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Allar, defense lead No. 2 Penn State to 52-6 blowout of FCS Villanova

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Drew Allar threw for 209 yards and a touchdown and No. 2 Penn State got another near flawless effort from its defense in a 52-6 win over Villanova on Saturday.

Nicholas Singleton ran for two touchdowns, Kaytron Allen added another, Trebor Peña caught a touchdown, and Ryan Barker kicked three field goals.

Linebacker Tony Rojas had two sacks for the Nittany Lions (3-0) who came one play shy of posting back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1996.

Penn State scored two first-half touchdowns against FCS Villanova but the Nittany Lions settled for a pair field goals by Barker and punted twice despite outgaining Villanova 252-69.

Singleton scored the game’s first points through the middle of Villanova’s defense for a 4-yard touchdown with 8:48 to play in the first quarter.

Barker turned a short field into a 45-yard field goal after a shanked Villanova punt early in the second. He added a 28-yarder two possessions later to make it 13-0.

The Wildcats (1-1) were forced to juggle quarterbacks early.

Starter Pat McQuaide appeared injured when Rojas sacked him on Villanova’s opening possession. Tanner Maddocks took over, but each of Villanova’s next three chances ended in punts. McQuaide returned and went 7 for 15 for 27 yards and an interception.

Allar capped the first half with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Peña, then found him again a 2-point conversion to push Penn State’s lead to 21-0 at halftime.

The second half was all Penn State. Barker kicked a 42-yard field goal before Singleton bulled into the end zone for a 3-yard score on Penn State’s next opportunity.

Later, Allen eluded the Wildcat defense for a 13-yard touchdown before backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw to tight end Joey Schlaffer for a 19-yard score.

Jahmir Joseph returned an interception 49 yards for a TD in the fourth.

Villanova broke the shutout when Brandon Binkowski made a one-handed, 3-yard touchdown catch on the final play.

The takeaway

Villanova: The Wildcats just wanted to get out of this one without any injuries and return home to begin Coastal Athletic Association play. They played as hard as they could against a bigger, stronger and faster opponent.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions have blown out their first three opponents, but have struggled with offensive consistency. They’ll have plenty to improve during their off week before a rematch of last season’s Big Ten championship game against No. 4 Oregon on Sept. 27.

Up next

Villanova: Visits Monmouth on Saturday.

Penn State: Hosts No. 4 Oregon on Sept. 27.

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