Penn State Football faces its first road test of the season when the Nittany Lions face off against the Fighting Ilini Saturday at noon.
Here are three bold predictions for Penn State’s first road game of 2023:
Penn State Football rushes for 250+ yards, including two 50+ yard rushes
In the first two games of 2023, despite having two of the best defensive tackles in the Big Ten, Illinois has given up an average of 224 yards rushing per game.
Meanwhile, Penn State has one of the best backfields in the conference with Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. While the pair of backs racked up over 150 yards and 4 touchdowns against Delaware, the duo has yet to rush for over 20 yards on a rushing attempt this season.
With Illinois struggling against the run, I am predicting two 50+ yard rushes en route to a 250 rushing yard performance for the Nittany Lions Saturday.
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Penn State does not miss a kick Saturday
In Penn State’s opener against West Virginia, Penn State kicker Sander Sahaydak struggled on two field goal attempts, missing two attempts under 40 yards.
Since Week 1, Penn State Football has not attempted a field goal, but has not missed an extra point attempt in 9 attempts.
Head coach James Franklin also noted that kicking had been going better in practice since opening night.
I will predict that the kicking game will be much improved this weekend and Penn State will not miss a field goal or extra point attempt.
Penn State Football forces 3 turnovers
Penn State’s defense under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has been disruptive and aggressive.
In 2022, Penn State’s defense forced 26 turnovers in 13 games. Through two games this season, Penn State has only forced two turnovers, one fumble and one interception.
The aggressive nature of the defense catches back up on turnovers this weekend as Penn State forces three turnovers en route to a comfortable road victory.
Penn State should be tested in its first road game of the season this weekend. But if Penn State dominates key matchups and plays according to its gameplan, the talent of the Nittany Lions should shine through for a comfortable victory by the end of the game.
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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