UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State threw for a season-high 364 yards and four touchdowns and forced three turnovers for the second consecutive game en route to a 34-6 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
For photos from the game, go to http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157627742805966
The quarterback tandem of Matt McGloin (Scranton) and Rob Bolden (Orchard Lake, Mich.) combined for 335 yards through the air. McGloin was 14 of 17 for a game-high 220 yards and three touchdowns, while Bolden threw for 115 yards and one touchdown, going 7 of 13.
Thirteen different Nittany Lions had a reception in Penn State’s top passing performance since the 2009 season opener vs. Akron (379 yards) and the eighth-highest under Coach Joe Paterno. Derek Moye (Rochester) caught six balls for 65 yards to move into third place in the Penn State record book with 2,026 career receiving yards. Devon Smith (White Plains, Md.) notched his first career 100-yard receiving game, totaling three catches for 104 yards, including a touchdown.
The Nittany Lions forced three tunovers, giving them nine forced turnovers in the first four games.
The Penn State (3-1) defense limited Eastern Michigan (2-2) to just 68 yards rushing, after the Eagles entered the contest averaging 289 yards per game, and posted 13 tackles for loss. Linebacker Nate Stupar (State College) led the Nittany Lions with seven tackles, with a career-high three total tackles for loss, including a sack. Safety Nick Sukay (Mt. Pleasant) made six tackles and recorded his sixth career interception to set-up a touchdown. Defensive end Jack Crawford (Longport, N.J.) had five tackles, a sack, and recovered a fumble.
Penn State used a first quarter turnover to get on the scoreboard first. After defensive end Eric Latimore (Middletown, Del.) sacked and forced a fumble of EMU quarterback Alex Gillett, the Lions embarked on a seven-play, 45-yard drive scoring drive. Bolden completed passes of 17 yards to Curtis Drake (Philadelphia) and 11 yards to Justin Brown (Middletown, Del.) while running back Silas Redd (Norwalk, Conn.) rushed for 20 yards, setting up a 29-yard field goal by kicker Anthony Fera (Cypress, Texas), the first of his career.
Fera became the first Nittany Lion starter to kickoff, punt and handle placements in the same game since Chris Bahr in 1975 (does not include pooch punts by placekickers).
Safety Malcolm Willis (Marbury, Md.) partially blocked an Eastern Michigan punt early in the second quarter to pave the way for Penn State’s first touchdown of the game. Getting the ball at the PSU 37-yard line, McGloin came into the game for the first time and came out firing. On first down, he hit Moye with an 18-yard strike and later found tight end Andrew Szczerba (Wilmington, Del.) with an eight-yard toss. McGloin then completed the drive by connecting with running back Joe Suhey (Deerfield, Ill.), who had circled out of the backfield and was streaking down the sideline, on a 27-yard scoring pass.
Late in the second quarter, Penn State’s third forced turnover of the game led to more points. Sukay picked off an EMU pass at the 45-yard line and returned it 14 yards, setting the Nittany Lions up in prime position with 1:43 remaining. McGloin was sharp again on the drive, hitting Moye and Smith (18 yards) with passes before capping the drive with a five-yard touchdown strike to Moye.
Penn State wasted little time getting back on the scoreboard in the second half, as four plays in Bolden found Smith with a pass wide open in the flat. After a key downfield block by Moye to spring him, Smith raced down the sideline 71 yards for the touchdown, making the game 24-0. The completion was the longest of Smith’s career and the second-longest for Bolden.
Later in third quarter, Penn State added more points with its longest touchdown drive of the game. With McGloin under center, the Lions took 4:30 off the clock with a 10-play, 87-yard scoring march, ending with a 20-yard touchdown reception by Moye, his second of the game. Moye has 17 career touchdown catches, good for fourth in school annals. Running back Curtis Dukes (Evans Mills, N.Y.) starred on the drive, catching a pass for 17 yards and rushing for nine more on back-to-back plays.
Shane McGregor (Ebensburg) became the third Penn State quarterback to engineer a scoring drive when he entered the game in the fourth quarter. After running off eight plays and reaching the Eastern Michigan 26-yard line, freshman kicker Sam Ficken (Valparaiso, Ind.) gave the Nittany Lions a 34-3 lead when he connected on a 43-yard field goal, the first of his career. Ficken became the third Nittany Lion to connect on a field goal this season.
Eastern Michigan posted its only points of the game in the fourth quarter. Kicker Kody Fulkerson made a 21-yard field goal after a Nittany Lion turnover gave the Eagles the ball on the Penn State 21-yard line. Fulkerson would add a 22-yard field goal with 3:04 remaining in the game for the final margin.
Penn State begins its 19th season of Big Ten competition next Saturday on the road in Bloomington versus Indiana. The contest, which is scheduled for a noon kickoff, will air on ESPNU, the Penn State Sports Network, and www.GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions will be in playing at the Hoosiers’ Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2007. Penn State won, 41-24, last year at FedEx Field to take a 14-0 series lead.
