Kent State Preview

Now that the Tide has passed (I know....I went there), I find that the only thing on my mind is Big Ten play. I cannot wait for that first weekend of when we get into league games and we get to see how we measure up in our own conference. I know we're still a couple of weeks away, but it's a natural tendency to look forward to Iowa over a game versus Kent State. I just hope the team doesn't have the same problem that I do and is focusing their energy against this weekend's match-up against the Golden Flashes.

I know there is not much to get excited about this weekend with a pending match-up against Kent State, especially after facing the number one team in Alabama, but there might be a few surprises in store for Penn State fans. Kent State is not your average MAC team, and is actually heavily favored to win the conference this year. With a young and athletic team, look for Kent State to try and make a statement against this young, Nittany Lions team.

Historically, the program has had its share of notable players and alumni affecting the world of professional and college football these days. Don't be too shocked that Kent State has produced the likes of All-Pro NFL players Antonio Gates, James Harrison, Jack Lambert, and Josh Cribbs. Other notable NFL talent include Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, Saints Safety Usama Young, enough difference makers that any coach would like to have on their team. The greatest oxymoron of all is that present day college football's AntiChrist in Nick Saban, and former college football's saving grace in Lou Holtz are both alumni of Kent State as well. Talk about covering the extremes in the sports today, either way, I can never understand a word they say.

With all the hoopla and history out of the way, what should we expect out of this Kent State team this weekend? This is where it gets a little tricky because Kent State is fast, well coached, and has some talent that matches up with Penn State's roster (as you saw some of the NFL talent they've churned out in recent years), but overall they definitely will not match up against this Penn State team.

With a simple breakdown of the match-up this weekend, I would expect Kent State to have some success on offense against our team this weekend. They have a great QB in Spencer Keith, who throws an excellent ball, makes great reads, and evades the pass rush really well. This is a match-up that's favorable against our pass defense, which likes to keep everything in front with a bend but don't break style. However, the Golden flashes lack any semblance of a ground attack, other than their QB that can extend the play with his legs. All in all, I would expect them to put a few drives together, but it will end in minimal success.

This is a good sign for Penn State for two reasons: it allows the pass rush to develop throughout the game and gives our corners some much needed experience. With the offensive mindset of the Golden Flashes, the defensive line can gain some momentum and get into a rhythm going after this QB. Eventually throughout the game, their athleticism will wear on the offensive line and they will start getting to the QB more and more often as the game stretches on. In the end, it will lead to some sacks, hurries, and quick decisions by Keith, which is great because this will give our secondary the opportunities it needs to make some plays. What I'm saying is that the first turnover caused by the defense will occur this weekend. Look for Keith to throw two interceptions and at least two fumbles caused by a team that is hungry for turnovers.

As for the offense, JoePa and the coaches are going to take advantage of this game. I expect them to take the reins off a little bit after some of the glimpses they saw during the Alabama game and let the young gun take some chances. It will be great because we'll have plenty of clock to work with since Kent State runs a pass happy offense (in lam ens terms, they will not use much game clock due to dropped passes, turnovers, etc.) and will give us time to work on the running game. Look for the offensive line to form even more chemistry as Troutman has been named the official starter at left guard for the remainder of the season. Look for them to open up more lanes as Royster looks to get on track towards the career rushing record at Penn State.

Granted you will hear and read in many articles that Kent State has the number one rush defense in the country, just allowing 11 yards per game (skewed because they sacked pass happy Murray State's QB 8 times for -65 yards, while Montel Harris of BC ran for 89 yards on them). This statistic is a little skewed and played up because these beat writers love to feed off of a reader's panic-first mindset. Don't get me wrong, they have underrated speed on the defense, and a future NFL linebacker in Cobrani Mixon (who is a hand full), but if you stop him and play to your assignments, the ground game should have a big day. Also, we will have a big ground game performance simply because we want to, Penn State wants to get the ground game going, and wants to start forming that chemistry while they're warming up for Big Ten play. It's a little easier to do with that monkey off of our back from week 2.

What I'm most excited for is that Bolden showed the coaches something in Alabama. He showed them that he could handle the big game and handled himself well. Yes, he made some freshman mistakes, but it was because he was put in a position that did not allow him to take a crack at the big play. I think the coaches noticed that they positioned their young QB in position for failure last week and they will rectify that mistake this week by allowing him to take some shots down field. This will also be important because it will allow them to open up the playbook a little more and get the offense into more of a rhythm. Some things the coaches neglected to do against YSU because they did not want to reveal anything for the Bama game. This was an even bigger mistake because their lack of opening it up against YSU forced them to try and play an even more conservative game plan against Bama. In other words, the coaches cancerous mindset and approach to the game will change this week because Bolden took hold of the QB job last week.

In the end, it will be an up and down game for Penn State, but mostly up. I would expect to see some bumps during this game, as they are trying to open it up and get ready for Big Ten play, but I wouldn't worry much about any of the mistakes from this game. Bolden will definitely form some chemistry with his receivers down field and maybe even convince the coaches to let him run some of the designed run plays. The defense will also look to form an identity, play with some attitude, and get rid of that soft label they earned last week against Alabama. Look for some big hits, better team tackling, and swagger from these guys. When it's all said and done, we are all going to be feeling a little bit better about Penn State football.

Final Score-- Penn State 42---17 Kent State

What to look for:
- Royster to find some running room and for him to run with an attitude. Look for him to rack up some yards, but don't be surprised and calling for Silas Redd when the coaches only give him 16 carries. He has looked sloppy, but it's not his fault that the coaches have not given him some time to get into a rhythm.

-Off of that, look for the O-line to form some cohesion as they have settled on a starting unit. They are definitely going to try to get the run going even more this week. But I wouldn't be surprised for the team to be focused on the passing attack.

-Look for Bolden to throw for over 250 yards and a 65% completion rate. Bolden accounts for 4 touchdowns this Saturday, with 3 coming in the air, and him showing some hunger and taking one in on the ground. (which will be much against JoePa's chagrin)

-The defense forces a minimum of four turnovers, with at least two coming in the air as the secondary starts playing more aggressively. One will be the result of a fumble forced by a sack, and who knows where the last one comes from, but I have a hunch it will be on a special teams play.

- Moye to have a big day receiving and Zug to get some more looks across the field.

- Devon Smith finally explodes as a firecracker and scores on an electrifying play.

-Everyone wonders who the heck Cobrani Mixon is and why he is involved in every defensive play made by the Golden flashes. (Dude is averaging 16 tackles a game)

- Watch for Khairi Fortt to get more playing time (#11) as he is replacing Gerald Hodges on the depth chart. Look for him to get his name out a little bit, as he's earned a spot in Vandy's coveted LB rotation as a true freshman. He's something really special if he's playing this early, last freshman to step into the 6 man deep rotation with valuable playing time: Sean Lee (game in which touches increased, 2006 Orange Bowl).

Enjoy the game this weekend, you can find coverage on PSU sports radio and surprisingly enough, this game will be broadcast on ESPN 2 this weekend: Kickoff time 12:00 pm.

WE ARE.........................

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