Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1026347
KEY MATCHUPS P E N N S T A T E V S . K E N T S T A T E | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 208.0 YPG, 5.4 YPC // KENT STATE RUN DEFENSE172.0 YPG, 3.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNIn its first two games, Penn State has been able to field exactly the sort of balanced offensive attack that coach James Franklin had been hoping to see this season. Heading into their nonconference finale against Kent State, the Nittany Lions have surpassed by nearly 40 yards last year's average of 170.2 rushing yards per game. RB Miles Sanders is Penn State's leading rusher with 209 yards on 35 carries (6.0 ypc), with two rushing touch- downs. Last Saturday against Pitt, he enjoyed his first career 100-yard game, gaining 118 yards on only 16 carries. Penn State's second-leading rusher is QB Trace McSorley with 17 carries for 89 yards and three TDs. Run defense has been a big priority for Kent State aAer the Golden Flashes finished 113th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in that department last season. Illinois and Howard averaged 172 yards on the ground, so the Golden Flashes have made some strides. LB Matt Bahr was Kent State's top tackler in its first two games, making 18 stops. CB Jamal Parker and MLB Jim Jones are next with 15 tackles apiece. Against Illinois and Howard, the Golden Flashes totaled 14 TFL. DE/OLB Nick Faulkner led the way with two. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State guards Steven Gonzalez and Connor McGovern will take on Bahr and Jones. One of the biggest reasons why Kent State has been able to tighten up its run defense is the improved play at linebacker. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 204.0 YPG, 11.7 YPC // KENT STATE PASS DEFENSE 197.5 YPG, 15.2 YPC THE LOWDOWNMcSorley led the Big Ten in passing the past two seasons, but his yardage totals have been down this year. Against Appalachian State and Pitt, he totaled 374 yards, completing 34 of 65 passes (52.3 percent), with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. K.J. Hamler has been McSorley's No. 1 target to date with six receptions for 107 yards and two TDs. Juwan Johnson is next with eight receptions for 90 yards. One major reason why McSorley's numbers have declined has been the inconsistent play of the receivers. Against Pitt, Penn State's receivers dropped eight passes. Last season, Kent State, ranked 27th in the country in pass defense, allowing only 195.1 yards per game. But that stat was misleading, as Kent State's porous run defense allowed opponents to rack up big yardage without hav- ing to throw very oAen. The front seven appears to be in better shape this year, so those opponents might have to take a different approach. Parker and senior FS Juantez McRae lead the team with one interception apiece. McRae is also Kent State's fourth-leading tackler with eight stops. The Golden Flashes already have seven sacks as a team, including two by Faulkner. // KEY MATCHUP Hamler and McRae will tangle in the secondary, while Johnson will take on Parker. Hamler is quickly becoming a home run threat and will be tough to contain in one-on-one coverage. As for the other matchup, Parker stands 5-foot-8, which means that Johnson will have an 8-inch height advantage. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. KENT STATE PASS DEFENSE KENT STATE RUNNING GAME 269.0 YPG, 5.7 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 202.0 YPG, 4.5 YPC THE LOWDOWN The biggest improvement Kent State has made since last season is in its running game. The Golden Flashes finished 80th in the country last year at 152.5 yards per game, but so far this season they've topped that total by more than 100 yards per game. Sophomore RB Justin Rankin has rushed for 199 yards on 27 carries (7.4 ypc), with one TD. The team's second-leading rusher is sophomore QB Woody Barrett with 135 yards on 28 carries and two TDs. Juco transfer Jo-El Shaw had a strong performance against Howard, rushing for 105 yards and three TDs on 12 carries. Penn State's front seven has struggled so far in this area. Against Pitt, the Lions surrendered 214 first-half rushing yards be- fore tightening up in the second half. Penn State should enjoy some success against Kent State's offensive line on Satur- day. MLB Jan Johnson is the team's leading tackler with 16 stops, while FS Garrett Taylor is next with 13, followed by SS Nick Scott and OLB Micah Parsons with 11 tackles apiece. DE Shareef Miller leads the Lions with three tackles for loss. As a team, Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten with 16 TFL. // KEY MATCHUP Kent State G Chase Van Hoef will face DT Kevin Givens, while Kent State T Jamil Viaud will battle Miller. Givens had a career day against Pitt, mak- ing seven tackles. He should create problems for Van Hoef, who played center last year. // EDGE Penn State KENT STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE KENT STATE PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N K E N T S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. KENT STATE RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 KENT STATE PASSING GAME 213.0 YPG, 10.4 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 173.5 YPG, 9.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNKent State's passing game was ineffective last season, averaging only 122.7 yards per game to rank 123rd in the FBS. But first-year coach Sean Lewis, who formerly served as offensive coordinator at Syracuse, has brought an up-tempo approach that has gotten results so far. Barrett has completed 41 of 58 passes (60.3 percent) for 426 yards, with three TD passes and three interceptions. WR Raekwon James is Kent State's leading receiver with seven catches for 76 yards, while WR Mike Carrigan is next with 10 catches for 59 yards, followed by WR Isaiah McKoy (four