Penn State Football: QB report week zero of 2018 season

Penn State football has an interesting QB report. It doesn’t boast just one QB, but two that get on the field most weeks.

Time to reboot the QB report articles for VBR this season. The Penn State football team will have its hands full more than usual with App State in the opener. A pound-it run game and stout defense makes for a tough matchup in the opener.

Now normally, I recap the performances of the QBs from the prior week’s game, but with the season beginning this week, let’s talk about what to expect from Trace McSorley and Tommy Stevens when he gets his reps.

First off, McSorley had a nice opener last year for those that remember. The final stat line was efficient. He threw for 280 yards, two touchdowns against one interception, completing 72-percent of his passes. He also added another score on the ground, beating the Zips, 52-0.

In his career for opening days, he’s 2-0, defeating Kent State 2016 and Akron in 2017. He’s complete 34-of-56 passes for 489 yards, four touchdowns against one interception with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown. He’s been simply efficient in those games.

This year, he’ll have to do that again. The Nittany Lions play a feisty Mountaineers’ team. In order to shut down a mid-major power, he needs to take what the defense gives him and take shots when necessary. The major aspect an underrated team needs in its corner, is turnovers in their favor. No doubt, McSorley can be a bit of a gunslinger, but he’s played smarter over his last few games.

As a projected high draft pick, he needs to play smart. It’s what a quarterback with his experience should accomplish. He’s grown as a player and quarterback. He can guide Penn State to a perfect, 3-0 mark in his career for opening days.

For that to happen, he needs to put up two similar performances to the Kent State and Akron games. With weapons all around him and a P.H.D. understanding of Penn State’s offense, he should pick up a win in week one.

For Stevens, it’s all about fulfilling his role in the LION. As a leader and future starting quarterback, he needs to create trouble in his selected reps. Stevens will definitely see time. He needs to catch, run and throw for his day to be successful for the Nittany Lions.