As Penn State cornerback A.J. Harris put it this week, the Ohio State loss is “no longer the moment” for the Nittany Lions. Penn State (7-1) still controls its destiny regarding the College Football Playoff, whose pursuit begins against Washington on Saturday in the annual White Out game.

Penn State tasks itself with handling a 5-4 Huskies squad that’s certainly beatable (losses to Washington State, Rutgers, Iowa, Indiana), but also certainly has enough strengths to pull off an upset. With that, here are the keys for James Franklin’s group to emerge from the White Out with an 8-1 record.

Penn State vs. Washington: Story lines, preview, predictions

Getting downfield completions from the receivers

Last week’s loss to the Buckeyes was by far the worst production that Penn State’s generated at wide receiver through eight games. That’s not a complete surprise, as the Buckeyes boast the third-ranked pass defense (161.5 passing yards allowed per game) in the Big Ten. But Washington brings the conference’s top-ranked secondary (142.0 passing yards allowed per game) to Beaver Stadium.

Getting the wide receivers more involved isn’t just an emphasis for the sake of distributing the ball. Penn State’s ability to make explosive plays has waned after an excellent start to the season. Earlier, quarterback Drew Allar occasionally was able to air out the ball and open the field for offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. 

“I have a ton of confidence in that [wide receiver] room,” Allar said Wednesday. “Obviously, a way to be explosive is throwing the ball down the field. But again, we won’t have those opportunities to throw the ball down the field if we’re not staying ahead of the sticks and we’re not in rhythm.”

Against one of the best pass defenses in the country, Penn State could use more production, especially in stretching the field, from its top four receivers: Tre Wallace, Liam Clifford, Julian Fleming and Omari Evans. Unlike in the Ohio State matchup, the Nittany Lions can probably win this game without highlight receiver play. But given how the receiving unit has performed recently, Kotelnicki’s offense could use the boost at the position. Further, a rekindled chemistry between Allar and his receivers could be key moving forward.

A bounceback game from Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen

Elsewhere in Penn State’s offense, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen haven’t been their dominant selves recently. The Nittany Lions built their identity primarily around their strong ground game, yet neither running back has topped 100 rushing yards since Allen vs. Illinois on September 28. Last week, tight end Tyler Warren led Penn State in rushing with 47 yards.

Franklin could use a bounceback performance from his junior running backs against Washington. They should have a strong opportunity for one as well, with the Huskies currently allowing the fifth-most rushing yards per game (150.8) in the Big Ten. 

Not unlike the issues with its receiving core, Penn State’s offense hasn’t fully been able to play to its strengths since its 33-30 overtime win at USC. Against Wisconsin, Allar missed the entire second half, and while backup quarterback Beau Pribula managed the unit well in a 28-13 win, the offense’s dominant ground game, creativity and explosiveness wasn’t as evident. Against the Buckeyes, the offense then managed just 3.8 yards per carry on top of the struggling receiving core.

The White Out is, in many ways, an opportunity for Penn State to return to the strengths that helped it reach the No. 3 ranking in the AP Top 25. Getting Singleton and Allen back in rhythm is a significant component of that strength. 

Why is the White Out on Peacock?

Containing Will Rogers’ connection with his top receivers

Washington quarterback Will Rogers poses the biggest threat to the Nittany Lions when he’s in rhythm with his top two wide receivers, Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson. Through Washington’s first nine games, both have at least 50 receptions (55 for Jackson, 53 for Boston) while combining for 1,279 receiving yards. Boston’s nine receiving touchdowns also lead the Big Ten.

Penn State’s secondary will have some work to do in slowing Rogers, Boston and Jackson. Rogers, a senior who spent four seasons at Mississippi State, has had just one game with fewer than 200 passing yards this season. He doesn’t make mistakes often, with just four interceptions against his 13 touchdown passes, and has been efficient, completing 71.1 percent of his 277 throws.

If Penn State’s going to slow down the Huskies’ offense, forcing incompletions on key passing plays, being prepared for quick passes from Rogers and keeping Boston and Jackson’s impact to a minimum will be essential. 

“[Rogers] gets the ball out fast. He knows [where] he’s going with the ball. He’s a pro-style quarterback who knows what he’s doing,” Harris said. “We just look forward to sticking to our technique, just trying to compete versus those guys. It’s a great group of wide receivers, but we just look at giving our all and trying to take care of that business.”

Washington isn’t the same team that went 14-1 and played for the national championship in 2023. However, the Huskies also aren’t a team to take lightly this season. They may have four losses, but if Penn State starts slow or thinks it can coast to a bounceback victory, the team easily could leave the White Out with its second consecutive loss. 

“We’ve got to make sure that one loss doesn’t turn into two,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to make sure we moved on [from the Ohio State loss]. We’ve got to find a way to get a win against a really good Washington team coming into our place.”

Penn State will host Washington at 8 p.m. ET Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The game will be streamed on Peacock.

More Penn State Football

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Nittany Lions say they’re “dialed in” on Washington

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_  or Instagram @dmadersports.