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For the first time in four years, a Penn State season is beginning in Beaver Stadium. From New Jersey to Ireland to Philly, the Nittany Lions opened in some different locales after playing 12 straight openers in Happy Valley.
Of course, the atmosphere will be much different than the last season debut there. Penn State fans will be walking in hoping for the start of a new era with Joe Moorhead trying to breathe life into a fading offense. In 2012, it was Bill O’Brien’s first game after the chaos of the Sandusky scandal and NCAA sanctions. The Lions lost to Ohio.
The last time Penn State beat an FBS team in a home season opener was in 2009 — a 31-7 win over Akron.
Obviously the 2016 Lions don’t have the depth or experience of that ‘09 squad, which coming off a Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl with a fifth-year senior quarterback. But this game could have a similar feel to that win over Akron.
Kent State has a pretty solid defense, particularly in the secondary, and won’t make things easy on Moorhead’s crew. The offense? Best not to think about it. The Golden Flashes were shut out three times last year and the offense failed to score a point in five out of 12 games.
By some metrics, the Flashes had the worst offense in the nation (FBS) last year. They didn’t score a single fourth-quarter touchdown all season and were outscored 72-8 in the frame.
Ouch.
Here’s a look at how it all breaks down.
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KENT STATE (3-9, 2-6 MAC) at PENN STATE (7-6, 4-4 Big Ten) 3:30 p.m., Saturday, BTN |
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| QUARTERBACK | ||
| There’s a little more comfort around Trace McSorley thanks to a strong second half against a talented Georgia defense in the TaxSlayer Bowl. James Franklin referred to his new quarterback as “Steady Eddie” this week in that he hasn’t gotten rattled by anything just yet. He doesn’t have an easy start this season with Pitt, Temple and Michigan up next. Kent State, meanwhile, is planning to three different quarterbacks Saturday with true freshman Justin Agner scheduled to start. In other words, not pretty. EDGE: PSU |
| RUNNING BACK | ||
| Saquon Barkley should already be familiar with defenses loading up to stop him. Expect opponents to double down on that strategy this year until Penn State’s new passing game can back them off. All the same, it’s going to be interesting to see what new moves he adds to his repertoire. Expect Andre Robinson, Mark Allen and Miles Sanders to all play as well. Like at QB, Kent State will be plugging bodies in here while trying to replace last year’s leading rusher. Freshman Justin Rankin gets the start. EDGE: PSU |
| RECEIVER | ||
| It may not have been a huge headline because he hasn’t seen the field yet, but the loss of No. 2 tight end Nick Bowers figures to have an effect on the offense. With no experience behind Mike Gesicki, James Franklin said Thursday the Lions will likely use more four-wide sets when Gesicki needs to come out. They have plenty of options at the position to make that happen. The Flashes are missing their best playmaker here as Antwan Dixon will miss the season because of a rare blood disorder. EDGE: PSU |
| OFFENSIVE LINE | ||
| One of the biggest reasons Franklin wanted to install this style of offense is because it should take some pressure off his beleaguered line. Many of the play-calls will be made after getting to the line quickly and seeing how the defense sets up, a big difference from the past two years. Lake-Lehman’s Connor McGovern is expected to play and the Lions could have a nice core for the future in him, Ryan Bates and Michal Menet. Kent State has many woes on offense, but the line isn’t one of them. A veteran unit. EDGE: PSU |
| DEFENSIVE LINE | ||
| In 2002, Penn State had two impressive DTs and the single-season sack leader at DE. All three went to the NFL and the Lions struggled badly to replace them in a horrendous 2003 campaign. All in all, Austin Johnson, Anthony Zettel and Carl Nassib compare favorably to Jimmy Kennedy, Anthony Adams and Michael Haynes. There’s going to be a big drop-off this year, but it should be manageable. On the other side, the Lions must watch out for Terence Waugh, one of the MAC’s best pass rushers. EDGE: PSU |
| LINEBACKER | ||
| As expected, Jason Cabinda will stay in the middle this year after filling in ably a year ago. Both Nyeem Wartman-White and Brandon Bell are capable of playing there, too, so the Lions won’t get crushed by an in-game injury like last year vs. Temple. Injuries, of course, are the biggest concern here because of the lack of depth — Troy Reeder will be missed. Wartman-White does look to be full-go. Kent State is undersized here and uses a LB/S hybrid position manned by a 5-9, 180-pounder. EDGE: PSU |
| SECONDARY | ||
| Outside of O-line, this is probably the closest battle. Kent State has a nice group here led by safety Nate Holley and corner Demetrius Monday. Expect to hear Holley’s name a lot as he will be creeping up into the box vs. Barkley after recording 141 tackles in 2015. But Penn State feels pretty good about the situation here despite replacing two starters. Film-obsessed John Reid didn’t look like a freshman last year. Malik Golden had a nice camp at safety after taking over for the injured Jordan Lucas. EDGE: PSU |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||
| In theory, things should be getting better here for the Lions now that actual scholarship players are beginning to fill in all of the spots. Penn State hasn’t had an honest-to-god punter since Anthony Fera transferred four years ago. Freshman Blake Gillikin has a pedigree and he’ll get his shot to turn things around. How much will we see Barkley on kick returns? Miles Sanders? The Lions badly need a spark there. Kent State finished near the bottom in special teams along with the Lions last year. EDGE: PSU |
| PREDICTION | ||
| The public (and media, for that matter) hasn’t gotten to see Moorhead’s offense at full speed yet, so this should be an interesting one to watch, no matter what happens. Kent State’s defense is solid enough to give a decent test before facing some of the nation’s top units later this month. It will, however, be a concern if the defense looks shaky considering the Flashes are treating this like extended preseason with three QBs. PSU comes out of this feeling good but not great. PENN STATE 31, KENT STATE 10. |
