. Before this season, he had totaled 34 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns in 26 games played across the past two years. This season, Allen has 17 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns. His usage as a receiving option has varied heavily week-to-week, he has six games with no targets including last week versus Boise St. However, he has at least one reception in eight games including a season-high four receptions for 44 yards including a touchdown at Purdue. Overall, Allen is not as talented as a pass-catcher compared to Singleton, but it would not surprise me if he found one or two targets this week. He has two drops on 24 targets, no fumbles, and is averaging an impressive 9.8 yards after catch. Like Singleton, Allen also struggles as a pass blocker.
Penn State’s rush offense ranks among the best in the Big Ten featuring multiple threats. The Nittany Lions enter the Orange Bowl averaging 202.2 rush yards per game, the most in the conference and 18th among all FBS teams. They also lead the Big Ten with 5.29 yards per carry and are second in rush touchdowns with 32. Let’s preview their key rushers:
The first of Penn State’s two 1,000-yard rushers is all-purpose back Kaytron Allen. Before this season, he had 339 carries for 1,769 yards and 16 touchdowns across the past two years. This season, Allen has 201 carries for 1,026 yards and eight touchdowns. He has ten games with over 50 yards, including four games with over 100. The talented rusher recorded a season-high 134 yards on 17 carries versus Boise St. Allen has been great this season, totaling 660 yards after contact and just one fumble.
Perhaps the more talented rusher is Nicholas Singleton. The junior had 327 carries for 1,813 yards and 20 touchdowns in 26 games played before this season. This year, Singleton has 157 carries for 1,015 yards and nine touchdowns. Additionally, his 6.46 yards per carry leads the Big Ten and is the tenth-most among FBS rushers. He has recorded nine games with over 50 yards including a season-high of 119 on 13 carries including a touchdown versus Bowling Green. Singleton is another great rusher with just one fumble on the year, providing the Nittany Lions with two exceptional run-game options.
Quarterback Drew Allar also is capable of tucking and running when needed. Last season, he had 74 carries for 206 yards and four touchdowns. This year, Allar has 90 carries for 285 yards and six touchdowns, including at least three carries in each game. He rushed for a season-high 54 yards on five carries including a touchdown versus Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. Allar is a good rusher but four fumbles are somewhat of an issue. Last week, he finished with negative four yards on 11 carries including a fumble, despite having a 15-yard run. On his positive rushes, the junior quarterback displays a toughness similar to that of the Irish’s dual-threat signal-caller, Riley Leonard.
Another rushing threat that has emerged this season for the Nittany Lions is Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren. He has 24 carries for 197 yards and four touchdowns this year. The senior has at least one carry in 12 games but did not receive any last week. He rushed for a season-high 63 yards on three carries including a touchdown at Purdue. On his carries, Warren is a good runner who displays his toughness with averages of 8.2 yards per carry and 4.35 yards after contact. As mentioned before, he does struggle as a blocker and has two fumbles on the year. Something to keep an eye on is that ten of his 24 carries have gone outside to the left. Expect Penn St to try and catch Notre Dame off guard with a Warren rush or two.
Up front, Penn St features a good offensive line with two all-conference guards. This group has allowed 1.27 sacks per game (19 total), which is the fourth-fewest in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally. Additionally, their 3.93 tackles for loss per game allowed is the third-fewest in the conference and 14th among all FBS teams. Let’s preview the two key guards on this line:
The Nittany Lions’ starting left guard is redshirt sophomore Olaivavega Ionae. He was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten this season. The young guard is a good all-around blocker. He has allowed 16 QB pressures on 464 pass-block snaps with no sacks. Also, he has just two penalties this year.
At right guard is redshirt senior Sal Wormley. He entered this season with 26 starts across the last two years. Another all-around good blocker, Wormley was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten. He has allowed 13 pressures, including two sacks, on 392 pass block snaps. The senior allowed a sack versus Oregon and then against SMU. Wormley has six penalties this season, however, three occurred last week versus Boise State. Penn St will not be able to afford those mistakes against this Irish defense.
With a date to the National Championship on the line, these two teams will be going to war on Thursday in the Orange Bowl. It should be a great game, featuring two battle-tested squads who both think they can win this game. Who comes out on top? We find out this week in Miami.
Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun
Comments