Penn State will host its final non-conference game of 2024 Saturday afternoon when it takes on Kent State.
The Nittany Lions will play the Golden Flashes in Beaver Stadium in Week 3 of the college football season. Here are some final thoughts and predictions ahead of the Nittany Lions’ matchup with KSU.
Communication on the defense is
worth monitoring
Penn State’s defense struggled in the first half against Bowling Green, and while much of that can be pinned on the team’s poor tackling, some of the blame can go on the new in-helmet communication. The Nittany Lions seemed confused at times about what the play call was, causing several issues. Occasionally it led to missed calls and players running different defenses than their teammates, but more often it led to them not being ready for the play. Defensive linemen were caught looking back at linebacker Kobe King for the call at times, and King was caught turned around trying to get the call to the team’s defensive backs.
Some of those issues can be quelled as the team continues adjusting to having a player give the play call, but they could also be fixed by going back to the old way — signaling plays in from the sideline. It remains to be seen what route the defense takes, but both should be viable. However, it’s an issue that needs to be fixed before the schedule ramps up with conference play. The Nittany Lions had a full bye week to get on the same page and it will be obvious early Saturday if they are.
Young players across the roster should
see action
This seemed like a potential outcome against Bowling Green, but it’s an inevitability against the Golden Flashes. They’re coming off a 71-0 loss to Tennessee after losing to St. Francis (Pa.) in the previous week. This game should be over in the first half and Penn State should be using it as a ramp-up game for what’s to come over the next two months. Head coach James Franklin has frequently talked about developing depth across the board and games like this one are how you do it.
The Nittany Lions should look for those opportunities at all spots, but especially at wide receiver, linebacker and safety. Those are the positions where they need it most right now and could have players who could step in.
The receivers have been a question for the last year and it seems clear that the top five are set — Tre Wallace, Julian Fleming, Liam Clifford, Omari Evans and the currently banged up Kaden Saunders. This is about getting that next group ready, including players like Tyseer Denmark and Tyler Johnson. At linebacker, the focus will be on someone like Dakaari Nelson, who recently moved to the position from safety. And at safety, Dejuan Lane is a freshman who has already been green lit to burn his redshirt year and play. He should get meaningful reps that will allow him to be the team’s fourth safety the rest of the way.
Allar should get
to let it rip
This should be a relatively short outing for Drew Allar and many of the other elite — yes, I said it, — weapons on the Penn State offense. That being said, he should get a few shots to gash open the Kent State defense when he is out on the field. The Golden Flashes don’t have the talent in the back seven to handle the Penn State passing game, and with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s creativity, there should be openings in the back of the Kent State defense. That should mean chances for Allar to sling it down the field, or even to the 11-20 yard range with his playmakers getting the ball on the move and with space to run to.
Allar hasn’t had to carry the offense in the first two weeks of the season, and he won’t this week either. But that doesn’t mean he won’t have the chance to show off his arm talent on Saturday afternoon.
Final predictions
Penn State 56, Kent State 3: I can’t imagine a world where this game is close. Kent State is one of the worst teams in college football and is coming off the blowout loss to Tennessee. I have to imagine Penn State will get up big in the first half and lay off at least a little bit in the second. If the Nittany Lions keep their foot on the gas, there’s no telling how high the score could go.
MVP: Cam Wallace. Going with a backup here feels like the right decision. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Wallace has the most carries on the team and finishes with over 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground for the biggest game of his young career.
The last word
Penn State head coach James Franklin on scheduling Kent State
“When you schedule these opponents, typically five and seven years out, you don’t know what you’re going to get. You schedule a MAC team, and some of the teams that you just mentioned have caused people fits, and then you can get to a year where someone is struggling. So that’s unpredictable and challenging. I think for us it’s ultimately about — and this is the challenge I think in college football — you hear people talk about it all the time, but the challenge is really it’s ultimately about us and our focus on Penn State and us getting better and developing and playing up to our standard week in and week out, which is easier said than done. We see it every Saturday. That’s why I always say winning is hard. There’s a lot of teams across the country that are sad Saturday night, and you want to do everything you possibly can to make sure you’re not one of them. It doesn’t always come from an opponent that the fans and the media and the locker room think it’s going to come from.”
