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Penn State's defense prepares for another dual-threat quarterback FAMILIAR TERRITORY N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 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 17 Penn State head coach James Franklin was asked Tuesday aAernoon at his weekly news conference to assess the play of Northwestern starting quarter- back Clayton Thorson. "He is big and strong and athletic. He's a redshirt freshman, so he's still gaining experience," Franklin said. "We were aware of him through the recruiting process, which always helps you kind of get a perspective on guys you're facing. But you know, we're going to have to be ready." Thorson, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Wheaton, Ill., less than 40 miles from Ryan Field in Evanston, has taken control of the offense in helping liA the Wildcats to six wins in their first eight games. A former Rivals.com four-star prospect and the No. 6 dual-threat quar- terback in the nation, Thorson has thrown for 1,119 yards and six touch- downs while also rushing for 297 yards and five scores. The Wildcats were using a read-option offensive attack at the start of the season, but as Franklin noted, they deviated from that approach in recent games, including losses to Michigan and Iowa in which they were outscored by a combined mar- gin of 78-10. Facing a Penn State team that has struggled against dual-threat QBs such as Ohio State's J.T. Barrett (11 carries for 102 yards and two TDs) and Maryland's Perry Hills (26 carries, 124 yards, one TD), the Wildcats will likely to go back to their earlier scheme, Franklin predicted. "We anticipate and are preparing all week long that they are going to run the zone read and all the quarterback stuff, so that's what we'll be working on all week long for these guys. We think that's what they're going to do against us based on [the fact that] they've shown some of that and based on them studying our film," Franklin said. He added that the Nittany Lions are using backup quarter- backs Trace McSorley and Tommy Stevens on the scout team to simulate Northwestern's looks in practice. "They'll run those plays that we have in our system to allow those [defensive] guys to get that look in practice. I think that will be really helpful. "They're a very, very good football team that has won a bunch of big games already this year, and obviously we're going to play them on their home turf, so it should be exciting." For Penn State's players themselves, the challenge sounds somewhat less ex- citing. On a teleconference with re- porters Tuesday morning, Nittany Lion sophomore safety Troy Apke said Thor- son was comparable to Hills, noting that the defense needs to be prepared for both the run and the pass this week. Fellow safety Malik Golden was slightly less diplomatic when asked how he feels about dual-threat quarterbacks and the difficulties they pose. "They're a pain, the way they can just extend plays. It's just tough to really han- dle a mobile quarterback," Golden said, "but I'm pretty sure we've got this one." Both Apke and Golden said they would be ready for the challenge Thorson brings to the table by the time they get to Ryan Field for this weekend's game. "You've got to play with confidence. You've got to think that you're going to win every game. Northwestern is a very good team," Golden said. "This quarter- back, especially, along with the Mary- land and Ohio State quarterbacks, they can extend plays, and it's pretty tough for the DBs because you have to stay on your man a little bit longer, stay in coverage, not go up and try to attack him and [allow him to] throw the ball over your head. That's what mobile quarterbacks can do." The good news for Penn State is that Northwestern ranks 116th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense with an average of 331.8 yards per game. What's more, Thorson is accounting for 177 of those yards, so if the Lions can prevent him from having success through the air as Michigan and Iowa did – he had only 101 passing yards against the Wolverines and 125 against the Hawkeyes – they'll likely stand a good chance of keeping the Wildcats within reach on Saturday. PSUtixman@gmail.com www.PSUtixman.com Get your PSU Football Tickets at go t ti cke t s? k c i t t t e k man@g .PSUtixm www.PSUtixman.com at ootba Get yo k c i t t o gm .PSUtixman.com all ur s t s e k

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