Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E  V S .  M I N N E S O T A WHEN PENN STATE HAS | THE BY P H I L G R O S Z BALL PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. MINNESOTA RUN DEFENSE PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 164.1 YPG, 3.9 YPC MINNESOTA RUN DEFENSE 142.2 YPG, 4.3 YPC PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MINNESOTA PASS DEFENSE PENN STATE PASSING GAME 272.4 YPG, 12.5 YPC MINNESOTA PASS DEFENSE 241.7 YPG, 11.6 YPC THE LOWDOWN Bill Belton has emerged as Penn State's go-to tailback, having rushed for 299 yards on 58 carries in the past two games. Against Illinois, Belton gained 201 yards, becoming the first Penn State tailback to surpass 200 yards in a game since Larry Johnson in 2002. Minnesota's rush defense ranks sixth in the Big Ten. It is spearheaded by senior DT Ra'Shede Hageman, who has a team-leading nine tackles for loss. Another standout, LB Damien Wilson, leads Minnesota with 50 tackles through nine games. The Gophers are promoting Hageman for All-Big Ten honors, and understandably so. His dominating effort was one of the keys to Minnesota's upset of Nebraska. EDGE Penn State THE LOWDOWN Penn State enters its game against Minnesota with the second-rated passing offense in the Big Ten. QB Christian Hackenberg is the conference's leading passer, averaging 253 yards per game. The Lions also have the conference's leading receiver in Allen Robinson. Robinson almost always demands double coverage, and it will be interesting to see if Minnesota CBs Eric Murray and Derrick Wells go that route or try instead to deploy the physical man-to-man coverage schemes that they've been using all season. Either way, this is a matchup that Penn State should be able to exploit. Minnesota ranks ninth in the Big Ten in pass defense. EDGE Penn State WHEN MINNESOTA MINNESOTA RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MINNESOTA PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE HAS THE BALL MINNESOTA RUNNING GAME 221.1 YPG, 4.7 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 150.5 YPG, 4.0 YPC THE LOWDOWN Junior David Cobb is Minnesota's leading rusher with 803 yards on 148 carries, and his average of 89.2 yards per game is fifth-best in the Big Ten. The Gophers also like to use a read-option attack featuring QB Mitch Leidner. At 6-4, 233 pounds, Leidner is tough to bring down. He ranks second on the team with 381 yards on 81 carries. Sophomore Philip Nelson shares the QB job with Leidner and is the Gophers' fourth-leading rusher with 295 yards on 66 carries. Minnesota has good size at the running back and quarterback positions, and its power running attack will challenge Penn State DTs DaQuan Jones, Kyle Baublitz and Austin Johnson. EDGE Minnesota MINNESOTA PASSING GAME 261.3 YPG, 12.8 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 226.7 YPG, 12.2 YPC THE LOWDOWN Nelson and Leidner have shared the quarterback position through nine games this season. Nelson is the better passer, having completed 64 of 114 attempts for 942 yards with eight touchdowns and only four interceptions. Leidner has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 366 yards with just one touchdown pass and one interception. Minnesota's pass offense uses a lot of play-action fakes, so Penn State will have to be wary. The Golden Gophers like to establish the run on first and second down to set up their passing attack. Senior Derrick Engle is their leading receiver with 22 catches for 361 yards and five TDs. EDGE Even OTHER MATCHUPS SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN The Golden Gophers have one of the top punt and kickoff returners in the Big Ten in junior Marcus Jones. The 5-8, 166-pound Jones averages 27.2 yards per kickoff return and 13.8 yards per punt return. Earlier this year he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and he also has a 65-yard punt-return TD. Senior PK Chris Hawthorne has converted on 11 of 14 field goal attempts, with his longest being 49 yards. EDGE Minnesota THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Both teams are riding high after thrilling victories last weekend. The Gophers are already bowl-eligible with a 7-2 record, and their three-game winning streak includes victories over Northwestern, Nebraska and Indiana. Penn State won its second overtime game of the season (and third in its past nine games) by topping Illinois this past Saturday. EDGE Minnesota COACHING STAFF THE LOWDOWN Minnesota head coach Jerry Hill has had to stay away from the sideline on game day as he is being treated for epilepsy. But the Golden Gophers have weathered the disruption in their routine quite well. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys deserves tremendous credit for keeping Minnesota pointed in the right direction. Bill O'Brien and his staff are facing Minnesota for the first time. EDGE Even N O V E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 3 3 B L UEWH I T E ON L I N E . COM

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