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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   W A S H I N G T O N | 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 167.4 YPG, 4.9 YPC // WASHINGTON RUN DEFENSE92.3 YPG, 2.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State wrapped up the regular season with one of its best offensive performances in years, racking up 534 yards of total offense in a 66-3 dismantling of Maryland. That total included 286 rushing yards and six touchdowns, a showing that helped the Nittany Lions move up to sixth in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley is the Lions' leading rusher with 1,134 yards and 16 touch- downs on 199 carries (5.7 ypc). QB Trace McSorley is Penn State's second-leading rusher with 431 yards on 132 carries (3.3 ypc) and 11 TDs. Backup QB Tommy Stevens has taken over third place on Penn State's rushing chart with 190 yards on 27 carries (7.0 ypc) and four TDs. The fact that two of Penn State's top three rushers are quarterbacks says a lot about the division of labor at the running back position. The backups simply haven't had much of an opportunity to shine, although Miles Sanders did see increasing action toward the end of the season. Washington will pose a major challenge. The Huskies have the No. 1 run defense in the country and also rank first in the Pac-12 with 83 tackles for loss. Their leading tackler is ILB Ben Kirven-Burr with 79 stops, in- cluding 4.5 tackles for loss. OLB Tevis Bartlett has a team-high 12 negative-yardage stops and has amassed 43 total tackles. FS Taylor Rapp is Washington's second-leading tackler with 55 stops. Ezekial Turner, who shares the strong safety position with JoJo McIntosh, is third on the team with 52 tackles. But the leader of the Huskies' defense is DT Vita Vea. A 6-foot-5, 340-pound junior, Vea was recently named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He's a dominant player who ties up blockers so that others in Washington's outstanding front seven are able to make plays. // KEY MATCHUP This could be the most physical defensive front Penn State has faced all season. If the Nittany Lions are to have any success running the ball in this game, guards Steven Gon- zalez and Brendan Mahon will need to hold their own against Vea. Gonzalez, Mahon and C Connor McGovern will be looking to get to the second level to block Kirven-Burr and Bartlett. If they can't, Barkley won't find a lot of running room. // EDGE Washington PENN STATE PASSING GAME 285.8 YPG, 12.8 YPC // WASHINGTON PASS DEFENSE 185.1 YPG, 9.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State enters the Fiesta Bowl with the No. 1 passing offense in the Big Ten. McSorley has completed 65.3 percent of his attempts (252 of 386) for 3,228 yards, with 26 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions. Stevens has played primarily as a running back or wide receiver in red zone packages but has also completed 14 of 27 passes for 158 yards, with three TDs and no interceptions. Depending on how things go in the Fiesta Bowl, the Lions could finish the season with four receivers topping 50 catches. TE Mike Gesicki is Penn State's leading receiver with 51 catches for 501 yards, while WR DaeSean Hamilton is next with 48 catches for 747 yards. WR Juwan Johnson has 48 catches for 635 yards, followed by Barkley with 47 catches for 594 yards. Washington has the No. 1 overall defense in the Pac-12 after allowing opponents to average only 277.4 yards per game during the regular season. The Huskies have totaled 13 interceptions as a team. Bartlett and cornerbacks Byron Murphy and Jordan Miller lead the way with two picks apiece. The Huskies are also atop the Pac-12 with 38 sacks. OLB Ryan Bowman leads in that department with 5.5, followed by Bartlett with four. Vea and fellow lineman Jaylen Johnson have 3.5 sacks apiece. // KEY MATCHUP If McSorley is going to have time to throw the football, Penn State offensive tackles Will Fries and Ryan Bates will have to keep Bartlett and Bowman from wreaking havoc with their outside pass rush. Another key matchup will pit Gesicki against McIntosh and Turner downfield. McIntosh stands 6-1, 219 pounds, while Turner is listed at 6-2, 214. They might be the biggest and strongest safeties that Penn State's All-Big Ten senior tight end has faced this season. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. WASHINGTON PASS DEFENSE WASHINGTON RUNNING GAME 189.8 YPG, 5.1 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 119.2 YPG, 3.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Huskies have one of the better running games in the Pac-12, thanks primarily to Myles Gaskin. A 5-10, 191-pound junior, Gaskin has rushed for 1,282 yards on 208 carries (6.2 ypc) and 18 touchdowns. In addition, Lavon Coleman has gained 396 yards and scored four TDs on 85 carries (4.7 ypc), while Salvon Ahmed has contributed 387 yards and three TDs on 60 carries (6.4 ypc). QB Jake Browning is primarily a pocket passer, but he has rushed 50 times for 40 yards and six TDs. Penn State's run defense ranks fiBh in the Big Ten, WASHINGTON RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE W H E N W A S H I N G T O N H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. WASHINGTON RUN DEFENSE D E C E M B E R   2 7 ,   2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4

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