Insight and commentary from Tyler's teammates and CJF as well as USC's players and coach.....
".... The Nittany Lions veteran tight end has produced some extraordinary numbers in unbeaten PSU’s first six games. The Lions are off this week before heading to Madison to face Wisconsin on Oct. 26.
Regarding Warren, here’s a tease: He is now on pace for an 80-catch regular season.
On Saturday afternoon, with a national audience watching the Lions’ 33-30 overtime victory over Southern Cal, the 6-foot-6, 261-pound Warren delivered one of the greatest single-game efforts in Penn State history.
Warren caught 17 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown against the Trojans.
His score occurred on one of the strangest, sweetest Andy Kotelnicki-designed plays yet.
The Mad Schemer actually had Warren, a former high school quarterback, snap the ball to backup quarterback Beau Pribula before taking off down the field. Pribula flipped the ball backward to his left, where starting quarterback Drew Allar was split out wide.
Allar then lofted a throw to Warren, who stole the ball away from USC defensive back Zion Branch in the end zone. Thirty-two yards, and a PSU touchdown. The Lions’ 20-6 halftime deficit was cut to 20-13 following Ryan Barker’s successful point-after try.
“I was confused, I didn’t know if he was going to catch it or not, honestly,” Penn State left tackle Drew Shelton said when asked about Warren’s third-quarter touchdown.
“I saw No. 8 (Branch) running back to (Warren), kinda figured it out. He came down with it.”
Shelton was asked for the name of Warren’s scoring play. He thought for a few seconds.
“Tool,” was his reply.
“I think (Warren) had a great game, and he’s a great player,” USC safety Kamari Ramsey said.
“Made some great catches, too. So just tip your hat off to him. We had a good game plan. We should have made plays to stop him, too.”
Ramsey added: “But he made great plays himself.”
Warren’s big Saturday is part of bigger story. He has been the Lions’ best player, by far, with Penn State’s regular season at the halfway mark.
After a rock-solid 2023 season that was capped by Warren’s 127-yard showing in PSU’s Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss, the fifth-year Lion has emerged as the top contender for the John Mackey Award, presented to the sport’s most outstanding tight end. If Warren stays healthy, it is difficult to imagine anyone else winning it.
And right now, Warren is worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration, too.
Penn State coach James Franklin has been one of Warren’s biggest supporters. He lavished praise on the Lions’ quadruple threat after his USC performance.
“The reality is, he’s now part of a conversation of one of the best players in all of college football,” Franklin said of Warren.
“That doesn’t even count what he’s doing in the running game,” Franklin added. “He’s got a pass (touchdown), (and) what he’s doing blocking.”
“Listen, he’s a great player,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said when asked about Warren’s monster effort.
“I mean, it’s a guy that we knew was going to be a challenge coming in. We had a couple coverage busts on him and I think that’s the thing we’ll look back on.”
“When you have a really good player like that, you just want to make them earn it, right?” Riley continued.
“If they make a play, you want to be like, ‘Hey, we were in coverage, we were in the right spot’. Listen, the guy made a play. But we gave them a couple that we didn’t make them earn it. And that’s probably the thing that hurts the most.”
In addition to Warren’s catches and yards against the Trojans, he produced a first down on a rush and threw a 9-yard pass to running back Kaytron Allen.
“Being here for three years, going against (Warren) in practice, seeing him in games, he’s unbelievable,” Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter said, smiling when asked about Warren’s efforts vs. USC.
“He’s going to continue to do unbelievable things for us. He’s the greatest tight end in Penn State history, and he’s going to continue to build off this.”....
.... Warren’s numbers projected over the Lions’ 12-game regular season look like this: 80 receptions, 1,026 yards, eight touchdown catches.
If he gets there, or gets anywhere close, the discussion surrounding who is the best tight end in Penn State’s storied history should begin and end with Warren."
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