Overview:
- Saturday, August 30th – 9:30 a.m.
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- TV: ESPN2 (Watch ESPN)
- Radio: 990 AM (Philly), ESPN 97.3 FM (Southern NJ/Philly) , 790 AM (Allentown)
Penn State travels to Ireland to take on the Knights of Central Florida this upcoming Saturday in this season’s Croke Park Classic. It will be quite the way for first year head coach James Franklin to kick off his era at Penn State as it will be the first time in program history that the Nittany Lions will play a game outside the United States.
The game between the two programs marks the fourth time in history, and the second in two seasons after the Nittany Lions got knocked off at home last season 34-31. Penn State will look to take back a win in the series between two the programs after winning the first two matchups in 2002 and 2004.
On Tuesday prior to the teams’ final practice on U.S soil before leaving for Ireland, the Penn State coaching staff released their depth chart, the starting offense is as follows:
- Quarterback: Christian Hackenberg (So/So)
- Running Back: Bill Belton (Sr/Sr)
- Wide Receiver (X) : Geno Lewis (Jr/So)
- Wide Receiver (Z) : DaeSean Hamilton (So/Fr)
- Wide Receiver (F) : DaeSean Hamilton (So/Fr)
- Tight End : Jesse James (Jr/Jr)
- Left Tackle: Donovan Smith (Sr/Jr)
- Left Guard: Derek Dowrey (Jr/So) OR Brendan Mahon (So/Fr)
- Center: Angelo Mangiro (So/Fr)
- Right Guard: Brian Gaia (Jr/So)
- Right Tackle: Andrew Nelson (So/Fr)
The offense is headlined by sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg who last season won Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was praised as the best freshman quarterback in the nation. He will look to improve on his 2,955 yard and 20 touchdown season. In the backfield, Bill Belton leads as both Zach Zwinak and Akeel Lynch return to add depth to the Nittany Lions backfield which features 11 running backs.
Last season, wide receivers came at a premium for Penn State however this season, the Nittany Lions have a young, talented, and explosive receiving core headlined by Geno Lewis and DaeSean Hamilton. James Franklin has already said that both highly touted true freshman wideouts Saaeed Blacknall and Chris Godwin will see playing time on Saturday. At the tight end position, highly praised tight end Jesse James returns and will be looking for a monster season and will look to pick up most of the receiving game that is left with the departure of Big Ten Receiver of the Year Allen Robinson. The offensive line is one of low experience with no seniors on it, with at least two if not three freshman starting. The offensive line will be the Nittany Lions’ biggest question throughout the season.
Defensively, the Penn State starting eleven looks like this:
- Defensive End: Deion Barnes (Jr / Jr)
- Defensive Tackle: Anthony Zettel (Sr/Jr)
- Defensive Tackle: Austin Johnson (Jr/So)
- Defensive End: C.J. Olaniyan (Gr/Sr)
- Outside Linebacker: Nyeem Wartman (Jr/So)
- Middle Linebacker: Mike Hull (Gr / Sr)
- Outside Linebacker: Brandon Bell (So/So)
- Cornerback: Jordan Lucas (Jr/Jr)
- Free Safety: Ryan Keiser (Gr/Sr)
- Strong Safety: Adrian Amos (Sr/Sr)
- Cornerback: Trevor Williams (Jr/Jr) OR Da’Quan Davis (Jr/Jr)
The starting eleven on the defensive side of the ball is headlined by defensive end Deion Barnes and senior linebacker Mike Hull. Hull, the team’s leading returning tackler had 78 tackles last season for the Nittany Lions. Defensive end, Deion Barnes will look to improve on his 2013 campaign which was one of inconsistent play which was nothing less than disappointing following his 2012 Big Ten Freshman of the Year award season. Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson will make the inside of the defensive line one of the tougher defensive lines in the conference, as Barnes and senior C.J Olaniyan mark the outsides of the fierce and talented front line. The linebacking core is solid, with Wartman and Hull leading the way as Brandon Bell hopes to continue his success in 2014 after having an All-Big Ten Freshman season in 2013. The experienced secondary should be better than in year’s past as the talented Adrian Amos and Jordan Lucas lead the way for the secondary, as Ryan Keiser and Trevor Williams (or Da’Quan Davis) help keep the secondary locked down.
UCF returns most of its roster from their 2013 campaign that saw the Knights win 12 out of 13 contests including a 52-42 win over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl and finishing top 10 in the country. However, star quarterback Blake Bortles is gone, thanks to the NFL Draft and so is running back Storm Johnson. Freshman Pete DiNovo will lead the Knights in 2014 and will have a trio of talented wideouts at his disposal. Last season the trio of Ranell Hall, J.J Worton and Breshad Perriman caught over 140 passes for 2,400 yards and 16 scores. Defensively, the Knights return six starters with most of the returnees being in their secondary.
The EDGE goes to…….
To begin, let’s figure out who has the edges in the following categories:
- Head Coaches
- Quarterbacks
- Running backs
- Wide Receivers:
- Tight Ends
- Offensive Lines
- Defensive Lines
- Linebackers
- Secondary
- Special Teams
No Edge (Tie) = + 0
Slight Edge = + 2
Normal Edge = + 4
Huge Edge = + 6
Extreme Edge = +10
- Head Coaches: James Franklin vs. George O’Leary
Franklin is coming into his first season at Penn State after leading the Vanderbilt Commodores to two straight nine win seasons and three straight bowl game appearances in a tough SEC conference. At Vanderbilt, Franklin was a combined 24-15 record and 2-1 in bowl games.
George O’Leary is entering his 11th season at UCF and his 18th in college football. O’Leary over his career has amassed 124 wins with only 89 losses. At UCF , O’Leary has compiled a 72-56 record. Since coming to UCF, O’Leary has led the program to new heights as proven last season with a 12 win season, the most wins in school history. Under O’Leary, the Knights have won their conference three times (Conference USA- 2007, 2010 and AAC – 2013).
EDGE: UCF (+2)
While Franklin proved to take his own program at Vanderbilt to new heights, O’Leary has had a proven track record over the past 11 seasons and was also able to beat two top-10 teams last season. Franklin, despite winning 24 games over three seasons has had very limited success against Top 25 teams.
- Quarterbacks: Christian Hackenberg vs. Pete DiNovo
Hackenberg, who is ranked by CBS.com as the top quarterback in the class of 2016 over that of Florida State’s Jameis Winston is a future first round draft pick and has already broke 11 school records at Penn State in his first season. At times last season, Hackenberg showed mental mistakes made by many freshman quarterbacks but over the season was able to shown significant improvement. While it’s unclear whether or not the loss of head Bill O’Brien will affect the sophomore quarterback, there still should be signs of improvement since last season.
DiNovo, redshirted last season as he sat on the bench and watched star quarterback Blake Bortles win 12 games and become the best prospect to ever come out of Central Florida. DiNovo was ranked as the 53rd best quarterback in the nation coming out of high school. Now with a talented wide receiving core around him, DiNovo should be able to perform above his talent level thanks to his trio of talented receivers. However, one must wonder if the redshirt freshman is fully ready mentally when it comes down to it on Saturday.
EDGE: Penn State (+4)
Hackenberg is the top sophomore quarterback in the country and is a projected first round (if not first overall) pick, with 12 games as starter already under his belt. Hackenberg has also already played against the talented defense of UCF and knows what to expect. With his own group of talented receivers, Hackenberg should have a pretty good day passing the ball.
- Running backs: Bill Belton vs. William Stanback
Senior running back Bill Belton returns as Penn State’s starter after rushing for 803 yards on 157 carries last season. Belton is backed up by Zach Zwinak who just missed his second consecutive 1,000 yard season last year. Belton last season rushed for 100 yards or more twice, including a 201 yard performance against the Fightin Illini of Illinois. Belton, should see more carries this season, most likely around the 200-250 mark and should see about 20-25 carries on Saturday. For his career he has averaged just under five yards per carry.
Sophomore William Stanback is the Knights’ starting running back this season after playing behind NFL draft pick Storm Johnson last season. As a freshman, Stanback rushed for 443 yards on 105 carries for six touchdowns. Stanback only saw 10 carries twice last season. Behind Stanback is Dontravious Wilson who saw nine carries last season for 10 yards.
EDGE: Penn State (+4)
While neither team has an overwhelming rushing attack, Penn State gains the edge due to it’s experience with two running backs who already have 1,000 or more yards in their career. The Knights’ backfield is a talented one but with a lack of experience, one must wonder whether or not Stanback and Wilson are ready to take on the load from now graduated Storm Johnson (193 carries for 1,015 yards).
- Wide Receivers: Geno Lewis, DaeSean Hamilton , and Saeed Blacknall/Chris Godwin vs. Ranell Hall, J.J Worton and Breshad Perriman
Penn State receiving core is a young one, as three of their top four receivers will be making their Penn State debuts on Saturday. The oldest starter will be sophomore Geno Lewis who made splashes last season for Penn State and will look to turn into Hackenberg’s number one target with the departure of Allen Robinson. Last season, Geno Lewis brought in 18 receptions for 234 yards and three touchdowns. However, Hamilton, Blacknall, and Godwin were all highly anticipated wide receiver recruits coming out of high school and should be threats at the college level. However, will they be able to acclimate to a college level defense in their first game as Nittany Lions?
The trio of Hall, Worton, and Perriman will be one of the best in the nation this season and against a Penn State secondary that has proven to be shaky in the past, the trio may have a field day on Saturday. Last season the trio caught 143 catches for 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns, not too shabby. All three wide receivers are down the field threats as they all averaged 15+ yards per catch last season. Senior Josh Reese also returns for the Knights after catching 21 passes for 231 yards last season. Stanback could also be a threat out of the backfield after catching 15 passes for 186 yards and a score last season. All together, the UCF receiving core (counting TEs) had 269 receptions for 3,661 yards and 26 touchdowns.
EDGE: UCF (+4)
While Penn State has a talented core of receivers, UCF’s last season proved to be deadly and the numbers prove it. If Penn State’s secondary can shut down the trio of receivers, Penn State will cruise to in an easy win however, that will be a tough task for the Nittany Lions defense. If Penn State’s freshman receivers can pull it together and have a strong performance, Penn State should be able to move down the field with ease on Saturday.
- Tight Ends: Jesse James vs. Justin Tukes
Jesse James is potentially a top five tight end in the country and the best in the Big Ten. Described as a freak of nature, James should have an All-Big Ten season for the Nittany Lions as he looks to make way for the NFL Daft next May. Last season, James was Hackenberg’s second favorite target behind Allen Robinson of course as he had 25 receptions for 333 yards and three touchdowns. James is a huge threat in the end zone and is able to break tackles for yards after the catch as well when moving down field.
Over the course of his four year career, Justin Tukes has seemed limited action, catching a mere 25 receptions for 241 yards and three touchdowns. In seven games last season, Tukes did not record a catch.
EDGE: PSU (+6)
James has been a threat throughout his career at Penn State and can be counted on in the red zone. Tukes has just not had the experience nor the stats that makes him a threat in the UCF offense over his career.
- Offensive Line: PSU vs. UCF
Penn State’s offensive line is made up mostly freshman and sophomores therefore a lack of experience will definitely hurt the Nittany Lions offensively as they go up against one of the best defenses in the country. Donovan Smith will have to keep the offensive line anchored down especially with the loss of Miles Diffenbach. If the Nittany Lions want to win this game, or any game this season, they must keep Christian Hackenberg on his feet.
UCF however has their own problems on the offensive line as they have graduated three of their starters from last season. This season Michael Campbell, Torrian Wilson, Joey Grant, Tarik Cook, and Chester Brown are all projected to start for the Knights. The only senior is left guard Torrian Wilson. Therefore, both offensive lines seek inexperience in big time college football games.
EDGE: NONE (+0)
Despite, UCF having an older group on their offensive line, Penn State’s o-line features a stable of talented and highly recruited offensive lineman. With the help of their God-given talent, Penn State’s offensive line should be able to hold up especially with a whole spring and summer of coaching under offensive line coach Herb Hand.
- Defensive Line: PSU vs. UCF
Penn State’s defensive line is full of experience and talent. Highlighted by defensive ends C.J Olyanian and Deion Barnes, the Penn State defensive line should be one of the best in the Big Ten and the country. With inside pressure coming from Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel, Penn State should be getting to the quarterback frequently throughout the course of the game and the season. Junior college transfer Tarow Barney will also help provide pressure for the PSU defensive line.
UCF’s defensive line last season was disruptive last season and three of their four defensive lineman this year are upperclassmen (juniors and seniors). Last season, the defensive line helped the UCF defense limit opposing teams to 1,592 yards and 21 touchdowns while only allowing 21.3 points per game. However, the defensive line wasn’t the focal point last season for the UCF defense as it was the linebackers as well as the secondary that lead the UCF defense.
EDGE: PSU (+2)
- Linebackers: PSU vs. UCF
Penn State’s linebacking core is one of talented linebackers who are ball hawks. With Nyeem Wartman having a potential breakout season, the linebacking core could potentially be one of the best in the Big Ten and help restore Penn State’s proud tradition of having top defenses. However injury concerns when it comes to Mike Hull could be deadly, if Hull goes down with an injury the linebacking core is left with a major hole. Brandon Bell last season showed potential as a freshman and should only get better.
UCF’s linebacking core is lead by returning leading tackler Terrance Plummer who recorded 110 tackles last season. He will help anchor a strong linebacking core that has Justin McDonald and Troy Gray on the outside. With all three having experience, the Knights should have a strong defense up the middle but it will be questioned when it goes up against tight ends like Jesse James. McDonald recorded 32 tackles last season to go along with 62. Therefore combined McDonald and Gray had 94 tackles, which is still 16 less than Plummer last season. The question is, does Plummer make the UCF linebacking core look better than it actually is, well Penn State will have to find out itself on Saturday.
EDGE: PSU (+2)
All three of Penn State’s starting linebackers have shown they can make plays during games as Hull is a potential NFL Draft pick to go along with Nyeem Wartman. Wartman has been praised due to his development and should see significant time on the field this season at the outside linebacker position. This could almost be a tie but with UCF’s linebacking core being mostly Plummer, it’s should be questioned if the outside linebackers are able to play up to the potential of Plummer.
- Secondary: PSU vs. UCF
In recent years, Penn State’s secondary has been the weakest link of their defense. With another year under their belt, the secondary composed of Jordan Lucas, Ryan Keiser, Adrian Amos, and Trevor Williams hopes to make an impact on defense. Amos, the most talented of the secondary is projected to be a fourth or fifth round draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Lucas is the most exciting player arguably in the secondary as after showing promise in 2013. He came just short of All-Big Ten honors, receiving an honorable mention and should be in the running for All-Big Ten honors this season. Keiser, has showed significant improvement and plays hard every snap, which is what you love to see out of a former walk on. Trevor Williams had an up and down season in 2013 as it was his first season at corner as he transitioned from a wide receiver, with another spring and summer under his belt, Williams should show some improvement.
UCF’s secondary was one of the best in the nation last year, and all their starters return this season. Lead by strong safety Clayton Geathers and free safety Brandon Alexander, the UCF defense should top their 14 interceptions from last season easily. Corners Jacoby Glenn and Jordan Ozerities should be able to help shut down Penn State’s wideouts but will be tested. Last season as a freshman, Jacoby Glenn had 52 tackles and two interceptions to go along with 15 pass breakups. A future potential NFL Draft pick, Glenn will be tested as he goes up against one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
EDGE: UCF (+2)
The UCF secondary is one of the best in college football and only got better during the offseason as their top three recruits were all safeties including four star recruit Kyle Gibson. With some of the best depth at the position in college football, UCF should be set for years when it comes to their secondary. Penn State’s secondary shows promise but their performance this week should be an indication of their place for the foreseeable future.
- Special Teams: PSU vs. UCF
PSU’s special teams consists of Sam Ficken as the starting kicker and Chris Gulla as the starting punter. Ficken has been shaky during his career, having long cold streaks and long streaks throughout, should he be able to succeed this season, he should be able to get a shot at an NFL training camp. Gulla will be a redshirt freshman this season after not playing last season. Gulla has impressed in camp but camp situations are much different than game conditions. Returning kicks will be Akeel Lynch and Geno Lewis while Jordan Lucas returns the punts. Special teams last season for Penn State were up and down and is hard to project, if improved the special teams should help Penn State pull through late in games, however if they struggle, PSU may be in for a long season.
UCF has kicker Shawn Moffitt returning after going 21 for 24 last season including 1 for 2 for field goals 50 yards or longer. Punter Caleb Houston returns for the Knights after averaging 39.9 yards per punt last season on 43 punts. When it comes to returning kicks and punts, the Knights averaged 22 yards on their kick returns and 10 yards on their punt returns. The UCF special teams isn’t anything spectacular but may be a tad better than Penn State’s.
EDGE: UCF (+2)
Sam Ficken’s tendency to be inconsistent may hurt Penn State throughout the season including Saturday. Last season Ficken was only automatic on field goals less than 30 yards and was six for nine on field goals between 30 and 39 yards. Gulla should be fine with the punting duties but just a lack of game experience is why UCF gets the edge. Especially when it comes down to kick and punt return yardage.
And the final tally for the edge goes to…..
- Head Coaches – UCF: +2
- Quarterbacks: -PSU: +4
- Running backs – PSU: +2
- Wide Receivers – UCF: +4
- Tight Ends – PSU: +6
- Offensive Lines – TIE
- Defensive Lines – PSU: +2
- Linebackers – PSU: + 2
- Secondary – UCF: +2
- Special Teams: UCF: +2
Final Tally: Penn State: 14 – UCF: 14
Head Coaches: Penn State 0 – UCF
Offense Edge: Penn State: 12 – UCF: 4
Defensive Edge: Penn State: 4 – UCF: 4
Special Teams: Penn State: 0 – UCF: 2
In Conclusion:
Last time these two teams met, UCF pulled off a 34-31 victory after being ahead 31-17 going into the fourth quarter. As a freshman Christian Hackenberg was able to pick apart the Knights’ secondary completing 21 of 28 passes for 262 yards and a score. Penn State for the most part was able to stay with the UCF defense, but defensively was not very strong against Blake Bortles who had his coming out party against the Nittany Lions. With both Storm Johnson and Blake Bortles gone, the Penn State defense should have a little less to worry about but yet should not take the UCF offense lightly.
Last season, Hackenberg proved to get better during a course of the game when reading coverage and finding open receivers. Well, with a full year under his belt as well as experience against the UCF secondary, Hackenberg should have a much better performance than he had last season against UCF.
UCF’s defense last season also showed a hard time stopping the Penn State rushing game as Zach Zwinak had 147 all-purpose yards to go along with three rushing touchdowns. If Penn State could create a balanced offensive attack, say, throwing 60 percent of the time while rushing 40, then Penn State should be able to win this game.
Penn State’s defense last season was shaky especially against quarterbacks they were seeing for the first time. But with a defense that is mostly made up of upperclassman, Penn State should be able to find a way to beat freshman Pete DiNovo who according to George O’Leary is ahead of where Blake Bortles was his freshman season. Throwing a freshman up against a top 25 defense may be tougher than it looks for George O’Leary.
In June, it was predicted on here by Total Sports Live that Penn State would pull out a 34-17 victory, after some more thought, the result will stay the same in the fact that PSU will take the Croke Park Classic, however the score will not be 34-17 but slightly closer at 27-20. Look for both Hackenberg and Bill Belton/Zach Zwinak to have big performances.
While the UCF secondary is dangerous, Hackenberg will be willing to test it on more than one occasion. In the end having Christian Hackenberg as their starting quarterback is going to win Penn State a lot of football games, with more experience on the defensive side of the ball they should be returning to their old top 20 defensively in the nation. The offensive line is still their biggest question but should be able to hold up most of the time, and when it comes to receivers, Hackenberg should have a similar effect on his wideouts that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning has, he makes them better. Therefore with Hackenberg under center and George O’Leary and company throwing out a redshirt freshman, Penn State should be able to pull out the W.
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