No. 2 Penn State rolls past Nevada in season opener as Drew Allar plays solid, defense shines for Lions

Final: No. 2 Penn State 46, Nevada 11

Penn State opened one of its most anticipated seasons in a long time with an easy win against Nevada. The Nittany Lions now have a chance to ascend to No. 1 in the next AP Top 25 Poll, though Big Ten rival Ohio State will have a case after knocking off top-ranked Texas in Week 1. 

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who spurned the NFL Draft to return for another year with the Nittany Lions, had a sterling 2025 debut. He completed 22 of his 26 pass attempts for 217 yards and one touchdown while establishing a connection with USC transfer Kyron Hudson, who caught Allar's lone touchdown pass and finished with a team-high 89 yards receiving. 

Penn State's defense was the real standout, though. The Nittany Lions controlled the line of scrimmage while holding Nevada to just 78 yards rushing as a team. The Wolf Pack had 2.5 yards per carry and 55 of those yards of the ground came courtesy of quarterback Chubba Purdy, who was an effective scrambler when plays broke down. 

Dani Dennis-Sutton established himself as Penn State's next standout pass rusher. He had one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss as a constant presence in Nevada's backfield. He also forced two fumbles and had a quarterback hurry. The Nittany Lions finished with three sacks and nine tackles for loss as a team. 

Penn State returns home in Week 2 against FIU. 

Mid 4Q: No. 2 Penn State 46, Nevada 3 

With a comfortable lead and less than a quarter to play, Penn State has started to empty the bench in an effort to get their reserves some valuable in-game reps. The Nittany Lions' second-team offense delivered with a touchdown drive, orchestrated by backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Grunkemeyer impressed in his first playing time of the year. 

He completed four of his six pass attempts for 73 yards and also finished the 15-play, 94-yard drive with a 6-yard rushing touchdown. That gave Grunkemeyer the first touchdown of his collegiate career. 

Early 4Q: No. 2 Penn State 39, Nevada 3 

Another solid drive, another empty possession for Nevada. The Wolf Pack have been able to move the ball with some consistency, but they also haven't been able to get out of their own way when they get near Florida State's goal line. The Wolf Pack had first-and-10 on Penn State's 10-yard line and failed to come away with any points after quarterback Chubba Purdy's pass attempt sailed over everyone's head on fourth-and-goal. 

Penn State got good pressure to force the errant throw. It's been a very good day for the Nittany Lions' defensive front. 

End 3Q: No. 2 Penn State 39, Nevada 3 

But Nevada is close to making it more respectable, at least. The Wolf Pack are cobbling together a nice drive entering the fourth quarter, thanks to some solid running and timely throws from quarterback Chubba Purdy. They will have the ball at Penn State's 6-yard line once the final frame begins. 

Purdy has, quietly, had a decent day against Penn State's veteran defense. Outside of one interception on a screen attempt, he's taken care of the ball while completing seven passes for 97 yards. He's also leading both teams with 55 yards on the ground and has been responsible for 152 of Nevada's net total 154 yards. 

Late 3Q: No. 2 Penn State 39, Nevada 3 

Kickers often don't get any glory, but Penn State's Ryan Barker has a case for offensive MVP. He just hit his fourth field goal of the game -- this one from a game-high 39 yards -- to keep stacking on Penn State's lead. Quarterback Drew Allar has had a solid day, and running back Nicholas Singleton does have two touchdowns on the ground, but Barker has been Penn State's most consistent scoring option against the Wolf Pack. 

Mid 3Q: No. 2 Penn State 36, Nevada 3 

Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton is having a day. The blossoming Nittany Lions star has been living in the Nevada backfield all afternoon, and he just had another dominant rep to force his second fumble of the day. Defensive back Zakee Wheatley was able to jump on it and give Penn State the ball on Nevada's 16-yard line. 

Two plays later, and after Drew Allar dumped the ball off to wide receiver Trebor Pena for a 15-yard gain, running back Nicholas Singleton capitalized on the turnover by scoring his second touchdown of the game. The Nittany Lions have now scored 17 points off of turnovers. 

Early 3Q: No. 2 Penn State 30, Nevada 3 

Penn State kicker Ryan Barker has been busy in the first game of the season. He just made his third field goal of the afternoon to extend Penn State's lead to 27 points. Barker hasn't had to work too terribly hard for his three makes, either -- all four have come within 35 yards, as a few Penn State drives has stalled inside or near the red zone. 

The Nittany Lions may want to up their red zone touchdown rate against stiffer competition, but so far the kicking has been enough to create a comfortable gap against Nevada. 

Penn State has needed an "Alpha" wide receiver for a few seasons right now. The good news for the Nittany Lions is that they may have found a transfer portal gem in former USC standout Kyron Hudson. He and quarterback Drew Allar have established a nice rapport in the first game of the season. Allar hit Hudson for a 31-yard touchdown near the end of the first half, and the two just connected on a well-executed 14-yard pitch and catch to convert on second-and-9. 

Allar made a nice throw on the run and Hudson made an even better catch near the sideline, where he just got one toe in bound while snagging the ball out of the air. 

Half: No. 2 Penn State 27, Nevada 3 

Penn State holds a comfortable lead at halftime of its season opener against Nevada, thanks in large part to two early turnovers forced by the defense and a nice 31-yard touchdown connection between quarterback Drew Allar and USC transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson. It wasn't all pretty for Penn State in the first half, though. 

The offensive line, especially, struggled against what should be an overmatched Wolf Pack defensive front. Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both scored touchdowns, but Penn State was also held to just 70 yards on 18 carries for an average of 3.9 yards per carry. 

Nevada's defensive front also got through for one sack and three tackles for loss and it was able to generate some pressure on Allar, who still completed an efficient 14 of his 17 pass attempts over the first 30 minutes. 

Late 2Q: No. 2 Penn State 27, Nevada 3 

It took Drew Allar almost two entire quarters, but Penn State's veteran quarterback finally hit on his first touchdown pass of the year. The Nittany Lions took over with 1:38 left on the clock after forcing Nevada into a quick three-and-out and then moved the ball near the Wolf Pack's red zone. There, Allar dropped back and delivered a 31-yard strike to USC transfer Kyron Hudson, who made a nice catch while falling to the turf to score his first touchdown as a Nittany Lion. 

Late 2Q: No. 2 Penn State 20, Nevada 3 

Penn State has defensive back King Mack to thank for its latest score, and not because of a play that he made on defense. The junior safety showed off his ball-handling skills by returning a Nevada kickoff 73 yards to Nevada's 18-yard line. He just ran out of room near the sideline, or else he would have taken it all the way to the end zone. 

The bad news for the Nittany Lions is that they were only able to come away with a field goal in spite of Mack's return. Their first two plays went for a loss of three yards, and then Drew Allar was unable to pick up the first down with an attempted scramble. So kicker Ryan Barker hit his second field goal of the game to give Penn State another three-possession lead. 

Late 2Q: No. 2 Penn State 17, Nevada 3 

Nevada has had a couple promising drives end prematurely due to turnovers, but the Wolf Pack were finally able to break through -- sort of -- thanks to a short field goal from kicker Joe McFadden. Nevada has started to run the ball effectively against a strong Penn State front, though its ability to move the ball wanes the closer it gets to the goal line. The Wolf Pack have gotten good rushes from quarterback Chubba Purdy, who has a team-high eight carries for 32 yards, as well. 

Early 2Q: No. 2 Penn State 17, Nevada 0 

Two reviews and two touchdowns for Penn State. After Nicholas Singleton gave the Nittany Lions their first touchdown, Kaytron Allen joined his running mate to expand Penn State's lead to three scores. Allen actually took the handoff on a sweep and broke a couple of tackles en route to a 12-yard rushing touchdown. 

End 1Q: No. 2 Penn State 10, Nevada 0 

It's been all Penn State thus far, thanks in large part to the defense. The Nittany Lions forced two turnovers in the first quarter, including an interception from defensive lineman Zane Durant that allowed Penn State to kick a late field goal from deep inside Nevada territory. Penn State has dominated both lines of scrimmage thus far. 

Nevada has managed just 21 yards rushing on seven carries, 10 of which came on a single run from Ky Woods that resulted in a fumble. Penn State, meanwhile, had 39 yards on the ground and scored its first touchdown courtesy of running back Nicholas Singleton. 

Late 1Q: No. 2 Penn State 10, Nevada 0 

Any momentum Nevada may have established in its first few plays of the game has completely evaporated. On the first play of their second drive, Wolf Pack quarterback Chubba Purdy dropped back for a screen pass and immediately came under pressure. He tried to throw the ball away but instead threw it into the hands of Penn State defensive lineman Zane Durant, who nearly scored a defensive touchdown while returning it 14 yards to Nevada's 6-yard line. 

Fortunately for Nevada, a bad Penn State snap prevented the Nittany Lions from scoring a second consecutive touchdown. Instead, kicker Ryan Barker nailed a short field goal to expand Penn State's early lead. 

Late 1Q: No. 2 Penn State 7, Nevada 0 

Penn State is imposing its will on Nevada thus far. After forcing a fumble that ended a promising Wolf Pack drive, the Nittany Lions turned to their star running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to march down the field and score the first touchdown of the game. Singleton muscled his way in from 1-yard out to finish the drive. 

Allen and Singleton combined for four carries for 24 yards on that first drive, averaging an impressive six yards per touch. Quarterback Drew Allar was also efficient with three completions for 24 yards. 

Early 1Q: No. 2 Penn State 0, Nevada 0 

Nevada had some momentum on its game-opening drive thanks to some solid running and tight-window throws from quarterback Chubba Purdy. Wolf Pack running back Ky Woods then ripped off a nice 10-yard run, but Penn State was able to jar the ball from his arms and jump on the fumble just as he neared Penn State's 31-yard line. 

Now the Nittany Lions offense, led by quarterback Drew Allar, will get their chance to make an early impression. 

Perhaps you've noticed I've written almost exclusively about Penn State in this preview, and it's for good reason. They're 44.5-point favorites over a Nevada team what went 3-10 last year, but does have a familiar name at QB in Chubba Purdy. Yes, he's the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy. However, Chubba does not have the 49ers around him like his brother, and I don't expect this game to be very competitive. Pick: Penn State -44.5 (-111)

Franklin was asked about Penn State's recent history in big spots on the CBS Sports pregame show and whether this is a "championship or bust" season for the program given the strength of their roster. Franklin, unsurprisingly, didn't buy into the "championship or bust" concept, but did note that they have "total control" to reshape the narrative around them -- while noting they get criticized for years most programs wish they could have.   

"Yeah, I think it's positive is we're a part of that conversation. We're getting criticized for seasons that 99% of the programs in the country would die to have," Franklin said. "But that's why you came to Penn State. That comes with it, that's part of it. The best part about all of it is we're in total control of the season, of the games and of the narrative that's out there. We've got a chance to go out and play well against Nevada. We're going to approach it that way, because if you're not careful and start talking about all these things at the end of the season and certain games, and then you don't play well against a team like Nevada then things get real ugly. Our guys are focused on that as a staff and so are our players." 

Championship or bust for Penn State? James Franklin says program has success that '99% ... would die to have'

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Franklin's tenure with Penn State has been unquestionably successful. He's gone 101-42, and he's routinely ranked amongst the top-10 coaches in the country in CBS Sports' annual coach rankings for a reason. He's also had his name attached to other high-profile job openings throughout his tenure -- a testament to the fact other schools admire the work he's done in Happy Valley, too. He's won a Big Ten title, been to two Rose Bowls and three other New Year's Six bowls in addition to last year's playoff appearance. He's recruited well and sent a host of players to the NFL.

But, for all those accomplishments, it's what Franklin hasn't done that typically grabs the public's attention.

Now comes a new season that provides Franklin the opportunity to bury the narrative that he's a good coach but doesn't belong in the same tier as the sport's best. Expectations are never low for Penn State football, but they're very high in 2025.

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Here's why Franklin's in a good position to shift the narrative entering a huge season: 

Expectations are other-worldly for Penn State this season, perhaps at their highest levels since the 1980s when Joe Paterno won both of the program's national championships over a five-year stretch. James Franklin's roster is the best he's ever had in Happy Valley. He's averaging 9.6 wins per season since the 2016 campaign with five top-10 finishes during that stretch. If Penn State snaps an eight-game losing skid to the Buckeyes, there's a great chance the Nittany Lions get to Indianapolis without a loss.

Penn State actually has the best odds (+420) to finish the season undefeated, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Nittany Lions' journey begins Saturday afternoon. 

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