The major question that surrounded the Penn State football program this offseason was who would start at Quarterback. If Saturday’s game versus Youngstown State was any indication, there is an emphatic answer. True freshman Robert Bolden calmly led the Nittany Lions past Youngstown State 44-14. Bolden completed 20-29 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns to senior captain Brett Brackett. Penn State overcame a relatively slow start in which they trailed 7-6 late in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions closed the first half strong with a 20 yard touchdown pass from Bolden to Brackett and 48 yard Collin Wagner field goal as time expired. Chaz Powell then returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown which effectively put the game away for the Nits.
First Game Observations:
1. The Penn State running game struggled for much of the day. Either Evan Royster looked slow and tentative or the Offensive Line wasn’t opening holes. This must be fixed before the Lions head to Tuscaloosa next week.
2. The Special Teams was special? The special teams have long been one of the week spots for recent Penn State squads. That was not the case on Saturday. Collin Wagner’s three field goals (each was longer than 40 yards), Chaz Powell’s kickoff return for a touchdown, and the coverage units highlighted this effort.
3. The Penn State Defense was solid but not spectacular. Tom Bradley’s unit generally played a solid game but allowing 14 points to a Division IAA team is very rare for the Nittany Lions. One potential problem could be the safety play of Nick Sukay and Drew Astorino. On Youngstown State’s first touchdown, Dominique Barnes took a quick screen pass and blew past the two safeties. Star Alabama receiver Julio Jones must be licking his chops after watching film of Barnes on Saturday.
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