Penn State Game Balls: Allen, Durant, Reynolds set the tone

By Sean Fitz

Penn State’s final appearance in Beaver Stadium in 2025 was its best, as the Nittany Lions ran over Nebraska on their way to a 37-10 win on Saturday evening. Interim head coach Terry Smith got his second win since taking over for James Franklin in October. 

“I’m super proud of the effort of our guys. They are playing inspired football,” Smith said after the win. “They’re hungry. They want to play. In a season that they could easily give up and quit, they’re on the brink of playing some of our best ball… We look like a real football team. I’m super proud of these guys.”

Who shone brightest for Penn State? Check out our game balls from the Nittany Lions’ win. 

Offense: Penn State running back Kaytron Allen

Nebraska’s run defense was as advertised, and that’s unfortunate for the Huskers. For Penn State, on the other hand, it was cathartic. The Nittany Lions ripped through the Nebraska front and owned the Huskers for the duration of the blowout. Leading the way from the start was senior Kaytron Allen, who got his evening rolling with a 50-yard run on Penn State’s first drive. He broke Evan Royster’s program record for rushing yards on a short run in the fourth quarter and punched it in for his second score of the game a few plays later. Allen finished with 160 yards on 25 carries and was the best back on a field that featured three pretty good ones. 

Nick Singleton complemented Allen well, finishing with 95 yards on 10 touches. He got loose for his own 50-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter and also found the end zone twice, tying Saquon Barkley’s program record for touchdowns and rushing touchdowns along the way. 

In Penn State’s best offensive performance this season, by far, the Nittany Lions rolled up 412 yards of offense and scored on six of their first seven drives. Ethan Grunkemeyer was comfortable and was more than happy to play pitch-and-catch with open receivers for much of the night. He finished 11-of-12 for 182 yards and a touchdown, often times showing good patience along the way. 

Penn State’s offensive line played the way that many fans hoped it would from the start. The Nittany Lions got downhill and manhandled the Huskers en route to a 231-yard output on the ground. Trebor Peña had four catches for 47 yards and Andrew Rappleyea caught a touchdown in the first quarter to open the scoring. 

Defense: Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant

In his final game at Beaver Stadium, senior defensive tackle Zane Durant was all over the place, even if the stat sheet doesn’t show it. Durant finished with just two tackles, but they both ended Huskers’ drives. Nebraska got deep into Penn State territory on the first drive of the game thanks to a big run by Emmett Johnson, but Durant planted Johnson on a fourth-down carry for no gain at the Penn State 2-yard-line to swing momentum back in the other direction. With Nebraska trying to get something going in the third quarter, Durant then swallowed up quarterback TJ Lateef for a loss on 4th-and-9. Nebraska had nine drives on the evening, and five ended with a turnover on downs. 

Penn State’s defense is finally clicking. The Nittany Lions put Lateef into poor situations, and while he did not turn the ball over, he finished just 21-of-37 for 187 yards on the night. Yvan Kemajou picked up his first career sack and Dani Dennis-Sutton picked up his fourth sack in three weeks. Lateef’s feet felt like a potential difference-maker coming into the game, but the Nittany Lions kept him in check for the most part. 

Dom DeLuca led Penn State with 10 tackles, while Amare Campbell was once again very good for the Nittany Lions. Campbell finished with six tackles and a tackle for loss. True freshman cornerback Daryus Dixson almost came down with his first career pick, but still ended the night with eight tackles. Freshman Alex Tatsch also stepped up and finished with five tackles as he burned his redshirt.

Special Teams: Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds

With about 13 minutes left in the game, Penn State held a comfortable 30-10 lead and fans looked on as Allen set the program rushing record with a four-yard gain on third down. It turned out that Nebraska was a bit comfortable as well. Facing 4th-and-4 at the Penn State 46, Justin Lustig pulled out a familiar play from last November, as tight end Luke Reynolds took the direct snap on a fake punt and rumbled 26 yards to the Nebraska 28. The fake set up the Nittany Lions’ final touchdown of the night and was salt in the wounds of the visitors. It’s been a tough second year for Reynolds, but he was happy to follow the blocking of Finn Furmanek, Dom Rulli and Tyler Duzansky to essentially ice the game. 

Penn State’s special teams were fine on Saturday. Truthfully, the Nittany Lions didn’t need a pivotal play from the third facet, and that’s a win in itself. Gabe Nwosu punted just twice for a 46-yard average. Ryan Barker hit a 26-yard field goal (though he did miss an extra point wide left in the second quarter). Pena had a nice 21-yard punt return in the third quarter that got the Nittany Lions even closer after a late hit. Redshirt freshman Kenny Woseley had a terrific tackle on kickoff coverage and later had a big block that sprung Peña’s return.