Blue White Illustrated

V S . K E N T U C K Y defense from last year and needed time to put their depth chart back together. Heading into the matchup against Ken- tucky, that appears to have happened. Yes, the defense faltered in the three games that Penn State lost. But in two of those games – setbacks against Ohio State and Michigan in which the Nit- tany Lions surrendered a combined 27 fourth-quarter points – the biggest problem was that fatigue had set in due to insu@cient depth and, in the game at Ann Arbor, an extreme imbalance in time of possession. Franklin has been a big proponent of complementary foot- ball, but the Lions didn't provide their defensive starters with enough help in those games. The one game in which the defense didn't make a play that it should have made was against Michigan TIM OWEN ASSISTANT EDITOR As the only one of the top dozen teams in the College Football Playo? rankings to be leA out of a New Year's Six bowl game, Penn State has every right to feel let down about this matchup. But the Lions had better get over it quick. This Kentucky team enters the Citrus Bowl with history at stake. The Wildcats haven't won 10 games in a season since 1977, and you had better believe they are hungry to reach that milestone. Kentucky >elds a run-oriented o?ense built around one of the Southeastern Conference's best RBs. It also boasts an improving dual-threat quarterback, an NFL-ready tight end and one of the con- ference's most electrifying receivers. The o?ensive line isn't bad, either, but Ken- tucky's success this season has been predicated on an aggressive defense that has allowed the second-fewest touch- downs in the SEC. The Wildcats' game plans have been reminiscent of Michigan's, so it's likely that Mark Stoops is dissecting the tape of that 42-7 PSU loss to >nd an edge. Ken- tucky isn't Michigan, although there is reason to believe this will be a tight one until the end, especially now that star pass rusher and future >rst-round draA pick Josh Allen has said he intends to play. PREDICTION PENN STATE................................................ 27 KENTUCKY................................................... 23 RYAN SNYDER RECRUITING REPORTER Ricky Rahne and Penn State's o?ense will get one >nal test when they play Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. When you look at previous opponents this season, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa were the only three teams that ranked higher than the Wildcats in total defense (No. 22). Kentucky also >nished higher than all three of those programs in scoring defense (No. 8), so if you think that Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders are going to put on one >nal show in the blue and white, I'm not so sure that's going to be the case. Penn State also >nished 71st in the country in rushing defense, and it's now set to face one of the nation's best run- ning backs in Benny Snell Jr. The good news for PSU is that it faced a similar opponent in Maryland in the >nal game of the season. Kentucky has better play- ers, but both teams are run-heavy. When you consider the success that Penn State had against Wisconsin and Maryland, two other teams that rank as low in passing o?ense as Kentucky does (No. 115) the blueprint is already there for the Lions. If they can score somewhere in the mid-20's, I think James Franklin and his sta? will celebrate their third consec- utive season with 10 or more wins. PREDICTION PENN STATE................................................ 23 KENTUCKY.................................................... 17 State. The Lions literally had the game in their hands with time running out but couldn't hold on. If they had inter- cepted Brian Lewerke on the Spartans' >nal drive, their postseason resume would have been substantially better. Penn State has also been in rebuilding mode on o?ense. Of the four starters they lost, three were record-setting playmakers, and the Lions never fully replaced their productivity. While Miles Sanders has a chance to outrush Saquon Barkley, having gained 1,223 yards so far this season to Barkley's 1,271 last year, he only has 132 receiving yards, while Barkley had 632 in 2017. At tight end, Mike Gesicki caught 57 passes for 563 yards last year, while the Lions have got- ten 38 catches for 489 yards from Pat Freiermuth, Jonathan Holland, Danny Dalton, Nick Bowers and Zack Kuntz. The caveat here is that Freiermuth, who leads the tight ends with 24 catches, is a true freshman who didn't break into the starting lineup until week >ve against Ohio State. As concerning as those declines have been at times, the biggest problems have been at the wideout spots. Dae- Sean Hamilton caught 53 passes for 857 yards in 2017, and no one has ap- proached those numbers this year. Red- shirt freshman K.J. Hamler has come the closest, catching 41 passes for 713 yards, but injuries and bouts of incon- sistency have cut Juwan Johnson's totals in half from his sophomore year. DeAn- dre Thompkins had been looking to play an expanded role as a senior but instead has gone from 28 catches in 2017 to 21 through the >rst 12 games of the current season. And Brandon Polk has dropped nearly as many passes (six according to ProFootballFocus.com) as he's caught (nine). Add it up, throw in Trace McSorley's late-season knee injury and an up-and- down performance by the kicking units, and you have the makings of a rebuilding year. And yet, it's been a rebuilding year in which the Lions were able to win nine regular-season games. Nine wins might not seem all that exciting to a fan fol- lowing that is hungry for champi-

• Cover