Game played out exactly as Vegas predicted. The Nittany Lions had a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, and never looked back from there. Here are your takeaways
1) Running back rotation needs adjustment
While every back had a decent-to-good day today, it’s becoming clear that Carson Hansen’s consistency may not be worth James People’s and Quinton Martin’s potential. Matt Campbell demands consistency over potential, but the latter two today showed they can create something when nothing is there. Hansen has yet to do that, even today, when he had a better
day that the previous two contests.
That’s not to say Hansen should lose his starting role, or get benched altogether, but the 50 percent of the snaps plan needs to drop down to 40 or maybe even 30 percent.
2) Injuries becoming a concern
Andrew Rappleyea left the game with what appeared to be an upper body injury. We don’t know the seriousness of the injury just yet, but we do know that the Lions needed to stay healthy if they had any plans to do more than reach bowl eligibility. With Max Granville already gone for the year on defense, the Lions cannot afford many more injuries to starter-level players.
3) Big Ten play begins
Wisconsin cruised to victory alongside the Nittany Lions on Saturday, and both meet for their respective Big Ten openers a week from today. Let’s see which of these two teams made the bigger leap in the offseason.
