NFL
By: Courtney Walsh
Sitting at 3-0, Penn State has its offense clicking, the defense has been impressive, and now the games matter more. The Nittany Lions open Big Ten play Saturday when Wisconsin comes to Beaver Stadium for homecoming. The game will be on Peacock with a 5 p.m. EST kickoff time. Yes, Penn State has made it look easy; Wisconsin provides a real test for the Matt Campbell era.
PSU put up 55 points against Buffalo and over 573 yards of offense. The defense held them under 200 total yards and 1-of-15 on third down. Great numbers, but this is conference play, and things hit different kids. Wisconsin is 2-1 after a 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan. The Badgers QB Colton Joseph threw for 362 yards and 3 TDs last week.
Penn State Key Players
Quinton Martin Jr., RB
The rushing attack has been one of the team’s biggest positives and not talked about enough. Martin should have chances for big runs with the Badgers’ defense keying in on Rocco Becht. He rushed for over 100 yards last week and looks to build off that.
Rocco Becht, QB
So far, he has been everything we needed in our quarterback. ZERO interceptions and 9 touchdowns last week; he hit the 10,000 career passing yards mark. How he handles this Wisconsin defense will tell me a lot about where this offense is heading.
Tony Rojas, LB
I said in my preview article that Rojas was one to watch and a leader on defense. Well, he has been around the football all season and brings the physical presence you want from a backer. Against Wisconsin, he will need to bring his hard hat and set the tone; in the Temple game, he had 7 tackles and a pick. For the Badgers to get the run game going and Wisconsin QB Joseph comfortable, they will key on Rojas. And not just him; the whole linebacker core will need to step up.
Courtney’s Keys to the Game
Win the line of scrimmage.
This sounds easy, but it really isn’t. Penn State needs to control both sides of the line. If the Nittany Lions can run the football consistently and make Joseph uncomfortable, they will control the game.
Don’t let Wisconsin create explosive plays.
We saw last week that the Badgers can make plays through the air. Tyrell Henry is coming off a monster performance with 14 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. Penn State cannot afford to give Wisconsin easy chunk plays.
Keep the offense balanced.
Rocco has been excellent, but Penn State doesn’t need to make this a 40-pass game. We have shown we can run the ball with any of our seven backs. Balance is so important heading into Big Ten play.
Having won the last 6 games versus Wisconsin, but none of that matters Saturday. This is the first Big Ten game of the season at home in front of a Homecoming crowd. Now we get to see what Penn State is really working with.
WE ARE!
