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Penn State vs Appalachian State: Prediction Roundtable

By Barry Leonard Jr.

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 25: A general view of Beaver Stadium during the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions on October 25, 2014 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 25: A general view of Beaver Stadium during the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions on October 25, 2014 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Quarterback Trace McSorley
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Quarterback Trace McSorley /

Dylan Burd, Contributor

Penn State Football is finally back! It should be a fun season ahead, and I’m excited to see how well Penn State replaces all the lost talent from last season.

In terms of the lost talent, all eyes will be on the running back position as Miles Sanders will attempt to replace one of the best players in college football last year, Saquon Barkley. Sanders is a former five-star recruit, so I expect him to have a big season as a junior.

It should also be interesting to watch the secondary, as there will be four different starters from last year. Penn State’s 2017 interception leader Amani Oruwariye will get the start at cornerback on the opposite side of John Reid, who missed the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL. Garrett Taylor and Nick Scott will be the starting safeties replacing Marcus Allen and Troy Apke.

Another player to watch is redshirt freshman wide receiver K.J Hamler, who won the starting slot wide receiver job and will also be returning kicks. While there will be a lot of new players for Penn State fans to get acclimated to, starting quarterback Trace McSorely will of course be back in command of the offense. I think McSorely will be in the Heisman conversation this season.

Looking at the opponent for Saturday, Appalachian State is not a team to take lightly. The Moutaineers won 9 games in 2017 and only lost to Wake Forest by one point. They lost to Georgia by 21 in week one last season. The Appalachian State offense ranked 32nd in the FBS in yards per game, and also posted 33.5 points per game in 2017. The Mountaineers also only allowed 21.9 points per game in 2017, tied for 33rd in the FBS.

It’s clear that Appalachian State will not be a Georgia State or Akron from last year, and I actually think they will keep it a competitive game for the first quarter. However, once the second quarter hits, Penn State will turn it up, and wind up winning this game by four scores. The Trace McSorely led offense and the Beaver Stadium crowd will be too much for Appalachian State to handle, as the Nittany Lions willl roll to a 1-0 start to the season.

Penn State 38
Appalachian State 10

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