Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   A R M Y | 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 169.8 YPG, 4.8 YPC // ARMY RUN DEFENSE156.5 YPG, 4.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNWithout knowing the status of Akeel Lynch and Saquon Barkley for Saturday's game, it's hard to assess Penn State's rushing attack. If one or both of their top two running backs are able to play, the Nittany Lions will have a big advantage here. But even if they're sidelined, the Lions should be able to generate some yards on the ground against Army. Redshirt freshman Mark Allen is the most likely starter if Lynch and Barkley aren't available, with redshirt freshman Nick Scott backing him up. Allen has carried only 11 times for 13 yards, while Scott has seven carries for 14 yards. Redshirt freshman Johnathan Thomas hasn't seen action yet this season but may be called upon Saturday. Army has given up a lot of rushing yards in its first four games, and its 4-3 defensive front does not appear to match up well with Penn State's line. The Black Knights' leading tacklers are junior linebackers Jeremy Timpf and Andrew King, who have 31 and 20 stops, respectively. King leads Army's defense with eight tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUPPenn State's offensive line will be looking to capitalize on its size advantage over Army, which amounts to about 50 pounds per man. The Knights' defensive front averages 6-foot-1, 250 pounds. Penn State's ground game has been inconsistent so far, but it will enjoy a considerable physical advantage on Satur- day. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 175.0 YPG, 12.3 YPC // ARMY PASS DEFENSE 261.8 YPG, 13.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State's passing game made big strides last week against San Diego State, as Christian Hack- enberg completed 21 of 35 passes for 296 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Hackenberg has completed 52.8 percent of his attempts this season for 668 yards, with four TD passes and only two interceptions. His top target is sophomore Chris Godwin with 19 catches for 283 yards (14.9 ypc). Godwin is followed by sopho- more DaeSean Hamilton with 14 catches for 146 yards, and against San Diego State, sophomore Saeed Blacknall emerged as a deep threat with four catches for 101 yards. Blacknall's average of 25.3 yards per catch is by far the team's best. Among the tight ends, sophomore Mike Gesicki has six catches for 31 yards and senior Kyle Carter has five receptions for 60 yards. Carter's average of 12 yards per catch is second-best on the team. Army's pass de- fense has not been effective this season. If Penn State tries to go downfield, as it did with considerable success against San Diego State, it could very well produce a few big plays. The Black Knights have not gotten much pres- sure on opposing passers, totaling only eight sacks through four games, so Hackenberg could definitely have an- other big game. // KEY MATCHUP Godwin will no doubt see a lot of freshman CB Brandon Jackson. The 6-foot-0, 170-pounder leads Army with two interceptions. But for the receivers to have success, Penn State's offensive line will need to counteract Army's blitz scheme. King leads the Knights with three sacks. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. ARMY PASS DEFENSE ARMY RUNNING GAME 294.5 YPG, 5.9 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE90.5 YPG, 2.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNEven though Army's triple-option running game will require some difficult defensive adjustments, I believe Penn State has the upper hand in this matchup. The Black Knights' rushing attack is headed by sophomore QB Ahmad Bradshaw, a 5-11, 198-pounder who has gained 341 yards on 68 carries, with four rushing touchdowns. Junior RB Aaron Kemper is the team's second-leading rusher with 34 carries for 225 yards. Other rushers in Army's arsenal are junior Joe Walker (16 carries, 157 yards), senior Matt Gahinta (27 carries, 137 yards) and sopho- more John Trainor (nine carries, 89 yards). Redshirt junior DT Austin Johnson, redshirt freshman OLB Troy Reeder and sophomore ILB Jason Cabinda lead the Nittany Lions' defense with 23 tackles apiece. Senior DE Carl Nassib has a team-best nine tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State's front four, consisting of Johnson, Nas- sib, senior DT Anthony Zettel and redshirt sophomore DE Garrett Sickels, will have a significant size advantage. Penn State's defensive line averages 286 pounds per man, while Army's offensive line averages 274 pounds. Nassib and Sickels will have to keep Army's triple-option offense contained on the corners. // EDGEPenn State ARMY RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE ARMY PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N A R M Y H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. ARMY RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 ARMY PASSING GAME 90.5 YPG, 21.8 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE191.2 YPG, 9.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNArmy has thrown the ball only 36 times this season, gaining 344 yards with four TD passes and three interceptions. That works out to an average of just nine passes and fewer than 100 yards per game. Those numbers might seem miniscule, but with opposing defenses focused on stopping the run, Army can sometimes catch them flat-footed when it does pass – as evidenced by its impressive averages of 10.1 yards per attempt and 21.8 yards per

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