UCLA Football Preview: Bruin Defense Will Need to Stop the Penn State Rushing Attack
The Nittany Lions run the ball more than any team UCLA has played in recent memory.
Penn State’s offense is one of the best in the country. Not only are the Nittany Lions ranked ninth in the nation in rushing offense with an average of 251.0 yards per game, but they are also second in the country in team passing efficiency and they are tied for 15th in the nation in third down conversions with a 51.2% conversion rate. They are also second in the nation in team passing efficiency. They are the 11th best team in the country in total offense with an average of 496.8 yards per game.
Overall, expect Penn State to run the ball most of the game. Through four games, they have run the ball 65.78% of the time and thrown it just 34.22% of the time. So, they are going to try to pound the ball against the Bruins, who are ranked 34th in rushing defense and who are allowing an average of just 107 yards rushing per game.
Let’s look at the Nittany Lions’ offensive personnel.
Quarterback
Junior Drew Allar will start at quarterback for the Nittany Lions. Frankly, it’s amazing that Penn State doesn’t throw the ball more than they do. That’s because Allar set a national record by opening his collegiate career with 311 pass attempts without an interception. He broke the previous record of 209 attempts, which had been held by Baylor’s Robert Griffin III. So, he didn’t just break the record. He blew threw it.
How careful is Allar when throwing the ball? He’s thrown the ball 528 times in his college career and still only thrown three interceptions. By comparison, Ethan Garbers has thrown three interceptions in UCLA’s last two games and his last 56 pass attempts.
He doesn’t run the ball too much either. Through four games, he’s run it 22 times for 92 net yards and two touchdowns. Garbers has lost one net yard on 27 carries.
Passing Game
Last week, we watched Dillon Gabriel dink and dunk his way down the field with short pass after short pass. Penn State will also rely on a lot of short passes. The only positive is that the Nittany Lions only throw the ball 20-25 times per game.
By far, Allar’s favorite target this year has been tight end Tyler Warren. Warren has caught 20 passes this season which is as many catches as the next two guys on the Nittany Lions combined. He also has the most receiving yards on the team with 260 and he’s scored two touchdowns.
Redshirt junior Harrison Wallace III has been Allar’s favorite wide receiver. Wallace has made 11 receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior Omari Evans is third on the team with nine receptions. Despite having fewer catches than Wallace, Evans has actually gained more yards than him. He’s gained a total of 217 yards with two touchdowns. That ranks him first on Penn State with 24.1 yards per catch. He also has the Lions’ longest pass of the yard which went for 59 yards.
Junior running back Nicholas Singleton has the fourth most receptions on Penn State with six. When Allar finds Singleton coming out of the backfield, he averages a gain of 12.3 yards per catch. Like the other top Penn State receivers, he has caught two touchdowns.
Running Game
That brings us to the Penn State running game. The team has a pair of running backs who account for almost 70% of the teams rushing yards. Interestingly, both Singleton and junior Kaytron Allen have each carried 53 times, though Singleton has gained more yardage than Allen.
Singleton has generated 408 net rushing yards while Allen has gained 289 net rushing yards. No one has been able to stop either of these guys behind the line of scrimmage much so far. Singleton has lost just two yards and Allen has lost just three.
One thing to look for is if the Nittany Lions switch out Allar for redshirt sophomore Beau Pribula. Through four games, Pribula has run 13 times for 99 yards. That’s an average of 7.6 yards per carry. Allar has run the ball effectively too. He’s gained 128 yards on 22 carries but he’s lost for 36 yards lost including 34 on sacks, which reduces his net yards to 92 and his yards per carry average down to just 4.2 yards per carry.
Redshirt freshman Cam Wallace has also carried 18 times for 63 net yards.
Offensive Line
With the running game playing such prominance in the Penn State attack, let’s take a quick look at the offensive line for the Nittany Lions. The running game has been successful despite the fact that offensive line is made up of an interesting mix of experienced and inexperienced guys.
Junior Drew Shelton will start for the 11th time at left tackle. He’s played in 24 games so far in his college career.Redshirt sophomore Olaivavega Ioane has made nine career starts and played in 21 games. He will start at left guard.
Redshirt senior Nick Dawkins has played in 30 career games, but will be starting just his fifth game at center.
Moving to the right side, redshirt senior Sal Wormley will start at right guard. He has started 30 games in 34 appearances. Redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh will be making just his fifth start at right tackle.
Analysis
After facing Dillon Gabriel and a Duck offense that likes to throw the ball a lot last week, UCLA will be facing a team like no other they have faced for a while. Penn State likes to run it down the collective throats of opposing teams and they only seem to throw to keep opposing defenses honest.
If the Bruin defense is able to stop the Penn State rushing attack, this game could be closer than either of UCLA’s last two games. The key here may be if the Bruins can prevent the Nittany Lions from converting on third down. If the defense can get off the field often, not only will they stay fresher, but it will give the offense a much better chance to score. But if Penn State grounds and pounds for long drives like Oregon did during the final seven minutes last week, it will be tough for UCLA to win this one since the offense has struggled all season long.
Go Bruins!
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Is the Mercy Rule in effect for this game?