Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
2 0 1 9 S E A S O N P R E V I E W mainly because of the QB situation. Trace McSorley was a winner, a great Penn State QB, but not an NFL arm. I believe Clifford is an NFL round-two talent. If he can make the right deci- sions, he will go round one. His accuracy is lethal. With better accuracy comes better receiver play and fewer critical drops. Our running backs are stacked, and we have an All-Big Ten tight end. Gonna be a fun year. ryealy 10-2: We have the talent to win every game on our schedule, and if things break the right way, that could happen. A more likely scenario is that we stum- ble a couple times due to inexperience or mistakes, but I will feel fantastic if we go into the bowl at 10-2. That would set us up beautifully for next year. LionFilm82 9-3: With losses to Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State. I think our defense is going to take a big step forward com- pared to last year. However, I need the offense to show me something. I watched us struggle against a lot of in- ferior Big Ten teams a year ago. Clifford has much to prove and little margin for error to achieve that record as a first- year QB. Through his time here, Mc- Sorely had the knack of turning broken plays into gold and avoiding injury when most would have been knocked out time and time again with how many hits he took. Too many drives were kept alive by McSorely using his feet after a break- down. I don't think Clifford (or most any QB) has that type of resiliency, and I'm not expecting him to ad lib as effec- tively. For me, it's all about Clifford and Rahne and how many points they can put up together through the air. If they really click, 10-2 is attainable. If it goes in the other direction, 8-4 is also realis- tic. lilromeo 9-3: I believe the over/under right now is 8.5. This team is going to have more talent than everyone it plays except for Ohio State and Michigan. And even Michigan is more or less at the same level. Home against Michigan is a big game. It will be the first test for the Wolverines, and they will get Penn State coming off of a game at Kinnick. The schedule is always the determining fac- tor, and I really don't like that three- game stretch of at Iowa, home for Michigan and at Michigan State. Hon- estly, I think Penn State will lose all three of those games. … Personnelwise, Gross-Matos and Parsons finish on one of the All-America teams. Clifford shows improvement, despite making a few key mistakes during the three-game slide and positions the team for a major run in 2020. jrs1024 another late-fourth-quarter collapse when the game seems to be in hand is paramount. What seems to be missing most from some games in past seasons is a killer instinct. If everything jells, despite the unexpected setbacks that will occur, there could be a lot of sunny, cloudless Saturdays in the forecast. The fan in me sees a 10-3 finish with a bowl game win, but I wouldn't bet on it. PREDICTION 9-3 RYAN SNYDER RECRUITING REPORTER The 2018 season was far from a disappointment, but to some fans it felt that way. Compared to the previous two years, I can understand why, but there were a lot of positives that emerged, especially on defense. The majority of the players in that group are back this season, and they should give Penn State one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. But it's the offense that will determine Penn State's fate this year. Losing Tommy Stevens hurt, but I actu- ally like the idea of Sean Clifford gaining experience. The offense will have a lot of new faces this season, but those players are also very talented. I expect Justin Shorter and Noah Cain to emerge as reg- ular contributors. When I look at the schedule and ros- ter, the visit to Ohio State late in the season is the one game I have doubts about, although the Nittany Lions have played the Buckeyes tough lately. Michigan State returns almost its entire team, so that will be tough too, but I think PSU's defense, in front of the White Out, can give Shea Patterson and Michigan problems. The game at Iowa in October could determine whether the Lions make another New Year's Six bowl. I'm leaning toward a nine-win season, but I also believe the experience that Penn State's players gain, espe- cially Clifford, will lead to a special sea- son in 2020. PREDICTION 9-3 L A S T Y E A R ' S B E S T P I C K S 9-3: We lost too many defensive tackles to graduation. No Saquon Barkley and Mike Gesicki will cost us a couple of games, since opposing defenses won't be so worried about their replacements and can play a sounder D. And don't forget that with a new offensive coordinator, things could well slip (scoring from 41 to maybe 35 points per game this season). Even our great QB may struggle more to make big plays without the threat of those great players. Sure, overall team tal- ent may be above last year's, but we are again a young developing team. BobE 9-3: Too many new parts (tight end, safety, middle linebacker, defensive tackle and kicker). Our offensive and defensive lines will be good, but not elite (rewatch last year's Ohio State and Michigan State games... yikes). Plus, no Saquon creating touchdowns out of nothing. PSUPALY