It’s hard to spin a shutout into a positive, but the FIU Panthers made the No. 2 team in the country work four quarters to secure a comfortable victory.
Penn State (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) blanked FIU (1-1, 0-0 CUSA) 34-0 in front of 103,817 in Happy Valley. However, the Nittany Lions were pushed to their limits, especially in the first half by Willie Simmons and his squad of scrappy underdogs.
The tone was set on Penn State’s first offensive drive when the Nittany Lions turned it over on downs around midfield,
as Mister Clark disrupted a pass from Drew Allar to Trebor Pena. FIU capitalized on the excellent field position and maneuvered the ball as far as the Penn State 13-yard line. Instead of establishing a 3-0 lead, the Panthers got greedy for points, but Tony Rojas applied pressure on Keyone Jenkins to force the game’s second turnover on downs.
Due to FIU’s decision, Penn State struck first on the scoreboard as Allar connected with tight end Khalil Dinkins for a 9-yard touchdown. But that would be the only first half touchdown for the heavy favorites. FIU forced another turnover on downs, a three-and-out, and held Penn State to a pair of field goal attempts — one that split the uprights and one that was blocked.
Penn State entered halftime with a 10-0 advantage, and while keeping the game that close was a positive for FIU, the Panthers simultaneously realized their missed opportunities. Not only did Simmons’ team turn it over on downs early, Jenkins also threw an interception from the Penn State 22-yard line, making the Panthers 0-for-2 on opportunities inside the Nittany Lions’ 25.
FIU’s assertive defense started strong in the second half by holding Penn State to another field goal, but the Nittany Lions finally accrued their second touchdown at the 4:44 mark of the third quarter. Troy transfer receiver Devonte Ross shed off a blanketing pass interference penalty, making a spectacular grab in the end zone on a 42-yard deep ball. That provided the Nittany Lions a 20-0 lead entering the fourth — a score that remained set in stone until under four minutes remained.
Penn State quickly produced two garbage time touchdowns in the final four minutes of action as senior running back Kaytron Allen bolted for a 67-yard touchdown scamper and defensive end Chaz Coleman landed a strip sack, returning the ball for 39 yards down to the FIU 5-yard line. The other longtime senior running back, Nicholas Singleton, finished the job the following play, accelerating the margin to 34-0 with 79 seconds left.
Last week, Allar only fired four incompletions for the Nittany Lions, but he faced a more uphill battle against FIU with a 19-of-33 showing. Still, the Nittany Lions found other ways to do damage offensively, averaging 6.9 yards per rush and avoiding a single turnover. Producing offense was much more difficult for the visitors. They invaded Penn State territory on six drives but the progress often halted there. Penn State’s assertive defensive front, led by defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, tallied nine tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries. Facing ample pressure all game, FIU only managed 149 passing yards on 33 attempts and not a single receiver exceeded 27 yards on the Nittany Lions.
The Panthers move to 1-1 after facing their first shutout since Sept. 24, 2022 — a 73-0 defeat at Western Kentucky. Meanwhile, Penn State is 2-0 for the fifth-consecutive year under James Franklin, hoping to eventually claim the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll for the first time since 1997.
