Drew Allar threw for 309 yards with three touchdown passes to lead host Penn State to a 56-0 rout of Kent State on Saturday at University Park, Pa.
Allar completed 17 of 21 passes and helped the 10th-ranked Nittany Lions (3-0) break open a close game with 21 points in the final 5:49 of the first half.
Tight end Tyler Warren, who caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, lined up at quarterback and found Nicholas Singleton open for a 17-yard touchdown to spark the quick barrage of points that turned a 7-0 edge into a 28-0 lead at the half.
Allar found Liam Clifford for a 14-yard touchdown pass and ran for a 5-yard score on the ensuing drive.
Singleton finished with 11 carries for 81 yards rushing.
Kent State (0-4) lost its starting quarterback on the second play of the game when Devin Kargman was hit hard on a pass rush by Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton. Kargman was taken off the field on a stretcher.
JD Sherrod took over for Kargman and completed only 2 of 6 passes for 18 yards. Tommy Ulatowski also got snaps, going 0-for-6 passing.
Penn State’s defense held Kent State to 65 total yards.
The Golden Flashes threatened to make the game competitive early as Kameron Olds intercepted a screen pass on Penn State’s first drive.
But Kargman’s injury hampered Kent State’s efforts to put together any momentum on that side of the ball.
Omari Evans led all Penn State receivers with four catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Nittany Lions improved to 7-0 all-time against Kent State and beat the Golden Flashes for the first time since 2018.
Penn State will host Illinois next Saturday, Sept. 28, in a battle of unbeaten teams. Kent State will try to claim its first win of the season when it hosts Eastern Michigan next Saturday.