Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
9 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State saw quite enough of Michael Penix Jr. back in October 2020, thank you very much. When he was still at Indi- ana, Penix led the Hoosiers to a stunning comeback win over the Nittany Lions, a season-opening blow from which they never entirely recovered during a dreary COVID-shortened campaign. Given that history, the timing of Washington's first-ever visit to Beaver Stadium couldn't be better, at least from the hosts' perspective. Penix is off to the NFL after leading the Huskies to last year's Pac-12 championship and an ap- pearance in the College Football Playoff title game. He'll be missed in Seattle, but not in State College. Replacing a player of Penix's caliber would be a big undertaking under any circumstances, but it's happening against the backdrop of a near-total overhaul of Washington's football program. The Hus- kies hired Arizona's Jedd Fisch after the architect of their national championship bid, Kalen DeBoer, headed to Alabama and took his staff along with him. Fisch had the Wildcats on a sharp up- ward trajectory during his three seasons in Tucson, inheriting a program that had been getting steadily worse under Kevin Sumlin and lifting it to five wins in his second year and 10 last fall, including an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma. The team that Fisch inherited in Wash- ington is coming off one of the best sea- sons in school history. But with just two non-specialist starters — senior line- backer Alphonzo Tuputala and junior cor- nerback Elijah Jackson — returning from that 14-1 squad, and with the Huskies moving to the Big Ten, the challenge ahead looks to be at least as formidable as the one he accepted at his former institution. Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers is set to succeed Penix at quarterback. A 6-foot-2, 204-pound senior, Rogers threw for 12,315 yards and 94 touchdowns in four seasons with the Bulldogs, ranking second in SEC history in the former cate- gory and fourth in the latter. He'll be relying on a rebuilt offensive line to protect him, and he'll be throwing to an overhauled re- ceiver corps, but transfer Jere- miah Hunter should prove to be an inviting target after totaling 143 catches for 2,056 yards and 13 touchdowns in four seasons at California. The backfield looks promising, with senior Cameron Davis and junior Jonah Colman expected to split the carries. Davis gained 522 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in 2022 before missing last season with a knee in- jury; Coleman was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 choice after rushing for 892 yards (6.8 per attempt) at Arizona last fall. Defensively, honorable mention All- Pac-12 linebacker Carson Bruener totaled 86 tackles, while Tuputala had 69, ranking third and fourth on the team, respectively. There's also some experience returning in the secondary, with senior safety Kamren Fabiculanan joining Jackson after totaling 26 tackles and 2 interceptions last season. A trio of Arizona transfers — defensive end Isaiah Ward, junior cornerback Ephe- sians Prysock and freshman linebacker/ safety Jordan Shaw — could help, too. The one area in which Washington boasts returning experience is on special teams. Junior kicker Grady Gross hit 18 of 22 field goal attempts last year, while junior punter Jack McCallister averaged 41.7 yards. With a new coaching staff and almost no returning starters, Washington is one of the nation's biggest mysteries head- ing into the season. But that won't be the case by the time the Huskies head to Penn State for the first time in the 135-year his- tory of their program. — Matt Herb N O V . 9 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E , P A . Junior cornerback Elijah Jackson is one of only two non-specialist starters returning to the Huskies' lineup in 2024. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF GAME 9 WASHINGTON QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads 3-0 Last Meeting: Quarterback Trace McSorley piled up 402 yards of total offense to lift Penn State past Washington, 35-28, in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30, 2017 Head Coach: Jedd Fisch (first season at Wash- ington; career coaching record: 17-22) 2023 Record: 14-1, 9-0 Pac-12 Returning Starters: 4 (0 offense, 2 defense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Sam Adams II (23 yards, 1 TD) Passing: None Receiving: WR Giles Jackson (106 yards, 1 TD) Tackles: LB Carson Bruener (86) Sacks: DE Vol Tunuufi (2) Interceptions: S Kamren Fabiculanan (2) BEST-CASE SCENARIO After hitting the portal jackpot with quar- terback Michael Penix Jr., the Huskies are hoping they did it again with Will Rogers. He had plenty of success in the SEC and should elevate Washington back to postseason play, even with an overhauled roster. WORST-CASE SCENARIO The Huskies could prove unprepared for the physicality of the Big Ten, and their first season in the league might resemble their 34-13 loss to Michigan in last season's na- tional championship game. 2024 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2023 Result Aug. 31 Weber State — Sept. 7 Eastern Michigan — Sept. 14 Washington State W, 24-21 Sept. 21 Northwestern — Sept. 27 at Rutgers — Oct. 5 Michigan L, 34-13 Oct. 12 at Iowa — Oct. 26 at Indiana — Nov. 2 USC W, 52-42 Nov. 9 at Penn State — Nov. 15 UCLA — Nov. 30 at Oregon W, 36-33; W, 34-31* * Pac-12 Championship Game