College Football Penn State Vs West Virginia | Week 1 | Preview & Prediction

all right guys what's going on Welcome Back to the everything College B podcast today I'll be doing my preview and prediction for Penn State and West Virginia eight and a half point line in favor of the nitty Lions 51 and a half is the total 12:00 p.m. eastern time on Fox live from morgant town looking at the Penn State offense you know Drew all guy who's expected to take big leaps this year or at least is going to have to if Penn State wants to compete for a lock in the playoffs this is a guy who struggled big time on the road last year and obviously this test is not going to be any easier you know granted it's not a night game you know Morgantown is still a very you know tough road environment this is a guy last year who was not very good against Ohio State his last true Road game though was against Maryland where he had 240 and four touchdowns before that you know Illinois wasn't a great game Northwestern was quite poor so this is a guy that has a tendency to not show up outside of playing in the state of Pennsylvania so there certainly something you want to monitor is how Drew all will look a guy that only had two interceptions last season so he certainly did a great job protecting the ball less than seven yards per attempt though downfield certainly struggled that for variety of reasons not just drew of course the offensive line had its issues but the receiving group certainly less than a stellar group they pick up Julian Fleming from Ohio State a guy who has you know good size and speed at 62210 has some good ball skills route running as well they're hoping he can provide a big spart for this wide receiver group Harrison Wallace kayen Saunders some guys that have some speed you know Mari Evans a veteran in the group they're expecting to get involved you know it's not the greatest of wide receiver groups even still it wasn't a great offseason outside of Fleming of course that tight end Tyler waren is a stud a guy who was a high level athlete with some strong hands I like his physicality and yards after catchability so they have a great tight end there Theo Johnson the part so it's really just up to him that's really going to be the biggest thing though is you know on the road can this passing attack just be in Rhythm and be in sync and obviously I think oler will continue to protect the ball um but you know I think when it comes to decision making he'll certainly need to consistent there and just finding open targets cuz you know sometimes we'll be check Downs you know his tight end will be available for a couple of yards I think that's the biggest way the offset you know the lack of a downfield passing attack is just be consistent in intermediate range and I think that's something Aller is certainly capable of as he's proven to have a big arm in the past you know he can certainly uncork a deep ball of EAS I would certainly say um you know you look at this running back room led by Nicholas Singleton and KRON Allen you know they a pretty good match up here you know the West Virginia run defense wasn't all that ideal last year I think they may be even align for a step back now they have so much youth in the middle of their defense at linebacker we of course get to the West Virginia Defense a little bit later and discuss that match up more in detail but you know Singleton this is got a 6' 219 great speed on the edge some good strength and toughness as well uh Allen on the other hand has great leg Drive patience Vision those all check out very decisive in the open field as well very good one-two punch to half here this is the part of their offense that can really Thrive for them but they just don't seem to have Ideal Balance with the passing attack you know lacking its ability to go downfield but I think in this match up you know these guys had 13 carries per game pretty identical numbers last season you're going to see them get a lot of work I think in this match up getting to the edge and trying to put those linebackers in Peril is going to be ideal for Penn State and of course it's behind an offensive line that's kind of you know saw some reconstruction in terms of the future I think they have a lot of uh young talents that have you know High bellings coming to high school terms of you know being recruited so I think long term they're going to be fine but for this year's J you certainly wonder how they'll play you know Drew Shelton's going to take over for U fanu at left tackle uh you know he's been all right struggled badly though in pass protection wasn't very good in the bll game Vega Iona returns at left guard Nick Dawkins you know a guy who's been in the program for many years you know wasn't really good in his brief appearances he'll have to replace a physical blocker though and then at 63330 s warmly his third year as a starter he's also been you know a bit of a liability and pass protection at Right Guard you'll also insert a new right tackle L noan Ruchi you know a transfer they picked up so this is an offensive line you know all the guys behind him highend recruit Billings uh RI coming over from Wisconsin that is played a couple of snaps right now the starting lineup seems very iffy this group's got to be physical and I think it's always been kind of a weakness of theirs on the interior that's why they've struggled to run the ball and you know be able to you know spark our downfield passing games because the interior just seems to get beat up more often than not but they have capable guys here with size and if they can improve that's certainly going to be uh area for this offense that can certainly Thrive now moving to the West Virginia offense you know this group is a big reason why so many people are high on West Virginia moving into the year you know over 31 points per game last year top 30 in yards per contest and of course they were fourth nationally running the ball they're led by Garrett green one of the nation's better dual threats you know a guy who was a physical Runner can throw with some nice Pace downfield with some nice power the downfield touches pretty good he's of course a phenomenal Runner as well this is guy that was very productive a season ago 2400 passing 16 touchdowns four picks 772 and 13 on the ground obviously the passing numbers you with four picks is great uh you know only 200 yards per game you know kind of alludes to the balance they have because that was only on about 23 attempts per contest it's 53% completion rating certainly less than Stellar he's GNA go up against a very tough matchup in Penn State but they're very sound against the run and this is a guy who's going to have to make plays with this physicality and elusiveness on the edge and of course you're going to see a heavy dosage of this backfield as well led by CJ Donaldson and Jem white you know Donaldson's more of a power Runner 800 yards and 11 touchdowns Jem white though was a massive breakout player really out of nowhere over the final month of the Season showcasing great speed and quickness had some major big plays in the receiving game as well highly efficient player at 59 172 and of course back to Donaldson a guy who you know enters his third year in the program a physical Runner you know good speed for his size you know he's got nice patience for being about 240 pounds and they of course have a 30-year player Jaylen Anderson as well so I think they're very happy of what they have in terms of being able to run the ball in terms of bodies of course it's just going to come down to this offensive line can they win at the point of attack and of course it starts with an elite left tackle and Wyatt melum you know he's considered one of the nation's best was phenomenal in pass protection and has shown dominance in the Run game so that's part of the offensive line they're going to run towards ofon uh left guard you know Thomas remac he was pretty solid um they do lose Zack Frasier though I think Brandon Yates should be a more than adequate replacement after a pretty good year at Right Guard uh will need to be better in run blocking though so this will be a tough matchup for him and of course Doug nest's gone Nick Malone will take over he played a good bit at both tackle spots you know so the two losses they have were major you know in terms of season projection shouldn't be a major issue for West Virginia but in this game what will they be able to do against a very deep front it's going to be incredibly physical this is the bread and butter of this offense if they're not being able to run the ball what's going to happen this is a team that had 420 plus rushing yards nearly 10 yards per carry and a victory over Cincinnati so this is team was very good at running the football it very rarely got you know stuck in the mud you know last year they had 146 on 40 attempts and two scores against Penn State so they weren't flat out awful running the ball thought that was a pretty resilient effort going on the road there so this is going to be a big key you know focal point for West Virginia of course now looking at the wide receiver group you know this is a Penn State secondary that didn't look good in the bowl game obviously the confidence wasn't phenomenal there they've had plenty of months since then to put that behind them so they're going to be playing against you know a team that's got a a lot of you know new found you know peping their step a lot of new Talent they're plugging in there they've had you know opportunities they get a lot of reps in practice so it's not going to be the same secondary you saw get torturi resed versus Old Miss um you know looking at some of the guys they have you know Hudson clemit trayon Ray very good true freshman last season very capable X pass catchers you know Preston fox has a good versatility I me this was a team that has you know a lot of Youth at wide receiver they of course pick up Jaden Bray from Oklahoma State so there's some different guys in this room I think can certainly produced and you certain want to start with that of those young guys in sophomores you know Clement 480 yards on 21 yards per catch uh you know Ray he had 17.8 yards per catch and I certainly think they have some guys here that can win deep down field off play action if the Run game is clicking if not you certainly wonder who's going to step up and create Separation on a consistent basis if they have to win the drop back passing game is West Virginia capable of doing that I'm not quite sure you know a team I think can be good off play action green on the move can be Stout for them throwing the football but in terms of just you know raw drop back passing I'm not sure but they do have nice tight end as well and Cole Taylor will certainly help you know on short down and distances the red zone of course he had four touchdowns last year so this is a veteran receiving Group by all means they do lose their top pass Catcher And Deon Carter other than that pretty much everyone's back though I think they'll be better this season through the air certainly a relatively tough matchup though for them to you know prove their muscle now looking at the Penn State Defense obviously this unit is incredibly tough very deep in the trenches a team that was you the first nationally against the run last season of course it starts with a phenomenal Edge rushing Duo of Danny Denis Sutton a guy as an X festar showcased good power moves great ability to really just bully offensive lineman Abdul Carter is going to make that transition down to the defensive end spot showcasing great downhill trigger with instincts you know he's got very fluid hips excels really just sniffing out the Run game how we do now he's going to be more of a full-time DN other than middle linebacker certainly remains to be questioned um you know this is a guy who moving down from the inside Lineback and roll to a five tech is something that can be highly beneficial for them as well with his skills because he's also very sound in coverage um so I think Carter he's going be tremendous for them phenomenal Duo though nonetheless on the interior this is where it gets juicy you know aan vanover figures to be very respectable rotational piece Zariah Fischer played a good bit was very good against the Run um Jamal Lions was impressive 65242 uh Devon Ellies had a breakout season was also great versus The Run Zay Durant a guy that you can also count on hem bean kiah isard I mean these are a lot of names here because this is just so much experience they have back it was just great against the run a lot of big bodies here physical group overall it figures the seem that they're going to win this matchup in the trenches against a very good offensive line it's going to be very competitive one though I don't think they're just going to steamroll The Mountaineers by any means but I think in terms of go line know short down and distances you know third fourth and short it seems very winable for Penn State and you certainly when it comes to defending the Run worry about the linebacking group because it's more of a young unit of course Carter transfers down Kobe King is going to be the leader here uh you know it's a guy that would do very well last year I thought he was a great asset for him he thrived against the run in his own right verer in leadership that presence is going to be big for this unit who else will step up though Tony Roa has G on the field a good bit last year Dominic Duca you know he's played a lot in his career Tyler Eldon he's been a good player in his four years at Penn State you know what is he going to be able to provide in this game so I guess you know they have some youth but overall they do have a lot of you know snaps in terms of depth so this is a line Banger group I'm somewhat worried about I'm not all that you know crazed about because I think this defensive line is so good and King really was a leader for them and now that you know he doesn't have Carter there he's going to understand the importance of playing better football on a consistent basis so I think this is going to be a win-win for everybody but if that's one thing you want to attack maybe the eye discipline of these younger linebackers but you have to be able to run the ball to establish that misdirection plays as well uh overall it's going to be you know big on big it's going to be a physical ground game against Penn State's nasty defensive line who will win this one more likely than not it'll probably be the NIT lions and now of course you move to that secondary you know cam Miller was one of those Corners that played in the bowl game it wasn't very good of course he's had an entire off season you know to get better you know a former five starting AJ Harris I think it's going be a big breakout player for them as an aggressive playmaker you know he's a good Jam press Corner highly competitive you know Jaylen Kimber arrives a guy who's you know played at the Georgia and Florida schools coming over to have some type of role here in this Penn State Defense and you know that's what you want to look is how these guys play you know Daven Collins as well it seems like playing time might be open for grabs with these Corners I think Miller and Harris these are going to be the main ones you lean on and you know Jaylen Reed of course is going to be the Nickelback a very good player there um so there's not many concerns I mean he's another guy that wasn't all ideal in the bowl game but I think you know a massive offseason for them in the system they going to pay dividends for him and you have a safety group here in Kevin Winston is a key weightly it's one of the best Duos in the country you know I think Winston is a guy that you know had a phenomenal year led the team in tackles showed good coverage skills good ability to break on the ball you know highly sound run Defender I think he's going to be a big leader for them wheatly I think he should really emerg this year he's going to step into a full-time role a lot of people are high on his upside and of course behind them D darari Nelson who was a former top 150 crew and LaMont Payne he in the role in some point um you know I think this is you know Reed was mainly playing safety last year moved down to Nickel so he's a veteran that's been around for a good bits so this is you know a Tom Allen defense a bit of a 4-25 that certainly has some Kinks to work out in the secondary but I'm not all that worried I think in this match up they're going to be able to play very sound football and even though there is versatility they're facing in the West Virginia wide receiver group I'm not all that worried about it because I think they're going to be able to generate enough pressure on green I think they'll have them you know in second and third and long uh so it's going to give them an opportunity to cook up front is secondary they have to be Stout though they can't get burned off play action if the opportunity arises for it I don't think you're going to see too many ideas in terms of being able to have hard play actions I don't think the Run game will be that Stout but that's certainly something you want to watch and overall just coverage one-on-one with these Corners uh because last time you know they played Old Miss they weren't very good in doing so going to put that behind them here though I think it's certainly a notion they'll disappear very quickly now moving ahead to the West Virginia Defense you'll start with dur ities in the trenches this is a team that had a couple of poor games against the r overall it was a pretty marginal unit you they were pretty solid little less than 150 in last year's match up about 4.1 yards for carry though 4.2 on the Year this is a team that you know has some turnover up front though they do return Shawn Martin but a quality player for them Tyron Bradley you know those are two seniors that can to provide leadership for him uh Ty French comes over from gner web what kind of role will he have TJ Jackson from Troy was an elite run Defender so he's a guy that's really going to have to step up in this game for them um you know on the interior fatorma MOA great run Defender it's guy they're going to look to uh you know player from Finland and Edward versus Arlene at 284 pounds pretty solid you know the entire defensive line uh you know has a lot of snaps though for West Virginia it's a bit of a veteran unit so that's certainly great news for them in terms of you know high-end pass rushing skills you don't really have them you know they do lose a couple of guys were able to provide sacks for them unit had 33 as a team pretty respectable number but overall there's no one you can really point to with a confident D end that's going to come off the edge and make plays so I think this is a veteran dine they will have a good game here but the biggest concern is the linebacking group it might be the youngest one in America Jessa Trotter red Shir freshman Trey lean you know red Shir sophomore those figured to be the starters you know Ben cutter got on the field a good bit last year he was no good in his true freshman campaign it seems like they're only going to get better you know the after mentioned trer was a very physically imposing player didn't play last year though had High School experience you know as an inside linebacker so there's going to be you know him trying to lean on his old days and you know five games for Le them before he got hurt with a leg injury and he wasn't very good versus the run and you know consistency as a tackle was lacking so even though I think this D line can have a good game the linebacking group you know Penn State I don't expect them to be ultra creative you know at least that's been the notion in the past but now under Andy keneki you know that's a run game that was very great at Kanas so it's certainly going to be a lot of different concepts coming at you so it's not going to be the same attack they saw last year in terms of lack of creativity I think the ground game certainly going to possess some things for these young guys that might not be you know ideal for them to manage so that's a big key in this game is the linebackers you know fill in the correct gaps you know Gap Integrity you know be discipline on the edge because this is some real skill here and these guys are going to get the football again about 13 attempts per game for both of those running backs it's going to be a heavy dosage from Allen and Singleton how they manage is certainly a big thing you want to Monitor and looking at secondary for West Virginia you know a lot of transfers in the back end for them you really just don't know who's going to do what Aiden Garnes Garrett Garnet Hollands Jr coming from Northwestern uh Jem Joseph TJ Crandle I mean there's some solid guys that transfer over here but overall there's just a lot of plug andplay pieces and you got a red sht freshman may be stepping him in Josiah Jackson one of their safety spots Anthony Wilson a guy who's a veteran Aubrey Burks one of the nation's best at his position you know this guy's tremendous in coverage plays a bit of a ver atile role for them it's a wave of newcomers though in this back end how will they play you know beanie Bishop was an elite playmaker he departs now um so what can they do in terms of you know replacing his ball skill production you know the good news is they're not playing the greatest to wide receiver groups obviously you know in one-on-one coverage against Julian Fleming a guy who's probably going to get a lot of targets that's something you got to watch you know Tyler Warren defending him that's also a key for the linebackers and there's two players right there that could certainly have a bit of an advantage um but there is some speed the Penn State wide receiving group and if you're not you know focused up in the back and in the middle of your defense they can certainly burn you vertically and guys like Wallis and Sanders so you certainly want to monitor that there obviously this is not the greatest of threats when it comes to uh you know the Penn State passing attack but I think they can shock some people because they will have better creativity the interior should showcase some more strength and I think overall this run game is really going to take a toll on these linebackers looking at the team comparison I'm going give Garrett green The Edge at quarterback I think all is you know a good player certainly not a great one certain to want to see him take some more risks this year and how will he do when he you know in terms of accuracy and you know turnover rate you know when he's taking more risks what will that provide for them but a dual threat guy and Garr green has really earned his stripes I think it's quite even at running back I know Allen and Singleton are tremendous but I think you know the emergence of G he white really gives them something that being the Mountaineers and the Donaldson's been great for two years so I mean both teams have a great one-two punch I think it's best to just call it even and give them both respect on that one wide receiver group for West vir Virginia getting the nod along with the offensive line obviously led by again left tackle Wyatt milum who's just tremendous lot of veterans on both sides of the ball though but you know you replace two tackles for Penn State and that certainly kind of puts them behind the curve uh but when you look on the defensive side of the ball to Queen Sweep with ease not much competition here the D L's incredibly deeper they have more skill you know more versatility as well better production linebacking group I think they're deeper across the board while West Virginia has one of the you know more concerning units in their own conference and then the secondary led by a great safety route for Penn State so pretty easy there for them leading to the final thoughts and the prediction you know for Penn State you know dominate The Run game on both sides you know you got to allow Aller to be comfortable in certain situations and I think it's certainly something you look to them doing you know attacking the weakness of the linebacking group your own defensive line kind of taking over this game again I don't think they're just going to completely body him and hold him to that 75 yards per game Mark that they had been holding opponents to last year I think they'll be in line for about 150 yards maybe allowed um 2.6 yard yards per carry though I think West Virginia they're going to look to run the ball a lot so certainly won't have the greatest of average I think about 150 yards though the max they may gave up in this one maybe a big play or two helps spark some better production for West Virginia I think overall it's certain not going to be controlled by them and obviously that's the biggest key for wwu they can't be stonewalled they need to find some realm and I think about 150 yards again that might be enough to put them in a position to win this game obviously they got to win in those passing situations and second and third and longs and you know I think they will from time to time but I don't know if it's going to be enough you know third and 10 completed for about six yards on an out route or something I think it's going to be the hard find Space so they're going to have to live in you know third and shorts and I just don't think that's something they'll be able to do consistently obviously this is a healthy upset pick 2617 for me with the line being at eight and a half that's going to be a cover for Penn State that's obviously very tricky game you know it being at noon instead of night they certainly is a big help and I think all are getting a bit better OC in building and Kelli is going to be beneficial I think overall this defense is just too much for a West Virginia offense they can you know really shock some people you might see them just totally you know blow them out of the water in terms of production and the Run game might just come out swinging don't think that's going to happen though I do not expect West Virginia to Showcase a phenomenal offensive showing here even though they have the pieces to do so and they'll still be effective in conference I think for week one this is just not the ideal matchup for you the defensive Line's too good the pass rushing is too good even though they have players capable in the trenches of dealing with p suu this is just a different animal when it comes to athleticism on the defensive side of the ball so I'm expecting them to be strong in that area I think we'll see much better balance from Penn State that's going to be it for today's episode make sure you guys like comment subscribe see you next time