Revelers, ticket brokers, “Sweet Caroline,” the Blue Band and Noah Cain rushing touchdowns were all back for the first time since 2019 on Saturday in Penn State’s 44-13 non-conference victory against Ball State.
Penn State combined strong offensive and defensive play to start the year 2-0, with Auburn coming to Beaver Stadium next week for a “white-out” game. The Tigers also are 2-0 after a blowout win against Alabama State, setting up a top-25 matchup for intriguing Big Ten vs. Southeastern Conference action. Here are a few observations from the Nittany Lions win.
Cain gets the party started
Cain gave the announced 105,323 in attendance an early cheering start when he rambled into the end zone on a 5-yard run on the Nittany Lions’ first possession. Cain scored his first touchdown at Beaver Stadium since 2019 against Purdue to cap a 13-play, 78-yard drive that took 4:33 off the clock. Cain had six touches in the drive for 38 yards. Cain wound up with 99 all-purpose yards — 69 rushing yards on 20 attempts and three receptions for 30 yards.
Sean Clifford had a nice outing
Starting quarterback Sean Clifford finished a 76-yard drive on the eighth play with a 1-yard sneak behind center Mike Miranda to put the Nittany Lions up, 14-0, with 5:53 left in the first quarter. Clifford had 230 passing yards and a touchdown to Jahan Dotson. The touchdown marked Dotson’s fourth game, with a touchdown going back to last season. Clifford posted a 150 quarterback rating and ran for 66 yards with a 43-yard run in the third quarter.
The offense looked much better
Penn State had three first downs on its opening drive against Ball State. By comparison, the Nittany Lions had one first down in the first half in a win last week against Wisconsin. Context matters here because Wisconsin is better than Ball State; no offense to any Cardinals fans out there, but it’s true. That said, Penn State scored points on three of its first four possessions and had a missed field goal by Jordan Stout on the fifth possession. The offense consistently moved the chains, and the Cardinals had no answers. Penn State punted three times against Ball State.
Jahan Dotson is still good
Dotson had 65 yards on five catches. He was often double-teamed, which opened up opportunities for Parker Washington, who had 56 yards. All told, the Nittany Lions had 10 players make a reception.
Defense wins
Jesse Luketa returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter. Luketa’s pick-6 was the first for the Nittany Lions since a 2019 return from John Reid. The defense made life tough for Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt. Penn State didn’t reach its three turnovers per game goal, but two got the job done Saturday against the Cardinals.
