STATE COLLEGE - Highlights, lowlights, and in-betweens from Penn State's 34-7 win over Navy Saturday at Beaver Stadium:
PLAY OF THE GAME: Allen Robinson's third touchdown reception, a 25-yarder late in the third quarter, was tipped by Trevor Williams over the middle and landed in Robinson's hands in the end zone. It gave the Nittany Lions a 27-0 lead and made Robinson the first PSU player with three touchdown receptions in a game since Graham Zug in 2009 vs. Michigan.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Robinson caught five passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 24 catches in three games this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Michael Mauti's 12 tackles were three more than anyone else on either team. He also had two tackles for losses totaling 26 yards.
NAVY PLAYER OF THE GAME: Gee Gee Greene was the Middies' best weapon, carrying 8 times for 70 yards and scoring his team's only touchdown.
WILLIAMSPORT: Safety Jacob Fagnano has slipped to No. 2 on the depth chart at strong safety behind Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, but he finished Saturday with six tackles and was on the field defensively much of the game.
HUGHESVILLE: Also Saturday's unsung hero, Hughesville High School graduate and Iraq war veteran Brent Smith helped lead Penn State onto the field before the game. Smith is on the roster as a 6-foot-2, 240-pound freshman defensive end.
BEST RUN: It was technically a fumble return, but Mike Hull's 74-yarder for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter gained more yardage than any play.
BEST KICK: Sam Ficken making his first-quarter extra-point after a Navy timeout to an unusually loud applause had to have been a confidence booster after going 1 for 5 last week.
WORST KICK: But Ficken needs to make all those extra points. He missed one early in the second quarter.
BEST MOMENT: It's not every weeek you see a pregame military flyover.
BEST TACKLE: Stephen Obeng-Agyapong stuffed Navy's Gee Gee Greene on a second-quarter line plunge and forced a fumble, recovered by Jordan Hill.
WORST PENALTY: Navy's false start on third-and-goal from the PSU 5 preceded Gerald Hodges' interception of Trey Miller that killed what looked like a scoring drive down 14-0 late in the first quarter.
HIDDEN STAT: Navy was 4 for 15 on third down, but 5 for 8 on fourth down. For all the talk of O'Brien being aggressive on fourth down, the Lions have allowed 6 of 9 fourth-down conversions this season. The national average last year was about 50 percent.
HIDDEN STAT II: Field position doomed Navy. Through three quarters, its average starting spot was its own 20 (inside the new kickoff touchback spot of the 25), while Penn State started on its own 37.
BEST CALL: It ultimately didn't work, as McGloin was intercepted in the end zone, but going for it on fourth-and-goal from the Navy 8 in the second quarter was the right move. Ficken's struggles are well-documented, but a score would have given the Lions a four-TD lead going into the half. PSU coach Bill O'Brien said Ficken's struggles played no part in the decision, as he thought the play would work.
WORST CALL: There were opportunities in a 27-point victory to at least let PSU reserve fullback and Navy diver P.J. Byers see a snap or two. But he was not listed on the participation report.
PERSONNEL: Curtis Dukes made his first career start at tailback, with 11 carries for 49 yards.
MILESTONES: McGloin's four touchdown passes tied a career high from 2010 vs. Northwestern. He also has seven 200-yard passing games, tied with Todd Blackledge and Wally Richardson for seventh on PSU's all-time list. Robinson is halfway to the PSU sophomore record for catches (48) in a season, held by Bobby Engram (1993) and Deon Butler (2006).
BEST QUOTE: Fullback Mike Zordich stepped in as the Lions dealt with injuries to tailbacks Bill Belton and Derek Day. He carried 11 times for 50 yards to lead the team. "He's like Ferris Bueller's teacher, says the same thing over and over again," said O'Brien on Zordich, who he said constantly reminded him this week of his high school ball-carrying days.
NEXT WEEK: Temple at Penn State, 3:30 p.m. (ABC). VMI at Navy, 3:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).
