Nittany Lions Welcome Kent State For A Mid-Afternoon Kick
No. 10 Penn State comes off a bye week and faces Kent State at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions are looking to improve on what most would consider a sloppy performance against Bowling Green two weeks ago. On top of that, the Nittany Lions dropped two spots in the AP Poll from No. 8 to No. 10. Now, we will break down this game between the Golden Flashes and Nittany Lions.
Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State comes into this game with a record of 0-3. Last week, the Golden Flashes faced the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers and were shut out, 71-0. The previous two weeks included at road game at Pitt and at home against St. Francis PA. Even though the Golden Flashes may be ranked last in the FCS as a program. Doesn’t mean the team won’t come to play.
However, since the start of the 2023 season, Kent State has mustered a record of 1-14 and have been outscored 149-41 this current season. Outside of that, the Golden Flashes rank last in a few categories in the FBS, total offense and defense, rushing defense, and scoring defense.
Penn State Nittany Lions
No. 10 Penn State is coming off a bye week where there wasn’t much relaxation as there was work. Furthermore, James Franklin has mentioned a few injury blows to Penn State that will have an impact with how the program proceeds the rest of the season. Franklin made note of KJ Winston and Andrew Rappleyea injuries that seem a little severe. We should note that Franklin doesn’t usually talk about injuries unless they’re long-term or season ending. However, when injuries occur, it’s a place to develop depth if possible.
On the other hand, the Nittany Lions would like to come out firing on multiple cylinders Saturday and put the bad performance against Bowling Green in the rare view window. Additionally, this is the last non-conference game for Penn State this season. After this, the Nittany Lions begin Big Ten Conference play against Illinois. Outside of injuries, Penn State has been able to get some explosive plays rolling from their offense. Something that has been exciting for fans to see as it has been a struggle the past couple seasons. The Nittany Lions have demonstrated more explosive plays this season compared to seasons past.
Odds And Kickoff
Currently, the Nittany Lions are favored by 48.5 points and kickoff from Beaver Stadium is set for 3:30 pm on BigTen Network. The theme for the game is Military Appreciation. Penn State looks to move to 3-0 before the newly expanded upon Big Ten Conference schedule kicks in next weekend.
