Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1063223
V S . K E N T U C K Y 43 sacks. // KEY MATCHUPS As with the running game, one of the key battles here will be up front, where Young and Asafo- Adjei will be trying to neutralize Gross-Matos and Miller. An- other key matchup at the line of scrimmage will pit Stenberg against Penn State's defensive tackles. In the secondary, Reid and Oruwariye will be looking to control Bowden and make Kentucky one-dimensional on o?ense. // EDGE PENN STATE THE LOWDOWN In most respects, this matchup is about as even as you can get. Penn State's Blake Gillikin averages 43.34 yards per punt, while Ken- tucky's Max Du-y averages 44.78 yards. Penn State averages 8.68 yards per punt return, while Kentucky averages 10.0 yards. And Penn State averages 24.56 yards per kicko? return, while Kentucky averages 22.52. Surprisingly, the one area in which the Nittany Lions might have an advantage is in place- kicking. True freshman Jake Pinegar came on strong in the second half of the regular season and has now converted 15 of 21 >eld goal attempts for the year, with his longest makes being a pair of 49-yarders. Meanwhile, Wildcats kickers Miles But- ler and Chance Poore have struggled. Butler is 5 of 9, while Poore is 2 of 4. Kentucky's longest >eld goal this season is a 40-yarder by Butler. // EDGE PENN STATE THE LOWDOWN These two teams don't have a lot of shared history, having played only >ve games, but they have dealt each other some memorable set- backs over the years. In 1977, with Penn State ranked fourth in the country, the Wildcats pulled o? a 24-20 upset in Beaver Stadium. It was the Nittany Lions' only loss that year. Mean- while, Penn State dealt one of Kentucky's all-time great play- ers, quarterback Tim Couch, a loss in his >nal game, intercepting him twice to pull out a 26-14 decision in the Out- back Bowl in January 1999. The Lions lead the all-time series, 3-2. // EDGE EVEN THE LOWDOWN Mark Stoops' sixth season as head coach at Kentucky has been his best. Stoops, the younger brother of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, has already led the Wildcats to their >rst nine-win season since 2004 and now has them poised to win 10 games for only the third time in their history. He's 0-2 in bowl games, however, with losses to Georgia Tech, 33-18, in the TaxSlayer Bowl two years ago and Northwestern, 24-23, in the Music City Bowl last season. Meanwhile, a victory in Or- lando would bring Penn State's Franklin his third consecutive season with 10 or more victories. He's 2-2 in bowl games with the Nittany Lions, including a 35-28 victory over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl last season. // EDGE PENN STATE O T H E R M A T C H U P S ON THE MOVE Snell has been one of Kentucky's most reliable offensive playmakers this season. He leads the team with 1,305 yards rushing. Photo cour- tesy of UK Athletics SPECIAL TEAMS THIS 'N' THAT COACHING STAFF