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KEY MATChuPS P E N N S TAT E V S . NAV Y | B Y E R I C T H O M A S 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 VS. NAVY RUN DEFENSE PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. NAVY PASS DEFENSE PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 106.5 YPG, 3.3 YPC NAVY RUN DEFENSE 293.0 YPG, 6.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN Is Curtis Dukes ready to shoulder the load? Bill O'Brien wants to redshirt Akeel Lynch, but with Bill Belton's and Derek Day's questionable status, he might be thrust into duty against Navy. Navy's run defense was gouged for 293 yards on 46 carries against Notre Dame. That means outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel and the Midshipmen must improve this week to have a chance. No one has an advantage here, simply because we don't know what Penn State's rushing attack will look like with injuries and inexperience. EDGEEven PENN STATE PASSING GAME 234.5 YPG, 9.8 YPC NAVY PASS DEFENSE 197.0 YPG, 12.3 YPC THE LOWDOWN If Kyle Carter and Allen Robinson keep getting open, Matt McGloin is going to throw in their direction. Notre Dame's All-American tight end had success against the Midshipmen, so Penn State should follow suit. But what about McGloin's bruised throwing elbow? And the emergence of freshman Steven Bench? Does Bench command more snaps? If so, can he improve upon a decent showing at Virginia? Navy's secondary forced one turnover against Notre Dame and was sliced up to the tune of a 70 percent completion rate. EDGE Penn State W H E N N A V Y H A S T H E B A L L NAVY RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE NAVY PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE NAVY RUNNING GAME 149.0 YPG, 3.7 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 103.5 YPG, 2.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Navy's triple-option is next to impossible to prepare for, and Penn State will not see an- other team that runs it like the Midshipmen. Nine players carried the ball in their opener, but it is quarterback Trey Miller who holds the key to Navy's attack. He will have to time the pitch and find the space to have success. Navy already has experience running against a physically gifted Notre Dame defense, but Michael Mauti and company are every bit as good as the Irish. The home team gets a slight edge. EDGE Penn State NAVY PASSING GAME 192.0 YPG, 13.7 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 293.5 YPG, 10.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNNavy is also going to throw the ball. When the Midshipmen started throwing against the Irish in the second half, they found success and scored their lone touchdown in a matter of seconds. Does Miller have enough of a pocket presence to find the weak spots in Penn State's secondary? If he does, Navy should move the ball through the air. Shawn Lynch and Casey Bolena have big-play po- tential when the ball gets into their hands. Penn State was better at Virginia, but the secondary is still a major work in progress. EDGENavy O T H E R M A T C H U P S SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Alex Kenney, returning kicks and punts, will break one at some point this season. Navy's Marcus Thomas is a legit threat to return kicks, too, but Navy is the type of team that grinds out drives. Does Alex Butterworth have enough leg to pin them deep? How does Sam Ficken respond to last week's struggles? Look for O'Brien to give him a chance to get his confidence back early. EDGENavy THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Did Penn State notice that Notre Dame was 7 of 10 on third-down conversions? O'Brien has already shown he will go for it on fourth down. With its bye week, Navy has had two weeks to prepare, while Penn State played yet another emotionally exhausting contest. How much more does Penn State have left in the tank? EDGEEven COACHING STAFF THE LOWDOWN There seems to be some frustration building. O'Brien's job now is not just to win, but to keep his team in the right positive mind-set. He's done and said all the right things in the off-season. At some point, that has to pay off on the field. But when? Ken Niumatalolo's team was shredded by Notre Dame, but the two weeks off to recover might have helped. EDGEEven S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 2 3 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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