Game 4: Navy

Rutgers heads down to Annapolis today to take on the Navy Midshipmen and hopefully pick up the pieces from last week's heart breaking loss to Penn State. This is a classic trap game, even though the Knights lost last week, since Navy is a solid team with a dangerous offense and Rutgers could be looking back at last week and/or ahead to playing Michigan in a few weeks. Hopefully they were focused this week in practice, because Navy as always presents an intersesting and difficult challenge.

On offense, Rutgers needs to get Paul James going again. They shied away from the run game to their own detriment last week, and they need to establish James early to get out to a lead and make Navy play from behind. Rutgers offensive line is a lot better than Navy up front, and they need to make their presence felt. If you want to hit Leonte Carroo off of play action to try to get a bigg play and Nova's confidence up, fine. But be the running football team that you are today.

On defense, Rutgers must stay disciplined to stop Navy's triple option and various constraint plays. Interior guys on the fullback, outside guys on the quarterback, ddefensivebacks on the slot backs. It's not that easy, but it can be done. Rutgers has usually played out of the nickel package with a rover (I would expect it to be Davon Jacobs today) to get more speed on the field to stop run, so watch for that. Let Darius Hamilton and co. make plays in the backfield and get them off schedule. That will really throw a wrench in things. As will getting out to a big lead and making them pass. They do not want to do that/

Rutgers should win this game, but who knows how focused they will be for various reasons. Hopefully the offense gets back on track and the defense builds upon last week.

Rutgers 24 Navy 21

Half Time Injury Update: Starting cornerback Nadir Barnwell and starting linebacker Kevin Snyder both did not suit up today. Not having Snyder's veteran presence could have hurt against the triple option team, but the linebackers are doing fine. Barnwell is good in run support and Navy is throwing effectively so it hurts not having him,

Wide receivers Andre Patton and Ruhan Peele are both out for the fourth consecutive game.

Runningback Paul James went down with an apparent leg injury and looks to be done for the day.

Free safety Delon Stephenson also seems to be out for the rest of this one with an injury.

Opponent Preview: Navy

Tomorrow's Opponent, but Future American Heroes

Navy has become one of Rutgers most common out of conference opponents, and that makes sense. They are located in the northeast and provide an interesting and tough test for the team year in and year out before conference play kicks into full gear. Tomorrow will be the 16th meeting between the two programs in the last 22 years, and Rutgers leads the all time series against the Midshipmen 12-7.

The Midshipmen So Far...
Navy is off to a 2-1 start, with road wins over Temple and Texas State after a season opening home loss to Ohio State. They gave the Buckeyes quite a scare in week one, as they trailed by only three points for much of the fourth quarter, before Ohio State eventually pulled away.

Coaching
Ken Niumatalolo is in his seventh year as the head man in Annapolis and he owns a 51-31 record, with five bowl appearances and two bowl wins. Niumatalolo is from Hawaii and played for the quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors before becoming a long time offensive assistant at Navy, taking over the head coaching position from Paul Johnson who left for Georgia Tech after the 2007 regular season.

Offense
Niumatalolo runs the triple option offense out of the flexbone, and it has worked so well under him and Johnson that the other two service academies copied the Navy model on offense in their rebuilding efforts. The triple option was once the most en vouge offense across college football 30-40 years ago, and it only stopped for the most part because of the recruiting disadvantages it put some power programs in (not going to get you to the NFL! Most opposing coaches say). The service academies don't have to worry as much about recruiting for obvious reasons. This offense still works though, despite only being run by the three service academies, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern at the FBS level.

Defending Navy's offense and the triple option in general is extra difficult because you not only have to account for the fullback, quarterback and slot back, all of whom are potential ball carriers on most plays, but the counters and traps and the occasional pass plays that will gash you if they get you off guard as well. It is incredibly tough to defend if you do not have experience defending it, but Joe Rossi and some of Rutgers players have experience against it after playing Army in 2012 and Navy in 2011.

The Navy offense is led by quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who rushed for 1466 yards and 31 touchdowns a year ago. The junior signal caller is a very elusive runner and a master ball handler, making him the perfect quarterback for this type of offense. He is not a major passing threat, but he has thrown for 13 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions while averaging over 8 yards an attempt in his 2+ years as a starter. He missed last week's game against Texas State with a knee injury, but he is expected to start tomorrow.

Navy's offensive line is pretty experienced, led by third year starting guard Jake Zuzek. Most triple option teams are pretty small lines(I remember a few years ago Georgia Tech started a running back at right tackle after a few injuries), but all of the Midshipmen starting five are north of 275. They are smart players and will get great angles on their and they will cut block you. You have to watch out for that. This group is not over powering though, and they really don't need to be.

Senior slot back Noah Copeland is Navy's leading rusher and sophomore Jamir Tillman is their leading receiver.

Defense
Navy runs a 3-4 defense, and they lost a lot of starters from last years group, including appropriately named rover Wave Ryder. They still have a lot of experience on this side of the ball, however, as their top six leading tacklers are upperclassmen.

Navy is bigger upfront than you would expect, and they are of course very disciplined. Not many explosive play makers in this group, and they will give up a lot of yards, but they are usually able to prevent you from making big plays and lock it down in the redzone.

Conclusion
Navy always presents an interesting challenge with their now rare triple option offense, and I think there are a ton of benefits to playing a team like this. Having to stop the option can teach a normally fast and attacking offense to stay back and stay disciplined in your run fits, and that should carry over into conference play. They are also not a great team on defense and could boost the offense's confidence after last week's disaster. The Midshimpmen are a regional rival and a normally solid team, they are exactly the kind of program Rutgers should play in their out of conference slate, even when they go to a 9 game conference schedule.

Big 10 Power Rankings and Picks for Week 4

1. Michigan State (Prev 1)

Last Week:Bye
This Week: Eastern Michigan
Prediction: MSU -45

Still the best and most well rounded team in the conference by a wide margin. They should have the top defense in the league, and Connor Cook and Tony Lippett are dangerous in the passing game. Look for them to get their ground game going against a week Eastern Michigan team this week.

2. Ohio State (2)

Last Week: 66-0 Win over Ken State
This Week: Bye

The Buckeyes really took their frustrations out on the Golden Flashes last week. Even though Ken State is not very good, their offense looked much improved from the first two games. They are very young, they will get better as the season goes along.

3. Nebraska (3)

Last Week: 55-19 Win over Fresno State
This Week: Miami (FL)
Prediction: NEB -8

Bo Pelini's team bounced back from last weeks narrow escape against McNeese State by taking care of business out west. Ameer Abdullah is the best running back in the conference, and the defense looked better against the Bulldogs. The Canes are a bad team, they should not cause a problem playing a night game in Lincoln.

4. Wisconsin (4)

Last Week: Bye
This Week: Bowling Green
Prediction: BG +27 with the Badgers winning outright

The Badgers still have a strong defense and running game, but they face a tough MAC opponent. Let's see if Tanner McEvoy can throw against an FBS team. Bowling Green coach Dino Babers is from the Art Briles coaching tree, so they could have trouble with their speedy spread offense.

5. Penn State (7)

Last Week: Sigh
This Week: UMass
Prediction: PSU -27

The Nittany Lions have a bunch of glaring weaknesses, but they have the best quarterback in the conference in Christian Hackenberg and maybe the best defensive player in the league in Anthony Zettel. Umass played Colorado, Boston College and Vanderbilt tough, but the "Joe Out" crowd might give them problems.

6. Michigan (5)

Last Week: 34-10 Win over Miami (OH)
This Week: Utah
Prediction: Utah +4

Michigan seems to be a classic "the sum is less than the whole of it's parts" team. Turnovers are a problem, as is their young offensive line. The Utes usually have a physical front seven that will probably give them fits up front.

7. Rutgers (8)

Last Week: 13-10 Loss to Penn State
This Week: at Navy
Prediction: Coming Soon

Yes, Rutgers lost and still moved up. This is not a good conference, folks. Gary Nova showed last week that he is still turn over prone, but the defense stepped up in a huge way. At the very least, they won't be pushovers in their new conference.

8. Maryland (10)

Last Week: 40-37 loss to West Virginia
This Week:aat Syracuse
Prediction: MD pick em


I watched most of the Terps game last week, and they were lucky they only lost by three. The Mountaineers dominated them, but shot themselves in the foot with turnovers, inefficiency in the redzone and the total lack of ability to defend the zone read. So yes, they looked bad and still moved up.
9. Iowa (6)

Last Week: 20-17 loss to Iowa State
This Week: at Pitt
Prediction: Iowa +7

Brandon Schreff surprisingly started the CyHawk Game last week, but it wasn't enough to jump start their offense. It is a rivalry game, but Iowa State is a middle of the road Big 12 team at best. I'd expect a low scoring contest with the Panthers.

10. Minnesota (9)

Last Week: 30-7 loss at TCU
This Week: San Jose State
Prediction: Minn -10

Facing a Gary Patterson defense with a one dimensional offense is no way to go through life.Their own defense didn't look great wither.

11. Illinois (12)

Last Week: 44-19 loss at Washington
This Week: vs Texas State
Prediction: Ill -13

They played a very sloppy game in Seattle  and the defense continues to be troublesome.

12. Indiana (11)

Last Week: 45-42 loss to Bowling Green
This Week: at Missouri
Prediction: Mizz -14

Their offense finally looked explosive, but their defense fell apart in the second half. Missouri is one of the better team in the SEC East, this will be a tough one.

13. Purdue (14)

Last Week: 30-14 loss to Notre Dame
This Week: Southern Illinois

They were actually somewhat competitive against the Irish, so that's showing improvement!

14. Northwestern (13)

Last Week: Bye
This Week: Western Illinois

They are bad and injured too.

Other Picks:
Florida State -14 over Clemson
No Winston, no problem.Their defense and run game are still great and Clemson willingly starts their second best QB.

Oklahoma -8 over West Virginia

Alabama-15 over Florida

Virginia +15, BYU outright

The Hoos defense has been great so far, they should slow down Taysom Hill.

This is another pretty weak slate of games across the country. Can't wait until conference play kicks into full gear.

Rutgers Blows it on B1G Stage, What Else is New

In what was arguably the most anticipated game in  school history, their very first Big 10 game against the hated, neighboring Nittany Lions of Penn State, Rutgers blew it on the big stage like they have so many times in the past. The lost by a score of 13-10 on Saturday in front of a school record 53,774 fans. The Scarlet Knight defense stepped up in a huge way, but they were not enough to overcome an offense that turned the ball over five times, could not convert a first down and inexplicably abandoned the run game when they were shut out in the second half.

On their very first play from scrimmage, Paul James cut back and eluded tacklers for a fifteen yard pick up. He picked up 4 yards on the following play, looking strong out of the gate, but the drive was then derailed by a holding penalty. Kaleb Johnson was flagged for the infraction, bear hugging Anthony Zettel on a quick hitting pass, forcing the Knights to punt after two incompletions. Rutgers looked to be in business on their second possession as well, with Gary Nova hitting Leonte Carroo for 16 yards on a comebacker off play action, but Janarion Grant let a quick bubble screen bounce off his facemask into the waiting arms of Trevor Williams for an interception. That one was not his fault, but Nova threw another interception on the offense's very next play, throwing to James too early with a safety barreling down on him with a blitz. If he stepped up in the pocket he would have been fine.

Nova was able to shake those two interceptions off, and put together two very impressive scoring drives in the second quarter. He hit Carroo again off play action on a square in for a 17 yard gain, to open the drive, before giving Penn State fits with his....legs? Nova scrambled for a bunch of yards on the ground during Rutgers only touchdown drive, and also converted a 3rd and 1 on a sneak. He punched the ball in himself on a 14 yard scramble up the middle against a blitz, after being set up by Desmon Peoples' 21 yard scamper off tackle. After not being able to take advantage of great field position following a punt, the Knights went on a long, methodical drive after starting on their own seven to get a field goal just before the half. Carroo hauled in another long reception over the middle and Tyler Kroft's presence was finally felt with two catches on the drive to set it up. Grant also somewhat redeemed himself with two big third down conversions, but the Knights had to settle 32 yard kick from Kyle Federico because they were out of time outs and spiked the ball instead of throwing to the endzone with 20 seconds remaining in the half.

It's easy to criticize a coach for wasting time outs, but it's hard to tell if they don't have the right personnel on the field at a given time or what ever. I don't know why Flood used his first two time outs of the half when he did, but using them may have cost the team four points. They also never went uptempo despite the quickly evaporating clock, and again, that cost them. The clock management on this last drive before the half really hurt the Knights in hindsight.

The offense in the second half was a complete disaster. They went three and out to open the third quarter, and only converted one first down on their next possession Following a turn over, Ralph Friedgen called for the home run ball on the first play after a sudden change (as you should, you can usually catch the defense disorganized) and Nova promptly forced the ball deep to a double teamed Carroo and was picked off for the third time. Penalties besieged their final possession of the third period, and Nova again turned the ball over while forcing it to Carroo to open the fourth. With a four point lead and 5:33 left on the clock, Rutgers kept throwing and gave the ball back to Penn State with 3 minutes and a chance to win it. After falling behind for the first time, Nova was unable to move the ball and then threw his fifth interception of the day because he --you guessed it!-- forced the ball to a double teamed Carroo.

Paul James only carried the ball six times in the second half, and that can not happen. They are a running football team and he is an outstanding back, put the ball in his hands 30 times! Especially when you are trying to drain the clock! Flood's post game comments indicated that he shied away from the run in the second half because of Penn State defensive tackle Anthony Zettel and while Zettel did have a monster game, you should not change your game plan out of fear! Run to the other side or cut block* him down to the ground, he can't make plays there. Nova was struggling and they decided to keep putting the ball in his hands. I just do not get it. The boxscore says they ran the same amount as they threw, but Nova scrambled or was sacked seven times. 61% of their play calls were passes.

*Cut blocks have a bad reputation, especially after those idiots at The Citadel admitted they were intentionally trying to injure Florida State players with them. but they are 100% legal and do not injure defenders if you are doing it correctly. Get Zettel down on the ground, run to the outside and let James do his thing. Jeez.

The defense was outstanding in this game and Joe Rossi deserves a ton of credit. This unit looked all out of sorts and undisciplined in the first two games, but they played vintage Rutgers defense all night, and held the high powered Penn State passing attack to just 13 points on the night. Rossi kept dialing up the blitz (I think they blitzed for the first time since 2012 in this game /sarcasm) and Penn State's offensive line was completely overwhelmed. Rutgers stayed in base personnel through out the evening against the Nittany Lions' mostly three wide sets, and were able to dominate the Lions up front to stop the run.

Penn state moved the ball to Rutgers 30 yard line on their first possession of the game, but Darius Hamilton was able to sneak into the back field to bring Bill Belton down for a two yard loss, leading to a third down incompletion and a punt. The crowd --which was great through out the contest-- forced Penn State to jump offsides on their second drive, leading to a three and out. Gareef Glashen and Dave Milewski met in the back field for a tackle behind the line on a 2nd and 1 run, and Quentin Gause and Djwany Mera combined to sack Christian Hackenberg and force another punt. The Nittany Lions were then given great field position following an interception late in the opening quarter, but a strong pass rush led by Hamilton forced a holding penalty and Hackenberg to throw a ball away and then scramble for a minimal gain. They had to settle for a 34 yard attempt from Sam Ficken, but Kemoko Turay showed off his vertical and blocked the kick. Early in the second quarter Nadir Barnwell stepped up to make a play against the run in the backfield and a blitzing Kevin Snyder sacked Hackenberg on third down,  thwarted Penn State's drive to force another punt. This one, however, was blocked by Leonte Carroo. Huge props to him for being willing to play special teams.

The Nittany Lions again punted after Hackenberg scrambled away from heavy third down pressure and ended the half with a kneel down. The Scarlet Knights had a 10-0 lead going into the locker room, but this felt a lot like the 2012 Louisville game where they dominated the first half, and lo and behold, they once again fell apart in the second half, despite the defense's best efforts.

Rutgers' defense continued to dominate early in the third quarter, forcing a punt the first time they took the field in the second half, before Lorenzo Waters picked Hackenberg off over the middle. But following another Nova interception, the defense started to bend a little bit, albeit it with out breaking. Hackenberg was finally able to move the ball down field, but the Lions once again had to settle for a field goal after Darius Hamilton sacked him twice in the redzone (Snyder got in there for half a sack too). Ficken actually made this attempt from 32 yards out to make it 10-3. The Knights blitzing finally backfired on the next Penn state drive when DaeSeasn Hamilton broke free for a 47 yard gain on third down. Turay was able to get a big pressure though, forcing the Lions to settle for another Ficken field goal. A Waters sack led in part to two more punts, and Rutgers was one stop away from winning the game. The defense came up big all night, but they were unable to do so one last time.

Hackenberg completed a 15 yard pass to Geno Lewis, but Gareef Glashen went for the strip instead of the tackle--a big no-no in this situation (KNOW THE SITUATION, YOU PRACTICE THIS STUFF!)-- and let Lewis escape for a big 53 yard gainer. Penn State appeared to score the go ahead touchdown on a pass to Jesse James, but Hamilton forced a hold and it was called back. James scoring would have been much easier to sallow than the eventual seven yard Big Time Football Bill Belton score, because that one play allowed him to talk shit despite a very poor game overall from him. The defense didn't get it done here, but they should have never been in this situation. The offense had to do more. The defense should hold its' head high and feel great after this one, despite not getting the ultimate result they desired.

Three players, one at all three levels, deserve special recognition for their performance. Hamilton ran ravage through a terrible Penn State line and was in the backfield all day recording sacks and forcing penalties. Kevin Snyder also did a great job inside against the run and was a monster on blitzes. Nadir Barnwell made a few big plays in the secondary as well, against both the run and the pass. It was quite a performance by the entire defense as a whole, but these three players were outstanding in particular.


Rutgers once again came up small on a big stage despite a dominant defensive performance because their offense made too many mistakes and was flat out was not good enough. Clock management and the odd (bad) decision to abandon the run game did not help either. It is getting extremely frustrating watching this program repeatedly fail when given big opportunities to take a step forward and gain some national respect for the same reasons over and over again. Not to go all Maddog on you, but ALL I WANT IS ONE BIG WIN!  IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR? ONE!? They will once again get the opportunity in a few weeks against a struggling Michigan team, after hopefully picking up the pieces of this one against Navy and Tulane. Beat a blue blood, make the Big 10 notice you.

Game 3: Penn State

This the moment Rutgers fans have been waiting for for years. The Scarlet Knights will make their Big 10 debut against the hated Penn State Nittany Lions in prime time, on national TV. The crowd will be rocking.

Penn Stae has a tough run defense, but Rutgers still has to ride Paul James. He's their best player. I would expect Tyler Kroft to get a lot of opportunites tonight as well against the Lions zone coverages.

On defense, Rutgers has to keep Penn State one dimensional. Get a pass rush from the front four and stop the run with seven. Force Hackenburg to make mistakes. Their line is inexperienced and crowd noise will be a factor.

Rutgers 34 Penn State 31

Rutgers Small Defensive Line Could Work in the Big 10

One of the narratives both locally and nationally heading into the Pinstripe Bowl was that playing Note Dame would be a "Big 10 preview" for Rutgers. While the Fighting Irish are not Big 10 members themselves, they play a very similar style of football as most teams in the conference, relying on their big offensive and defensive lines. Add in the fact that they are from the midwest, play a bunch of Big 10 teams every year and have a tendency to lose BCS games, you can see how this comparison works.

While Rutgers stayed competitive through out the contest against Notre Dame, they were some red flags raised about how they would hold up in the Big 10 next year. The Fighting Irish ran ravage over the Scarlet Knights defense in the second half behind future first round draft pick Zach Martin (who actually wrecked the 49ers too last Sunday) and the power run game. The easy conclusion to draw from that is Rutgers can not rely on small, speedy defensive lineman like they have in the past in the Big 10 moving forward. I do not agree with that assessment at all.

The reason Rutgers struggled to defend the run in the second half in that game in the Bronx was a matter of two things: lack of depth and their own inability to pick up first downs on offense to give the defense a breather. The depth concern was mostly due to a large number of injuries up front suffered through out the season, and as good as Dave Milewski is, he can not be a defensive tackle under any circumstance like he was in this game. He is just to small for that. The offense issues are well documented, but there is hope that they will improve there and that has nothing to do with the defense.

People focus too much on the negatives of having a small defensive line against bigger offensive lines, and ignore the positives. Rutgers' defensive lines are not only smaller, but a lot quicker than those massive offensive lines too. The Scarlet Knights have played a few teams over the years who adopt this big lineman philosophy and they have generally had a lot of success. The most notable example is obviously Eric Foster giving Louisville's big line a bunch of problems in that 2006 epic with his quickness, and they have consistently held the Cardinals' running game in check despite the size disadvantage over the years. They've also played well against Arkansas' big offensive lines the last two years. Remember that last year's Razorback staff had just migrated from Wisconsin of the Big 10 and had a very Big 10 mentality. Quickness can be just as dangerous, if not more so than size and power.

Sometimes you can have success when you change the status quo philosophically in a new conference. You don't have to go back that far, just look at Texas A&M in 2012. The Aggies came to the SEC from the Big 12 with their high tempo, wide open second generation air raid attack and tore the conference up, inducing the big bully on the block Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They of course had a ton of talent on the offensive line and at receiver and a Heisman winner at quarterback, but Kevin Sumlin and Kliff Kingsbury's scheme played just as big a part in their success. They even caused Nick Saban to publicly complain about up tempo offenses. Being at the other end of the philosophical spectrum from most of the teams in your conference seems scary in theory, but those other teams are often illequipped and maybe don't know how to handle your new and different style.

To make having an undersized defensive line work, you need great players, just like any other scheme in the history of football. Darius Hamilton was a five star recruit playing the three technique in high school, and Rutgers' scheme allowed him to have great freshman and sophomore years inside, when most people projected him at end. Defensive end Kemoko Turay is also considered undersized by normal standards, but he can be a dangerous speed rusher thanks to the Scarlet Knights embracing speed over size. Preferring a different type of player can work to your advantage in recruiting, since you are maybe not going head to head with the Michigans and Ohio States fort he top players you identify for your scheme.

Defensive line depth is important for everyone, but it's even more so when you are small up front. Since Rutgers is going to be a lot smaller and faster, they are going to need to sub liberally to stay fresh and continue to use their speed and quickness to their advantage thorough out the game. They will at minimum have to roll eight deep on the front four, and while they have eight quality lineman now, injuries could derail that. Recruiting at this position will be very important moving forward because of this. It also wouldn't hurt if they stopped moving every defensive lineman over 270 to guard.

Personally, I love Rutgers having small quick defensive lines. Being fast and attacking is the defensive identity Rutgers has had since Greg Schiano took over, and they have had a ton of success doing it over the years. You don't change who you are and what has made you successful just to fit into your new league. It's ok to be different sometimes, and I think Rutgers defensive line will perform well in Big 10 play, beginning tomorrow.

Opponent Preview: Penn State

"College football is at it's best when it's regional," you have no doubt heard a million times. Penn State is one of Rutgers' closest neighbors, and with any hope, will become one of their biggest rivals. Both fan bases seem to hate each other, both programs fight over many of the same recruits, and both teams appear to be pretty equal talent wise at the moment, with a lot of strengths and a few fatal flaws. A lot of ingredients for a rivalry are there, they just need to a bunch of competitive games against one another in order for it to be one.

The Scarlet Knights and Nittany Lions have played each other 24 times previously, and the series is not been pretty for Rutgers. They are just 2-22 all time against that team out west (the wins came in 1918 and 1988), but that's ancient history now. The teams last met in 1995 when the oldest players on both teams were just three years old. But Rutgers is going to have to win some games head to head in order to make this an actual rivalry.

The Lions So Far
Penn State is off to a 2-0 start with wins over UCF and Akron. They beat the Golden Knights 26-24 on a last second field goal in their season opener in Dublin, Ireland and they beat the Zips 21-3 in their home opener last week. They also received a boot off the field when their NCAA sanctioned post season ban lifted this week, making them eligible for a bowl game and the Big 10 Championship Game this year.

Coaching
First year head coach James Franklin is off to a 2-0 start in Happy Valley after leading a major turn around at his previous job at Vanderbilt. The East Stroudsburg, PA native lead the Commodores to 24-15 record and three bowl games in his three seasons in Nashville, finishing ranked twice and as you may have noticed, they are in pretty bad shape with out him. Franklin's background is on the offensive side of the ball, and he has NFL experience and was the offensive coordinator at Maryland under Rutgers offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen at Maryland.

Franklin has of course also been a pain in the ass for Rutgers on the recruiting trail, and he has thus far led up to his promise to dominate the region. At least off the field. I've seen a lot of people refer to Franklin as an elite coach in the same breath as Urban Meyer, but I don't think he is in the class yet, especially since Meyer has two national championships under his belt. Franklin may very well be on his way to being at that level, but he has more to prove it.

Offense
Offensive coordinator John Donovan followed Franklin from Vandy to State College, and he also coached under Friedgen at Maryland. Donovan and Franklin run a pro style offense for the most part, spending most of their time under center in traditional one and two back sets, but the Lions line up in shot gun quite a bit as well. Against Akron, Penn State's run game consisted mostly of man blocking, running mostly power and counter type plays with a few draws sprinkled in. Passing wise, they use play action often, utilizing a lot of pro style pass concepts (the levels concepts seemed to be their favorite) and keep defenses honest with bubble screens. They ran a number of packaged plays where the quarterback decides whether to give inside to the running back on an inside zone or to the receiver outside on the bubble too. And you have to play disciplined against them because they will break out a reverse or a half back pass against you.

The focal point of the Nittany Lions' offense is undoubtedly quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Hackenberg came to Penn State last year as a five star recruit and became the starter immediately. Under the tutelage of Bill O'Brien, he threw 20 TDs and 10 INTs while averaging 7.5 yards a pass and completing 59%  of his passes. Not bad for a true freshman. There aren't many quarterbacks in the country who have a better skill set, as he has a very strong arm, tremendous accuracy and great footwork and feel inside the pocket. He has to shoulder a heavy load this year and he knows it, running for his life quite often and forcing passes to well covered receivers. He makes big plays and has improved in year two, but he will turn the ball over.

Penn State's offensive line has been terrible in their first two games, to put it kindly. They generate absolutely no push in the run game (2.76 yards per attempt) and Hackensberg either has to move up in the pocket or run for his life every time he drops back. This is a very inexperienced group, as only left tackle Donovan Smith returns from last year's line, and they are missing starting left guard Miles Diffenbach who is out with a knee injury. Their line also features two starters from New Jersey (left guard Brandon Mahon and center Angelo Mangiro). This game against Rutgers will be the first true college road experience four of the five starters in this group have, the crowd noise could cause a lot of communication and snap count problems for them, so that's just another thing working against them.

At running back, Big Time Football Bill Belton, Akeel Lynch and Zach Zwinak share time. Zwinak is the power guy who will run up the middle, while Lynch and Belton are speedy backs who run mostly outside. Belton is a major threat in the passing game as well. At tight end, Penn State is with out former five star recruit Andrew Breneman, but Jesse James has stepped in nicely for him, recording two touchdown receptions in their first two games. Penn State lost arguably the best reciver they've ever had Allen Robinson to the NFL, but DaeSeasn Hamilton and Geno Lewis both have 14+ receptions and over 200 yards through two games this year. It's worth noting they both had more trouble getting open when they were pressed at the line.

Defense
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop also came over from Vanderbilt to Penn State with James Franklin. Shoop's defense aligns in a 4-3 front with two deep safeties, and he loves to bring the blitz. The Nittany Lions play mostly zone coverages with the two deep safeties, but they don't just sit in cover two, they mix it up quite a bit with some quarters coverage and cover 3 and cover 1 rober. The defensive front stunts a lot in passing situations, and they bring all kind of linebackers up the middle on blitzes on all downs.

Penn State is able to play with two deep safeties at all times because their front seven is very stout. Their defense ranks fourth nationally in rushing defense through two weeks, led by senior middle linebacker Mike Hull, who has 22 tackles this year after recording 78 a year ago. Hull is flanked by two relatively inexperienced outside linebackers, including Jersey native Brandon Bell. On the defensive line, Austin Johnson is a big space eater inside and his partner inside Anthony Zettel is a very quick three technique who has two sacks so far this year.

After struggling somewhat last season against the pass, Penn State has been in the middle of the pack nationally in terms of pass efficiency defense through two games. They have a lot of experience returning in their back four, with two seniors and two juniors starting. This is one of the biggest secondaries you will see, as all four starters are over 6'0'' and close to 200 lbs. It's worth noting that UCF had a lot more success passing in the second half after they made a change at quarterback.

Conclusion
Penn State has a star quarterback in Christian Hackberg and some dangerous passing weapons, but they can not run the ball and their poor offensive line play is something that can expose this unit. Make them one dimensional and force Hackenberg into some mistakes and you have a chance. Their defense is tough against the run, and are nasty with the blitzes, but they can be beat through the air. James Franklin is a very good coach, and this teams has some really strong areas to go along with their fatal flaws. This is a good team,but they are by no means unbeatable.