Penn State maintained its No. 2 ranking in the latest AP Top 25 poll after shutting out Florida International 34-0 on Saturday. The Nittany Lions recorded their 13th shutout since 2014.
Only Alabama has more shutouts during that span.
The defense carried Penn State again, but the offense struggled at times. The team converted just three of 12 third-down attempts against FIU.
Head coach James Franklin pointed to quarterback Drew Allar’s inconsistent performance as a factor in the offensive struggles.
“I didn’t think he was in his normal rhythm,” Franklin said. “We had some drops. He had some throws that he normally makes that he didn’t. That was a major factor for us on third down. But we just couldn’t seem to get into the rhythm on offense, and that was part of it.”
Ohio State remains at No. 1 after demolishing Grambling State 70-0. The Buckeyes’ dominant performance kept Penn State from moving up despite their shutout win.
Several Big Ten teams made moves in the poll this week.
Oregon jumped to No. 4 after crushing Oklahoma State. Illinois sits at No. 9, while Indiana entered at No. 22. Michigan dropped to No. 23 following its loss to Oklahoma.
Missouri, led by former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula, cracked the rankings at No. 25.
Penn State hosts Villanova next weekend in its final nonconference game before a bye week. The real test comes Sept. 27 when Oregon visits Happy Valley.
The matchup with the Ducks sets up as one of the season’s biggest early games. Both teams will likely be ranked in the top five when they meet.
The Nittany Lions have have one more tune-up game before conference play begins in earnest.
