Victory Bell Rings
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Penn State vs. Kent State Position Grades

By Barry Leonard Jr.

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin congratulates defensive end Shareef Miller (48) following a sack against Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Justin Agner (not pictured) during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O
Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin congratulates defensive end Shareef Miller (48) following a sack against Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Justin Agner (not pictured) during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O /
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Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Garrett Sickels (90) attempts to sack Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Mylik Mitchell (17) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Garrett Sickels (90) attempts to sack Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Mylik Mitchell (17) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports /

It’s time to grade out the Nittany Lion victory over Kent State on Saturday. 

Penn State opened up its 2016 season with a non-conference battle against Kent State. Expected to run away from the Golden Flashes, the Nittany Lions really struggled early and even trailed in the first half.

Still, Penn State came out with a 33-13 victory.

Making his first start, quarterback Trace McSorley rebounded from a slow start and threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He showed a good sense in the pocket and was able to use his legs to scramble out of trouble.

The new offense took several deep shots down the field, but just missed converting on most of them.

On defense, the Nittany Lions had a tough time stopping the running quarterbacks of Kent State. It was sort of a bend, don’t break mentality, as the Golden Flashes drove down the field often before sputtering close to or in the red zone.

Week 1 is often a time when coaches truly find out what they have on their team. It’s also a time to try some different players out of the game gets away. Unfortunately, head coach James Franklin  had to keep his starters in for the majority of the contest.

There were both positives and negatives for Penn State, but in the end, the Nittany Lions were able to start the year with a win.

Now that the game’s over it’s time to look at position grades for this week.

Next: Quarterbacks

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