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UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State was a seven-touchdown favorite over Massachusetts for a reason.
The Nittany Lions easily covered the 42.5-point spread while easily disposing of the Minutemen, 63-0, Saturday before a listed attendance of 105,533 at soggy Beaver Stadium.
The win raised No. 6 Penn State to 6-0 heading into next week's showdown at No. 3 Ohio State (6-0). Kickoff is noon, and Fox will televise.
UMass was no match for Penn State's suffocating defense as the Minutemen mustered a mere 109 total yards and punted 10 times.
The Lions took a while to get started offensively and opened the scoring with a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown by Daequan Hardy in the first quarter.
Hardy added a 68-yard punt return for a score to give the Lions a 49-0 lead in the third quarter and became the first PSU player with two punt returns for a touchdown in the same game.
Drew Allar completed 16-of-23 for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He was not intercepted (and hasn't been all season).
Tight end Theo Johnson caught two TDs among his four catches for 66 yards, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith led with six catches.
Nick Singleton rushed 15 times for 79 yards and a touchdown while Kaytron Allen added 68 yards on nine carries.
UMass, which fell to 1-7 and lost its seventh straight, is idle Saturday before visiting Army on Oct. 28.
For a complete recap of the game, check out Penn State Extra in Monday's print edition.