Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Big Ten's most underrated players. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior quarter- back has been hailed as a potential high- round draft pick, and he looked the part on opening night, albeit against an FCS opponent. Lindsey completed 19 of 24 throws for 264 yards and a touchdown in a 59-7 romp over Eastern Illinois. The Gophers also have a defense that can make plays in the backfield, high- lighted by fifth-year senior edge rusher Anthony Smith. All that said, a 38-13 loss to Mississippi State in Week 2 raised some questions about this team's ceiling ... and also about its floor. 12. Wisconsin The Badgers hung in there for two quarters against Notre Dame before the bottom fell out early in the second half. They bounced back a week later by past- ing Western Illinois, 36-9. Wisconsin's hopes of posting a winning record in Luke Fickell's fourth full season as head coach will depend on a strong de- fense anchored by sophomore linebacker Mason Posa and an offense built around senior dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph, an Old Dominion transfer. 13. UCLA Believe it or not, the Bruins have more newcomers than Penn State, with 63 of their players in their first season with the program — 46 transfers, the most of any Big Ten team, and 17 true freshmen. Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins were one of the few Big Ten teams to open with a Power Four oppo- nent, and they earned a rousing victory, scoring 3 fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 45-24 win at Cal. We'll get a better idea how good they are when they face Oregon on Oct. 10 in Eugene. 14. Maryland Maryland ran Hampton ragged in its opener, totaling 365 yards on the ground, including 116 from redshirt sophomore running back Dejuan Williams. If the Terps can complement talented sopho- more quarterback Malik Washington with a proficient running game, they'll have an excellent chance of bouncing back from last year's 4-8 finish. Head coach Mike Locksley will wel- come his old pal James Franklin to College Park on Sept. 19. A victory over Franklin's first Virginia Tech squad would go a long way toward legitimizing the Terps' bowl- worthiness. 15. Northwestern Michigan State transfer Aidan Chiles looks like an upgrade for a Northwest- ern team that ranked 106th in the FBS in passing offense last year. Chiles threw for 273 yards in the Wildcats' 34-18 win against South Dakota State to open the season. The game also marked the debut of Chip Kelly as Northwestern's offen- sive coordinator. It was a strong start, but the Wildcats' next three games are against Colorado, Indiana and Penn State, giving them little time to build momentum. 16. Michigan State The Spartans have themselves a kicker. Playing for his fourth team in five years, senior Liam Boyd hit 5 of 6 field goal at- tempts, including a 51-yarder, in a 30-20 victory over Toledo on opening day. What else has Michigan State got? That's the question Pat Fitzgerald will have to answer in his return to coaching after a three-year absence. 17. Purdue New athletics director Tommy McClel- land fired a shot across Curt Cignetti's bow at his introductory presser in Au- gust when he said, "We are here to win championships. If you don't want to win championships, go to Indiana." Whether he found that dig irritating or amusing — we're guessing the lat- ter — Cignetti can take it up with the Boilermakers on Nov. 28 when the two rivals battle for the Old Oaken Bucket. In the meantime, Purdue figures to have its hands full with a slate that includes Notre Dame, Washington, Penn State and Iowa. 18. Rutgers The Scarlet Knights opened their sea- son by surrendering 200 rushing yards to Massachusetts, a team that had lost 16 consecutive games before pulling off a 37- 21 upset in Piscataway. That stunning result, followed by a 28-21 loss to Boston College, raised some ominous questions about Rutgers' future. Greg Schiano was brought back in 2020 to revive the program he had previously led from 2001-11. He's made some headway, but the pratfall against UMass was a ma- jor setback. If the winningest coach in Scarlet Knights history can't turn things around, can anyone? ■ At Big Ten Media Days in July, Penn State was represented by (left to right) redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht, redshirt junior offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh and redshirt junior linebacker Tony Rojas. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS