The Nittany Lions try to make it two wins in a row when Nebraska comes to town for a prime time clash on Senior Day.
Penn State (4-6, 1-6) vs. Nebraska (7-3, 4-3)
Kickoff: 7 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College,
PA
The Betting Line: Penn State -8.5
TV: NBC, 7 p.m., Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kathryn Tappen (sideline)
Weather: A cloudy day with a high of 47, cooling down to the low 30s at night. There is a small chance of rain early in the day, but expected to be clear by kickoff.
COACHES:
Terry Smith (Interim):
PENN STATE RECORD: 1-3, 1st Year
OVERALL RECORD: 1-3, 1st Year
VS. NEBRASKA: 0-0
Matt Rhule:
NEBRASKA RECORD: 19-16, 3rd Year
OVERALL RECORD: 66-59, 10th Year
VS. PENN STATE: 1-2
FUN FACTS
Penn State has blocked four punts in a season for the first time since 1999…three of those blocks have been by Dani Dennis-Sutton, tying the single season record of program legends Jack Ham and Andre Collins…this game will mark the first contest between head coaches who are Penn State alumni since 2013, in a game between Temple (Matt Rhule) vs. UConn (Paul Pasqualoni)…Kaytron Allen can surpass Saquon Barkley on the program’s all-time rushing yards list with 50 yards, and can surpass Evan Royster for first overall with 139 yards…Nebraska leads the all-time series 10-8, while Penn State has a 6-3 advantage in games played at home
NEBRASKA OFFENSE VS. PENN STATE DEFENSE
The Huskers offense has undergone a sudden change with starting quarterback Dylan Raiola out for the season. Freshman TJ Lateef has taken over, and has done very well in a small sample size. Lateef is a more dual-threat than Raiola and a less experienced passer, so Nebraska has emphasized its rushing attack under its new QB1. Lateef’s only experience thus far was mop up time against Akron and Houston Christian early in the season, before relieving Raiola against USC. His only start came against UCLA, where he led his team to a 28-21 victory.
Lateef had an outstanding first outing against the Bruins defense, completing 13 of 15 passes for 205 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 31 yards and avoided being sacked. Lateef’s mobility could be a problem for a Nittany Lions defense that has struggled against running quarterbacks. Lateef may run regularly as an inexperienced quarterback who will take off if his first read is not open.
Nebraska will also be leaning more on Emmett Johnson, who leads the Big Ten with 1,131 rushing yards. He’s seen his workload increase as of late, with nearly 30 carries in each of the last three games. He seems to be getting stronger as the season continues, with at least 124 rushing yards in four of the last five games. Johnson also plays a prominent role in the passing game, and is third on the team (by just one catch) in receptions, and is coming off a game where he topped the century mark in both rushing and receiving yards.
The Huskers have done an admirable job of spreading the ball around to its top three receivers, making it difficult to focus on slowing down any particular member of the the receiving corps. Sophomore Nyziah Hunter leads the way with 41 catches for 592 yards and five scores, while Jacory Barney Jr. and Dane Key are not far behind. Tight end Luke Lindenmeyer is also a reliable target that will test the secondary.
The Huskers offensive line gave up 27 sacks with Raiola in the lineup, including 9 against Minnesota, 7 against Michigan and 5 against Michigan State. However, Lateef has yet to be taken down this season.
PENN STATE OFFENSE VS. NEBRASKA DEFENSE
Nebraska’s defense is the biggest reason the team stands at 7-3, and shooting for its first 9-win season since 2016. The Huskers don’t make an abundance of plays in the backfield, but do a great job of keeping everything in front of them and making teams earn tough yardage.
Nebraska ranks in the top 25 in total yardage (15th) allowed and points allowed (25th). They are much more capable against the pass than the run, though. While they are third nationally against the pass, allowing a measly 134.6 yards through the air per game, the run defense has been a different story. The Huskers are 91st in the nation, yielding 161.1 yards per game on the ground.
This could be great news for a Penn State offense that has finally found something with the run game the last two weeks against Indiana and Michigan State. After a baffling start to the year, the experienced offensive line has been able to open up lanes with much more frequency for Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Allen is also coming off one of his best games in his four years with the Nittany Lions, ripping through the Spartans defense for 181 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Huskers kicker Kyle Cunanan has connected on 12-0f-15 field goals, with all three misses coming beyond 40 yards. His career-long is 52 yards. Punter Archie Wilson is averaging 39.8 yards per punt, with close to half of his attempts pinned inside the 20.
PREDICTION
Penn State-28, Nebraska-20
The threat of Lateef running through the Penn State defense is something to give me pause on predicting a second consecutive win for the Nittany Lions. However, the defense has been playing at a much higher level over the last two weeks, and seems to have finally settled into Jim Knowles’ system while making some adjustments in personnel.
I’m also expecting an usually electric atmosphere for a 4-6 team. The crowd was phenomenal the last time around when the Nittany Lions nearly took down #2 Indiana. Now that they finally had a taste of victory, the fans will show up and be loud for a “bonus” white out under the lights of Beaver Stadium.
Penn State’s ground game helps take control in the second half, as Kaytron Allen becomes the all-time rushing yards leader in an exceptional send-off on Senior Day.
