Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/578836
O T H E R M A T C H U P S THE LOWDOWNPenn State looks to have a big edge here, despite the problems its special teams units experienced against San Diego State. That's because Army's kicking game hasn't really been a major factor so far this season. Freshman Marcus Hyatt averages 17.6 yards per kickoff return, while junior Edgar Poe averages only 1.3 yards per punt return. Senior P Alex Tardieu might be Army's top special teams performer, averaging 42 yards per punt. Sen- ior PK Daniel Grochowski has attempted only two field goals so far, converting a 41-yarder against Connecticut and missing from 39 yards a week later against Wake Forest. Penn State turned in its worst performance of the sea- son against the Aztecs, surrendering a 100-yard kickoff return and fumbling a punt, but the Lions have a lot more big-play potential here than Army does. // EDGEPenn State SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWNPenn State has played its share of games against the three major service academies, compiling a combined record of 35-27-2 against Army, Navy and Air Force. But most of the academies' victories predated the Paterno era. Since 1966, Joe Paterno's first season as head coach, Penn State has gone 19-3 against those three teams. The last time Army defeated Penn State was in October 1966. It was an 11-0 victory in Paterno's third game as head coach. // EDGEPenn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Jeff Monken is the 37th head coach in Army's football history, having been hired in December 2013. Before taking over in West Point, he spent four years as head coach at Georgia Southern, where he posted a 38-16 record. James Franklin and his staff will be looking for a victory on Saturday, obviously, but they'll also be trying to avoid any further injuries as they wrap up their nonconference season. // EDGEPenn State COACHING STAFF 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 5 completion. Bradshaw has hit 11 of 22 pass attempts for 194 yards with three TDs and one interception. Senior A.J. Schurr has played in all four games, completing 5 of 12 passes for 150 yards with one touchdown and two intercep- tions. Senior WR DeAndre Bell is Army's best receiver with three catches for 98 yards. Walker has three receptions for 85 yards, and Trainor has four receptions for 72 yards. // KEY MATCHUP The key for Penn State will be to contain the Knights' triple-option running attack and force them to throw the ball on first and second down. Nassib and Sickels will be the key performers here. // EDGEPenn State