The Penn State Nittany Lions are set to face the UMass Minutemen this weekend. The Nittany Lions are coming off of a bye week, that came at the perfect time after getting banged up in week five. The Minutemen are just 1-6 while Penn State is 5-0. This is a game for Penn State should dominate in, as they look to continue their playoff hope. Here is a look at what to watch for as Penn State faces UMass.
What to Watch for
The most important thing for the Nittany Lions to do this weekend is to score quickly and be the first team to do so. Falling behind against Northwestern definitely impacted the game. Sure, the second half was strong, but they should have never struggled in the beginning. They need to come out firing early in this game, especially against an inferior opponent. They cannot risk falling in the AP rankings because of not putting up enough points.
Penn State DT Zane Durant (28) – Hermitt
A big discussion regarding Penn State football this season is their lack of explosive plays. Whether it be from running the ball or the passing game, it feels like that one pass against West Virginia was the biggest play of the season. That was back in week one. They are still putting up a lot of points, but they are playing safe. A win is a win, especially when the score difference is big, but people want to see more explosive plays. This bye week should have been enough time for the running backs to rest up for a big play, but hopefully, we can see quarterback Drew Allar sling the ball downfield.
The defense built up their momentum big time in week five. Hopefully, this bye week didn’t slow them down. If they play how they have been, there is a chance that Penn State fans could see a defensive touchdown this week against UMass. The Minutemen have gone through four quarterbacks this season, the top two being Carlos Davis and Taisun Phommachanh. Phommachanh has been the quarterback for the past two weeks and has thrown three interceptions. Watch for the defense to lock him up.
Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton (10) – Hailey Stutzman/Onward State
Penn State Players to Watch
Kaytron Allen
Kaytron Allen exited the game early in week five against Northwestern. This bye week came at the perfect time, giving the running back time to get healthy. This week, fans should watch to see just how healthy he is. Maybe Nicholas Singleton will get the start, but by now it’s known that just because one starts, does not mean that the other won’t get much playing time. This season, Allen has had 69 rushing attempts for 307 yards and two touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. He has also had five receptions for 32 yards. Hopefully, he is healthy and can put this team into the red zone.
Drew Allar
It’s time to see how quarterback Drew Allar responds to the bye week. Will he have a slow start, or will the week of rest help him come out firing? This season, Allar has had 102 completions for 1,092 yards and nine touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. He already beat the 1,000 passing yards route, next is to hit ten passing touchdowns. While there still have not been big explosive plays by the Nittany Lions, against a team like UMass, perhaps they can do it. The same could have been said about their past opponents, but this is still something that fans are waiting for.
Kalen King
With this being the week perhaps fans can see a defensive touchdown, cornerback Kalen King will be a player to watch. The team has had their defense score already this season, but King has yet to have an interception. This season, the cornerback has had 11 combined tackles, six solo, and one pass deflection, according to Sports Reference. He may not always be targetted, but if he is this weekend, watch for him to make a big play against the Minutemen.
Northwestern RB Cam Porter gets tackled by a Penn State defense – Angeli Mittal/Daily Senior Staffer
Game Predictions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are definitely the favorites to win this weekend. This week’s score prediction is 37-7, with the Nittany Lions getting the win and moving to a 6-0 record. The game will take place at Beaver Stadium at 3:30 PM Eastern. Aside from winning, the most important part of this game will be coming out healthy. In the following week, the Nittany Lions will be facing the Ohio State Buckeyes in an important Big Ten matchup.
