STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – After all the hype, all the build up surrounding the biggest opponent the Eastern football team has ever faced, Penn State ended up being as good as advertised.

The Nittany Lions racked up 343 yards of total offense in the first half alone, and senior quarterback Daryll Clark combined for four total touchdowns as Penn State rolled to a 52-3 victory against the Panthers Saturday in front of 104,488 fans at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.

“We got outmatched, outplayed,” Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said. “Our guys hung in there the best they could do.”

The Nittany Lions (5-1) started hot and the Panthers were never able to keep up.

Penn State scored on every possession of the first half except one, building up a 38-0 halftime lead.

Eastern’s offensive line had its share of troubles protecting senior quarterback Jake Christensen for the second straight week, including one miscue that cost Eastern (4-2) its best scoring opportunity of the first half.

Facing third and goal from the seven-yard line with 20 seconds remaining in the first half, Christensen found himself in trouble and tried to scramble before losing the football.

Penn State red-shirt junior linebacker Navorro Bowman scooped the ball up and ran 91 yards for the touchdown for the final score of the half.

Christensen was sacked five times in all.

“(The Nittany Lions are) obviously a really good football team,” Eastern offensive coordinator Roy Wittke said. “They’re very worthy of their No. 14 (Associated Press Poll) or No. 12 (Coaches Poll) ranking in the country. Our team battled to the end. I’m proud of their effort, but we still committed too many mistakes.”

There were bright spots for the Panthers, as small as they may be. Senior kicker Austin Signor booted two kickoffs for touchbacks and converted 1-of-2 field goal attempts. Junior punter Kevin Cook averaged 48.2 yards per attempt and kept the Nittany Lions pinned in their own territory on several occasions. Junior running back Mon Williams broke loose for a few long runs and finished with a 4.6 yard-per-carry average on 14 carries, and junior linebacker Nick Nasti intercepted Clark on a screen pass in the first half for the Nittany Lions’ only turnover.

“We did have some nice things,” defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “We had the interception at the end of the first half, two three-and-outs there in the second half.”

The Nittany Lions finished with 553 yards of total offense to the Panthers’ 206. Christensen finished the game 13-for-25 for 137 yards and one interception, and freshman wide receiver Kenny Whittaker had a team-high five receptions for 41 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Cory Leman was Eastern’s leading tackler for the second consecutive game with eight; however, Leman had his right leg rolled over in the second half and left the stadium wearing a large brace. Bellantoni said he did not know the extent of the injury yet, but speculated he would miss at least a couple weeks.

The Nittany Lions were the final non-conference opponent for the Panthers this season as they will face Ohio Valley Conference teams from here out. Their next game is their Homecoming game against Tennessee Tech at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Former Eastern and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be among the five who will be inducted into the Eastern Athletic Hall of Fame at halftime of the contest.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.

Penn State red-shirt junior tailback Evan Royster runs past Eastern sophomore safety Carlos Reyna during Saturday’s 52-3 loss at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.(Eric Hiltner/The Daily Eastern News)

(more…)