The Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1, 1-0) and the Army West Point Black Knights (1-3) will face off on Saturday at noon for the first time since 1979 inside a sold-out Beaver Stadium. The game will be available on ESPNU.
Saturday is slated to be Military Appreciation Day, and head coach James Franklin is looking forward to honoring members of the military.
“We are excited about the opportunity to play a service academy in Army,” he said. “You know that when you line up against an academy, they are going to play hard from start to finish. This is the first non-conference sellout at home since 2011, so we are looking forward to Saturday.”
This marks the fourth straight season that the Nittany Lions have celebrated service members. Penn State allowed veterans and active duty members to register for special complimentary tickets and a pregame tailgate.
What to Watch For:
Defensively, the Nittany Lions dominated the San Diego Aztecs in last week’s non-conference matchup. Led by Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson, the defense accounted for 21 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two pass interceptions, and a rumbling rushing touchdown by Johnson.
This is the defense that Penn State needs. In the light of its still-shaky offense, the D-line must deliver strong, solid performances each week to hold back an offensive onslaught from opposing teams. Zettel and Johnson are veteran defensive players who Franklin relies upon each week to get the job done and train the newer, younger players.
Offensively, despite two sacks, quarterback Christian Hackenberg found his groove last week, going 21-for-35 and throwing three touchdowns. Hackenberg is a signal-caller that needs time to see the field and set up the play; the offensive line has struggled to provide him with that. Against the Aztecs last week, the O-line was able to give Hackenberg those critical few moments so that he could connect with Akeel Lynch and Saquon Barkley.
As was the case last year, the offensive line shows promise if consistency and balance can be achieved.
Lynch and Barkley are integral members of the offense. Consistency with big catches and precision with rushing has led these two into the spotlight for the Lions. Both have racked up big yards and touchdowns this season and must continue to provide offensive movement for Penn State.
Army enters the game with its first win of the season last week against Eastern Michigan. With a 22-point rally in the fourth quarter, the Knights rushed for 556 yards. Army will challenge Penn State with a triple-option defense, plays that the Nittany Lions have not seen yet this season. Sophomore quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw leads the team in rushing yards with 341.
Army is ranked ninth in the nation in rushing offense with 294.5 yards, and seems to rely on its powerful offensive maneuvers as its primary defense.
Penn State and Army have faced off 26 times since 1894 and Penn State has won the last nine games. A win on Saturday will give the Lions a 4-0 start at home for the first time since 2008, a season in which Penn State won the Big Ten Championship and went on to make an appearance at the Rose Bowl.
The game will be available on ESPNU; kickoff is slated for 12:02 p.m.
Around the Nittany Nation
- The nation’s top-ranked women’s volleyball team will host No. 4 Nebraska and Iowa this weekend at Rec Hall.
- The women’s soccer team will travel to Illinois for a conference matchup against Northwestern in Sunday.
- The men’s hockey team will open the 2015-2016 campaign by hosting a preseason game against Windsor in The International Game on Sunday at noon.
- The men’s soccer team will travel to Piscataway to take on Rutgers on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Photo Credit: GoPSUSports.com
