Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
punter position is open, and one of the contenders is freshman kicker Quinn Nordin. Penn State fans will no doubt recall that Nordin was a member of the Nittany Lions' 2016 recruiting class before recanting his verbal commit- ment. OUTLOOK Harbaugh has gotten a lot of attention during the off-season for his have-whistle-will-travel approach to both practice and recruiting, as ex- emplified by his enthusiastic advocacy of satellite camps. But once the season begins, the Wolverines won't be going anywhere, at least for a while. They open their season with five consecutive home games, their Big Ten opener against Penn State being the fourth. The schedule, which includes nonconference games against Hawaii, UCF and Col- orado, should allow them to build some momentum. The question is whether they'll be able to maintain it during the backstretch. The second half of the sea- son includes road trips to Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State. That's when we'll find out whether they're playoff material. 2015 RECORD 6-7, 2-6 Big Ten SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead, 8-5. MOST RECENT MEETING Christian Hackenberg was held without a touch- down pass for the only time during his freshman season, and the Golden Go- phers defeated Penn State, 24-10, at TCF Bank Stadium on Nov. 9, 2013. OFFENSE Minnesota finished 12th in the Big Ten in total offense last season, but one of the team's biggest problems – an injury-depleted offensive line – has been addressed with the addition of juco prospects Garrison Wright and Vincent Calhoun. In addition, senior quarter- back Mitch Leidner has reportedly lost 20 pounds as he works to get back in shape after undergoing foot surgery and is currently listed at 237 pounds. He'll need to find a new go-to receiver with K.J. Maye gone, but he has a pair of solid running backs to take his handoffs in Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith, who combined for nearly 1,400 yards last season. He also has a new position coach and offensive coordinator in Jay Johnson, who was hired away from Louisiana-Lafayette as part of a staff makeover undertaken by head coach Tracy Claeys. DEFENSE The big question here is whether Minnesota will be able to re- place three starters in the secondary, including All-Big Ten cornerbacks Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun. Ex- perienced senior Jalen Myrick is set to fill one of those vacancies after finish- ing second on the team with three inter- ceptions in 2015, but the other spot is up for grabs and could go to either sophomore KiAnte Hardin or redshirt freshman Ray Buford. Either way, the Gophers will be hard-pressed to equal last year's performance, in which they gave up only 179.5 passing yards per game to rank 11th nationally. The front seven should be solid, with three line- men and two linebackers returning to the starting lineup. SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker Ryan Santoso boasts range and accuracy. As a sopho- more, he hit 17 of 21 attempts, including a 50-yarder. Minnesota must replace punter Peter Mortell. OUTLOOK The Golden Gophers haven't stepped foot in Beaver Stadium since 2009, when they were shut out, 20-0, by the Daryll Clark-led Lions. That's a long time between visits, and the Gophers could be in for a challeng- ing start to the Big Ten season, especial- ly given that new Penn State offensive line coach Matt Limegrover served as their offensive coordinator last year and knows their personnel well. But overall, Minnesota's schedule sets the team up nicely for another postseason run. Its three nonconference opponents – Ore- gon State, Indiana State and Colorado State – compiled a combined record of 14-21 last season, and the Big Ten schedule makers have conveniently deleted Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State from the 2016 slate. Min- nesota has faced some coaching up- heaval over the past year due to the health-related resignation of Jerry Kill last October and Claeys' subsequent promotion, but the Gophers have gone bowling each of the past four seasons and are poised to do so again in 2016 if they can get their offensive issues sorted out. 2015 RECORD 3-9, 1-7 Big Ten SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead, 36-2-1. MOST RECENT MEETING Christian Hackenberg threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns to lift the Nittany Li- ons past Maryland, 31-30, on Oct. 24, 2015, at M&T Bank Stadium in Balti- more. OFFENSE The Terrapins return nine starters from an offense that averaged 24.7 points per game last year. That siz- able contingent of returnees includes Caleb Rowe and Perry Hills, who split time at quarterback in 2015 and may do so again this coming fall unless one of them firmly establishes himself as the starter. New head coach D.J. Durkin will need better numbers from one or both, because their combined completion percentage last year (48.1) was bad, and their touchdown-interception ratio (14- 28) was disastrous. Hills is also the team's top returning rusher following the graduation of running back Brandon Ross, so the Terps need to find a new tailback. The offensive line will be inex- perienced, which means there could be W E E K 6 MARYLAND N o o n , O c t . 8 @ B e av e r St a d i u m 2 0 1 6 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L W E E K 5 MINNESOTA T i m e T BA , O c t . 1 @ B e av e r St a d i u m