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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N S T A T E V S . A K R O N | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L O T H E R M A T C H U P S PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 57.0 YPG, 2.0 YPC AKRON RUN DEFENSE 148.0 YPG, 2.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State struggled running the football against UCF, gaining only 57 yards on 28 carries. Zach Zwinak was Penn State's leading rusher with 32 yards on 12 carries (2.6 ypc), as the Nittany Lions' inexperienced offensive line couldn't sustain its blocks. Akron held Howard to 148 yards rushing on 51 attempts. The Zips' front seven dom- inated the line of scrimmage, with redshirt sophomore DE Se'Von Pittman, an Ohio State transfer, leading the way. The key matchup here will be between Pittman and redshirt freshman LG Brendan Mahon. If the Lions are to field a between-the-tackles power running game on Saturday, they will need to control Pittman. EDGE Even PENN STATE PASSING GAME 454.0 YPG, 14.2 YPC AKRON PASS DEFENSE 68.0 YPG, 5.7 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Zips held Howard to 68 yards passing and only 2.6 yards per attempt, but they will have their hands full trying to control Penn State's aerial attack. Redshirt freshman WR DaeSean Hamilton and redshirt sophomore Eugene Lewis combined to make 19 catches for 338 yards against an experienced UCF secondary last week. Both Hamilton (15.0 ypc) and Lewis (21.6 ypc) have big-play potential. Christian Hackenberg also spread the ball around, completing passes to seven receivers. The tight ends caught 10 passes for 90 yards. The key matchup here will pit junior CBs John Senter and Bryce Cheek against Hamilton and Lewis. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. AKRON PASS DEFENSE AKRON RUNNING GAME 113.0 YPG, 4.0 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 24.0 YPG, 0.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN Surprisingly, Akron had trouble running the ball at times against Howard. The Zips' leading rusher was junior QB Kyle Pohl, who gained 48 yards on seven carries. Senior TB Jawon Chisholm had been the Zips' leading rusher the past two seasons. If Akron hopes to have any consistency running the football against Penn State, its in- terior offensive line will need to control both three-technique DT Anthony Zettel and one-technique DT Austin Johnson. The key matchup here will most likely be junior LG Dylan Brumbaugh against Zettel. Akron also needs to establish the pass to set up its running game. EDGE Penn State AKRON RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE AKRON PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE THE LOWDOWN In Zach Paul, Akron has one of the best punters in the MAC. Paul averaged 45 yards per attempt against Howard. Except for one kickoff return, Penn State's special teams showed dramatic improvement against UCF. Senior place-kicker Sam Ficken went 4 for 4 on field goals, and freshman Grant Haley averaged 29.5 yards on four kickoff returns. Haley has big-play potential as a kick returner. EDGE Penn State SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Akron opened its season against Howard on Thursday, Aug. 28. By the time this week's game kicks off, the Zips will have had 10 days to prepare for Penn State. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, arrived home at 2 a.m. Sunday after opening their season on Saturday in Dublin. The coaching staff would likely have preferred an open date this week. EDGE Akron THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN This is Terry Bowden's third season at Akron. He's one of the most respected head coaches in the MAC, and he has an excellent defensive coordinator in Chuck Amato, an associate of Bowden's ever since they coached together at Florida State. James Franklin and his staff are on a high following Penn State's victory over UCF. They will have their team prepared for its home opener. EDGE Even COACHING STAFF W H E N A K R O N H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. AKRON RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 AKRON PASSING GAME 281.6 YPG, 13.6 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 237.3 YPG, 14.6 YPC THE LOWDOWN In Pohl, Akron may have the best pro-style quarterback in the Mid-American Conference. He got off to a great start against Howard, completing 23 of 36 passing attempts for 308 yards and four TDs. Pohl also has four excellent receivers in sophomore Mykel Traylor-Bennett, senior L.T. Smith, and juniors Zach D'Orazio and An- drew Pratt. Traylor-Bennett, Smith and D'Orazio combined for 13 catches for 200 yards in Akron's opener. The key matchup here will be Penn State field CBs Da'Quan Davis and Trevor Williams against Smith and Traylor-Ben- nett. It was the field cornerbacks who struggled against UCF. EDGE Akron

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