Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   S A N   D I E G O   S T A T E | 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 PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 202.3 YPG, 5.7 YPC // SAN DIEGO STATE RUN DEFENSE161.3 YPG, 4.0 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe Nittany Lions are coming off an outstanding performance against Rutgers in which Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch combined to rush for 315 yards on 31 carries, an average of 10.6 yards per attempt. Penn State now ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rushing offense at just over 200 yards per game and is averaging a robust 5.7 yards per carry. Barkley is the Big Ten's fifth-leading rusher at 103.7 yards per game, and his per-carry average of 9.1 yards is by far the best in the conference. Lynch is ninth in the Big Ten with an average of 81.3 yards per game. San Diego State had some difficulty stopping the run in its first three games, which were against San Diego, Cali- fornia and South Alabama. But on a positive note, the Aztecs have only surrendered four rushing touchdowns to date. Junior SS Na'im McGee and junior rover Malik Smith are the leading tacklers in San Diego State's 3-3-5 de- fensive scheme, having totaled 24 and 22 tackles, respectively. The Aztecs have definitely missed senior DT Chris- tian Heyward, 6-foot-3, 300-pounder who started his college career at USC. Heyward has played in only one game so far this season due to a lingering knee injury. Junior LB Calvin Munson has 21 tackles and is one of the Aztecs' defensive leaders. // KEY MATCHUPPenn State's starting offensive guards, Derek Dowrey and Brian Gaia, must get to the second level to control Munson, McGee and Smith. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 124.0 YPG, 10.6 YPC // SAN DIEGO STATE PASS DEFENSE 233.3 YPG, 14.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe most surprising and unsettling aspect of Penn State's offensive performance through its first three games has been the fact that Christian Hackenberg has completed only 35 of 71 passes (49.3 percent) for 372 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Nittany Lions' pass offense ranks 13th in the Big Ten. Soph- omore Chris Godwin is Penn State's leading receiver with 14 catches for 205 yards, and his average of 14.6 yards per catch is by far the best on the team. Penn State's second-leading receiver is redshirt sophomore DaeSean Hamilton with nine catches for 106 yards (11.8 ypc). Sophomore TE Mike Gesicki is next with four receptions for 20 yards. San Diego State returns four experienced cornerbacks and three experienced safeties in its secondary but has allowed a lot of yards through the air including five touchdown passes. California threw for 321 yards against the Aztecs, but that wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that South Alabama threw for 270 yards in an upset win over San Diego State. Junior CB Damontae Kazee leads the Aztec secondary with three interceptions and is the top defensive back on the team. Munson is next with two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State's interior linemen – Gaia, Dowrey and senior C Angelo Mangiro – must control Munson in blitz situations. San Diego State may have only three sacks, but Munson can be disruptive on de- layed blitzes. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. SAN DIEGO STATE PASS DEFENSE SAN DIEGO STATE RUNNING GAME 152.7 YPG, 3.9 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE87.0 YPG, 2.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNDonnel Pumphrey was one of the country's most dynamic runners as a sophomore last season, top- ping 100 yards in 10 games and finishing with a school-record 1,867 yards. The 5-9, 170-pounder has gotten off to a slow start this year, with 274 yards on 68 carries (3.7 ypc) through three games. Senior Chase Price is the Aztecs' second-leading rusher with 142 yards on 23 carries (6.2 ypc). A year ago, San Diego State averaged 216.1 yards per game, but that total has declined substantially this season. Penn State is second in the Big Ten in rushing defense and leads the Football Bowl Subdivision with 31 tackles for loss. Penn State's leading tackler through the first three games is redshirt junior DT Austin Johnson with 21 total stops, including 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Sopho- more SS Marcus Allen is next with 20 tackles, while senior DE Carl Nassib leads the team with 7.0 tackles for loss. The Aztecs could have real trouble running the football against Penn State's front seven. // KEY MATCHUP San Diego State's offensive line is imposing, with the starters averaging 6-foot-5½, 318 pounds per man. Their size will test Penn State's front seven, but the Lions appear to be up to the challenge. // EDGEPenn State SAN DIEGO STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE SAN DIEGO STATE PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N S A N D I E G O S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. SAN DIEGO STATE RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 SAN DIEGO STATE PASSING GAME 159.0 YPG, 12.6 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE208.0 YPG, 9.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNSenior QB Maxwell Smith has had mixed success in his first season of action since transferring from Kentucky, completing 31 of 66 passes (47 percent) for 394 yards with two TD passes and two interceptions. Redshirt freshman Christian Chapman has also seen action in two games, completing 6 of 15 passes (40 percent) for 76 yards with a single interception. The Aztecs' leading receiver is Pumphrey with nine catches for 92 yards

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