STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — James Franklin said Monday that not enough people were talking about Penn State’s defense after its strong performance against West Virginia.

There was a lot of talk about Tom Allen’s defense on Saturday afternoon, but not for positive reasons. As Bowling Green marched up and down the field in the first half, there were gaping holes in the running game, the home fans missed too many tackles and the pass defense was picked apart by quarterback Connor Bazelak. The Beaver Stadium crowd even let out a few boos when No. 8 Penn State’s first moment of panic this season came against the Falcons.

Here are my key takeaways from Penn State’s 34-27 win over Bowling Green.

What happened to the defense?

Before Saturday, Penn State had not allowed an opening touchdown drive in 28 games. The 24 points the Nittany Lions’ defense gave up in the first half were more than Penn State gave up in a regular-season game last year.

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For a team with College Football Playoff aspirations, and a team that on paper has a lot of star power on defense, this group struggled mightily. Bowling Green scored on four of five possessions in the first half, put together three touchdown drives and totaled 286 yards.

The only drive Penn State got off the field in the first half came courtesy of Abdul Carter’s quarterback rush that derailed Bowling Green’s fourth-and-1 attempt at the 45-yard line. It was the kind of play Penn State needed from one of its star players and gave the Nittany Lions momentum, but the offense failed to capitalize on its strong starting field position, settling for a 43-yard field goal by Sander Sahaydak.

Tyler Warren (44) set a Penn State single-game record for a tight end on Saturday with 146 yards receiving. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Still, Bazelak deserves credit for how he led the Falcons’ offense. Bowling Green had six passing plays of 15 or more yards in the first half, including two passes of 30-plus yards. It gained 54 rushing yards on two first-half plays, highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown run by Jamal Johnson.

As bumpy as the first half was — this was as shaky as a Penn State defense with all its projected starters playing has looked since 2022, when Michigan ran 79 plays and posted 563 yards — Allen’s group adjusted in the second half, limiting Bowling Green to 89 yards. Penn State’s defense came out strong late in the game, ending back-to-back drives with interceptions (Tony Rojas and Zakee Wheatley) to hold off the Falcons.

Penn State’s pass rush, expected to be one of the nation’s best, failed to register a sack. Safety KJ Winston spent the second half on the sideline without his helmet, something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Singleton finds his groove, Allen gets going

For the second straight game, Singleton looked like the explosive, freshman version of himself. He and Kaytron Allen were both announced as starters, something Penn State did often last season as a reminder of how much they value both.

Both had their moments. Singleton rushed for 119, and his 14-yard touchdown reception from Drew Allar in the third quarter was a nice reminder of how useful Singleton can be as a pass catcher. That touchdown, which gave Penn State a 27-24 lead, helped calm the offense and the crowd. Allar threw the ball in one of the tightest windows of his career. Singleton added a 41-yard TD run with 4:09 left in the game to close it out.

Allen had 14 rushes for 101 yards, including a 26-yard run late in the third quarter that put Penn State at the Bowling Green 12 and should have led to points. An Allar interception on the next play ended Penn State’s promising scoring opportunity.

Attack remains explosive

The first half was a shootout with both offenses scoring at will. It certainly wasn’t what I expected when I walked into the stadium Saturday morning, but Penn State’s ability to score and score quickly has been on display in the first two games.

While it will be tough to gauge what this offense does against better defenses — Allar’s interception in the end zone late in the third quarter was certainly a low point — Penn State at least remains willing to take shot plays and use different personnel combinations. While Harrison Wallace III shined against West Virginia, it was tight end Tyler Warren who filled the stat sheet in this game.

Warren’s 146 receiving yards set a Penn State record for a tight end. He was targeted a team-high eight times. Wide receiver Omari Evans showed his potential for a big play again with a touchdown reception of 29 yards. Evans saw what could have been a second touchdown wiped out in the third quarter due to an offensive pass interference call.

Tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who was ruled out today, was on crutches on the sideline at the end of the game. Rappleyea was expected to be a major contributor this season.

(Top photo of Drew Allar (15): Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)