1) Hi there, receivers
Catching balls, yards after catch, being open, scoring. Oh how we missed y’all!
All three starters had their moments, but Koby Howard had a monster game. Howard had 133 yards on seven receptions last season. Through the first half, he had 123 on four. It’s almost as if he should have started last season…
And, of course, having receivers that are actually reliable means deliberately pushing the ball down field instead of throwing the kitchen sink at a problem.
2) We’ll come back to you
For as well as the passing game looked,
the rushing attack left something to be desired. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are not walking through that door, but we need to see more from the running backs, as Marshall is far from the only team that will sell out to stop the run.
The second half was much more kind to the running backs, and Quinton Martin made every carry count in that half. We’ll put a pin on worrying about the running game, or to ask for the rotation to be adjusted, but keep an eye out for the running game.
3) Defense back on the clock
After a year off, the Lions are playing the type of aggressive, yet disciplined defense we’re used to seeing. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson barely had any time to operate, and in the second half, stuck to running the ball.
One of the biggest question marks of the offseason, how the defensive line, especially the defensive ends, would do, was answered in a big way. Long season ahead of us, but if the ends can keep this up, Penn State may be alright on the line after all.
