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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   K E N T   S T A T E | 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 133.9 YPG, 4.1 YPC // KENT STATE RUN DEFENSE143.9 YPG, 3.5 YPC THE LOWDOWNOn paper, it might appear that Penn State could have some difficulty against a Kent State defense that allowed just 143.9 yards per game rushing and finished the 2015 season ranked 27th in the country in total de- fense. But statistics can be misleading. In Saquon Barkley, Penn State enters the 2016 season with one of the top running backs in the Big Ten. Barkley set a Penn State freshman record with 1,076 yards last year. The one knock on PSU's backfield is that it lacks game experience behind Barkley. Aside from redshirt sophomore Mark Allen, none of the backups have played yet. Coming out of preseason practice, expect Allen, Andre Robinson and Miles Sanders to see action on Saturday. Kent State returns seven starters on defense. Senior FS Nate Holley was the Golden Flashes' leading tackler with 141 total tackles last fall. In Kent State's 4-2-5 defense, senior OLB/SS Elcee Refuge was the team's third-leading tackler with 70 stops, 9.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Kent State's top de- fensive lineman is senior DE Terence Waugh, who totaled 57 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks last year. The key for Penn State's rushing attack against Kent State is its offensive line – specifically, its ability to adapt to new coordinator Joe Moorhead's scheme. If they can control the line of scrimmage, look for the Nittany Lions to rush for close to 200 yards. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State's new starting leB tackle, Brendan Mahon, will do battle with Waugh, an All-Conference performer last season. // EDGEEven PENN STATE PASSING GAME 214.5 YPG, 13.0 YPC // KENT STATE PASS DEFENSE 206.2 YPG, 12.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN How much of Moorhead's spread offense is starting QB Trace McSorley prepared to run? That's the big question here. Besides the performance of the offense line, McSorley's pre- and post-snap reads will determine how much success Penn State has with the passing game. This will be McSorley's first game as a starting quarter- back. Last season he completed 20 of 40 passes for 185 yards with two TD passes. There's not a lot of evidence on which to base an evaluation, but he does have a great cast of receivers to help him out. Leading the wideout corps is junior Chris Godwin, who totaled 69 receptions for 1,101 yards and five TDs last year. Redshirt junior DaeSean Hamilton totaled 45 catches for 580 yards and six TDs. Barkley was Penn State's third-leading receiver with 20 re- ceptions for 161 yards and one TD. At tight end, junior Mike Gesicki is the only returnee with game experience, having totaled 13 catches for 125 yards last fall. Kent State has two returning All-MAC players in its secondary: Hol- ley and CB Demetrius Monday. Monday had six interceptions last season and was also the Golden Flashes' eighth-leading tackler with 35 stops. Waugh led Kent State with nine sacks. // KEY MATCHUP Mahon will do battle with Waugh, while Godwin and Monday will tangle in the secondary. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. KENT STATE PASS DEFENSE KENT STATE RUNNING GAME 132.8 YPG, 3.6 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE149.8 YPG, 3.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN Last year Kent State fielded the worst offense in the Mid-American Conference and the 126th- ranked offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Golden Flashes' running game was ranked 107th in the country. Their top returning running back, sophomore Raekwon James, finished second on the team last year with 332 yards on 76 carries but has been moved to slot receiver to make way for Justin Rankin, a 5-9, 180- pound freshman. Kent State's third-leading rusher last year was QB George Bollas with 275 yards on 89 car- ries. Despite the fact that Penn State lost three starters on its defensive line, its front seven should be able to control the line of scrimmage. Junior LB Jason Cabinda was Penn State's leading tackler in 2015 with 100 total stops, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Penn State's top returning lineman is redshirt junior DE Garrett Sick- els. In his first season as a starter, Sickels posted 35 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks. Junior FS Mar- cus Allen was Penn State's second-leading tackler with 81 total stops and five tackles for loss. Senior LB Brandon Bell was the Nittany Lions' fifth-leading tackler with 65 tackles and 12.5 TFL. // KEY MATCHUP Kent State offensive guards Wayne Scott and Nathan Puthoff will square off against Cabinda, while LT Reno Reda will face Sickels. // EDGEPenn State KENT STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE KENT STATE PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N K E N T S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. KENT STATE RUN DEFENSE A U G U S T   3 1 ,   2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 KENT STATE PASSING GAME 138.1 YPG, 9.5 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE174.5 YPG, 10.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNKent State's passing game struggled throughout the 2015 season, ranking 120th among FBS teams. Bollas won the starting position at midyear, but he wasn't able to hold onto it during the off-season. Justin Agner, a true freshman from Woodstock, Ga., is expected to start against Penn State, while redshirt freshman Mylik Mitchell will come off the bench. Bollas might play, too. Eight of the Golden Flashes' top nine pass-

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