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Syracuse quarterbacks coach Tim Lester said. "It's been even. Back and forth, back and forth. That's a good thing, because I think we have two guys who are playing well and are prepared to play." The assistant's comments nearly echo O'Brien's. Both quarterbacks might play, so be ready. The decisions – or lack thereof – might be driving up the interest of fans and media, but, as both coaches recently pointed out, they make life even more difficult for opposing defenses. As a coordinator, you must create a game plan around two quarterbacks instead of just one. Adding to the mystery, Penn State's QBs have taken zero Division I snaps between them, so there's little to no film for study, and Syracuse's QBs have two very different playing styles. The unknown variables have led to a hectic week (or more) of preparation for both teams. "That [makes it] a little nerve-racking going into the first game," O'Brien said. "You really don't know what to expect, so you have to make sure that you cover all your bases as best you can. But you also can't stay in the office until 4:30 in the morning, trying to block ghosts and things that you don't really know exist. You just have to go out there in practice and get your guys to understand base defense, base offense, and how we're going to react when different things come up during the game." There's a lot less mystery around Syracuse's running back contingent, which in many ways resembles its Penn State counterpart. The teams both have pounding 1,000yard bruisers (PSU's Zach Zwinak, Syracuse's Jerome Smith), pass-catching scatbacks (PSU's Bill Belton, Syracuse's Prince-Tyson Gulley) and promising up-and-comers who played their high school ball in upstate New York (PSU's Akeel Lynch, Syracuse's Ashton Broyld). Running behind a revamped offensive line, Smith is listed atop the depth chart and he's listed on the Maxwell Award watch list. After rushing for 1,171 yards in 2012, the Orange captain should handle the bulk of the carries, but the Nittany Lion's can't afford to lose sight of Gulley. He's a threat to score from anywhere on the field, and considering that he caught 33 passes a season ago, he'll be lined up at a variety of positions. "Syracuse does a really nice job with those two guys," O'Brien said. "It's going to be a tough chore [to slow them], but that's a big part of what we have to do." Playing at a neutral site – an 82,566seat stadium at which the next Super Bowl will be played – Syracuse has home team honors. But Penn State has more than 40,000 alumni in the New York metro area, and while a sellout is not expected, Nittany Lion fans are expected to outnumber the Orange faithful. Even Shafer has a feeling the crowd could be a little one-sided. "Every game, you get fired up about," he said. "We'll be at MetLife, and as much as I hope we will have a ton of fans show up – and I know the loyal ones will be there – the chances are that Penn State is going to have quite a few more people than us. That's a reality. I challenge our fans to come out, but at the end of the day, they want a product they can support. And we need to do a good job of putting that on the field." The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, will try to keep that from happening. And they'll be playing behind a quarterback who has yet to take a Division I snap. Shafer, Syracuse's defensive coordinator in 2012, has tried his best to study Hackenberg and Ferguson, but there's little material on which to base an evaluation. Instead, he's focused on O'Brien's play-calling repertoire. How did he use Zwinak last year? What can Belton do out of the backfield? How does he utilize his surplus of tight ends and why the heck are they lining up at wideout? It only adds to the mystery. "With him coming from the NFL and with what the Patriots did, they did as good a job as anyone in that league with creating mismatches," Shafer said. "So we have to be prepared for those type of things." A U G U S T   2 8 ,   2 0 1 3 2 BWI'S FORECAST NATE BAUER 2012 RECORD 8-4 The first game is always the hardest to predict, especially when it's between two teams without an established QB under center. Still, the complementary pieces point to a Penn State win against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. PENN STATE 23, SYRACUSE 16 PHIL GROSZ 2012 RECORD 8-4 If Penn State is able to have balance in its offense and is able to dominate the line of scrimmage, the pressure will be off Christian Hackenberg and Tyler Ferguson. That, in turn, would enable the Nittany Lions to surpass 30 points in their opener. PENN STATE 31, SYRACUSE 17 MATT HERB 2012 RECORD 11-1 All eyes will be on Hackenberg and/or Ferguson, but don't be surprised if the running game makes the difference on Saturday. If the Nittany Lions can run the ball against a rebuilt Syracuse defensive front, they'll be able to take some of the pressure off their new quarterback and control the tempo. PENN STATE 24, SYRACUSE 17 TIM OWEN 2012 RECORD 8-4 Syracuse is inexperienced along the line of scrimmage, especially on defense. Penn State isn't. If the Nittany Lions are to win the season opener, they'll have to win it in the trenches. And I think they will. PENN STATE 27, SYRACUSE 24 RYAN SNYDER 2012 RECORD 9-3 Syracuse's weak defensive line is exactly what Penn State needs in its first game. That should allow the Nittany Lions to rush the ball when needed, thus limiting whoever is at quarterback to no more than 25 passing attempts. Penn State's defense will hold Syracuse to only two touchdowns, making this a double-digit win. PENN STATE 24, SYRACUSE 14 BL UEW H I T EON L I N E.COM

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