Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   N E B R A S K A | 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 146.0 YPG, 4.4 YPC // NEBRASKA RUN DEFENSE200.1 YPG, 5.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNThere's no question that Penn State's running game has struggled in its past three games, totaling 91 yards against Ohio State, 65 against Michigan State and 90 against Rutgers. The Nittany Lions have fallen to ninth in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game, but they have produced a surprising 23 touchdowns. Saquon Barkley is Penn State's leading rusher with 899 yards on 116 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and 11 TDs. Barkley is the third-leading rusher in the Big Ten at 89.9 yards per game. QB Trace McSorley is Penn State's second-leading rusher with 349 yards on 116 carries (3.0 ypc) and nine TDs. Despite its recent struggles, Penn State should find some success against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are last in the Big Ten in run defense, and their past four opponents (Ohio State, North- western, Purdue and Minnesota) have averaged nearly 300 yards per game on the ground. Last Saturday, Minnesota rushed for 409 yards against the Cornhuskers' 3-4 defensive scheme. ILB Chris Weber is Nebraska's leading tackler with 82 stops, including eight tackles for loss. ILB Dedrick Young is next with 68 tackles and four tackles for loss. Nebraska has totaled only 47 negative-yardage tackles as a team, with Weber and backup OLB Ben Stille leading the way with eight apiece. // KEY MATCHUP For Penn State to have its best rushing game since Michigan, guards Bren- dan Mahon and Steven Gonzalez must get to the second level to control Weber and Young. It will be a major dis- appointment if Penn State can't rush for 200 yards against the Cornhuskers. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 283.6 YPG, 13.0 YPC // NEBRASKA PASS DEFENSE 211.9 YPG, 10.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State enters its game against Nebraska with the No. 2 passing game in the Big Ten. McSorley is the league's top-rated passer, having completed 206 of 317 attempts for 2,666 yards, with 21 touchdowns and eight inter- ceptions. McSorley has completed 65 percent of his passes, and his 152.4 pass-efficiency rating ranks third in the Big Ten. TE Mike Gesicki is the Nittany Lions' leading receiver with 42 catches for 524 yards and three TDs, while wide- outs DaeSean Hamilton (39 catches, 646 yards, seven TDs, Juwan Johnson (37 catches, 467 yards, one TD) and De- Andre Thompkins (22 catches, 341 yards, two TDs) have also figured prominently in the offense. Nebraska is eighth in the league in pass defense, but its pass-efficiency defense rating of 130.9 is 12th. FS Joshua Kalu and SS Aaron Williams lead the way with two interceptions apiece. One major reason why Nebraska's opponents through have com- pleted 64.1 percent of their passes is because the Cornhuskers rank last in the Big Ten in sacks with 12. Stille has a team- best 3.5 sacks. // KEY MATCHUP The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Stille has been Nebraska's only consistently effective outside pass rusher. Penn State tackles Will Fries and Chasz Wright must find a way to control him to protect McSor- ley. Also, Gesicki could create some mismatch problems for Williams in man-to-man coverage. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. NEBRASKA PASS DEFENSE NEBRASKA RUNNING GAME 115.6 YPG, 3.6 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 123.9 YPG, 3.3 YPC THE LOWDOWN Nebraska has struggled throughout the season, ranking 13th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. RB Devine Ozigbo is the Cornhuskers' leading rusher with 468 yards on 119 carries (3.2 ypc) and two touchdowns. Mikale Wilbon is next with 287 yards on 71 carries (4.0 ypc) and four TDs. What really hurt Nebraska's running game was the season-ending injury that Tre Bryant suffered in the Cornhuskers' second game of the season against Oregon. Bryant had rushed for 299 yards on 51 carries (5.9 ypc) before his injury. Penn State ranks sixth in the Big Ten in rush defense and has allowed only eight rushing TDs all season. MLB Jason Cabinda is Penn State's leading tackler with 74 stops, including five tackles for loss. FS Marcus Allen is second with 59 tackles, including four tackles for loss. Four of the Lions' six leading tacklers are linebackers, but one of those players – OLB Manny Bowen – will miss the game due to what coach James Franklin described as a violation of team rules. // KEY MATCHUP If Nebraska hopes to improve its anemic running game, its offensive line must find a way to get to the second level and control Penn State's lineback- ers. Guards Jerald Foster and Matt Farniok will be looking to neutralize Cabinda. If they aren't able to do that, it will be hard for the Cornhuskers to top 100 yards on the ground. // EDGE Penn State NEBRASKA RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE NEBRASKA PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N N E B R A S K A H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. NEBRASKA RUN DEFENSE N O V E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 NEBRASKA PASSING GAME 273.1 YPG, 12.6 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 194.4 YPG, 9.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNNebraska has the potential to cause some problems here. QB Tanner Lee is a pure pocket passer who has completed 57.9 percent of his throws for 2,539 yards, with 18 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. The prob- lem for the Cornhuskers is that Lee might not play on Saturday. He suffered an apparent concussion last week against Minnesota game, and as of Wednesday morning, it was still unclear whether he would be cleared to play. If Lee is forced to sit, redshirt freshman Patrick O'Brien will take over. O'Brien has seen limited action, completing 18

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