Nebraska takes on Penn State Saturday in a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN and is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff. Penn State has a record of 8-1 on the season. The Nittany Lions are coached by Tom Bradley.
Penn State is a solid defensive football team. The Nittany Lions give up just over 12 points per game. Penn State is tough against the run allowing 112 yards per contest and 170 per game through the air. The stars of the defense are outside linebacker Gerald Hodges (6-foot-2, 234 pounds, Junior) and defensive tackle Devon Still (6-5, 310, Sr.). Hodges leads the team with 77 total tackles and 4.5 sacks this season. Still has 15.5 tackles for losses in 2011. Both these great defenders are likely future stars in the National Football League. Overall this is a defense that can keep teams in check. The Nittany Lions have only faced one truly solid opponent in Alabama, while the Big Ten Conference slate apperas to have been much softer than Nebraska's.
Offensively Penn State is limited. The Nittany Lions have a great running back in sophomore Silas Redd (5-10, 209, So.). He averages 112 yards per game for a teams that only averages 162 per contest. As a team Penn State scores just over 21 points per game.
Matt McGloin (6-1, 211, Sr.) will start for Penn State. He passes for 132 yards per game, completing 55.6 percent of his passes. McGloin has seven scoring passes and three interceptions. Sophomore Rob Bolden (6-3, 216) will also see action. He throws for 66 yards per game but completes less than 44 percent of his passes.
Two men lead the Penn State receivers. Derek Moye (6-5, 210, Sr.) is the team leader with 30 catches for three touchdowns on the season. He averages over 73 yards receiving per game. Moye will draw the attention of the Husker defense. Teammate Justin Brown (6-3, 214, Jr.) follows with 29 receptions for two touchdowns in 2011.
Penn State typically is solid on special teams. Chaz Powell (6-1, 206, Sr.) averages over 31 yards per kickoff return. He also starts on defense at cornerback. Kicker Anthony Fera (6-2, 215, Jr.) is 12 of 14 (83.7 percent) on field goals with his longest being 40 yards. Fera averages over 42 yards as a punter.
The offensive line has been inconsistent. From tackle to tackle Penn State averages over 6-3 and 304 pounds per man. All five starters are seniors, paced by left tackle Quinn Barham (6-3, 304). This unit must play well for Penn State to score some points.
My previous post shares why I feel this game just isn't that important and that is why you will not see as much depth of investigating each team this week.There are jut too many intangibles to account for in this game. This is a brutal place to play in and I believe neither team knows what to expect. Nebraska is actually the better team on paper but I think Penn State wins at home by a score of 23-17. Please check out my post game thoughts when I think we will know a great deal more about each football team.
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