Penn State Week One Wrap, Week Two Preview

Penn State’s 66-10 dismantling of Coastal Carolina Saturday is not necessarily the best indicator of potential, but many conclusions can be made from it.

The Good:

-All three quarterbacks, Daryll Clark, Pat Devlin and Paul Cianciolo, seemed to be able to throw the ball and manage the game better than the last person to hold that position. The three combined to go 19-26 for 260 yards and a touchdown.

-The offensive line was dominating giving up zero sacks and allowing the offense to rack up 334 yards at 7.8 yards per carry. Even against a FCS opponent, that is impressive.

-The top four running backs, Evan Royster, Stephfon Green, Brent Carter and Brandon Beachum all had at least eight carries and 13 different players caught at least one pass.

-Derrick Williams finally looked ready to live up to his recruiting hype, piling up 165 all-purpose yards on seven touches.

-The defense gave up only 52 yards on 32 rush attempts for an average of 1.6 ypc.

The Bad:

-The defensive front seven got pressure to the quarterback almost every pass attempt, but tallied only four sacks.

-The loss of linebacker Sean Lee was noticeable in the lack of depth of the linebacking corps.

-The Big Ten is not made up of Coastal Carolinas.

Final Word:

This win was as impressive as previous dismantlings of FCS and MAC schools in season openers, with the difference being in the depth of this year’s offense. Two quarterbacks, five running backs, five receivers and the top 10 offensive linemen all played exceptionally.

The defense on the other hand has a considerable lack of depth. With no injuries, this unit could be as good as it has been the past three seasons, but just one more would be devastating.

Next Week:

Oregon State came into the season ranked as high as No. 18, by Sports Illustrated, and as low as No. 61, by Athlon Sports. With their loss to Stanford on Thursday, their stock went down.

Beaver quarterback Lyle Moevao was 34-54 for 404 yards and three touchdowns, but was also sacked twice and intercepted twice. Receivers Shane Morales and Sammie Stroughter combined to catch 15 of those passes for 308 yards and all three touchdowns.

Despite the aerial assault, Oregon State could only muster 86 yards on 28 rushing attempts, while their defense gave up 210 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries.

Stanford’s quarterback was efficient, completing 10 of 17 for 91 yards and a touchdown while throwing no interceptions.

After losing their opening game on the road, flying across the country to play in front of a whiteout by the best student section in the country will be too much for the over-matched Beavers.

Oregon State’s Moevao will not be able to sit back in the pocket and pick apart the Lions’ secondary like he could against the Cardinal, and Penn State’s veteran offensive line will wear down the Beavers’ front seven on the way to a lop-sided score.

Prediction: 31-13 Penn State