NCAAF

Massachusetts Minutemen at Penn State Nittany Lions

· NCAA - Football
Final
0 - 63

Allar throws 3 TD passes, Hardy returns 2 punts for scores as No. 6 Penn State tops UMass 63-0

The Penn State cornerback returned two punts for touchdowns, sparking the No. 6 Nittany Lions after a slow start in a 63-0 win over UMass on Saturday.

“Get vertical,” Hardy said. “You try to get as many yards as you can.”

That’s exactly what he did, slashing for 129 yards on three returns with a 56-yard score in the first that helped Penn State recover from a sloppy start in a cold downpour at Beaver Stadium.

Drew Allar threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score, Theo Johnson caught two touchdown passes and Tyler Warren, Kaytron Allen, Trey Potts and Beau Pribula scored to lead the Nittany Lions to their 11th-straight win dating to last season.

Coming off a bye week, and with next week’s trip to No. 3 Ohio State looming, Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) committed its first offensive turnover of the season when Tre Wallace fumbled on the opening drive.

But Penn State’s defense was ready. It forced the first of 10 UMass punts, this one to Hardy who’d never fielded a punt in college.

The cornerback’s skill was evident.

Hardy sidestepped the first two Minutemen on the scene before slicing through the rest for the 55-yard touchdown, all but sealing UMass’s seventh-straight loss. He brought the soggy, poncho-covered fans who’d stuck around to their feet in the third quarter with a 68-yard return that made it 49-0.

“This is going to create issues for people that are evaluating us on film,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Something that’s going to cause them kind of long nights in how they’re going to defend us. I’m not surprised. This is who he’s been.”

It was all Penn State from there.

The Nittany Lions scored touchdowns on their next seven possessions while the defense picked up seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and an interception.

Potts and Pribula scored in the fourth and Penn State held UMass to just 109 yards of offense.

HARDY’S IMPACT

Hardy added a solo tackle and two pass breakups, his best coming on UMass’ first play of the second half. Then, desperate for any spark, quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw deep to Anthony Simpson who was covered stride for stride by Hardy.

The Minutemen didn’t throw another deep ball.

“It just seemed like the wind came out of our sails on the (first) punt return,” UMass coach Don Brown said. “We never really got going again.”

THE TAKEAWAY

UMass: The Minutemen couldn’t protect quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, couldn’t run the ball and had no answers for Penn State’s offensive personnel. They’ll have a lot to work on during their bye week.

Penn State: It wasn’t the best tuneup performance before heading to Columbus next week, but the Nittany Lions were able to stay healthy and continue to play great defense.

UP NEXT

UMass: Visits Army on Oct. 28.

Penn State: Visits No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Penn State Nittany Lions?
  • TV Channel: Minutemen at Nittany Lions 2021 College Football, week 7, is broadcasted on BTN.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Nittany Lions: 99.5%
Minutemen: .5%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

PSU TD 1st Period 4:17 Daequan Hardy 56 Yd Punt Return (Alex Felkins Kick)
PSU TD 2nd Period 12:35 Drew Allar 1 Yd Run (Alex Felkins Kick)
PSU TD 2nd Period 6:20 Kaytron Allen 9 Yd Run (Alex Felkins Kick)
PSU TD 2nd Period 1:01 Tyler Warren 7 Yd pass from Drew Allar (Alex Felkins Kick)
PSU TD 3rd Period 11:29 Theo Johnson 30 Yd pass from Drew Allar (Alex Felkins Kick)
PSU TD 3rd Period 5:12 Theo Johnson 18 Yd pass from Drew Allar (Alex Felkins Kick)
PSU TD 3rd Period 3:57 Daequan Hardy 68 Yd Punt Return (Sander Sahaydak Kick)
PSU TD 4th Period 13:37 Trey Potts 2 Yd Run (Sander Sahaydak Kick)
PSU TD 4th Period 8:28 Beau Pribula 31 Yd Run (Sander Sahaydak Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/113.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMASS https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/213.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPSU
9 1st Downs 28
5-18 3rd down efficiency 7-9
0-1 4th down efficiency 1-1
109 Total Yards 408
45 Passing 162
9/23 Comp/Att 16/23
2.0 Yards per pass 7.0
64 Rushing 246
39 Rushing Attempts 37
1.6 Yards per rush 6.6
9-81 Penalties 6-60
1 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 2
1 Interceptions thrown 0
32:58 Possession 27:02

Game Information

Beaver Stadium

Location: University Park, PA
Attendance: 105,533 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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