Drew Allar throws for 2 TDs as No. 2 Penn State overcomes slow start in shutout vs. FIU

UNIVERSITY PARK — Drew Allar completed 19 of 33 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 2 Penn State beat Florida International, 34-0, on Saturday.

Devonte Ross and Khalil Dinkins caught touchdown passes, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton ran for scores and Ryan Barker kicked two field goals for the Nittany Lions (2-0), who shook off a sluggish first half and beat their second straight Group of Five opponent.

“It’s the first two games of the year. I’m not really worried about it yet,” Allar said. “We’ve finished plenty of drives the first two games. For me, it’s never going to be good enough unless we score on every single drive.”

Linebacker Tony Rojas made 10 tackles, Alonzo Ford intercepted a pass and Penn State’s defense notched its first shutout since a 56-0 win over Kent State last year.

Initially, neither offense could sustain a possession as steady rain pounded Beaver Stadium’s natural grass early.

The Panthers (1-1) punted twice, had another punt blocked, turned the ball over on downs and had a solid drive spoiled in Penn State’s end when Ford picked off an errant Keyone Jenkins screen pass.

But Penn State couldn’t turn the Panthers’ miscues into points.

The Nittany Lions gave it away on downs twice, punted once and had a field goal blocked in the first half. They were able to convert on their second possession late in the second quarter when Dinkins hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Allar.

“I think we made it harder than we needed it to be in a lot of areas,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “We are playing a lot of young guys, and it felt like that at times.”

Barker added a 41-yard field goal later in the second as the rain slowed. He was blocked on a 53-yard try nine plays later by Jessiah McGrew as Penn State went into halftime with a 10-0 lead.

The Nittany Lions got a 34-yarder from Barker that made it 13-0 early in the second half.

Allar and Ross made it 20-0 on Penn State’s next possession when Ross sprinted for the corner of the end zone and battled through Ashton Levells’ pass interference to catch a 42-yard touchdown pass with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left in the third.

Allen finished with 144 yards on 16 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown in the fourth. Singleton scored from 5 yards with 1:19 to play.

“I told the guys before the game that this game would really show who we are,” FIU coach Willie Simmons said. “And I thought for the first half we showed everybody, that when we’re doing the right things, we can play with any team in America.”

Franklin said after the game that the team didn’t expect Ross to be available until Week 4.

The former Troy wideout dealt with an unspecified injury in training camp but was able to rehab enough to receive clearance. He finished with three catches and served as the team’s primary punt returner.

His best play came on his third-quarter catch in the end zone. With Levells draped all over him, Ross had to turn his body and one-hand the ball with his right arm.

Afterward he called it a “special” catch as one of the team’s new “old guys.”

“I feel like you always have to earn it with everyone,” Ross said. “I never came in here thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve already played college football and I just deserve something.’ I just wanted to pride myself on working hard and earn the respect of my teammates and coaches.”

Despite being outmatched in nearly every category, the Panthers played hard and held the nation’s second-ranked squad to 10 first-half points. With 25 transfer players on their roster, the Panthers have plenty of room to grow under first-year coach Willie Simmons as they try for their first winning season since 2018.

After settling for four field goals in their opening win over Nevada, the Nittany Lions wanted to finish drives better in Week 2. They’ll need to continue working on that after stalling out numerous times early against another Group of Five defense.

Penn State hosts Villanova on Saturday.