Penn State gets back to Happy Valley this weekend with a primetime date against Minnesota, and the matchup has the feel of a tight one. The Nittany Lions are favored in the battle for the Governor’s Victory Bell, but the Gophers have already shown they can make things uncomfortable for good teams this season.
That’s the backdrop for a game that should stay close into the fourth quarter. Minnesota has been one of those tricky teams that can drag opponents into a fight, as shown by how it pushed Indiana and UCLA to the wire.
At the same time, the Gophers also turned in a rough outing against Purdue, which is part of what makes them such a hard team to pin down. Penn State, meanwhile, can’t afford a repeat of the second-half fade it had last week against Washington.
Kevin McGuire sees Chase Sowell as the difference in a hard-earned Penn State win. His player of the game pick is Chase Sowell, Penn State wide receiver.
Paul White expects the toughest game left on Penn State’s schedule to be competitive from start to finish. He’s calling for the Nittany Lions to survive a close one, and he’d like it to be a little less stressful than last week’s finish.
Final score prediction: Penn State 31, Minnesota 28
His player of the game pick is Topny Rojas, Penn State linebacker.
Christopher Sheppard frames this as a defensive game, with both teams dealing with offensive lulls. He gives Penn State the edge because he trusts the Nittany Lions a little more against Drake Lindsey, who has struggled mightily of late. Sheppard expects Tony Rojas to come up with key plays in what could be one of the final games of his college career.
In Other News...
Penn State Faces A Bigger Concern Than One Encouraging Injury Update
Penn State got a useful bit of news on the injury front this week when offensive lineman Malachi Goodman was upgraded to probable for Saturdays game against Minnesota at Beaver Stadium. In a season where availability has mattered as much as anything else, getting another body closer to full strength on the offensive line is the kind of update the Nittany Lions can use, especially with the conference schedule tightening and every snap carrying a little more weight.
Still, the larger concern is the overall shape of the availability report, which leaves wide receiver Koby Howard officially out and puts three defenders Jahmir Joseph, Jeremiah Cooper and Caleb Bacon in the questionable column. Five players are already ruled out, including Howard and four defensive players, so even with Goodman trending in the right direction, Penn State is still staring at a depth test on both sides of the ball heading into a game that could demand clean execution from the first series on. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Win Still Exposed A Problem Mike Rhoades Cant Ignore
Penn State left the Bryce Jordan Center with a 72-57 win over Mercyhurst and a 3-1 record, but the mood afterward was anything but celebratory. Mike Rhoades made it clear the Nittany Lions were not close to where they need to be, pointing to a lackluster performance that still left plenty of room for concern before Big Ten play begins.
Ivan Juri continued to be the bright spot, posting his fourth straight double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Even with that kind of production, Penn State could not fully separate itself from a Mercyhurst team led by Jake Lemelmans 20 points, a reminder that the early-season margin for error is already shrinking for Rhoades and his group. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Still Has A Koby Howard Problem It Can't Solve
Koby Howards absence has become one of those quiet issues that keeps hanging around Penn State even as the season moves on. The receiver has now missed six straight games because of injury, and coach Matt Campbell said his recovery is currently paused, leaving the Nittany Lions without a player who had been trending toward a strong season before he went down.
Even with Howard ruled out again for the upcoming game against Minnesota, he has still found a way to stay involved. He has taken on a leadership role off the field, working with younger receivers and trying to help from the sideline while the team waits for clarity on when, or if, he can get back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]