Penn State vs. Purdue score: Tyler Warren stars again as No. 4 Nittany Lions roll to keep pace in CFP race

Penn State's do-it-all weapon Tyler Warren was unstoppable against a hapless Boilermakers defense

No. 4 Penn State stormed to its ninth win Saturday evening, bowling over Purdue 49-10. The Nittany Lions also extended their winning streak against unranked opponents to 29 games in the process. 

Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar had arguably his best game of the year against power-conference competition. He completed 17 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He had just two incompletions. 

As he has been all year, tight end Tyler Warren was Allar's favorite target. Penn State's multi-dimensional weapon put up a video game stat line: eight catches for 127 yards and one touchdown with three rushes for 63 yards and another touchdown. He's the first FBS tight end since 2000 with 50-plus yards rushing with one or more touchdowns rushing and 100-plus yards receiving with one or more touchdowns through the air. 

Penn State's tight ends and running backs put in plenty of work in the passing game. They were responsible for 17 of the Nittany Lions' 22 catches as a team. 

With Saturday's win, Penn State took one more step towards an at-large spot in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions close the year on the road against Minnesota, which could give them a decent test, and then return home to play a Maryland team with just one win in Big Ten play thus far. 

• Warren is also the first tight end since 2016 with at least five touchdowns receiving and four touchdowns rushing in a single season. 
• Purdue will have at least nine losses in a single season for the first time since 2016, the fourth year under former coach Darrell Hazell. Hazell never won more than four games in his career with the Boilermakers. 
• Eight of Purdue's drives ended in a punt. Penn State had seven drives end with a touchdown. 

CBS Sports was with you through the entire game with updates, analysis and highlights. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 6:35 pm ET · Will Backus]

Purdue reaches the end zone 

Early 4Q: No. 4 Penn State 42, Purdue 10 

For the first time this season, Purdue has scored a touchdown against a top-five team. For all the (deserved) attention that Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is getting, Max Klare -- his Purdue counterpart -- has had an equally impressive day. He just hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Ryan Browne, shaking a Penn State defender in the process. That brought him up to seven catches for 91 yards and one touchdown. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 6:26 pm ET · Will Backus]

Purdue gets a stop 

Though this game is out of hand, Purdue getting a stop is still notable. This is just the third time that Penn State has been forced to punt. The Nittany Lions have twice as many touchdown drives. By comparison, Purdue has punted seven times and, as the 42-3 score might indicate, has yet to find the end zone. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 6:08 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State closing in on ninth win 

End 3Q: No. 4 Penn State 42, Purdue 3 

It does not seem like a Purdue comeback is in the books at this point. The Nittany Lions are entirely in control entering the final 15 minutes. 

They closed the second half by scoring three straight 40-plus yard touchdowns, two of which were runs from tight end Tyler Warren and quarterback Beau Pribula. Meanwhile, Purdue hasn't scored since 8:47 left in the second quarter. 

Pribula and Warren have combined for 121 of Penn State's 199 yards rushing and have two of the Nittany Lions' three touchdowns on the ground. Warren also has 127 yards and one touchdown receiving. He is the first FBS tight end since 2000 with 50-plus yards rushing, at least one touchdown rushing, 100-plus yards receiving and at least one touchdown receiving. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 6:11 pm ET · Will Backus]

Another explosive touchdown for Penn State 

Late 3Q: No. 4 Penn State 42, Purdue 3 

Three drives, three straight 40-yard touchdowns for Penn State. This time, it was backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who kept the ball on an option look and raced into the end zone from 49 yards out. Penn State is the first teams this season with three 40-plus yard touchdowns in one quarter against an FBS team. Pribula's run is also the longest from a Penn State player since the 2022 Rose Bowl, when Nicholas Singleton went for 87 yards. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 5:59 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State scores again 

Late 3Q: No. 4 Penn State 35, Purdue 3 

What else is there to say at this point? Penn State's offense could play with one hand behind its back and probably still score on this Purdue defense. The Boilermakers have no answers, as they just allowed another explosive touchdown. This time, Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar faked like he was going to run before pulling up and hitting Harrison Wallace III -- who was WIDE OPEN in the end zone -- for a 46-yard touchdown. Allar is now up to 247 yards and three touchdowns threw the air. He has two incompletions. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 5:51 pm ET · Will Backus]

Abdul Carter is freaky 

Purdue dialed up a nice screen play on third-and-28 that gained 11 yards and could have gone for even more if Abdul Carter didn't exist. Carter flashed his freakish athleticism by tracking Purdue wide receiver C.J. Smith from behind and making the first-down saving tackle. That was Carter's fifth tackle of the day, which is second-most among all players. He also has two tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 5:36 pm ET · Will Backus]

Tyler Warren, wildcat quarterback 

Early 3Q: No. 4 Penn State 28, Purdue 3 

Tyler Warren is quite a weapon for Penn State. The Nittany Lions can line him up anywhere on the field offensively and feel confident that he's going to deliver. For instance, he just scored Penn State's fourth touchdown of the game as a wildcat quarterback. He took the direct snap, faked a throw and ran around the left side of the offensive line for 48 yards into the end zone untouched. Warren now has 175 yards of offense and two touchdowns total. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 5:27 pm ET · Will Backus]

Purdue needs big open to second half 

Purdue still has yet to score a touchdown against a top-five opponent this year. In fact, entering Saturday's games, the Boilermakers were outscored 146-7 in three games against teams ranked inside the top 10 of the AP poll. The Boilermakers do get the ball to open the second half, so they desperately need to reverse that trend if they want to keep this game from getting completely off the tracks -- pun intended. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 5:07 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State in cruise control 

Half: No. 4 Penn State 21, Purdue 3 

The good news for Purdue after one half of play: it scored its first points against a top-five opponent this year. The bad news: just about everything else. The Boilermakers had a chance to eat into Penn State's 21-3 lead near the end of the half, but kicker Ben Freehill missed a 49-yard field goal as time expired.

Meanwhile, Penn State found the end zone on three of its five first-half drives to take a commanding lead. To the surprise of no one, Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren has been all over the field. 

He has seven catches for 119 yards and one touchdown thus far. Warren also rushed for eight yards on fourth-and-1 and was a shoestring tackle away from taking the conversion all the way to the end zone. 

Thanks largely to Warren's play, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar also had an über-efficient first half. He completed 13 of his 14 attempts for 166 yards and two touchdowns -- his first career Big Ten game with at least 150 yards passing and two touchdowns in the first half. Eleven of his completions went to either a tight end or running back. 

Purdue does get the ball to start the second half, but the Boilermakers have a pretty deep hole to dig themselves out of. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 4:46 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State strikes right back 

Late 2Q: No. 4 Penn State 21, Purdue 3 

Maybe field goals aren't going to win this one, Purdue. Certainly not when the Boilermaker defense can get a stop. Penn State was actually forced into a fourth-and-1 on its latest drive, but tight end Tyler Warren picked up the conversion -- and almost broke free to the end zone -- to keep the chains moving. Penn State built on that with a 38-yard pass to Warren and then a 10-yard touchdown run from running back Nicholas Singleton. Penn State has now scored a touchdown on three of its four drives; all three possessions have consumed fewer than six minutes. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 4:36 pm ET · Will Backus]

Purdue gets on the board 

Mid 2Q: No. 4 Penn State 14, Purdue 3 

Purdue certainly would have liked to come away with a touchdown after an impressive drive that stalled on Penn State's 5-yard line. But the Boilermakers were forced to kick a 22-yard field goal after an uninspiring series of plays near the Nittany Lions' goal line. Still, Ryan Walters' squad did show that it can move the ball against this Penn State defense, especially on the ground. Purdue had 37 yards rushing on that drive. Devin Mockobee is putting in work thus far, with six carries for 38 yards. The Boilermaker running backs are averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 4:30 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State star banged up 

Penn State defensive back Jaylen Reed is down after making a tackle on Purdue quarterback Hudson Card. Reed threw his shoulder into Card in an attempt to jar the ball loose as Card ran for a first down on third-and-1. Trainers were checking out Reed's shoulder before taking him off the field. He'd be a big loss for Penn State's defense, given his role on the backend and his standout play thus far this season. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 4:16 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State rolling 

End 1Q: No. 4 Penn State 14, Purdue 0 

Penn State is in cruise control thus far against Purdue. The Nittany Lions have been able to move the ball with ease on offense, and they've prevented the Boilermakers from crossing the 50-yard line thus far. To really illustrate how one-sided this game has been: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has 81 yards receiving; Purdue, after two drives, has 16 yards as a team. Fifteen of those yards came on two plays to open its first drive. 

Purdue's running backs have actually done good work with a combined 14 yards on three carries. But the Boilermakers have yet to fully commit to the run and have instead decided to ride quarterback Hudson Card, who completed just one of his first four pass attempts and was sacked once. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 4:07 pm ET · Will Backus]

There's Tyler Warren 

Late 1Q: No. 4 Penn State 14, Purdue 0 

Penn State entered this game with a clear plan: feed tight end Tyler Warren. So far, it's worked perfectly. Quarterback Drew Allar just delivered a beautiful throw to Warren, who made an equally impressive catch by battling a defender and securing the ball while staying in bounds, for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Nittany Lions an early two-possession lead. Warren has six catches for 81 yards and a score already, while Allar has hit on all 10 of his throws for 116 yards and two touchdowns. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 3:50 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State makes it look easy 

Early 1Q: No. 4 Penn State 7, Purdue 0 

The only thing that really stopped Penn State on its opening drive was a false start penalty. Otherwise, the Nittany Lions got whatever they wanted against what looks like an overmatched Purdue defense. As it has done often this season, Penn State hit the Boilermakers with a heavy dose of tight end Tyler Warren, who had three catches for 59 yards in a span of less than five minutes. Quarterback Drew Allar finished things off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Kaytron Allen right outside of Purdue's goal line. 

[Nov 16, 2024 at 3:15 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State vs. Purdue prediction 

The line skews heavily towards Penn State, but the Nittany Lions should be able to pick their score against a hapless Purdue team. Especially since there's no guarantee that the Boilermakers will actually be able to score Saturday. In its last two games against ranked conference opponents, Purdue has put a combined zero points on the board. Even if Purdue somehow can move the ball, smart money says that it can't keep pace against a revitalized Penn State offense. Ryan Walters' defense has allowed at least 35 points in four out of six Big Ten games this year. Either way you shake it, the Boilermakers are woefully overmatched. It should be a good day for the betting favorites. Pick: Penn State -28.5 (-108)

Penn State vs. Purdue live stream, where to watch, TV channel, kickoff time, odds, spread, prediction, pick

Will Backus

[Nov 16, 2024 at 3:00 pm ET · Will Backus]

Penn State, road warrior 

Typically, home-field advantage favors, well, the home team. But Penn State has made a nice living on the road this year. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 as the away team for the first time since 2019, and they're looking for their first 4-0 start outside of the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium since 2011. More on this in the "prediction" section, but Penn State is also a larger road favorite against Purdue than it has been in 30 years.   

[Nov 16, 2024 at 2:30 pm ET · Will Backus]

Tyler Warren worth watching 

Few players are blossoming in new Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's scheme like Tyler Warren. The star tight end, who was named to the 2024 CBS Sports Midseason All-America team, has emerged as one of the best multi-dimensional threats in college football. He lines up tight end; he splits out at wide receiver; he takes snaps as a wildcat quarterback; he'll stand in the backfield as a fullback or pure running back. Suffice to say, Penn State moves him all over the place to keep defenses on their toes and utilize his unique skillset. 

As evidence of that, Warren had eight catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns rushing in Penn State's Week 11 win against Washington. He is the only FBS tight end with at least eight receptions and two touchdowns on the ground since 2000. Warren has 681 yards and four touchdowns through the air and three on the ground this year.   

[Nov 16, 2024 at 2:00 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

Inside Purdue's struggles 

Heading into the season, it felt like Purdue had some real promise. Safety Dillon Thieneman was an All-American. Talented quarterback Hudson Card was in his second year with the program. Running back Devin Mockobee is one of the more underrated rushers in the Big Ten. Even a 49-0 decimation of FCS Indiana State seemed to portend good things. 

Instead, the Boilermakers are cratering. In their first FBS game of the year, Purdue lost 66-7 against Notre Dame, the worst loss in the 128-year history of the rivalry. They were shut out against both Ohio State and Oregon. Purdue's minus-28.4 point margin is 133rd nationally, only ahead of Kent State.

Here's a deep dive into Purdue's struggles under coach Ryan Walters: 

Purdue must rediscover its innovative roots if it's going to compete in a tougher-than-ever Big Ten Conference

Shehan Jeyarajah

[Nov 16, 2024 at 1:35 pm ET · David Cobb]

Penn State's path to the Big Ten Championship Game 

No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana each have paths to the Big Ten Championship Game. In fact, both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers control their own destinies since they face each other in a pivotal showdown next week. Either one could punch their ticket simply by winning out. By contrast, the Nittany Lions will need to win out and get some help if they are going to make their first league title game appearance since 2016. 

The eradication of divisions and the expansion of the Big Ten from 14 to 18 teams has changed the postseason picture. Gone are the simpler days when the East and West division champions met for the title. Now, there is a much higher likelihood of complicated tiebreaker scenarios having a say in determining who will make it to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to play for the conference championship.

Paths for Ohio State, Penn State to make 2024 Big Ten Championship Game with league's complex tiebreakers

David Cobb