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 the run and sprinkles in passes to take advantage of collapsing defenses. The unit ranks No. 9 nationally in rushing, led by quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw’s 341 yards and three touchdowns. Army also ranks among the top 25 nationally in net punting, penalties and red-zone offense.
On the Penn State side, it’s all about the health of Marcus Allen and Jordan Lucas, both of whom are expected back this week, as well as running backs Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch. Coach James Franklin could still be short-handed as he looks to slow down the Army attack with key Big Ten Conference games on the horizon.
Bob Flounders, Andrew P. Shay and Dustin Hockensmith previewed the matchup and looked ahead to keys of the game in a segment for this week’s Keystone Kickoff Show. Check out audio of the show in this post and be sure to check back in to KeystoneSportsNetwork.com for plenty more Penn State podcasts and analysis.