Penn State vs. Akron Preview

Penn State comes back to the states after a long trip to Ireland which ended with a win over Central Florida. They play their first game at Beaver Stadium under coach James Franklin as they welcome Akron. Coming off a game in which they piled up over 500 yards of total offense, 454 of those yards coming from Christian Hackenberg, they look to continue that output against the Zips. There will be some questions however, did the weeks time between games leave the Nittany Lions with enough time to get their legs back and get rid of any jet lag they might have. Can they get a running game going after having only gaining 57 yards against Central Florida. The biggest question mark coming into this season was the offensive line but they proved they could hold up for the most part. Hackenberg was only sacked once and occasionally had time to stand in the pocket and scan the field. The loss of All-American wide receiver Allen Robinson was also a question mark but the question of who might fill his shoes was answered in Geno Lewis (8 catches, 173 yards, 1 TD) and Daesean Hamilton (11 catches, 165 yards). Add in tight ends Jesse James and Kyle Carter to the mix and you've provided the sophomore quarterback with four targets who are beyond capable of making big-time plays down the field.

The defense for Penn State isn't normally a question mark but with the lack of depth in the front seven some wonder if they can go through the grind of a 12-game Big Ten season. That front seven also proved that they can hold their own. They sacked Central Florida quarterbacks twice and seemed to blow up plays in the backfield often. Look for tackles Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson to be a force in the Big Ten. The secondary was average. Jordan Lucas and Ryan Keiser had good games but it seemed that DaQuan Davis and Trevor Williams were the weak spots in what should be a good secondary.

Penn State's special teams have been a major point of concern in recent years and has lost a few games here and there. Kicker Sam Ficken came through in the clutch with a game-winning field to beat Central Florida. Ficken has struggled to get on fans good side after missing 4 field goals two seasons ago, yes two seasons ago, against Virginia. He has come around and is producing when he has to.

Prediction: 41-10