Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
OFFENSE Sophomore Chris Laviano and LSU transfer Hayden Rettig are vy- ing to replace four-year starter Gary Nova at quarterback. Laviano, who played in five games as Nova's backup last season, was said to have a slight edge coming out of spring practice, but this question probably won't be an- swered definitively until mid-August. Otherwise, the backfield looks solid. Sophomores Josh Hicks and Robert Martin combined for 302 yards in a 40- 21 victory over North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl, and the Knights will also welcome back senior Paul James, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL. The receiver corps got a huge boost when last season's leading wide- out, Leonte Carroo, opted to forgo the NFL Draft to return for his senior year. As a junior, Carroo caught 55 passes for 1,086 yards and 10 touchdowns and won first-team All-Big Ten honors. DEFENSE Plain and simple, Rutgers needs to be better against the run in 2015. It surrendered 212.3 rushing yards per game last fall to rank 106th among FBS teams. The Knights do have a cou- ple of impressive players up front in tackle Darius Hamilton and end Kemoko Turay. Hamilton is a two-year starter and team captain, while Turay is one of the Big Ten's rising stars. As a redshirt freshman, he was sixth in the conference with 7.5 sacks. The Knights also have some experience at linebacker and cor- nerback. And while they lost two veteran safeties to graduation, Kiy Hester, a transfer from Miami (Fla.), is expected to help fill the void. SPECIAL TEAMS Kyle Federico hit 16 of 21 field goal attempts last season, while Tim Gleeson and Joe Roth are ex- pected to battle for the punter position. The most noteworthy aspect of Rutgers' kicking game is the team's success at blocking kicks. Since 2009, the Knights have totaled 41 blocks, more than any team in the country. The 6-foot-6 Turay had three blocks by himself last year. OUTLOOK New offensive coordinator Ben McDaniels isn't expected to tamper much with Ralph Friedgen's scheme, and that's probably for the best. Mc- Daniels is the team's sixth OC in the past six seasons, and the Knights would no doubt prefer to avoid any unnecessary disruptions since they're already facing a big one with the introduction of a new QB. This much is certain: To be compet- itive in the Big Ten's overloaded East Di- vision, they're going to need all the points they can muster. 2014 RECORD 7-6 (5-3 Mountain West) SERIES RECORD This will be the first meeting between Penn State and San Diego State. OFFENSE Junior running back Donnel Pumphrey is the star of this show. At 5-9, 170 pounds, he's not as physically impos- ing as some of the more familiar names at the top of the NCAA rushing charts, but he's got breakaway potential. He had 12 runs of 30 or more yards as a sophomore and finished the season with 1,755 yards to rank fourth nationally. But three start- ing offensive linemen must be replaced, with two of those losses due to discipli- nary action. And that's not the only con- cern on offense. The Aztecs also need to pick a starting quarterback from a talent pool that may still be four-deep. The list of contenders includes a pair of transfers: Jake Rodrigues (Oregon) and Maxwell Smith (Kentucky). Job No. 1 this August will be to find some answers here. DEFENSE The Aztecs are loaded in the secondary, where cornerbacks J.J. Whit- taker and Damontae Kazee and safeties Malik Smith, Na'im McGee and Trey Lomax all return, solidifying the back end of San Diego State's 3-3-5 scheme. Whittaker and Smith combined for five interceptions last season, and San Diego State finished 10th nationally against the pass (178.5 yards per game). The Aztecs also return versatile linebacker Calvin Munson. As a sophomore, Mun- son totaled 10.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions. SPECIAL TEAMS Donny Hageman re- turns for his final season at place-kicker after hitting 17 of 21 attempts as a junior. The Aztecs will, however, need a new punter. OUTLOOK The uncertainty at quar- terback casts a shadow over what other- wise looks to be a promising season. Coach Rocky Long and new offensive coordinator Jeff Horton will need to work quickly in preseason camp to nar- row the field so that they can give their starter enough reps to be ready for a nonconference schedule that, in addi- tion to Penn State, includes a trip to Cal on Sept. 12. Smith is thought to be the favorite after starting 11 games and throwing for 3,070 yards at Kentucky. As long as someone seizes the position in August, the Aztecs will likely go bowling for the sixth year in a row. 2014 RECORD 4-8 SERIES RECORD Penn State leads, 13- 10-2. MOST RECENT MEETING The Nit- tany Lions welcomed Army on home- coming weekend in 1979, winning 24-3. Matt Suhey rushed for 225 yards on 23 carries in the victory. OFFENSE The Black Knights will al- ways be able to move the ball on the ground with their famed triple option. Even though they won only four games last season, they still finished fifth in the country in rushing at 296.5 yards per game. They'll need to replace lead- ing rushers Larry Dixon and Angel Santiago, but quarterback contenders A.J. Schurr (last year's backup) and Ahmad Bradshaw both have gotten W E E K 4 SAN DIEGO ST. T i m e T BA , S e p t . 2 6 @ B e av e r St a d i u m W E E K 5 ARMY T i m e T BA , O c t . 3 @ B e av e r St a d i u m P R E V I E W