Penn State Football is 2-0, yet all isn’t right with the world in Happy Valley following Saturday’s 34-27 win over Bowling Green that was too close for comfort.

The Nittany Lions had to dig deep in a sleepy non-conference game after all the buildup for West Virginia and in advance of an earlier-than-ever Week 3 bye.

The second week of the college season did provide challenges for major programs to have to grind out wins, including Penn State.

Of course, maybe in three months, we’re also looking at Bowling Green as one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference.

Either way, the Lions survived and advanced, but revealed problem areas to fix with a week off.

Here’s a look at who’s up, who’s down and who needs more time going into the Week 3 bye.

Penn State Football Stock Up

TE Tyler Warren

A dominant day for James Franklin’s “most complete tight end in the country.” Always a force as a run blocker, Warren was unguardable for stretches against Bowling Green at a time when the Lions needed every yard and point they could get. The final line: 8 catches, 146 yards.

The run game

Getting Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton both to 100-plus yards against Bowling Green is a significant achievement for Penn State. So has been the ability of quarterback Drew Allar to hit both of his backs for receiving touchdowns. The Lions are now 2-for-2 getting quality performances from BOTH backs, which is refreshing after Singleton struggled to find running room much of last season.

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Penn State Football Stock Down

Penn State’s pass defense

Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. and Malcolm Johnson Jr. combined to make 19 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Whether the issue in this game was communication, execution and/or personnel, the coaching staff has to get it fixed for future pass-heavy attacks. The Falcons perhaps laid a blueprint to attack Tom Allen’s defense, which could make the early Week 3 bye an ideal time to self-scout and fix.

The Lions’ wideouts

No amount of game-flow challenges can explain away Penn State’s three catches by wide receivers against Bowling Green. A week after it looked like many of the program’s problems were solved against West Virginia, the Lions’ wide receivers combined for just 37 yards, with two grabs for 34 yards and a score belonging to Omari Evans. More involvement will likely be necessary to beat more talented defenses.

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HOLD FOR NOW

WR Trey Wallace

Without a doubt, Trey Wallace has the athletic profile, size and speed to repeatedly do what he did against West Virginia (5-117-2), but his emergence as a true No. 1 receiver is going to boil down to the consistency with which he dominates. Bowling Green perhaps revealed that Wallace isn’t quite ready to be a weekly dominator, or maybe that the Lions need a WR2 to command more respect from opposing defenses.

MORE: Game Balls From Nittany Lions’ Win Over Bowling Green

 

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