Penn State head coach James Franklin recaps 33-14 win over Central Michigan

Penn State improved to 4-0 on the season Saturday following a 33-14 win over Central Michigan. The Nittany Lions got out to a fast 14-0 lead, as quarterback Sean Clifford hit Mitchell Tinsley and Brenton Strange for back-to-back scores to open the game.

It looked as if another easy win was on its way, but Jim McElwain and Central Michigan had different plans. In the second quarter, the Chippewas put together back-to-back scoring drives of their own. A 14-yard Kaytron Allen run with just under two minutes left in the half gave Penn State the lead at the break, but it was closer than most expected.

Highs & Lows: Penn State plods past Central Michigan

However, Penn State’s defense stepped up its play in the second half, holding Central Michigan to no scores. Turnovers were a key part in the result, too, as Penn State forced two interceptions in the first half. Safety Zakee Wheatley now has three interceptions this season, while John Dixon also had a nice interception on deep ball down the sideline. On top of that, Penn State also recovered a fumble late in the game and held Central Michigan to two turnovers on down in the second half.

Freshman Nick Singleton was receiving most of the publicity heading into Saturday’s game, but his classmate, Allen, ended up being key in this one, totaling 111 yards rushing on 13 carries. Allen averaged an impressive 8.5 yards per carry.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in that locker room that is surprised by Kaytron’s success,” James Franklin said after the game. “There are two young backs (the other being Nick Singleton of course) who are really good complimentary pieces.”

On Allen, Franklin added, “He’s got really good vision, he’s got really good contact balance, and he’s got a really good understanding of how to set blocks up.”