Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin makes impact in Penn State offense

Some parts of Penn State’s win over UCLA jump off the page immediately.

While the score finished 27-11, it wasn’t that close. Drew Allar threw the ball well, and Liam Clifford showed up big with his first career 100-yard game. The defense allowed minus-9 yards in the third quarter, continuing a trend of stout second-half performances.

But what happened in that game that was not so obvious? After a rewatch, we’re emptying the notebook on important things you might not have noticed.

Quinton Martin’s day

With Nicholas Singleton sidelined, Martin took a huge workload of snaps behind Kaytron Allen. He only ran the ball once, though, for 1 yard.

Martin had 16 total snaps, according to PFF, and eight of them were passing downs. He made receptions on three of those. Penn State lined him up as a receiver just as often — if not more — as it used him as a true running back. That’s a huge part of Martin’s skill set, and if he’s going to be the No. 3 guy after Cam Wallace’s injury, Andy Kotelnicki will look to use it to his advantage.

There was one largely negative play on Martin’s tape, though. Remember Singleton’s huge chip block on an Illinois defensive end two weeks ago? Martin missed on a similar assignment, and the play was a disaster: Allar took a sack, and starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh sustained a serious enough injury to keep him out of the rest of the game.

Martin also returned the opening kickoff in the game for 27 yards. He’s young and inexperienced, but his talent is undeniable. Penn State needs to get him as much game experience as possible when it’s convenient in case he’s needed down the road.

Lane, Toure and a rotating defense

Dejuan Lane has continued to be an X-factor following Kevin Winston Jr.’s “long-term” injury. He played 30 snaps against UCLA, third behind only Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley at safety. Lane was out there in the first half for meaningful snaps, at times sharing the field with Reed. He’ll be needed against USC.

Lane also had a highlight on a 53-yard wheel route by Bruins running back T.J. Harden, as the freshman safety chased Harden down short of the end zone. Penn State forced a field goal on the drive.

Vaboue Toure entered early in the second half and played 17 snaps. Another freshman, Toure made five tackles in his limited time on the field.

At linebacker, Tyler Elsdon out-snapped starter Kobe King, 29-27. Ta’Mere Robinson (Brashear), who can play all three linebacker spots, was fourth with 24 snaps. DaKaari Nelson played the most of any of Penn State’s Will linebackers, out-snapping Dom DeLuca, 15-10.

This Penn State defense has been really good, but it lacks depth up the middle. In a game James Franklin knew his team could control, he got meaningful experience for those beyond the first string.

Dennis-Sutton’s big hit

Dani Dennis-Sutton was a menace every time he was on the field. He became well acquainted with UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin early on, making a massive blindside hit to force an incompletion. He had two total QB hurries and two pass breakups on the afternoon.

But on that first hit, when he took Martin down from the left side, his pre-snap movement was subtly elite. Dennis-Sutton stemmed away from the line of scrimmage late, a move that often indicates to offensive linemen that the defender is dropping into coverage. The offensive lineman in front of him will typically avert his gaze elsewhere after seeing that, while UCLA had a run-pass option going to the other side to begin with.

It was all speed and strength from there for Dennis-Sutton.

Tush Pushers and the sugar huddle

Penn State utilized the Tush Push in short yardage once again against UCLA, something the Lions made use of last season in imitation of the Philadelphia Eagles. Allar converted a first down and scored a touchdown with it on the same drive.

When Penn State went to that look, seven offensive linemen entered the game. Cooper Cousins and Nolan Rucci were behind Allar, as well as whichever running back was on the field.

Kotelnicki continued to have some fun in the way he called Penn State’s offense and created difficult looks for the defense. The Lions used the sugar huddle, a wall-like huddle where players are facing the defense — already aligned in their positions — and sprint to get set before a quick snap. It’s a concept used often in youth football, but it made it quite difficult for the UCLA defense to read keys and set formations.

How Penn State fixed third down

UCLA extended drives in the first and second quarter by beating pressure from Penn State. Martin stood in confidently and delivered passes on time on third and fourth down. But it wasn’t that the Lions pass rush was too slow, as Tom Allen blitzed almost every time. Penn State ran zone blitzes throughout the first half, and Martin identified it well.

As soon as the half turned, Allen switched to man blitzes. It resulted in two easy sacks of Martin and plenty more hurried throws. It was a noticeable switch, and another factor in the defense’s second-half dominance.

Miscellaneous

Allar made a ridiculous sidearm throw to tight end Khalil Dinkins (North Allegheny). It was only a short gain, but the arm angle was impressive.

Abdul Carter has taken a huge jump in his ability to defend the run, especially when the opposing quarterback is looking to pull a read option. He did a great job of working upfield to deny both the running back and the quarterback against UCLA.