The Penn State Nittany Lions currently sit with a record of 3-0 after beating Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo. Now, the Lions get truly tested for the first time this season as conference play begins this week. The Lions are set to host the Wisconsin Badgers this Saturday at Happy Valley, and the Badgers currently sit at 2-1 on the season. The Nittany Lions showed flashes of potential these first three games of the season, but they are yet to be truly tested. With that being said, here is why they are ready for conference play and why they might not be.
Why Penn State Football Will Be Ready For Conference Play; Why They Won’t
Reasons Why Penn State Might Be Ready
The first reason the Nittany Lions might be ready for conference play is their offensive domination. Koby Howard looks like an All-American wideout, creating explosive plays and finding the end zone consistently, with Rocco Becht delivering him strikes; Howard seems to hit a home run and boost this offense.
The next reason is Matt Campbell and the new coaching staff. Campbell replaced James Franklin this offseason, and things already seem different for the Lions. Campbell gave Howard more opportunity, and it paid off. Campbell has a lot to clean up with his squad, but the Nittany Lions seem to be a more bought-in and energetic team with Campbell taking over, and that can be crucial as conference play begins.
The last main reason is the strength of schedule. The Nittany Lions have one of the easiest schedules in college football, as they do not play Ohio State every year anymore. The Lions also do not have Oregon or Indiana anymore. While they still have to play Michigan and USC, besides that, every game is in the Lions’ favor. It is not necessarily a good thing to have a weak schedule, but that is why the Nittany Lions might be ready for conference play because they know that on paper they do not have many tough teams to play.
Reasons Why the Nittany Lions Might Not Be Ready
While mostly everything has been positive, there is still plenty to be concerned about. The first thing that comes to mind is the running game. James Peoples and Quinton Martin look good, but Carson Hansen, who is considered the running back one, has significantly struggled, and against weaker opponents, to make matters worse. Obviously, it does not help that they lost two running backs to the NFL this year, but you still have to be able to run the football, especially against weaker teams and this makes it concerning now that they do play Big Ten competition.
The next thing is the red zone inconsistency. The Nittany Lions have struggled when in the red zone, and that specifically showed against the Owls. The Lions are just 9-17 on red-zone trips, and that simply will not be acceptable against better competition. They did not score against the Owls until the second quarter but missed multiple opportunities when in the red zone in the first half. You can not drive down the field in Big Ten play and not score at all; things will have to change for the Lions to compete. This comes back to before with the running game; the poor running game thus far is a major factor in the red zone inconsistency.
Then, you have the weak non-conference schedule. The Lions played three teams that did not test them, and that weaker schedule does not help. If you notice teams like the Buckeyes play Texas for non-conference games, that is what gets you ready. The weaker opponents make it tougher to see if the Lions are truly ready.
The final concerns are the penalties and a few injuries. The Lions have struggled a lot with penalties, and while Campbell is likely to clean that up right away, it is still something to monitor as conference play begins this week. Then, there are new injuries with the Lions. They could be out two offensive players this week for conference play, as Howard and Andrew Rappleyea got banged up and are questionable to play this week. If neither ends up playing, we could be seeing an upset alert in Happy Valley, assuming the negatives do not change. This also emphasizes the running game to step.
Penn State football is currently 3-0 and ranked number 13th in the country. Now, it is time for the beginning of the test as the Nittany Lions host the Badgers. Do you think the Nittany Lions are ready for conference play?
Main Image: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
