Penn State vs. Virginia Football: Complete Game Preview

Penn State looks to pick up its first win under new head coach Bill O'Brien this week after coming up short and losing grip of its home opener last week against Ohio. The Nittany Lions venture into ACC territory this weekend with a trip to Virginia to take on the revitalized Cavaliers program.

It was not all that long ago that Virginia head coach Mike London appeared to be the hot name in the coaching rumor mill for Penn State and looking to fill the shoes of Joe Paterno and interim coach Tom Bradley, but London stayed true to Virginia and completed one of the best seasons in recent years with the Cavaliers, despite ending it with a bowl loss against Auburn.

With Penn State still looking to solidify an identity under the new regime and with Virginia seemingly a balanced team all-around, this should make for another solid test for O'Brien, his staff and team as they look to rebound from last week's performance at home.

Game Day Information

Who:

Penn State (0-1) at Virginia (1-0)

When:

Saturday, Noon (ET)

Where:

Charlottesville, Va.

Stadium:

Scott Stadium (61,500)

TV:

ABC

Radio:

Penn State Radio Network, Virginia Cavaliers Radio Affiliates

Internet Stream:

None available

Depth Chart for Penn State

Depth charts have not been released for this week's game yet, but here is how the Week 1 depth chart looked.

Note: We will adjust accordingly once the latest depth chart is available, and starters are in caps.

Offense

QB: MATT MCGLOIN, Paul Jones or Steven Bench

RB: BILL BELTON, Derek Day

FB: MICHAEL ZORDICH, Pat Zerbe

WR: ALLEN ROBINSON, Eugene Lewis or Matt Zanellato

WR: SHAWNEY KERSEY or TREVOR WILLIAMS, Christian Kuntz or Brandon Moseby-Felder

WR: ALEX KENNEY or EVAN LEWIS, Malik Golden or Jonathan Warner

TE (Y): GARRY GILLIAM, Jesse James

TE (F): KYLE CARTER, Brian Irvin

RG: JOHN URSCHEL, Eric Shrive

RT: MIKE FARRELL or ADAM GRESS, Kevin Blanchard

C: MATT STANKIEWITCH, Angelo Mangiro

LT: DONOVAN SMITH, Nate Cadogan

LG: MILES DIEFFENBACH, Angelo Mangiro

Defense

DE: DEION BARNES or PETE MASSARO, Anthony Zettel

DT: JORDAN HILL, Kyle Baublitz

DT: DAQUAN JONES, or JAMES TERRY, Austin Johnson

DE: SEAN STANLEY, C.J. Olaniyan

OLB: GERALD HODGES, Mike Hull

MLB: GLENN CARSON, Michael Yancich or Nyeem Wartman

OLB: MICHAEL MAUTI, Ben Kline

CB: ADRIAN AMOS, Jesse Della Valle

SAF: MALCOLM WILLIS, Ryan Keiser

SAF: STEPHEN OBENG-AGYAPONG or JAKE FAGNANO

CB: STEPHON MORRIS, Da'Quan Davis

Depth Cart for Virginia

Depth charts have not been released for this week's game yet, but here is how the Week 1 depth chart looked.

Note: We will adjust accordingly once the latest depth chart is available, and starters are in caps.

Offense

QB: MICHAEL ROCCO, Phillip Sims

RB: PERRY JONES, Kevin Parks

FB: ZACHARY SWANSON, Billy Skrobacz

WR: DARIUS JENNINGS or DOMINIQUE TERRELL

WR: TIM SMITH, E.J. Scott

TE: PAUL FREEDMAN, Colter Phillips

LT: ODAY ABOUSHI, Kelby Johnson or Michael Mooney

LG: CODY WALLACE, Matt Mihalik

C: LUKE BOWANKO, Ross Burbank

RG: SEAN CASCARANO or CONNER DAVIS

RT: MORGAN MOSES, Jay Whitmire

Defense

DE: JAKE SNYDER, Ausar Walcott

DT: BRENT URBAN, Justin Renfrow

DT: WILL HILL, Chris Brathwaite

DE: BILL SCHAUTZ, Eli Harold

SLB: HENRY COLEY, Daquan Romero

MLB: STEVE GREER, Kwontie Moore or Tucker Windle

WLB: LAROY REYNOLDS, D.J. Hill

CB: DEMETRIOUS NICHOLSON, C.J. Moore

SS: BRANDON PHELPS, Pablo Alvarez or Anthony Cooper

FS: ANTHONY HARRIS, Rijo Walker

CB: DREQUAN HOSKEY, Maurice Canady

What Happened to the Nittany Lions Last Week

The Bill O'Brien era started off well but ran into a wall after halftime against Ohio with the Bobcats shutting out Penn State in the second half in a 24-14 decision. The offense actually got off to a good start against the visiting Bobcats with Matt McGloin spreading the football around well and showing some good signs of things to come in the new-style offense.

Young players failed to keep the momentum going and made some mistakes from start to finish with dropped passes and other mishaps. The defense also was worn down and failed to wrap up ball-carriers, giving O'Brien and his staff a general idea of what needs to be worked on heading into Week 2.

What Happened to the Cavaliers Last Week

Virginia opened at home against in-state FCS opponent Richmond, generally one of the better programs from the next rank down, and the Cavaliers had very few problems in a 43-19 victory.

Quarterback Michael Rocco racked up over 300 passing yards, and backup quarterback Phillip Sims was 5-of-6 for 50 yards as well. The running game saw equal production from Perry Jones and Khalek Shepherd. Virginia was well disciplined and had just three penalties.

The offense was efficient as well, converting half of their third downs for first downs, and the defense held Richmond to just four third-down conversions.

What It Means to Both Teams

Penn State looks to avoid its first 0-2 start since the 2001 season when the Nittany Lions stumbled out to an 0-4 start before making the win column. For Penn State, this week is all about redemption and the continuing search for a good start under a new regime.

Virginia is looking to record back-to-back 2-0 starts with a victory against Penn State. The last times that Virginia opened with consecutive 2-0 starts in back-to-back seasons were in 2004 and 2005. For Virginia, this week is about establishing a tone for the upcoming schedule.

Penn State may not be a great team, but a win will get some people to pay more attention to the program heading into the ACC slate.

Virginia head coach Mike London is 1-0 against the Big Ten as a head coach after a 34-31 victory at Indiana last season.

Penn State leads the all-time series, 5-2, and Virginia is 1-2 in games played at home. Of course, Penn State's most recent win against Virginia (2002) was recently vacated by the NCAA as part of the sanctions levied against the program.

Key Player for Penn State

Bill Belton left the Week 1 game against Ohio with an ankle injury, so his status remains questionable for this weekend game at Virginia. If he is in the game, he will need to improve on his hands after dropping key passes and fumbling the ball away to kill a solid opening drive by Penn State.

If he is missing from the lineup for whatever reason, his athleticism will be missed in the running game as will his speed and ability to spin out of trouble. He has some growing and maturing on the field to do, and any time that he can't be on the field will only hold him back from moving forward.

Key Player for Virginia

Until Penn State's defense can show that it can cover and tackle receivers, every quarterback will be a key player for the opponents, and this week should be no different.

Michael Rocco will not dazzle anybody with a particularly strong or accurate arm, but his consistency can be something that keeps Penn State's rebuilding secondary on its toes all game long.

Penn State was unable to create consistent pressure on Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton, so it will be important to see if it can improve on that this week against Rocco. If Rocco has time to work with, it could be another disappointing afternoon for Penn State's defense.

Penn State Will Win If...

... the receivers can hold on to the football when thrown in their direction.

While the defense seemed to let a game slip through their fingers, literally, the offense did themselves no favors with dropped passes on key downs and when the football seemed to be catchable.

Sometimes, the receivers will have to stretch out just a little more to bring in a catch, but the most important area to improve for Penn State's offense will be for the younger receivers taking the next step in filling the starting spots and proving themselves worthy of being considered go-to options.

Virginia Will Win If...

... it makes Matt McGloin a difference-maker.

With Penn State's offense developing and adjusting to a new style, opposing defenses will focus on making sure that McGloin is going to be able to beat them. If Virginia can slow down Penn State's running game and the receivers fail to pick up some solid gains, it could be a rough afternoon for McGloin.

When Penn State is down, McGloin has been more prone to try and make something happen. Sometimes, it has worked, but oftentimes, it can be costly.

McGloin was not a reason that Penn State lost last week, but if he is put in a situation where he has to come up with a big play all by himself, that should play in Virginia's favor.

Prediction

Expect to see a low-scoring game between two teams that may have to prove that they can win some ugly games this season.

Penn State's defense will be more likely to come out stronger for 60 minutes than the Nittany Lions offense which will continue to develop with young talent.

On the other side of the field, Virginia is a well-balanced team but is lacking in serious threats on either side of the football. The team should be able to do some good things against Penn State, but there probably is not enough there to allow Virginia to dominate or pull away from Penn State if the Nittany Lions are struggling.

Look for Penn State to, somehow, escape with a hard-fought victory in a low-scoring contest.

Final Score: Penn State 17, Virginia 16.

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast, managing editor of Nittany Lions Den and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.