Nevada moved the ball into plus territory against the Nittany Lions’ defense on its opening drive, but a well-timed forced fumble by Dani-Dennis Sutton and a recovery by AJ Harris quickly snuffed out the possession:
Drew Allar and the offense marched right down the field off the turnover. Nicholas Singleton capped the 13-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run that was
somehow not ruled a touchdown on the field:
On Nevada’s next possession, immediate defensive line pressure from Xavier Gilliam led to an interception by Zane Durant and set up the offense excellently in the red zone:
Penn State moved down to the one-yard line, but Nick Dawkins snapped the ball too high in a no-huddle situation on third and goal, and the Nittany Lions had to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Ryan Barker.
After the defense forced an immediate three-and-out, the offense once again went back to work on the ground. Kaytron Allen capped an eight-play, 72-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run:
Nevada found some seams in Penn State’s defense on the ensuing drive and quickly moved into the red zone, but the defense held the Wolfpack out of the end zone and forced a field goal to maintain a 17-3 lead.
King Mack made some noise on the ensuing kickoff, returning the kick all the way to the Nevada 15-yard line:
Penn State could not fully take advantage of Mack’s return, as three plays could not yield a first down, but Barker knocked through another 28-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-3.
The Nittany Lions forced another three-and-out on Nevada’s next possession. A perfectly-executed two minute drill culminated with Drew Allar’s first touchdown pass of the season, a 31-yard toss to Kyron Hudson to give Penn State a 27-3 lead at halftime:
The passing offense continued to roll on the opening drive in the second half, including a toe-tapping catch by Kyron Hudson along the sideline to extend the drive into the red zone. A nice stand by Nevada’s defense forced a third Ryan Barker field goal, which he converted to give PSU a 30-3 lead.
Dani Dennis-Sutton made his presence felt on the ensuing possession with his second forced fumble of the game, and Zakee Wheatley recovered for Penn State’s third takeaway of the game. After a quick out to Trebor Pena got the Lions to the one-yard line, Nicholas Singleton walked in for his second touchdown of the afternoon to extend the lead to 36-3. Penn State failed on a two-point conversion.
After another Nevada three-and-out, a five-play, 23-yard drive resulted in Barker’s fourth field goal of the day to extend the lead to 39-3.
With most of the starters pulled on defense, the Wolfpack mounted a drive that reached the Penn State six-yard line. Chubba Purdy continued to impress for Nevada, but the Nittany Lions’ defense held the line and forced a turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter.
The offense pulled its starters, giving Ethan Grunkemeyer his first chance to run the offense in 2025. He led an impressive 94-yard drive, including completions to four different receivers, before capping it himself with a six-yard touchdown run:
Nevada finally reached the end zone in the waning seconds, with Marcus Bellon catching a 9-yard touchdown pass from AJ Bianco.
Overall, it was exactly the performance we have come to expect against overmatched opponents. A solid, comfortable win with still plenty of room to improve as the calendar moves to September.
Penn State will host Florida International next Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
