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Penn State football tight end Tyler Warren received a significant award after his stellar performance against Purdue. James Franklin's team has remained focused since its tough home loss to Ohio State. Led by quarterback Drew Allar, the Nittany Lions offense was explosive against the Boilermakers, scoring 49 points in the blowout road win.
Warren, second among tight ends in receiving yards nationwide, put up incredible numbers. The senior tallied up 127 receiving yards and 63 rushing yards, with a touchdown through the air and on the ground. For his efforts on Saturday, the Big Ten announced Warren as the conference's offensive player of the week.
Penn State's chances of making the College Football Playoff are very high
Penn State football has been one of the most consistent teams in college football coming into Week 13. The Nittany Lions are 9-1, 6-1 in conference, and the current No. 4 team in the country. Despite being the fourth team in the Big Ten standings, if James Franklin and company win out, they will be safely in the College Football Playoff.
The Nittany Lions' last two games are against unranked teams Minnesota and Maryland. Should chaos occur atop the conference standings, Penn State football could still reach the Big Ten title game. For that to happen, however, Penn State would need the Indiana Hoosiers to shock Ohio State and then lose the following week to Purdue, an improbable scenario.
Regardless, should the Buckeyes lose any remaining games, Penn State can still earn a higher seed in the College Football Playoff. This possibility is huge, as the Nittany Lions were the sixth seed in the bracket after Week 12. In that scenario, James Franklin's team would face No. 11 Ole Miss.
While these rankings aren't stagnant, should Penn State football move up to No. 5, it could host No. 12 Boise State and then play a much more vulnerable No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals. With these past rankings, that would be No. 9 Miami, coming off a brutal loss to Georgia Tech. This scenario would be a much easier road to the semis for the Nittany Lions.
Regardless of where Tyler Warren and company end up in the twelve-team playoff, this team should feel confident about its chances against anyone. The main strength of Penn State this season has been their stellar defense. This side of the ball ranks sixth in the country in points allowed at 13.6. In addition, since the offense's struggles against the Buckeyes, the Nittany Lions have put together two straight high-scoring affairs against Washington and Purdue.
Over these consecutive games, Drew Allar has efficiently thrown for 467 yards and four touchdowns. Getting Warren's touches up has been vital in this offensive explosion. Since the All-Big Ten tight end's historic performance against USC, he's wavered in production the following few weeks. That trend hasn't been the cause in the last two matchups, as Warren has been a consistent feature in the running and passing attack.
Overall, James Franklin has built a consistent, winning program at Penn State, poised to take advantage of the twelve-team playoff format. However, if the Nittany Lions want to truly contend for a national title, the offense must continue its recent run of form. Players like Warren make that a possibility, but whether Penn State football will take that next step remains to be seen.