Penn State Battles Through Slow Start, Defeats FIU
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Mason Eddinger | September 6, 2025
“Good teams win, Great teams cover.” So far, Penn State has been good, not great.
When the 2025 Penn State schedule was made public, many shared the same sentiment: the first trio of games is a dress rehearsal for their matchup against Oregon. If this were a dress rehearsal, the makeup was messy, the outfits didn’t fit, and the cast didn’t remember their lines. By no means have the first two games been a poor showing, but it certainly hasn’t been a performance worthy of the #2 team in the country. When speaking on the win, James Franklin said, “We made it harder than it needed to be”.
After a solid first half last week against Nevada, Drew Allar struggled to find a groove against FIU. Whether it was growing pains with the new transfer WRs or just a lack of accuracy on Allar’s part, Penn State’s aerial attack was lackluster at best. Considering this was not the case last week, Penn State fans should have optimism that this struggle was just an outlier. In the second half, however, Allar came out with that same composure that we saw in the opener. Although the opening drive of the second half didn’t yield a touchdown, Allar had some tight-window throws. The big difference between the first drive of the second half and the entirety of the first half was how easily Penn State navigated down the field. In the first half, Penn State receivers had to fight for separation, running backs had to navigate small holes, and Allar had to make the most out of nothing. In the second half, Penn State worked down the field with relative ease. Although the drive just got them three points, it was a stark improvement compared to the first half. Franklin added that Allar “wasn’t his usual self today.” Later in the third quarter, Allar and the offense were able to finally take the lid off the defense with a Devonte Ross jump ball TD.
In 2024, Penn State rushed for over 200 yards per game. Fast forward to 2025, and the rushing attack has struggled in the first half. Last week, they ran for just 135 yards on Nevada. This week, Penn State found more success on the ground in the 2nd-half. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were able to get larger holes to run through, and they started to bust off chunk play after chunk play. Late in the contest, Kaytron Allen found a hole and took his carry 67 yards to make the Penn State rushing stats more respectable. As far as play-by-play production on the ground, PSU struggled.
One of the bright spots of the early 2025 campaign for Penn State has been its defense. Penn State’s defense has allowed just 11 points so far this season, with 8 of those points coming in garbage time against Nevada last week. One of the highlights of last week’s game was DT Zane Durant showing off his ball skills and getting an interception. This week, it was another DT, Alonzo Ford Jr., getting a pick. Franklin said that he’s seen “phenomenal things” from the DTs this year.
Another stellar part of the Penn State defense has been its pass-rushing ability. Dani Dennis-Sutton stole the show last week with his two forced fumbles, and this week it was the defensive line as a unit dominating the line of scrimmage. Although against FIU, Penn State fans should feel confident in the front 7.
For Penn State, this game was not a “can you win” but a “how much can you win by” game. For a team with National Championship aspirations, struggling with FIU is certainly not a great look. Penn State was able to find more success in the 2nd-half, but it was still a dormant team for a majority of the game. Drew Allar had some impressive throws, but his down-to-down production was not what it should be. Luckily for Penn State, they will have another “tune-up” game next week against Villanova ahead of their colossal matchup with the Oregon Ducks.`
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