Penn State vs. UMass Prediction Roundtable

Sep 6, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the completion of the game against the Akron Zips at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Akron 21-3. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Penn State has now won the first three games of 2014 and currently lead the Big Ten East division. After struggling for most of the game last week at Rutgers, the Nittany Lions were able to put together a drive at the end of the game and pull off the comeback victory. Up next for the Nittany Lions is the UMass Minutemen, who are 0-3, having lost to three teams from the “Big 5” conferences.

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Below you’ll find the VBR staff’s predictions for the upcoming clash.

Lead Editor Barry Leonard Jr.
I’ll tread lightly with this one- it seems that for as long as I’ve followed Penn State, every time I suggest a game will be “easy” it turns out to be the complete opposite. However, when looking at all of the stats leading into this game, I do feel really good about it. UMass is not a very good team. The Minutemen have really struggled since joining the MAC in 2012- let that sink in.

Penn State has played great on defense this year, and that trend will continue on Saturday. I fully expect the Nittany Lions, led by guys like Anthony Zettel, Mike Hull, and Adrian Amos, to completely dominate and overwhelm the Minutemen. On offense, I look for Christian Hackenberg and the passing attack to control things early and build a big lead by halftime. I also expect the running game to finally get going, as UMass is one of the worst teams in the nation at defending the run.

In the end I see this one being out of hand early. Penn State gets a chance to work on a lot of problem areas in this game and will ultimately wins 45-7.

Staff Writer Corey Hunter
Penn State returns home fresh off its thrilling last minute win over Rutgers in the opening game of Big Ten play. Waiting for them are the Minutemen of UMass. This game could get ugly! In three games for UMass, they have averaged giving up 35 points per game which puts them 104th nationally out of 128 FBS teams…yikes!

Penn State has not exactly been an offensive juggernaut, putting up a 109th best 20.0 points per game. On Saturday, look for Penn State to improve upon that statistic. Saturday is also Penn State’s last tune up before the gauntlet of the Big Ten portion of their schedule. It’s one last chance to solidify the offensive line and to find any semblance of a running attack. Look for Penn State to make a real attempt to make the running game a viable part of the offense.

The defense has been top-notch all season and all things point to that continuing against the Minutemen. UMass has been able to put up points this season scoring 38 and 31 points against Colorado and Vanderbilt, respectively. On Saturday look for Penn State to have a workman-like day. Christian Hackenberg should once again reach the 300 yard plateau while the running backs combine for over 100 yards rushing. Also, keep your eye out for either a defensive or special teams score.

In all, Penn State easily wins this going away…Penn State 38 and UMass 6.

Staff Writer Eric Sion
After last Saturday’s dramatic comeback win in New Jersey, the Nittany Lions return home to face 0-3 UMass. Despite being 0-3, the Minutemen have been very competitive so far this year. Two of their three losses have both been by three points; they lost 41-38 to Colorado and lost 34-31 to Vanderbilt.

With that said, I think Penn State handles UMass pretty easily this weekend. Look for Zach Zwinak, Bill Belton and the run game to finally get going against a weak UMass run defense. Christian Hackenberg should continue his strong start to the season and Bob Shoop’s defense should have another great game.

I’ll take the Nittany Lions to win by a score of 38-14 to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Staff Writer Ryan Lance

The Nittany Lions escaped their first Big Ten game of the season by scoring a touchdown with under two minutes left in the 4th quarter to beat Rutgers 13-10. It wasn’t a pretty victory by any means but at this point, a win is a win and they are one game closer to being bowl eligible. During their showdown in Piscataway, the Nittany Lions still showed a number of weaknesses, most notably the offensive line and the running game.

Coming into this weekend, the Nittany Lions rank 120th in the country in rushing yards per game with 75.67. This weekends matchup is the perfect opportunity for the Lions to get their running game going. UMass ranks 109th in the country in rushing defense, allowing 218 yards per game to opposing teams. As the season goes on, I believe it’s going to be harder and harder for the team to rely so heavily on the pass. As we saw last weekend, there were a number of times that Rutgers was able to get pressure with 3 or 4 lineman and dropped 7 or 8 guys into coverage.

Another area that will help the team overall is capitalizing on turnovers and being to put points on the board when the get inside the opponents 30-yard line. The timing of the UMass game may come at the perfect time, as it’ll allow the Nittany Lions to continue to iron out their weaknesses. This is the last ( but may be the only) cupcake game on the schedule. I believe Penn State will have the opportunity to put up a number of points this weekend, as UMass gives up 431.7 yards per game to opposing offenses.

I think Coach Franklin and the staff will be get a comfortable lead and will focus much of their attention on the running game. Pair that with our defense who has been great to date, I’m taking the Nittany Lions to win 31-10.

Staff Writer Jeff Jezewski
Well I think we all have an idea of how this one will turn out. Playing an inferior opponent, like UMass, should give the Nittany Lions the opportunity to continue to iron things out offensively. With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game went the route the Akron contest did. Penn State should have no trouble winning, but it may take longer to materialize than one might think. UMass is much better offensively than Akron, putting up big numbers, albeit in losses, to Colorado and Vanderbilt.

The issue with that is Penn State’s defense has been tremendous, thus far. If the Nittany Lions can get on the board quickly, it could turn into a blowout. Let UMass hang around for a while and it may take longer than any of us would like for Penn State to put away the Minutemen. If the Nittany Lions can’t develop a ground game (broken record alert), then the prospects of having a serviceable run game this season will look increasingly dimmer.

Penn State shouldn’t have a problem winning this game, and it will be a nice homecoming for former Penn Staters, Austin Whipple and Alex Kenney (1 catch 14 yards). Penn State wins 31-7.

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