In the Nittany Lions‘ first win in a little under two months, a lot had to go right for them. Initially, in the first half against Michigan State, they were losing a number of key stat battles. But halfway through the second quarter, a spark was lit, and they were able to dominate in every statistical phase of the game from there on out.
Here are some key stats in Penn State’s win against the Spartans.
182 second-half rushing yards
It must feel good to have a running back like Kaytron Allen. In the first half, Penn State averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. That number exploded to 6.7 in the second half due to a spirited smashmouth effort on the ground for the Nittany Lions. Kaytron Allen was the proponent, rushing for 181 yards on the day, a career high. With this rushing performance, Penn State went so far as to show: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
4 second half passing yards…
If you had been told before the game that this would be true and Penn State had won the game, you would have laughed in my face. And yet, Ethan Grunkemeyer really didn’t have to do all that much with the way the rushing attack dominated the second half. In fact, he also only had 1 passing ATTEMPT in the second half, scrambling when he couldn’t find open receivers on passing plays. Funnily enough, it was his own scrambling that probably sealed the game as he kept the offense on schedule despite not throwing the football.
…and 10 pass yards per attempt
The good news about Grunkemeyer’s day was that when he DID need to throw, he was able to attack downfield, as evidenced by his 75-yard touchdown throw to Devonte Ross.
The @E_Grunkemeyer → @DevonteRoss22 connection for a 75-yard TD.#WeAre | LIVE on @CBSSports
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 15, 2025
On 13 passes, it may not mean much, but in a season in which the downfield passing attack has never really gotten going, it must feel good to connect on a couple of deep tosses downfield.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Key stats in Penn State’s Week 12 win
