Opening day for Penn State at Beaver Stadium has arrived and the Nittany Lions’ fan base is stoked to see their first game at home since November of 2019.
Defending MAC champ Ball State will try to test Penn State but the visitors are heavy underdogs.
Here a half-dozen of my late-week thoughts on the matchup.
About that Cardinals’ pass defense … Yes, I get it: Penn State fans want to see the Lions’ running game come to life after it was bottled up by Wisconsin, especially in the first half. PSU finished with just 71 yards. But Ball State has issues when it comes to pass coverage. The visitors allowed 367 yards to Western Illinois last week and wideout Dennis Houston caught 12 passes for 237 yards and two scores against Ball State. The running game can wait today.
Look for Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson in the passing game. Penn State coach James Franklin has made it clear he believes his tight end group – Strange, Johnson and Tyler Warren – is one of the best in the country. Both Strange and Johnson were targeted in the Wisconsin game but neither player caught a pass. Strange did draw a pass interference penalty. I wouldn’t be surprised if offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich gets the big guys involved early in the passing game.
Jesse Luketa returns to his old neighborhood. Actually, it’s not like Luketa, Penn State’s veteran hybrid defender, ever left the linebacker position. But the Lions have designs on a bigger role for him as a rotational defensive end. However, with Ellis Brooks out for the first half as a result of his targeting ejection against the Badgers, Luketa will be back at linebacker in the first half.
Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa tackles Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo during the fourth quarter at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept.4, 2021. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
Third-down issues must be fixed. The Lions converted just 3 of 13 third-down chances (23 percent) last week and you have to give Wisconsin credit. PSU spent almost the entire first half in third-and-long situations vs. the Badgers. The Lions have to be more successful on first and second down to get into more favorable third-down situations.
Hunting for more big plays. James Franklin craves them, new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich loves scheming them up and the Lions have the skill people to produce them. Big plays (20-plus yards) generated by the Penn State offense were one of the big differences in the second half of the PSU-Wisconsin game. The Blue and White had gains of 49, 52, 34 and 42 yards vs. the Badgers after intermission. Expect to see a few more against Ball State. Maybe more than a few.
Arnold Ebiketie’s follow-up act. As far as Penn State debuts go, few have been better than Ebiketie’s performance at Wisconsin. The veteran defensive end, a Temple transfer, overwhelmed the Badgers’ offensive line throughout. The 6-3, 256-pound Ebiketie finished with seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hit and he blocked the first field goal of his career. What doesn’t show up in the boxscore from the game is the intentional grounding penalty that Ebiketie forced quarterback Graham Mertz into on Wisconsin’s final possession. The combination of Ebiketie’s speed and athleticism will be too much for many foes this season. How will Ball State prevent No. 17 from creating mayhem off the edge?
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September 11, 2021 at 05:01PM
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Penn State-Ball State Six for Saturday: Exploiting the Cardinals’ secondary, Jesse Luketa on the move, more - PennLive
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