Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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2 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M NATE BAUER So much of Penn State's outlook for 2022 feels tied to the outcome of its first three games. Ohio shouldn't cause any trouble, but opening the year at Purdue for a nationally televised Thursday night game, then traveling to Auburn for a mar- quee nonconference game is absolutely treacherous. The difference in potential between 1-2, 2-1 or 3-0 could not be more stark. While I believe Penn State could get through it unscathed, the more likely outcome is probably somewhere in the middle. For Penn State's sake, though, starting well with a victory over the Boilermakers is more important to its season than a win at Auburn. The offense should be better. Penn State's defense, given its elite perfor- mance a year ago, will likely take a small step back. How does it all shake out, then? All things considered, Penn State's for- tunes are likely to fall somewhere in the middle if major injuries at key positions can be avoided in a way they weren't a year ago. Highly competitive with a schedule that has a couple of heavyweights, but many more similarly matched opponents, Penn State begins the process of getting back on track this season. Prediction: 9-3 THOMAS FRANK CARR Call me an optimist, but I see the floor for this team being around eight or nine wins. Let's start with the offense. Quar- terback Sean Clifford is at his worst when he's unsure of his reads in a new offense. The last two seasons have proven that clearly. When he's unsure, he presses and makes poor plays when holding onto the football. Despite that, he was alone in carry- ing the team last season and still kept it competitive in most games. Having more support from a talent-rich backfield and receiver corps should unburden him from carrying the entire load. The offensive line is young at key spots but has far more tal- ent than last season. On the other side of the ball, there are some concerns about transitioning to a new defense and a lack of proven pass rush. Yet, Penn State is stocked with young talent at edge defender. The secondary is in a precarious posi- tion in Manny Diaz's system. The ultra- aggressive coordinator is bringing a fast- paced, in-your-face defense to Happy Valley. If the pass rush doesn't get home, big plays can happen. Yet Penn State is talented in key areas like corner, safety and edge rusher. Nine wins feel like a reasonable bet, but a 10-win season is possible. Prediction: 9-3 MATT HERB It would be unreasonable to expect Sean Clifford to do what Kenny Pickett did at Pitt last year, but the Nittany Lions don't need their sixth-year senior quarterback to become a Heisman Trophy finalist in order to get the offense moving. They just need him to feel more comfortable in Year 2 under coordinator Mike Yurcich than he did in Year 1, and also to stay healthy. That latter point should not be under- estimated. Even with all their difficul- ties running the football, the Lions would likely have won two more games last year if Clifford hadn't gotten hurt, and their final regular-season record wouldn't have looked nearly so unsightly at 9-3. Penn State averaged only 25 points per game and was held to 20 points or fewer in four Big Ten games, so it's only natural to fixate on the offense going into the 2022 season. To me, though, the defense looks at least as worrisome. In addition to the dearth of proven pass-rushing experi- ence, the linebacker corps appears peril- ously thin and possibly ill-equipped to handle offenses like Michigan's that are going to pound away on the ground. It wouldn't take a lot of defensive re- gression to undo the gains Penn State stands to make on offense. I think some regression is likely, so while the Lions will probably be better than they were a year ago, they won't be dramatically better. An eight-or nine-win season sounds about right, and I always prefer to round down. Prediction: 8-4 GREG PICKEL A new season is here for Penn State. Will the Lions perform better than their last two seasons, which resulted in a com- bined 11-11 record, in 2022? Or will this year feature more of the same frustrations that have riled up fans for what many feel is far too long? There are plenty of positives to point to. Manny Diaz is bringing an aggressive defensive scheme to State College. Then, on offense, there is continuity between second-year coordinator Mike Yurcich and returning quarterback Sean Clifford. Add in some exciting newcomers like freshman running back Nick Singleton, and young players ready for bigger roles like third-year sophomore receiver Parker W H A T T H E Y ' R E S A Y I N G A B O U T P E N N S T A T E : "Penn State went 42-11 from 2016-19, but has gone a mere 11-11 since then. The Lions will need improvement from their offense, particularly at quarterback and on the line, if they want to become Big Ten East contenders again." — Lindy's "If they're going to break out of the rut they've been in, the Nittany Lions will need to be stronger at the line of scrimmage. There are only so many workarounds available to an of- fense that can't generate yards on the ground, and when you ask a mercurial quarterback to play hero ball every week, you tend to get what Penn State has gotten: a .500 record." — Athlon "Last year, Penn State was #4 headed to Iowa and led that game but lost and would finish only 7-6. After a couple of down years they should play up to their talent level but do face my #20 toughest schedule." — Phil Steele STAFF PREDICTIONS Picking Penn State's 2022 Regular-Season Record

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