Blue White Illustrated

F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K 2017, Penn State stumbled to seventh place during the recently concluded sea- son, averaging 218.1 yards, a decline of 72 yards per game from the year before. Some of the problems were due to in- juries. Johnson missed three games en- tirely and large parts of two others, and as Franklin indicated late in the season, he wasn't completely healthy even when he was on the field. Also, Shorter saw his hopes for a fast start torpedoed by an in- jury in preseason camp. The problems may also have been due to the loss of receivers coach Josh Gattis to Alabama, a change that didn't get as much attention as the departure of coor- dinators Joe Moorhead and Charles Huff but may have had a very significant im- pact on the decline of Penn State's pass- ing offense. That speculation gained some credence earlier this month when Franklin fired Gattis's replacement, David Corley, less than 24 hours after returning home from the Citrus Bowl. This much is certain: The Lions will need a much better showing in 2019 if they hope to return to Big Ten title con- tention. With Thompkins, Johnson and possibly Polk departing, they will need some young players to step up. One of their young players has already done just that, as Hamler led the team in receiving as a reshirt freshman. Dotson, too, appears to be on the fast track, having finished fifth on the team in receiving with 13 catches for 203 yards as a true freshman. One other piece of good news heading into next year is that the coaches won't T he incoming freshman class isn't even entirely signed yet. Spring ball hasn't begun, and Penn State is still more than half a year away from the start of preseason camp. But that doesn't mean it's too early to start look- ing ahead. Here at Blue White Illustrated, we've al- ready got an eye toward next fall's slate of opponents. The 2019 season opens with a first-ever meeting against a team from the Big Sky Conference, Big Ten play be- gins again on a Friday night, and the Michigan teams come in succession. Two bye weeks are sprinkled in, and a late-No- vember showdown at the Horseshoe marks the marquee matchup of the year. What else does the upcoming schedule hold in store? Let's take a (way too early) look. IDAHO Aug. 31 | In its sixth season under head coach Paul Petrino, Idaho finished with a 4-7 record, ending the campaign with a 63-10 loss to Florida, the only Power Five opponent on the schedule. The Vandals will open the 2019 season with another cross-country trip for their first-ever meeting with Penn State. BUFFALO Sept. 7 | The legend of Saquon Barkley took off – quite literally – when Buffalo last visited Beaver Sta- dium. This year, it could be time for an- other young runner to shine, as PSU is once again in search of a feature back. Despite Barkley's 115 rushing yards, that 2015 matchup ended as a closer-than- expected 27-14 victory for Penn State. Could this year's rematch draw a similar outcome? Finishing 2018 with a 10-4 record, the Bulls were one of the best Group of Five teams in the country and came up 1 point shy of winning the Mid- American Conference. They're expected to be strong again, but maybe not as strong as they would have been had star quarterback Tyree Jackson not declared early for the NFL Draft. PITTSBURGH Sept. 14 | It's the 100th all-time showdown between these two longtime in-state rivals. It's also their final meeting for the foreseeable future, as 2019 marks the end of a four-game home-and-home series, and the two programs don't appear to be close to rescheduling. Penn State holds a 52-43- 4 edge and has won the past two games, the most recent being a 51-6 blowout at Heinz Field last fall. The Panthers, how- ever, went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division and fin- ished 7-7. They will be hungry to get an- other victory against PSU before it's too late. They'll be doing so without their two leading rushers from the 2018 sea- son and three of their top five tacklers. @ MARYLAND Sept. 27 | Penn State gets an early bye week in 2019, just before opening Big Ten play on a Friday night for the second year in a row. This time it travels to College Park against a Mary- land team led by new head coach Mike Locksley and 2018 freshman All-Amer- ica running back Anthony McFarland Jr. While the majority of the offense stays intact from a squad that went 5-7 in 2018, the Terrapins will have to replace half of their defense. PURDUE Oct. 5 | One of the hottest head coaches in the country, Jeff Brohm elected to stay with the Boilermakers after a 5-4 finish in the Big Ten instead of returning to his alma mater Louisville. Brohm has led Purdue to a combined 13- 13 record in his two seasons in West Lafayette, and he will be expected to build on his strong start in 2019. He'll have to do so without quarterback David Blough, but the Big Ten's leading re- ceiver, Rondale Moore, will be back, and he's joined by incoming freshman David Bell, one of the top wide receiver prospects in the Class of 2019. @ IOWA Oct. 12 | After staying relatively close to home for the first month of the | A CLEAN SLATE PSU will look a lot different next season, but so will many of its upcoming foes

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