STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Drew Allar completed 19 of 33 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and No. 2 Penn State beat Florida International 34-0 on Saturday.
Devonte Ross and Khalil Dinkins caught touchdown passes, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton ran for scores and Ryan Barker kicked two field goals for the Nittany Lions (2-0), who shook off a sluggish first half and beat their second-straight Group of Five opponent.
Linebacker Tony Rojas made 10 tackles, Alonzo Ford intercepted a pass and Penn State’s defense notched its first shutout since a 56-0 win over Kent State last year.
Initially, neither offense could sustain a possession as steady rain pounded Beaver Stadium’s natural grass early.
The Panthers (1-1) punted twice, had another punt blocked, turned the ball over on downs and had a solid drive spoiled in Penn State’s end when Ford picked off an errant Keyone Jenkins screen pass.
But, Penn State couldn’t turn the Panthers’ miscues into points.
The Nittany Lions gave it away on downs twice, punted once and had a field goal blocked in the first half. They were able to convert on their second possession late in the second quarter when Dinkins hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Allar.
Barker added a 41-yard field goal later in the second as the rain slowed. He was blocked on a 53-yard try nine plays later by Jessiah McGrew as Penn State went into halftime with a 10-0 lead.
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The Nittany Lions got a 34-yarder from Barker that made it 13-0 early in the second half.
Allar and Ross made it 20-0 on Penn State’s next possession when Ross sprinted for the corner of the end zone and battled through Ashton Levells’ pass interference to catch a 42-yard touchdown pass with 4:44 left in the third.
Allen finished with 144 yards on 16 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown in the fourth. Singleton scored from 5 yards out with 1:19 to play.
The takeaway
FIU: Despite being outmatched in nearly every category, the Panthers played hard and held the nation’s second-ranked squad to just 10 first-half points.
With 25 transfer players on their roster, the Panthers have plenty of room to grow under first-year head coach Willie Simmons as they try for their first winning season since 2018.
Penn State: After settling for four field goals in their opening win over Nevada, the Nittany Lions wanted to finish drives better in Week 2. They’ll need to continue working on that after stalling out numerous times early against another Group of Five defense.
Up next
FIU: Hosts Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
Penn State: Hosts Villanova on Saturday.
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