Penn State Football: six things I want to see against Central Michigan

As Penn State Football returns home to Beaver Stadium this week, they’ll take on the Central Michigan Chippewas to wrap up their regular season non-conference slate.

I already wrote about everything you need to know about Central Michigan, and although they have some talented players, they’re still a team that the Nittany Lions should be able to dominate.

This is a game where we should be able to see many players and where individuals and the team can pad their stats a little. Wins and losses are certainly more important than stats, but it’s still nice to see them put up good numbers.

Here are six things I want to see out of Penn State Football this week as they welcome Central Michigan to town. It’s probably a little unlikely that all six of these happen, but if four or five could come to fruition, I would be satisfied.

A fast start

AUBURN, ALABAMA – SEPTEMBER 17: Quarterback Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after a touchdown during the second half of their game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

If I could write a perfect script for the first five to seven minutes of this game, it would look a little something like this: Penn State wins the toss and takes the ball, marches down the field and scores a touchdown, forces a three and out, and when they get the ball back, they march back down the field and score another touchdown and take a commanding 14-0 lead by the midway point of the first quarter.

Now of course, things don’t always go according to plan, but if something similar to that could happen, I would be satisfied. Point is, I want to see the Nittany Lions start fast against the Chippewas.

Don’t let this team hang around and give them any glimmer of hope that they can pull off an upset. Come out swinging, punch them in the mouth early, and then put them away.

If Penn State does come out slow, it could be a sign of a hangover from last week’s win and/or a sign of comfort/satisfaction within the program based on some hype they’ve created for themselves through three weeks.

That’s not something that any fan wants to see.

Play loose, fast, and confident; and continue to improve and build on the first three weeks of the season by jumping out to an early lead and running away with another dominant victory.