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his
best performance since the
opening
game of the season, when
he
threw for 454 yards with one
TD pass against UCF. With a
healthy group of receivers set to
return, including Geno Lewis,
DaeSean Hamilton, Saeed Black-
nall, Chris Godwin, Mike Gesicki,
De'Andre Thompkins and Adam Brene-
man, Penn State should have one of the
best passing o>enses in the Big Ten in
2015.
LOWLIGHT The Nittany Lions' inabili-
ty to run the ball against both Maryland
and Illinois prevented them from win-
ning both of those games and obtaining
a realistic and reachable 8-4 record for
the regular season. Penn State ense in the Big
Ten (101.9 yards per game). It was the
No. 1 reason why the Lions lost to both
Maryland and Illinois.
TAKEAWAY When you sit down and
take a hard look at Penn State's 2015
schedule, even with the losses of Dono-
van Smith, Miles Dieffenbach, C.J.
Olaniyan, Deion Barnes, Adrian Amos,
Jesse James, Mike Hull and Sam Ficken,
there is an excellent chance for this
team to win eight games, maybe more.
The Lions will play five of their first six
games at Beaver Stadium (against Buf-
falo, Rutgers, San Diego State, Army
and Indiana), and it's not unrealistic to
think they will be favored in all seven of
their home games, including games
against Illinois and Michigan. In addi-
tion, conference games at Maryland
and Northwestern appear very
winnable. Nine victories are attainable
this fall, but there certainly are no
guarantees.
MATT HERB
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
HIGHLIGHT A?er getting
the season o> to a terriorts. He
was shoved awkwardly into the spot-
light in 2012, =ailed around at -season feeling positive
about their future, and while Ficken
won't be a part of it, he is one of the
people most responsible for all the good
vibes.
LOWLIGHT The Illinois and Maryland
games were both dreadful, but they'll
be forgotten soon enough if those series
revert to form. What
won't be forgotten
is the tragicomic officiating in the Ohio
State game, which led directly to 10
Buckeye points and, ultimately, a 31-24
double-overtime loss. Penn State is go-
ing to get its wins over the Big Ten's
second-tier programs (it is a combined
52-7-1 vs. the Illini and Terps), but vic-
tories over Ohio State are rare and pre-
cious things. This most recent game
doesn't just feel like a missed opportu-
LOWLIGHT Penn State
gave up a Big Ten-
worst 42 sacks during
the regular season, in-
cluding five vs. Mary-
land.
Photo by Steve
Manuel
