UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 2/2 Penn State (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) won its second-straight contest with a 34-0 shutout over FIU (1-1, 0-0 Conference USA) at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
With the shutout, the Nittany Lions have recorded at least one shutout in each of the last five seasons, marking the first time PSU has had a stretch of that magnitutde since 1972-76.
Penn State’s offense recorded 409 total yards. Senior quarterback Drew Allar completed 19-of-33 passes, totaling 200 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Devonte Ross led the Nittany Lions in receiving yards with a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Sophomore tight end Luke Reynolds was second in receiving yards behind Ross, with 58 on seven catches.
The senior running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton each recorded a touchdown in the fourth quarter and combined for 209 rushing yards to lead the team while becoming the first Penn State teammates to individually surpass 3,000 career rushing yards. Allen led with a career best 144 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown followed by Singleton with 76 yards, including a five-yard touchdown. Redshirt senior tight end Khalil Dinkins scored the sole touchdown for Penn State in the first half on a nine-yard reception from Allar.
Penn State’s defense held FIU to 290 total yards, holding the Panthers to 141 rushing yards and 14 first downs.
Junior linebacker Tony Rojas led Penn State in tackles, recording 10 overall with seven coming in the first half. Junior linebacker Amare Campbell followed Rojas in tackles, adding nine to give him a total of 15 through two games. Junior safety King Mack followed Campbell, recording seven tackles.
Redshirt senior Alonzo Ford Jr. recorded the second defensive tackle interception of the season for the Nittany Lions, making it the first time since 1990 where Penn State had interceptions from multiple defensive tackles, with Zane Durant recording the first against Nevada. Freshman defensive end Chaz Coleman recorded a forced fumble in the fourth, eventually leading to the five-yard touchdown by Singleton. Redshirt junior defensive tackle Enai White recorded a sack in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Barker scored 10 of the 34 points for the Nittany Lions, going 2-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a 41-yard field goal as his longest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State put up the first points of the game with 3:54 to play in the opening stanza, a 10-play drive covering 87 yards in 3:54 of elapsed time. The possession was capped off by a nine-yard toss from Allar to Khalill Dinkins in the endzone. The score remained 7-0 with PSU in the lead at the conclusion of the first quarter.
FIU threatened on its next drive, inching to the PSU 22-yard line. Ford Jr. put a halt to the momentum, intercepting a pass out of the air marking his first career interception and second consecutive game where a Penn State defensive tackle intercepted a pass. The Nittany Lions took over on their own 25-yard line and managed to move the ball to the FIU 21-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.
The Panthers only gained 24 yards before the punt team returned to the field. The ensuing punt was blocked by Dominic DeLuca marking his third career blocked punt and first for Penn State since he blocked a punt against UMass in 2023.
The Nittany Lions were forced to punt for the first time in the contest on their next drive with Gabe Nwosu sending the ball 40 yards to the opposite end and Audavion Collins downing it at the two-yard line.
Another punt was in order for FIU after only managing a five yards. Ross returned the punt to the FIU 37-yard line for a six yard return. The Nittany Lions extened their lead on an eight-play drive that was finished off with a successful 41-yard field goal from Barker to allow Penn State to take a 10-0 lead.
The Nittany Lions utilized their first possession of the second half, putting up three more points following a 34-yard field goal from Barker after a 12-play drive. The Penn State defense held the score at 13-0, forcing the Panthers to punt for the fifth time in the contest.
Allar showed off his arm, launching a 42-yard touchdown pass to Ross in the endzone to cap off a five-play, 88-yard drive spanning over 2:09 of game time. The offense attempted a two-point conversion, but was unsuccessful due to a holding call. Barker’s extra point following the penalty gave Penn State a 20-0 edge. The PSU defense held off the FIU offense once again forcing a punt.
Neither team converted on their first two possesions of the fourth quarter, both being forced to punt on their first drives. PSU’s White sacked the FIU quarterback for a loss of nine yards to trigger the seventh punt for the Panthers. After the Nittany Lions came up short for a second time, FIU moved the ball to the Penn State 33-yard line but was unsuccessful on fourth down.
Allen broke the silence on the first play of PSU’s next drive, rushing for a career long 67 yards to the endzone while also suprassing 3,000 career rushing yards to make the score 27-0 in favor of the home team.
FIU only managed to gain 14 yards before the disruptive Nittany Lion defense struck again. Coleman forced his first career fumble on a sack for a loss of five yards while also recovering the ball and taking it 39 yards back to the Panthers’ five-yard line. Singleton compelted the score with a 5-yard rush to the endzone, pushing Penn State ahead 34-0.
The visitors had one more chance on offense as the clock winded down in the fourth quarter but the PSU held strong to seal the shutout.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and ticket information for the 2025 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.