The Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon at Huntington Bank Stadium. If the Gophers hope to pick up a signature win on Saturday, they'll have to find a way to slow down or eliminate each of these ten Nittany Lions.
The junior quarterback is in his second year as the Nittany Lions starting quarterback and is much improved from a season ago. After completing 59.9% of his passes as a sophomore, Allar's completion percentage has jumped up to 71.9% this season for 2,253 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has thrown five interceptions this season, an increase of his two from 2023 but the Ohio native is a much more confident passer season than he was a year ago.
Additionally, despite being a prototypical pocket-passer style quarterback, Allar needs to be watched carefully as he does have the athleticism and pocket awareness that allows him to extend plays with his legs and also pick up valuable yardage on the ground.
One half of a dangerous running back duo, Allen is a bruising running back who is faster than one would assume. The Virginia native splits carries with fellow junior Nicholas Singleton and does so quite well. Allen leads Penn State with 139 carries for 654 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 12 receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
The other half of Penn State's running back duo, Singleton brings more speed to the rushing attack. Despite being banged up for a large part of the season, the former four-star running back has 95 carries this season for 583 yards and four touchdowns. He's also a big threat out of the backfield in the passing attack with 24 receptions for 238 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 9.9 yards per reception.
Combined this season, Allen and Singleton have 270 touches for 1,579 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The most dangerous player on this Penn State offense was a quarterback coming out of high school. Now he's the best tight end in the country and is running away with the Mackey Award. The senior tight end is incredibly versatile and is a fantastic pass catcher, blocker, and ball carrier.
In a dominant 2024 season thus far, Warren has 67 receptions for 808 yards and five touchdowns as well as 16 carries for 157 yards and four touchdowns. This past weekend against Purdue, Warren had 127 receiving yards on eight receptions as well 63 rushing yards on three carries. He also had a 224 receiving-yard performance earlier this season against USC.
While not nearly as dangerous as Tyler Warren, Wallace is Penn State's most reliable receiver. In 2024, the Alabama native has recorded 31 receptions for 533 yards and three touchdowns, leading Penn State wideouts in all three categories. Wallace appeared to be on pace for a big season after a breakout game against West Virginia to start the season and while that hasn't happened, he's been steady for the Nittany Lions recording multiple receptions in nine of 10 games and managing at least 50 yards in five games.
Arguably the best edge rusher in the nation, Carter has flourished for the last two months after a slow start. The Philadelphia native and future first-round pick has 45 tackles including a Big Ten-leading 18 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Carter notably moved from linebacker to defensive end this past offseason.
One of the most underrated defensive tackles in the country, Durant gets consistent pressure on quarterbacks from the interior of the Nittany Lions defensive line. This season, the Florida native has 26 tackles including six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, King is a 'steady-eddy' in the middle of Penn State's defense. While not overly athletic, King is a smart, instinctual linebacker who makes up for any athletic misgivings with his football IQ. This season he has 50 tackles including six tackles for loss and three sacks.
Reed probably won't end up as an All-American but he certainly should. The senior safety for the Nittany Lions has been fantastic all season and has been the leader of the Penn State secondary after star safety KJ Winston Jr went down with a long-term injury earlier this season. Reed leads Penn State with 60 tackles this season including four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also has three interceptions including one returned for a touchdown as well as two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
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