STATE COLLEGE – Penn State has been searching for a deep receiving threat for a couple years and might have had one on its roster all along.
Omari Evans had the best game of his career Saturday, making four catches for 116 yards and one touchdown in the Nittany Lions’ 56-0 blowout of Kent State at Beaver Stadium.
The 6-0, 188-pound Evans, a junior, had solid performances in the first two games against West Virginia and Bowling Green. For the year, he has eight receptions for 205 yards and two scores.
Against Kent State, he made catches of 4, 38, 59 and 15 yards.
“I think he had a very good game,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “It’s not just deep shots. His whole game is developing now. It’s really cool to see. He’s playing super fast with super high confidence. With him playing the way he is, it’s only going to be good for our whole offense.”
Evans made just nine catches for 149 yards and two TDs in his first two seasons. He’s now averaging more than 25 yards per catch this season. He was timed at 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash in the spring, the third-fastest on the team.
“Omari has shown flashes really since we recruited him and he came to camp,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “It’s about consistency. He’s practicing more consistently. He’s competing more consistently. He’s gaining confidence.
“If he continues to have success, his career could go through the roof.”
Lane fills in: Penn State freshman Dejuan Lane saw extensive playing time at safety after veteran KJ Winston sustained a “long-term” injury.”
Lane made two tackles against Kent State. He was rated a four-star prospect coming out of the Gilman School in Jessup, Md.
“We have a ton of respect for Dae Dae Lane,” Franklin said. “We think he has a bright future. You’d love for him to be behind KJ and learn from him. But with where we’re at, we have to speed up his maturation process and get him on the field.
“Today was great because he got a ton of reps. He did some really nice things.”
Injury report: Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca, the former Wyoming Area standout, and running back Cam Wallace left the game with injuries and did not return.
DeLuca was injured in the first half and went to the locker room. He returned to the sideline in the second half but he did not play.
Wallace carried nine times for 39 yards and a touchdown before he suffered a leg injury while running the ball in the fourth quarter and was helped off the field.
Participation report: Eighty players saw action for Penn State Saturday, including 14 true freshmen.
Three Berks County products played: running back Nick Singleton (Gov. Mifflin), tight end Joey Schlaffer (Exeter) and offensive tackle J’ven Williams (Wyomissing). Singleton finished with 81 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“Our veteran guys played well enough to get a ton of guys in the locker room on the field who deserve to play,” Franklin said. “That’s going to be great film to use to teach and to learn.”
Military Appreciation Day: Penn State defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon carried the American flag onto the field before the game for Military Appreciation Day.
He presented the flag to his mother, Felecia, who served in the Army as a signal officer, where she worked with a variety of telecommunications equipment including radios, antennas, satellite and network switches.
