College Football
As we approach the last weekend of non-conference action around college football, Penn State is coming off a big victory against the Pitt Panthers last weekend. This weekend, Penn State takes on Kent State.
Last Weekend
Penn State traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Pitt Panthers. It was a lop-sided victory to say the least. Penn State had control of the game basically from start to finish. Quarterback Trace McSorley had 14 completions on 30 attempts for 145 yards. He also threw for a touchdown. Additionally, he had five rushes for 44 yards with one rushing touchdown.
Running back Miles Sanders is starting to live up to the hype of being the talented prospect everybody sought out of high school. Sanders finished with 16 rushes for 133 yards. Sanders would’ve had well over 200 yards rushing if it wasn’t for two offensive penalties that brought back two big gains of 80 or more yards. Furthermore, KJ Hamler continued to impress as he had three receptions for 40 yards. On defense, both Micah Parsons and Kevin Givens had seven total tackles.
This Weekend
For the final non-conference game of this season, Penn State takes on Kent State. The Golden Flashes come into the contest 1-1 after their victory against the Howard Bisons. Kent State won that game 51-14.
Series History
Kent State and Penn State have faced each other a total of five times between 1965-2016. The teams last played each other on September 9, 2016 when Penn State won 33-13. The Nittany Lions own two shutouts against the Golden Flashes. First one was 9/18/10 when Penn State defeated Kent State 24-0 and the second one was 9/21/13 when Penn State defeated Kent State 34-0. All five match-ups have taken place in State College at Beaver Stadium.
Players to Watch for Kent State
Kent State may be an FCS football program; however, they used a lot of different people to get the job done against Howard. Quarterback Woody Barrett went 13 for 27 for 156 yards against Howard for a touchdown and interception. He had a rushing touchdown as well.
As for the running game, Kent State last game proved they’ll use every player they can to generate offense. Lead back Justin Rankin had 12 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown. Likewise, Joel Shaw had 12 carries for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Receiving wise, Isaiah McKoy had four receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Conclusion
Saturday’s noon kickoff will mark the sixth time Penn State takes on Kent State. Expect the crowd at Beaver Stadium to be in full force. This is Penn State’s last game before they head into Big Ten conference play next Friday at Illinois.
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Photo credit to Frances Sonne via Flickr
