Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/596730
O T H E R M A T C H U P S THE LOWDOWNThis is an area in which neither team appears to have a significant edge. The Wildcats do have one of the Big Ten's better punt returners in senior Miles Shuler, who ranks fifth in the conference with an average of 12.8 yards per attempt. Sophomore RB Solomon Vault is the team's top kickoff returner with a 26.3-yard average, while junior PK Jack Mitchell has converted 14 of 18 field goal attempts, his longest being 49 yards. Punting has been an issue, as sophomore Hunter Niswander is averaging only 36.8 yards. Penn State's special teams units have some question marks, including whether redshirt sophomore PK Tyler Davis will get the start after Joey Julius's poor outing vs. Illinois. Davis has converted on all three field goals with his longest being 42 yards. Sophomore Daniel Pasquariello averages 39.9 yards per punt. // EDGEEven SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWNThe Wildcats' 29-6 victory last year at Beaver Stadium was the start of a downward spiral that saw Penn State lose six of its last eight games. But the Nittany Lions are certainly a better team than they were a year ago, and they've fared pretty well over the years in Evanston, going 6-2 in road games vs. the Wildcats. Their 34-24 victory in October 2011 was the last road win of Joe Paterno's career. // EDGEPenn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN After back-to-back five-win seasons, Pat Fitzgerald has the Wildcats bowl-eligible again at 6-2 overall. It's the seventh time in his 10 seasons as head coach at his alma mater that Fitzgerald has guided the Wild- cats to at least six wins. Penn State, meanwhile, has won seven of its past eight games under second-year coach James Franklin, including a 39-0 romp over Illinois this past Saturday. // EDGEEven COACHING STAFF N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 5 back/TE Dan Vitale is the Wildcats' leading receiver with 23 catches for 276 yards, while senior WR Christian Jones has 18 receptions for 188 yards. Junior WR Austin Carr has only seven receptions but has made them count, averag- ing an impressive 22 yards per catch. In addition, Jackson is an effective receiver coming out of the backfield, with 17 receptions for 137 yards. Penn State's pass defense ranks second in the Big Ten. That's partly due to the strong per- formances of CBs Grant Haley, John Reid and Trevor Williams, but also to a fierce pass rush. Nassib leads the country with 14.5 sacks, and Penn State is the Big Ten leader with 36 QB drops through nine games. // KEY MATCHUP Nassib will be going up against Olson, while Allen will do battle with Vitale. // EDGEPenn State