Penn State’s offense started off slowly, but once Drew Allar got going, the No. 10 Nittany Lions were unstoppable.
The junior quarterback threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading No. 10 Penn State to a 56-0 victory over Kent State.
Tyler Warren, Nick Singleton, Liam Clifford, Omari Evans, and Khalil Dinkins all caught touchdown passes as the Nittany Lions (3-0) set a program record with 718 total yards of offense. They held the Golden Flashes to just 67 yards and six first downs, forcing 10 punts.
The previous record for total offense had been 707 yards, set in 1926 against Susquehanna.
“Probably the most important thing,” Penn State coach James Franklin said, “is our veteran players played well enough to get a ton of guys in the locker room on the field who deserve to play. That’s going to be great film for us to learn from.”
The Nittany Lions began with a turnover on their first drive but scored on six of their next seven possessions, quickly pulling ahead in their final nonconference game.
It was an even tougher start for Kent State. After losing 71-0 to No. 7 Tennessee the previous week, the Golden Flashes lost their top two quarterbacks to serious injuries early in the first half.
Starter Devin Kargman was taken off the field on a stretcher after being sacked from behind by Dani Dennis-Sutton on the second play of the game. Kargman went down grabbing at his right thigh in pain.
Backup JD Sherrod was helped off the field after suffering a non-contact ankle injury early in the second quarter. Tommy Ulatowski came in as quarterback and finished 0 for 6.
Kargman was taken to a hospital and was in the emergency room while coach Kenni Burns answered questions from reporters. Sherrod was seen in a walking boot and on crutches.
Burns said he would provide more information about both quarterbacks on Monday.
“There’s going to be a physical element to it, and you’re going to get banged up here and there,” Burns said. “This game was probably a little bit more than normal, but I thought our guys kept battling.”
By the time Ulatowski came in, Penn State had shaken off any rust from their bye week.
After Beau Pribula threw an interception to end Penn State’s first drive, Allar took over and quickly moved the team down the field. He connected with Warren for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 late in the first quarter.
Warren also threw a touchdown, a quick pass to Singleton, who ran in for a 17-yard score that made it 14-0 with 5:49 left in the first half.
Allar then found a wide-open Clifford for a 14-yard touchdown on the next possession and finished a 44-second drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, putting the score at 28-0 at halftime. He extended the lead to 35-0 with a 59-yard pass to Evans early in the third before giving the offense to Pribula.
Allar completed 17 of 21 passes for 309 yards.
Pribula played most of the second half at quarterback for Penn State. He connected with Dinkins for a catch over the middle late in the third and led two more scoring drives.
Cam Wallace finished the first with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Pribula added another short touchdown in the final two minutes.
