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Penn State against Kent State: Prediction Roundtable

By Barry Leonard Jr.

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 08: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions scrambles against Amir Watts #34 of the Pittsburgh Panthers on September 8, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 08: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions scrambles against Amir Watts #34 of the Pittsburgh Panthers on September 8, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: (L-R) Grant Haley #15, Nick Scott #4, head coach James Franklin, Marcus Allen #2 and Troy Apke #28 of the Penn State Nittany Lions walk out to field arm in arm before the start of the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Can Penn State build off of last week’s blowout win this week against Kent State?

Things looked a bit shaky for Penn State after its Week 1 overtime win against Appalachian State. The first half this past week against Pitt also didn’t go well, but the Nittany Lions exploded in the second half and rolled to a 51-6 victory.

On tap this week is a  non-conference battle (the last one of the regular season) against the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Penn State has dominated Kent State in the past, winning all five previous matchups. The last one occurred at Beaver Stadium in 2016, a game the Nittany Lions won by 20 points. Trace McSorley made his first start in that game for the Nittany Lions and threw for 209 yards and two scores. He also added 47 yards on the ground.

This year, McSorley is in store for another big game. He’s had a strong start to the season, despite some troublesome drops from his wide receivers. Redshirt freshman has been a great addition to the offense, and wide receiver Juwan Johnson is due to break out of his slump.

Running back Miles Sanders, who has the large task of replacing Saquon Barkley, has looked good so far and is coming off a career-high 118 rushing yards. In two games, Sanders has rushed 35 times for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Penn State’s defense has been suspect this year, especially against the run. However, the Nittany Lions locked down in the second half against Pitt last week and will look to keep that up against Kent State.

The Golden Flashes have had trouble on defense, so that’s a perfect recipe for a big day from the Penn State offense.

Before the Nittany Lions and Golden Flashes kick off, check out the weekly VBR staff predictions.

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