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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E  V S .  E A S T E R N   M I C H I G A N WHEN PENN STATE PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE HAS THE EASTERN MICHIGAN PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE BY PHIL GROSZ BALL PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 57.0 YPG, 1.5 YPC EASTERN MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE 202.0 YPG, 5.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State only rushed for 57 yards against Syracuse, but that number should dramatically improve against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles, despite defeating Howard, 34-24, in their opener, were unable to control the Bison running game. It was a continuation of Eastern Michigan's major problem last season. In 2012, the Eagles allowed a dreadful 267 yards per game – worst in the Football Bowl Subdivision. So while this team returns three starting defensive linemen from last season, it's likely that Zach Zwinak, Bill Belton and Akeel Lynch (if he plays) will find a few holes. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 278.0 YPG, 9.2 YPC EASTERN MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE 182.0 YPG, 9.6 YPC THE LOWDOWN Freshman QB Christian Hackenberg had an impressive performance against Syracuse, completing 22 of 31 passes (71 percent) for 278 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Allen Robinson was Hackenberg's go-to receiver, with seven catches for 133 yards and one TD. Penn State will miss senior tight end Matt Lehman, who suffered a knee injury against Syracuse and is out for the season, but the Nittany Lions should have success against an Eastern Michigan secondary that fields four new starters. Safety Mycal Swaim, a juco transfer, is the Eagles' top performer in the secondary. EDGE Penn State WHEN EASTERN MICHIGAN HAS EASTERN MICHIGAN RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE | THE BALL EASTERN MICHIGAN RUNNING GAME 170.0 YPG, 4.0 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 71.0 YPG, 1.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State's front four, led by senior DT DaQuan Jones, stuffed a potent Syracuse running game. The Orange rushed for 71 yards on 46 carries and averaged only 1.5 yards per attempt. Eastern Michigan has a one-two punch at running back in junior Bronson Hill and sophomore Darius Jackson. Hill (101 yards, two TDs vs. Howard) is the primary ball carrier, while Jackson (64 yards, one TD) serves as a speedy change-of-pace back. The two runners should provide Penn State's front seven with a solid challenge, especially if OLB Mike Hull plays sparingly (or not at all) due to the knee injury he suffered vs. Syracuse. EDGE Penn State EASTERN MICHIGAN PASSING GAME 210.0 YPG, 12.7 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 189.0 YPG, 11.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN Making their first collegiate starts, sophomore CBs Jordan Lucas and Trevor Williams led a Penn State defense that limited Syracuse QB Drew Allen to 189 yards passing. Former Kansas State head coach Stan Parrish is Eastern Michigan's new offensive coordinator, and he has added a few new wrinkles to the passing attack. Against Howard, junior QB Tyler Benz completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1 percent) for 210 yards and two TDs. Sophomore WRs Jay Jones and Dustin Creel and junior WR Demarius Reed each had four catches. The Eagles' three-wide set should provide Lucas and Williams with another challenge. EDGE Penn State OTHER MATCHUPS SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Sam Ficken has emerged as one of the top place-kickers in the Big Ten. His streak of consecutive makes is now at 13 after he went 3 for 3 against Syracuse, and one of those kicks was a career-long 46-yarder. Bill Belton averaged 22 yards per kickoff return vs. Syracuse, while Jesse Della Valle averaged 14.6 yards per punt return. Eastern Michigan has a solid kickoff coverage unit that held Howard to an average of 16.7 yards per attempt. EDGE Penn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN The excitement over last week's victory against Syracuse has been tempered by the realization that the win chipped away at Penn State's less-than-optimal depth. Lehman has been lost for the season with a left knee injury, while Hull also suffered a knee injury against the Orange. In addition, sophomore TE Kyle Carter suffered a left arm injury. Eastern Michigan came out of its game with Howard healthy. EDGE Eastern Michigan COACHING STAFF THE LOWDOWN Eastern Michigan has two new coordinators after last year's 2-10 finish. Head coach Ron English de- cided to take charge of the defense himself, and he pulled off a coup by persuading Parrish to come out of retirement to oversee the offense. But with only five starters returning on offense and three back on defense, the staff has its hands full. Penn State's challenge all season will be to find ways of staying healthy. EDGE Penn State S E P T E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 3 B LUE WH I T E ON L I N E. COM

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