Penn State WRs held without a catch in Orange Bowl loss as fatal flaw costs shot at national championship

One particular stat looms over Penn State’s College Football Playoff 27-24 semifinal loss to Notre Dame: 0. As in zero catches by a wide receiver. 

Tyler Warren was always going to be a factor in the Nittany Lions’ offensive plan for the Orange Bowl, and the Mackey Award-winning tight end had six catches for 75 yards and another 21 yards rushing. But the lack of consistent playmakers at wideout, particularly down the field, has been a wart for Penn State all season. 

And now that stat puts the Nittany Lions in rare, if not unwanted, company: they’re the first non-service academy this season to play a game without at least one wide receiver catching a pass. Navy (four) and Air Force (one) are the others.

That unit was completely bottled up against the Fighting Irish. Wide receivers were targeted five times. Four fell incomplete, the other was Allar’s late interception to set up the Irish’s go-ahead field goal. 

Notre Dame, meanwhile, had Jaden Greathouse and a game-changing 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. With one defender down and another one to beat, Greathouse quickly reversed field and broke PSU safety Jayden Reed’s ankles to bring the Irish to within an extra point of tying in the fourth quarter. 

In three College Football Playoff games, Penn State’s top receiver, Harrison Wallace III, posted seven catches for 85 yards, good enough for 28 yards per game. Omari Evans caught a 38-yard touchdown bomb against Boise State but was held without a reception against SMU and Notre Dame. Every other wide receiver on the roster combined for one catch. That’s 10 total catches by wide receivers during the three most important games of Penn State’s season. 

For good measure, toss in the Ohio State game (three catches for 49 yards from…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/penn-state-wrs-held-without-a-catch-in-orange-bowl-loss-as-fatal-flaw-costs-shot-at-national-championship/

Author : Shehan Jeyarajah

Publish date : 2025-01-10 06:31:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.