American college football season
The 2023 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big Ten Conference . The team was led by James Franklin in his tenth year as Penn State's head coach.[1]
Schedule [ edit ] Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 2 7:30 p.m. West Virginia * No. 7 NBC W 38–15110,747 September 9 12:00 p.m. No. 19 (FCS ) Delaware * No. 7 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA Peacock W 63–7108,575 September 16 12:00 p.m. at Illinois No. 7 FOX W 30–1349,099 September 23 7:30 p.m. No. 24 Iowa No. 7 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (White Out ) CBS W 31–0110,830 September 30 12:00 p.m. at Northwestern No. 6 BTN W 41–1325,064 October 14 3:30 p.m. UMass * No. 6 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA BTN W 63–0105,533 October 21 12:00 p.m. at No. 3 Ohio State No. 7 FOX L 12–20105,506 October 28 12:00 p.m. Indiana No. 10 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA CBS W 33–24107,209 November 4 3:30 p.m. at Maryland No. 11 FOX W 51–1551,802 November 11 12:00 p.m. No. 3 Michigan No. 10 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) FOX L 15–24110,856 November 18 12:00 p.m. Rutgers No. 12 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA FS1 W 27–6105,114 7:30 p.m. vs. Michigan State No. 11 NBC W 42–051,927 December 30 12:00 p.m. vs. No. 11 Ole Miss No. 10 ESPN L 25–3871,230
Game summaries [ edit ] West Virginia [ edit ] Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter PSU – Lambert-Smith, 12-yard TD pass from Allar, Alex Felkins kick, 8:36 (PSU 21–7) Fourth quarter PSU – Felkins, 25-yard field goal, 14:47 (PSU 24–7) PSU – Malik McClain, 25-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 7:32 (PSU 31–7) WVU – Garrett Greene , 1-yard TD run, Donaldson pass from Greene for 2-point conversion, 3:34 (PSU 31–15) PSU – Beau Pribula, 5-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 0:06 (PSU 38–15)
Statistics WVU PSU First downs 17 27 Plays–yards 67–308 65–478 Rushes–yards 40–146 35–146 Passing yards 162 332 Passing: comp–att–int 16–27–0 22–30–0 Time of possession 31:16 28:44
Team Category Player Statistics West Virginia Passing Garrett Greene 16/27, 162 yards Rushing CJ Donaldson Jr. 18 carries, 81 yards, TD Receiving Devin Carter 6 receptions, 90 yards Penn State Passing Drew Allar 21/29, 325 yards, 3 TD Rushing Nicholas Singleton 13 carries, 70 yards, TD Receiving KeAndre Lambert-Smith 4 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD
No. 19 Delaware (FCS) [ edit ] Game information First quarter PSU – Nicholas Singleton , 2-yard TD run, Alex Felkins kick, 8:19 (PSU 7–0) PSU – Kaytron Allen , 4-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 2:16 (PSU 14–0) UD – Marcus Yarns, 66-yard TD run, Alex Schmoke kick, 1:05 (PSU 14–7) Second quarter PSU – Singleton, 5-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 11:50 (PSU 21–7) PSU – Singleton, 5-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 4:36 (PSU 28–7) PSU – Tyler Warren , 2-yard TD pass from Drew Allar , Felkins kick, 0:22 (PSU 35–7) Third quarter PSU – Allar, 1-yard TD run, Sander Sahaydak kick, 9:48 (PSU 42–7) PSU – Beau Pribula, 6-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 7:16 (PSU 49–7) PSU – Dominic DeLuca, 26-yard interception return for TD, Felkins kick, 2:43 (PSU 56–7) Fourth quarter PSU – Omari Evans, 4-yard TD pass from Pribula, Felkins kick, 7:35 (PSU 63–7)
Statistics UD PSU First downs 5 34 Plays–yards 41–140 91–541 Rushes–yards 24–82 60–315 Passing yards 58 226 Passing: comp–att–int 6–17–1 25–31–0 Time of possession 17:38 42:22
Team Category Player Statistics Delaware Passing Zach Marker 3/7, 37 yards, INT Rushing Marcus Yarns 6 carries, 86 yards, TD Receiving Jojo Bermudez 2 receptions, 32 yards Penn State Passing Drew Allar 22/26, 204 yards, TD Rushing Kaytron Allen 19 carries, 103 yards, TD Receiving KeAndre Lambert-Smith 6 receptions, 74 yards
At Illinois [ edit ] Game information First quarter PSU – Alex Felkins, 20-yard field goal, 5:27 (PSU 30) PSU – Felkins, 45-yard field goal, 1:43 (PSU 6–0) Second quarter PSU – Kaytron Allen , 4-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 11:04 (PSU 13–0) UI – Reggie Love III, 5-yard TD run, Caleb Griffin kick, 2:08 (PSU 13–7) PSU – Felkins, 28-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 16–7) Third quarter PSU – Tyler Warren , 11-yard TD pass from Trey Potts, Felkins kick, 2:14 (PSU 23–7) Fourth quarter PSU – Nicholas Singleton , 16-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 14:24 (PSU 30–7) UI – Malik Elzy, 19-yard TD pass from John Paddock, 2-point conversion failed, 4:21 (PSU 30–13)
Statistics PSU UI First downs 20 20 Plays–yards 77–383 73–354 Rushes–yards 40–164 29–62 Passing yards 219 292 Passing: comp–att–int 17–37–0 25–44–4 Time of possession 31:52 28:08
No. 24 Iowa [ edit ] Game information First quarter PSU – Alex Felkins, 46-yard field goal, 1:35 (PSU 3–0) Second quarter PSU – Khalil Dinkins, 9-yard TD pass from Drew Allar , Felkins kick, 9:17 (PSU 10–0) Third quarter PSU – Tyler Warren , 2-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 8:20 (PSU 17–0) PSU – Warren, 7-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 1:01 (PSU 24–0) Fourth quarter
Statistics UI PSU First downs 4 28 Plays–yards 33–76 97–397 Rushes–yards 17–20 57–215 Passing yards 56 182 Passing: comp–att–int 6–16–0 26–40–0 Time of possession 14:33 45:27
At Northwestern [ edit ] No. 6 Penn State at Northwestern – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 6 Penn State 3 7 17 14 41 Northwestern 3 7 0 3 13
at Ryan Field , Evanston, Illinois
Game information First quarter NU – Jack Olsen, 33-yard field goal, 12:47 (NU 3–0) PSU – Alex Felkins, 20-yard field goal, 2:37 (TIE 3–3) Second quarter NU – Ben Bryant , 1-yard TD run, Olsen kick, 5:46 (NU 10–3) PSU – Trey Potts, 13-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 1:16 (TIE 10–10) Third quarter PSU – Drew Allar , 1-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 8:40 (PSU 17–10) PSU – Felkins, 47-yard field goal, 6:03 (PSU 20–10) PSU – Nicholas Singleton , 2-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 1:24 (PSU 27–10) Fourth quarter NU – Olsen, 28-yard field goal, 12:01 (PSU 27–13) PSU – Singleton, 1-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 4:07 (PSU 34–13) PSU – Potts, 30-yard TD pass from Beau Pribula, Felkins kick, 2:20 (PSU 41–13)
Statistics PSU NU First downs 19 12 Plays–yards 73–353 63–175 Rushes–yards 39–134 32–45 Passing yards 219 130 Passing: comp–att–int 19–34–0 16–31–1 Time of possession 32:08 27:52
Game information First quarter PSU – Daequan Hardy , 56-yard punt return for TD, Alex Felkins kick, 4:17 (PSU 7–0) Second quarter PSU – Drew Allar , 1-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 12:35 (PSU 14–0) PSU – Kaytron Allen , 9-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 6:20 (PSU 21–0) PSU – Tyler Warren , 7-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 1:01 (PSU 28–0) Third quarter PSU – Theo Johnson , 30-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 11:29 (PSU 35–0) PSU – T. Johnson, 18-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 5:12 (PSU 42–0) PSU – Hardy, 68-yard punt return for TD, Sander Sahaydak kick, 3:57 (PSU 49–0) Fourth quarter PSU – Trey Potts, 2-yard TD run, Sahaydak kick, 13:37, (PSU 56–0) PSU – Beau Pribula, 31-yard TD run, Sahaydak kick, 8:28 (PSU 63–0)
Statistics UM PSU First downs 9 28 Plays–yards 62–109 60–408 Rushes–yards 39–64 37–246 Passing yards 45 162 Passing: comp–att–int 9–23–1 16–23–0 Time of possession 32:58 27:02
Team Category Player Statistics Massachusetts Passing Taisun Phommachanh 6/14, 25 yards Rushing Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams 14 carries, 31 yards Receiving George Johnson III 2 receptions, 24 yards Penn State Passing Drew Allar 16/23, 162 yards, 3 TD Rushing Nicholas Singleton 15 carries, 79 yards Receiving Theo Johnson 4 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TD
At No. 3 Ohio State [ edit ] No. 7 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 7 Penn State 3 3 0 6 12 No. 3 Ohio State 3 7 0 10 20
at Ohio Stadium , Columbus, Ohio
Game information First quarter OSU – Jayden Fielding, 33-yard field goal, 10:49 (OSU 3–0) PSU – Alex Felkins, 40-yard field goal, 5:15 (TIE 3–3) Second quarter OSU – Miyan Williams , 2-yard TD run, Fielding kick, 7:31 (OSU 10–3) PSU – Felkins, 41-yard field goal, 4:16 (OSU 10–6) Third quarter No scoring
Fourth quarter OSU – Fielding, 37-yard field goal, 8:59 (OSU 13–6) OSU – Marvin Harrison Jr. , 18-yard TD pass from Kyle McCord , Fielding kick, 4:07 (OSU 20–6) PSU – Kaden Saunders, 8-yard TD pass from Drew Allar , 2-point pass conversion failed, 0:29 (OSU 20–12)
Statistics PSU OSU First downs 15 22 Plays–yards 68–240 76–365 Rushes–yards 26–49 41–79 Passing yards 191 286 Passing: comp–att–int 18–42–0 22–35–0 Time of possession 25:36 34:24
Team Category Player Statistics Penn State Passing Drew Allar 18/42, 191 yards, TD Rushing Nicholas Singleton 9 carries, 48 yards Receiving KeAndre Lambert-Smith 6 receptions, 52 yards Ohio State Passing Kyle McCord 22/35, 286 yards, TD Rushing Miyan Williams 24 carries, 62 yards, TD Receiving Marvin Harrison Jr. 11 receptions, 162 yards, TD
Indiana [ edit ] Game information First quarter Second quarter IU – Donaven McCulley, 69-yard TD pass from Sorsby, Freeman kick, 13:26 (IU 14–7) PSU – Nicholas Singleton , 2-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 2:02 (TIE 14–14) PSU – Felkins, 50-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 17–14) Third quarter PSU – Theo Johnson , 16-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 8:39 (PSU 24–14) Fourth quarter IU – Omar Cooper Jr., 26-yard TD pass from Sorsby, Freeman kick, 10:54 (PSU 24–21) IU – Freeman, 35-yard field goal, 2:58 (TIE 24–24) PSU – KeAndre Lambert-Smith , 57-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 1:46 (PSU 31–24) PSU – Safety, Indiana fumbled the ball out of the end zone, 1:33 (PSU 33–24)
Statistics IU PSU First downs 14 19 Plays–yards 53–349 74–342 Rushes–yards 34–80 43–132 Passing yards 269 210 Passing: comp–att–int 13–19–1 20–31–1 Time of possession 24:35 35:25
Team Category Player Statistics Indiana Passing Brendan Sorsby 13/19, 269 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing Josh Henderson 12 carries, 57 yards Receiving DeQuece Carter 3 receptions, 104 yards, TD Penn State Passing Drew Allar 20/31, 210 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing Kaytron Allen 18 carries, 81 yards Receiving KeAndre Lambert-Smith 6 receptions, 96 yards, TD
At Maryland [ edit ] Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter PSU – Felkins, 30-yard field goal, 9:26 (PSU 24–7) Fourth quarter PSU – Cephas, 15-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 13:55 (PSU 31–7) UM – Jeshaun Jones, 1-yard TD pass from Tagovailoa, Antwain Littleton II run for 2-point conversion, 11:27 (PSU 31–15) PSU – Kaytron Allen , 10-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 9:14 (PSU 38–15) PSU – Felkins, 35-yard field goal, 7:38 (PSU 41–15) PSU – Felkins, 39-yard field goal, 2:51 (PSU 44–15) PSU – Beau Pribula, 6-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 1:25 (PSU 51–15)
Statistics PSU UM First downs 25 15 Plays–yards 76–404 58–234 Rushes–yards 37–158 16–(-49) Passing yards 246 283 Passing: comp–att–int 26–39–0 31–42–2 Time of possession 37:14 22:46
Team Category Player Statistics Penn State Passing Drew Allar 25/34, 240 yards, 4 TD Rushing Kaytron Allen 14 carries, 91 yards, TD Receiving KeAndre Lambert-Smith 8 receptions, 95 yards Maryland Passing Taulia Tagovailoa 29/39, 286 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Billy Edwards Jr. 1 carry, 4 yards Receiving Tai Felton 4 receptions, 75 yards
No. 3CFP /2AP Michigan [ edit ] Game information First quarter PSU – Alex Felkins, 20-yard field goal, 2:17 (PSU 3–0) Second quarter Third quarter UM – Turner, 22-yard field goal, 3:36 (UM 17–9) Fourth quarter UM – Corum, 30-yard TD run, Turner kick, 4:15 (UM 24–9) PSU – Theo Johnson , 8-yard TD pass from Allar, 2-point pass conversion failed, 1:59 (UM 24–15)
Penn State hosted Michigan on November 11. As the Michigan team and coaching staff flew to Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh from game-day coaching for the remainder of the regular season as punishment for the Michigan Wolverines football sign-stealing scandal .[2]
Michigan defeated Penn State, 24–15, before a crowd of 110,856 at Beaver Stadium .[3] The first three drives of the game ended with punts. Penn State then drove 66 yards on 13 plays and became the first team to run a play inside Michigan's 10-yard line during the 2023 season. Facing a first-and-goal from the three-yard line, Michigan's defense stopped the Nittany Lions who settled for a 20-yard field goal by Alex Felkins. After Penn State's field goal, Michigan drove 75 yards on nine plays, including a 22-yard run by Donovan Edwards , a pass from J. J. McCarthy to Semaj Morgan for 19 yards and ending with a three-yard touchdown run by Blake Corum . After holding Penn State to a three-and-out, Michigan drove 78 yards on six plays, including a 44-yard run by Corum and a 22-yard touchdown run by Edwards. Late in the second quarter, Penn State drove 75 yards and scored on an 11-yard touchdown run by Drew Allar , though its attempt at a two-point conversion failed. Michigan led, 14–9 at halftime.
On the opening drive of the second half, Allar fumbled after being hit by Rayshaun Benny, and Michigan's Makari Paige recovered the loose ball at the Penn State 49-yard line. After the turnover, Michigan drove to the Penn State four-yard line, and James Turner kicked a 22-yard field goal. The defenses then took control of the game as six consecutive drives ended with punts, With four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game, Michigan forced a turnover on downs as Allar threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. Corum ran 30 yard for a touchdown with 4:15 remaining in the game. In the closing minutes, Penn State drove 75 yards on eight plays, scoring on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Allar to Theo Johnson . Penn State again failed on an attempted two-point conversion. Penn State attepted an onside kick, but Mike Sainristil fell on the ball, and Michigan ran out the clock.[4]
Blake Corum carried the ball 26 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns. The team totaled 227 rushing yards against a Penn State defense that had the top-ranked rushing defense in the county, having not allowed any opponent to rush for more than 100 yards in a game.[5]
Statistics UM PSU First downs 15 17 Plays–yards 54–287 58–238 Rushes–yards 46–227 35–164 Passing yards 60 74 Passing: comp–att–int 7–8–0 11–23–0 Time of possession 33:12 26:48
Rutgers [ edit ] Game information First quarter RU – Jai Patel, 35-yard field goal, 4:43 (RU 3–0) Second quarter PSU – Kaytron Allen , 2-yard TD run, Alex Felkins kick, 11:36 (PSU 7–3) PSU – Felkins, 21-yard field goal, 8:44 (PSU 10–3) RU – Patel, 28-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 10–6) Third quarter PSU – Felkins, 48-yard field goal, 5:32 (PSU 13–6) Fourth quarter PSU – Allen, 3-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 14:14 (PSU 20-6) PSU – Beau Pribula, 1-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 3:36 (PSU 27–6)
Statistics RU PSU First downs 13 16 Plays–yards 58–229 53–322 Rushes–yards 42–99 39–234 Passing yards 130 88 Passing: comp–att–int 10–16–1 7–14–0 Time of possession 32:00 28:00
Team Category Player Statistics Rutgers Passing Gavin Wimsatt 10/16, 130 yards, INT Rushing Kyle Monangai 16 carries, 39 yards Receiving Isaiah Washington 5 receptions, 55 yards Penn State Passing Drew Allar 6/13, 79 yards Rushing Beau Pribula 8 carries, 71 yards, TD Receiving Tyler Warren 2 receptions, 32 yards
At Michigan State [ edit ] No. 11CFP/AP Penn State at Michigan State – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 11CFP/AP Penn State 3 10 15 14 42 Michigan State 0 0 0 0 0
at Ford Field , Detroit, Michigan
Game information First quarter PSU – Alex Felkins, 49-yard field goal, 9:50 (PSU 3–0) Second quarter PSU – Felkins, 30-yard field goal, 12:11 (PSU 6–0) PSU – Kaytron Allen , 2-yard TD pass from Drew Allar , Felkins kick, 4:51 (PSU 13–0) Third quarter PSU – Tyler Warren , 8-yard TD pass from Beau Pribula, 2-point converstion pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith from Allar, 10:13 (PSU 21–0) PSU – Pribula, 2-yard TD run, Felkins kick, 4:13 (PSU 28–0) Fourth quarter PSU – Theo Johnson , 21-yard TD pass from Allar, Felkins kick, 12:29 (PSU 35–0) PSU – Nicholas Singleton , 14-yard TD run, Sander Sahaydak kick, 7:58 (PSU 42–0)
Statistics PSU MSU First downs 23 5 Plays–yards 67–586 47–53 Rushes–yards 39–283 27–(-35) Passing yards 303 88 Passing: comp–att–int 19–28–0 12–20–1 Time of possession 35:50 24:10
Team Category Player Statistics Penn State Passing Drew Allar 17/26, 292 yards, 2 TD Rushing Kaytron Allen 15 carries, 137 yards Receiving Nicholas Singleton 2 receptions, 68 yards Michigan State Passing Katin Houser 11/19, 87 yards, INT Rushing Nathan Carter 8 carries, 39 yards Receiving Montorie Foster Jr. 2 receptions, 35 yards
Vs. No. 11CFP/AP Mississippi (Peach Bowl) [ edit ] No. 11CFP/AP Mississippi vs. No. 10CFP/AP Penn State – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total No. 11CFP/AP Mississippi 10 10 11 7 38 No. 10CFP/AP Penn State 3 14 0 8 25
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium , Atlanta, Georgia
Game information First quarter PSU – Alex Felkins, 26-yard field goal, 9:17 (PSU 3–0) UM – Caden Davis, 36-yard field goal, 7:16 (TIE 3–3) UM – Caden Prieskorn , 6-yard TD pass from Jaxson Dart , Davis kick, 0:30 (UM 10–3) Second quarter PSU – Theo Johnson , 2-yard TD pass from Drew Allar , Felkins kick, 13:34 (TIE 10–10) UM – Davis, 45-yard field goal, 10:33 (UM 13–10) UM – Prieskorn, 37-yard TD pass from Dart, Davis kick, 4:58 (UM 20–10) PSU – Nicholas Singleton , 48-yard TD pass from Beau Pribula], Felkins kick, 2:45 (UM 20–17) Third quarter UM – Davis, 52-yard field goal, 10:48 (UM 23–17) UM – Quinshon Judkins , 14-yard TD pass from Dart, Prieskorn pass from Dart for 2-point conversion,, 4:10 (UM 31–17) Fourth quarter UM – Dart, 2-yard TD run, Davis kick, 6:29 (UM 38–17) PSU – Harrison Wallace III, 14-yard TD pass from Allar, Singleton pass from Pribula for 2-point conversion, 4:14 (UM 38–25)
Statistics UM PSU First downs 30 21 Plays–yards 88–540 68–510 Rushes–yards 47–146 28–167 Passing yards 394 343 Passing: comp–att–int 26–41–0 20–40–1 Time of possession 33:38 26:22
Team Category Player Statistics Mississippi Passing Jaxson Dart 25/40, 379 yards, 3 TD Rushing Quinshon Judkins 34 carries, 106 yards Receiving Caden Prieskorn 10 receptions, 136 yards, 2 TD Penn State Passing Drew Allar 19/39, 295 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Kaytron Allen 10 carries, 51 yards Receiving Tyler Warren 5 receptions, 127 yards
Rankings [ edit ] Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 7 10 9 9 12 11 10 10 13 Coaches 7 7 7 7 7 6 5 6 10 9 9 12 11 10 10 13 CFP Not released 11 10 12 11 10 10 Not released
References [ edit ] ^ "Football Schedule" . FBSchedules. ^ Kevin Skiver (November 11, 2023). "Where is Jim Harbaugh vs. Penn State? Michigan coach starting suspension imposed by Big Ten" . Detroit Free Press . ^ Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (November 11, 2023). "U-M Defense, Ground Attack Key in Road Win Over No. 9 Penn State" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 11, 2023 . ^ "Without Jim Harbaugh, No. 2 Michigan grinds past No. 9 Penn State with 32 straight runs in 24-15 win" . ESPN.com . ESPN. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023 . ^ "Postgame Notes: #2 Michigan 24, #9 Penn State 15" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023 .
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