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KEY MATCHUPS PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 103.6 YPG, 2.9 YPC BOSTON COLLEGE RUN DEFENSE 94.8 YPG, 3.1YPC THE LOWDOWN This looks to be a tough matchup for a Penn State team that struggled to run the ball with any consistency during the regular season. With the possible exception of Michigan State, Boston College 7elds probably the toughest defensive front Penn State will see all year. The Eagles 7nished second in the At- lantic Coast Conference in rushing defense. Their leading tackler is junior FS Justin Simmons with 70 total tackles, but the most noteworthy run-stoppers are lineback- ers Steven Daniels and Josh Keyes. Daniels is the Eagles' second-leading tackler with 68 stops, while Keyes has 63 tackles, including a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore DE Kevin Kavalec has contributed 37 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Penn State's leading rusher is sophomore Akeel Lynch, who gained 603 yards (4.6 per carry) during the regular season. The key matchup here will pit Penn State's inte- rior o8ensive linemen against Daniels and Keyes. EDGE BOSTON COLLEGE PENN STATE PASSING GAME 221.9 YPG, 11.0 YPC BOSTON COLLEGE PASS DEFENSE 218.0 YPG, 11.4YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State's passing game was erratic in the sec- ond half of the regular season. In several games, QB Christian Hackenberg completed less than half of his passes. But even so, Penn State may have the upper hand against a BC defense that 7nished 10th in the ACC against the pass, allowing opponents to complete 61.7 percent of their attempts. Hackenberg has thrown for 2,606 yards with eight touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Freshman WR DaeSean Hamilton is Hackenberg's top target with a Big Ten-best 75 catches for 848 yards. Sophomore WR Geno Lewis is the Lions' second-leading receiver with 48 catches for 669 yards. Hamilton and Lewis will be looking to recapture their early-season success when they do battle with CBs John Johnson and Manuel Asprilla, but the most important matchups will take place at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles 7eld a physical defense that produced 31 sacks during the regular season, so OTs Donovan Smith and An- drew Nelson will have a tough task ahead of them as they try to keep Kavalec and fellow DE Brian Mihalik out of the back7eld. EDGE PENN STATE BOSTON COLLEGE RUNNING GAME 251.8 YPG, 5.1 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 84.8 YPG, 2.6YPC THE LOWDOWN This matchup will pit strength against strength. Boston College 7nished second in the ACC in rushing o8ense and scored 29 rushing touchdowns, while Penn State 7elds the No. 1 rushing defense in the country and has allowed only 12 rushing TDs all season. Even though the Lions have been very good against the run, Boston College will present a unique challenge. Its leading rusher is 79h-year senior QB Tyler Murphy, who has rushed for 1,079 yards (6.9 yards per W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L W H E N B O S T O N C O L L E G E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE RUN DEFENSE PENN STATE PASSING GAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE PASS DEFENSE BOSTON COLLEGE RUNNING GAME vs. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE |

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