Disruptive ‘D,’ dominant all-around show by Kaytron Allen led Penn State past Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Penn State’s defense has made most offenses look feeble in 2022. The losses to unbeaten Ohio State and Michigan? Few programs possess that kind of offensive talent.

Indiana certainly doesn’t, and the Nittany Lions dominated the Hoosiers’ offense Saturday in a 45-14 Big Ten East victory at Memorial Stadium.

It wasn’t just the defense. Kaytron Allen showed again why he is one of the top freshman running backs in the country.

And another freshman back, Nick Singleton, did his part for No. 16 Penn State (7-2, 4-2), running for 73 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Disruptive defense

A gritty performance by an offensive line missing left tackle Olu Fashanu and left guard Landon Tengwall. Damaging runs by Allen and Singleton. That will get it done against most teams.

After having a rough go of it against Ohio State’s vaunted passing attack a week earlier, Penn State’s defense seized control after allowing a first-quarter touchdown.

The Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5) generated just 76 first-half yards as the Lions built a 24-7 halftime lead. Manny Diaz’s defense recorded 13 tackles for loss — six of them sacks — in the first 30 minutes. The ‘D’ would finish with 16 tackles for loss and three interceptions, two of them by corners Kalen King and Daequan Hardy and one by freshman defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton.

King knew early Indiana, playing without regular starting quarterback Connor Bazelak, was in trouble.

“We definitely knew that,” said King, who intercepted a third-quarter pass by Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby at the PSU 7.

“Because we started out the game and they were very disruptive, they were making a lot of plays on the quarterback. We were coming to the sideline and we knew it was going to be a long game for that quarterback. The ball had to come out quick, so I just took that and I used it to my advantage.”

Later in the third quarter, Dennis-Sutton grabbed a pass from another Hoosiers quarterback, Dexter Williams II, at the Lions’ 16 and returned it 30 yards. IU actually started Jack Tuttle at quarterback, but he left the game in the first half after a run-in with Penn State defensive lineman Dvon Ellies and Chop Robinson.

Penn State coach James Franklin said afterward that Dennis-Sutton is over 260 pounds and is not a typical freshman.

“Honestly, the way he approaches everything is like, he’s a starter,” Robinson said of Dennis-Sutton. “He’s got a mature mindset. I know he’s going to be a great player in the future.”

Freshmen continue to produce

Allen’s ability to do damage inside and outside as a runner and a receiver was another big storyline.

He carried 18 times for 86 yards and three touchdowns and added a team-high 72 receiving yards on two catches, the highlight a broken-field 45-yard reception in the third quarter.

Allen’s patience and power complements Singleton’s elite speed. And Singleton also ran through Hoosier tackles on a few of his runs.

“It still impresses me, those guys,” Penn State tight end Brenton Strange said when asked about the physical attributes of Allen and Singleton.

“I just asked Kaytron how old he was. He said 19. Nick said 18, I believe. Nick, he’s kind of a home-run hitter, to me. Kaytron, he’s more of a patient back. They’re both very physical, and I think they’re both complete backs.”

The run game and the defense made it an easy day for Penn State quarterbacks Sean Clifford and Drew Allar. Clifford threw for 229 yards before giving way to Allar midway through the third quarter. Allar completed 9 of 12 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

The impact of Allen was not lost on Clifford.

“The way that he’s developed is awesome,” Clifford said. “I remember when Kaytron first got here. And to say that he’s anything close to the player he is now compared to then would be an understatement.

“The way he works, the way he excels … he is the most improved player I think I’ve seen in probably my career in such a short time.”