Blue White Illustrated

August 2017

Penn State Sports Magazine

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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> 2 0 1 7 S E A S O N P R E V I E W 2016 RECORD 3-9, 2-6 Sun Belt Con- ference COACH Shawn Elliott (First season; ca- reer record: 1-5) SERIES RECORD First meeting EXPECTED STRENGTHS The Panthers return nine starters on o=ense, including quarterback Conner Manning, the Sun Belt's top passer last season. Manning, a transfer from Utah, averaged a league- best 268.4 passing yards per game. On defense, Georgia State has a standout in cornerback Chandon Sullivan. He has a school-record six career interceptions and last year anchored a secondary that helped Georgia State rank sixth in the FBS in pass e>ciency defense and eighth in passing yards allowed (173.9). POTENTIAL CONCERNS Georgia State had two big problems last year: It could- n't run the ball and it had trouble stop- ping opponents from doing likewise. The Panthers averaged 87.7 rushing yards per game while surrendering 206.8. It's unclear whether those prob- lems have been adequately addressed. SCHEDULE It's not hard to imagine Georgia State scraping together six wins in a conference that's devoid of power- house programs. But to do that, it will probably need to split its four noncon- ference games. GAME OF THE YEAR The season opener against Tennessee State will be the Pan- thers' ;rst game in their new stadium. Georgia State bought Turner Field when the Atlanta Braves culties associated with the arrival of a new coach. But they have displayed giant- killing potential. A year ago, they threw a scare into Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, forcing the ninth-ranked Badgers to rally in the fourth quarter for a 23-17 win. Penn State players would do well to heed James Franklin's inevitable "Georgia State, Georgia State, Georgia State" tweet. The Panthers have been in this kind of environment before, and they weren't rattled. –M.H. GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS TOP RETURNEES PASSING Conner Manning 207 of 373 | 2,684 yds. | 16 TD | 13 int. RUSHING Kyler Neal 75 att. | 314 yds. | 2 TD RECEIVING Robert Davis 67 rec. | 968 yds. | 5 TD TACKLING Alonzo McGee 63 solo | 34 asst. | 97 total INTERCEPTIONS Chandon Sullivan, Jerome Smith, B.J. Clay 3 int. W E E K 3 | S E P T E M B E R 1 6 | B E A V E R S T A D I U M 2016 RECORD 8-5, 6-3 Big Ten COACH Kirk Ferentz (135-92 in 18 sea- sons; career record: 147-113) SERIES RECORD Penn State leads the all-time series, 14-12. MOST RECENT MEETING Saquon Barkley ran for 167 yards, and Penn State thrashed the visiting Hawkeyes, 41-14, on Nov. 5, 2016. EXPECTED STRENGTHS The ground game should be solid, with four starting o=ensive linemen returning, along with running back Akrum Wadley, one of two 1,000-yard rushers last year. Wadley was also the team's second-leading receiver in 2016. On defense, Iowa returns six mem- bers of its starting front seven, including durable middle linebacker Josey Jewell. POTENTIAL CONCERNS The Hawkeyes have some decisions to make at QB, where sophomore Nathan Stanley and junior Tyler Wiegers are competing. Stanley is the more experienced of the two, but that's not saying much; he has nine career passing attempts. The defense must re- place two highly skilled cornerbacks in Desmond King and Greg Mabin. SCHEDULE Iowa won't have to face re- venge-minded Michigan, so that's a plus. But the November slate still looks brutal: Ohio State, at Wisconsin, Pur- due, at Nebraska. GAME OF THE YEAR The Hawkeyes sure have a lot of trophy games, but with all due respect to Floyd of Rosedale, the biggest game of the season, at least in terms of tone-setting potential, may be their Big Ten opener against Penn State. OUTLOOK Ferentz gets a lot of criticism for playing a conservative game in an in- creasingly wide-open conference, but don't expect much deviation this fall. The Hawkeyes are built according to Ferentz's dictates: run the ball and stop the other guy from running on you. That used to be the magic formula in the Big Ten, and maybe it still is, given that Iowa is only two years removed from a cham- pionship game appearance. But the Hawks probably won't be favored to make it back to Indy. –M.H. IOWA HAWKEYES TOP RETURNEES PASSING Nathan Stanley 5 of 9 | 62 yds. | 0 TD | 0 int. RUSHING Akrum Wadley 168 att. | 1,081 yds. | 10 TD RECEIVING Akrum Wadley 36 rec. | 315 yds. | 3 TD TACKLING Josey Jewell 58 solo | 66 asst. | 124 total INTERCEPTIONS Brandon Synder 3 int. | 5 yds. W E E K 4 | S E P T E M B E R 2 3 | K I N N I C K S T A D I U M

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