UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Fourth-year tight end Brenton Strange's first career multi-touchdown day powered No. 14 Penn State's offense as the Nittany Lions responded from a sloppy first half to beat Central Michigan, 33-14, on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State (4-0) quickly jumped out to a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter, finding pay dirt on each of the Nittany Lions' first two drives. Sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford completed a pair of short-yardage scoring passes, first to fifth-year wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley from 5 yards out and on the next drive to fourth-year tight end Brenton Strange on a 4-yard touchdown strike.
Central Michigan (1-3) responded in a big way in the second quarter, though, answering with a pair of touchdowns on consecutive series. Fourth-year quarterback Daniel Richardson completed touchdown passes to second-year wide receiver Finn Hogan and fifth-year tight end Joel Wilson to even the score at 14 apiece.
With under two minutes to go in the half, freshman running back Kaytron Allen gave Penn State a lead it would not relinquish, scoring from 14 yards out to bring Penn State's advantage to 21-14 at the break.
The Nittany Lions benefited from a special teams miscue by the Chippewas in the third quarter, recovering a muffed punt by second-year wide receiver Jordyn Williams at Central Michigan's 5-yard line. Clifford connected with Strange again shortly after to boost Penn State's lead to 27-14.
Central Michigan thought it got another passing touchdown in the third quarter, but it was called back due to an offensive pass interference call against second-year tight end Marcus Young. The Chippewas were stopped on fourth-and-goal a few plays later.
Penn State put the game on ice a few drives later, with Clifford sneaking a 1-yard rush early in the fourth quarter following a long Allen run. The Nittany Lions failed to convert on their two-point conversion, but a three-score lead was more than enough to propel them to a 4-0 start to the year.
Stellar Strange
Prior to Saturday afternoon, Strange had entered the end zone once in seven different games as a Nittany Lion. That all changed against the Chippewas, as the West Virginia native was a frequent target of Clifford's.
A week removed from his six-reception, 80-yard game in a 41-12 win against Auburn, Strange was superb once more. Last season, Strange had 226 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Following the win over Central Michigan, Strange inched closer to eclipsing both marks from the 2021 season. Through just four games, Strange has 211 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Strange stepped up when third-year tight end Theo Johnson missed the first two games of the year and has made the most of his expanded role. He's now tied with Tinsley for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Up next
Penn State will resume with conference play next Saturday when the Nittany Lions host Northwestern for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The teams last met during the Saquon Barkley era, when Penn State topped the Wildcats 31-7 in Evanston, Ill., in 2017.
Like the first three games of the year, freshman quarterback Drew Allar saw the field against Central Michigan.
He fared well in the opening trio of contests, completing 10 of 14 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Allar struggled a bit more against the Chippewas, though, completing just 2 of 5 passes for 20 yards.
The Wildcats have struggled mightily in 2022, winning only their opening contest against Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, before losing their next two games at home to the likes of Duke and Southern Illinois.
Should Penn State take a commanding lead again in Week 5, young players like Allar could once again receive some extended game action.
