Counting Down to No. 7 Penn State vs. Delaware

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 7 Penn State and Happy Valley welcome the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens to Beaver Stadium for a noon non-conference matchup on Saturday.

The programs kick off their inaugural meeting in a battle to preserve their 1-0 seasons. With considerable margins of victory over West Virginia and Stony Brook, respectively, Penn State and Delaware look to take notable steps forward and tighten up their game time strategies.

“Our program reinforces it over and over and over again,” Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin said. “Whether it’s in school or whether it’s in a profession, you better be a lifelong learner.”

Scouting the Nittany Lions

The blue and white’s offense, under second-year quarterback Drew Allar, took the field against West Virginia with an agenda: test the team’s chemistry.

Allar got to work completing 21 of his 29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns. The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week looked poised in the pocket and on the scramble with a 72-yard touchdown throw in Mountaineer traffic to wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

Expect Allar to be a lock at the quarterback position unless the Nittany Lions establish an early margin against the Blue Hens. This possibility opens the door for quarterback Beau Pribula to see game-time reps once again.

The redshirt freshman commandeered the second-team offense with 18 rushing yards and a late touchdown, which was a decision that Franklin defended in response to postgame comments by West Virginia head coach Neal Brown,

“Both [quarterbacks] should have the ability to check to our Cover 0 plan and have a chance to execute a play that has a chance to be successful.”

On the ground, running back duo Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen look to shred the Blue Hens’ defense. The pair combined for 121 yards against West Virginia, with a touchdown hauled in by Singleton.

Delaware held opponent rushing yards per attempt to just 3.7 last season, but they are yet to be battle-tested by two running backs with divergent playing styles.

On the defensive side of the ball, watch for linebacker Curtis Jacobs to be a major disruptor for Delaware. 70 percent of Jacobs’ 10 tackles versus West Virginia were solo ventures along with a sack and tackle for loss added to his stat sheet.

The defense continues to develop its team chemistry. Defensive tackle Dvon Ellies emphasized the importance of developing depth to prepare for future scenarios,

“You have ‘x’ amount of guys who have already played in 5-6 games,” Ellies said, “Although they may be at the end, they’ve got game experience.”

Scouting the Fightin’ Blue Hens

The first head coach to lead Delaware to the FCS Playoffs in his first season, head coach Ryan Carty enters his second season ready to deliver consistent results on the field.

The Blue Hens averaged 7.1 yards per play versus Stony Brook, with running back Marcus Yarns leading the effort. Yarns burned the turf with over 100 rushing yards with two touchdowns in his season debut and is poised to have a similar performance in Happy Valley.

The fourth year averages over nine yards each time he touches the ball, which challenges a pass-rush-focused Nittany Lions defense.

Delaware also has a string of lethal wide receivers at its disposal. Chandler Harvin, Jourdan Townsend and Kym Wimberly Jr. accounted for over half of Delaware’s 414 receiving yards versus Stony Brook.

Anticipate a quarterback battle on the Blue Hens roster between third-year Ryan O’Connor and fourth-year Zach Marker.

O’Connor lit up the field in his starting debut for Delaware with 346 passing yards and a touchdown versus Stony Brook. Marker also took game time reps and recorded 68 yards, including a long 24-yard pass.

Depending on how the game progresses, Carty will want both of his quarterbacks to take snaps against the Nittany Lions.

On the defensive side, the Blue Hens are led by defensive back Tyron Herring. His eight tackles and an interception combined with linebacker Dillon Trainer’s 1.5 tackles for loss showcased a Blue Hens team hungry to disrupt the Penn State offense in a major way on Saturday.

Penn State is 116-79-12 all-time versus opponents in the FCS. Stream the game on Peacock or listen to CommRadio’s own Matt Scalzo and Grant Sheets on the call tomorrow, with a pregame show beginning at 11 a.m. ET.

Emma Holtz is a senior majoring in public relations. To contact her, email emma.holtz01@gmail.com.