Penn State travels to Baltimore Saturday for a rematch with Maryland, which beat the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium last season and refused to shake hands in doing so. The Terrapins enter this one as 6 1/2-point underdogs and coming off a bye week of turmoil with the firing of coach Randy Edsall. Penn State has had its share of struggles but enters this contest at M&T Bank Stadium in…
The play of quarterback Christian Hackenberg has been a running theme for the better part of two Penn State seasons. He’s an NFL talent who seemingly lost his way under James Franklin following a promising freshman season under former coach Bill O’Brien. Hackenberg’s game has been picked apart and stacked against his impressive physical tools ad nauseam since the end of his sophomore season.
Penn State and Pitt don’t resume their intrastate rivalry until next season, but Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi is stoking the fire now. He took thinly veiled shots at the Nittany Lions coaching staff in reference to Christian Hackenberg this week, saying, “You could have a talented quarterback with a bad play caller and make him look bad. You see that around the country, some closer than others.” Penn State coach…
Two years into coach James Franklin’s tenure, his offense still has far more questions than answers. And as the Nittany Lions struggle, blame falls on Franklin, offensive coordinator John Donovan, the offensive line and quarterback Christian Hackenberg. But what is the biggest problem in a sputtering passing attack, the scheme or Hackenberg’s execution? Hackenberg was asked to do very little in a 38-10 loss at Ohio State, completing 7 of…
Penn State is 5-1 and coming off a strong, 29-7 win over Indiana that wrapped up a five-game home stand at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions hit the road Saturday to face No. 1 Ohio State in a rematch of last year’s overtime thriller in State College. The Buckeyes have been slow out of the gates in their six wins; does Penn State have what it takes to start fast,…
Ohio State has had its share of struggles to open its defense of last year’s national championship, running into adversity in every single game during a 6-0 start. The Buckeyes are still trying to find themselves on both sides of the ball with huge matchups that carry College Football Playoff implications coming next month against Michigan State and at Michigan. Penn State, which gave OSU all it could handle at…
Penn State hits the road for its biggest test of the season with a Saturday visit to No. 1 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are 5-1 and riding high despite a rash of recent injuries that could be clearing up this weekend. Right tackle Andrew Nelson and safety Marcus Allen are back, but the status of Angelo Mangiro and freshman sensation Saquon Barkley is still up in the air. A…
Saturday’s Penn State-Ohio State matchup brings plenty of star power on both sides of the ball, but particularly on the Buckeyes’ sideline with a slew of NFL talent led by defensive end Joey Bosa and quarterback Cardale Jones. For Penn State, Christian Hackenberg and Anthony Zettel have all the name recognition, while Saquon Barkley and Austin Johnson have have burst onto the national scene. Big names are likely to shape…
Penn State is a surprising 6.5-point favorite this weekend as it welcomes Indiana to Beaver Stadium, a venue in which the Hoosiers have never won. But the Nittany Lions are sputtering going into the Big Ten Conference matchup with lingering injuries and a lack of offensive momentum coming off a tense, 20-14 win over Army last weekend. Indiana represents a good early test and an important opportunity to take a…
Penn State’s defensive line has long been an integral part of the program’s success, dating back to the days of Joe Paterno and position coach Larry Johnson. But that unit’s dominance has continued under James Franklin and Sean Spencer, anchored of course by the 1-2 punch of Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel inside. The front four are making even more noise this season as the Nittany Lions with the third-most…
Penn State is going through a time of transition, from a scholarship-strapped program with a bleak future to an aspiring Big Ten contender making huge gains in building a talent base. James Franklin’s first two seasons have been far from smooth, and his approach still comes with question marks as the team works through the same offensive struggles again in 2015. Where the Nittany Lions are, and where they’re going,…
Penn State football coach James Franklin is focused on positive going into the Indiana game. His team is 4-1 and working on a run of four straight wins, but red flags abound in the form of injuries and continued offensive struggles. Those problems reached a boiling point of sorts in last week’s narrow 20-14 win over Army, after which Franklin was questioned as if his team lost. It’s hard to…
Penn State wraps up its non-conference season at Beaver Stadium on Saturday when Army comes to town for a noon matchup on ESPNU. The Nittany Lions are trending up in terms of wins and losses but have a number of injuries this week, while Army comes off its first win of the season, a 58-36 victory at Eastern Michigan. The Black Knights run a triple-option offense that is heavy on…
Penn State has won three straight games and is a heavy favorite to beat Army at Beaver Stadium this weekend. Bright spots have come into focus everywhere on the roster following an all-around debacle, with a fresh, new look at the linebacker spots, along the offensive line and at cornerback with the return to health of talented sophomore Grant Haley for the Buffalo game. The Nittany Lions’ defensive line has…
Penn State is 3-1 going into its final non-conference game with points of optimism — Hackenberg’s best performance of the young season against San Diego State — and points of concern heading into Army weekend. The Nittany Lions could be without running backs Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch this Saturday, perhaps beyond, putting even more strain on Hackenberg and the passing attack. Hackenberg has made headlines since May as a…
Penn State rides a three-game winning streak into this weekend’s non-conference matchup with Army at Beaver Stadium, and the Nittany Lions have appeared to generate offensive momentum through the air and on the ground. The team has come a long way from the season-opening loss to Temple, and pleasant surprises such as Saquon Barkley, Troy Reeder, John Reid and Carl Nassib have played a big part in the recent run…