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Yes, after one game I’m ready to believe Penn State is a legitimate B1G contender
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Big Ten Network analyst Glen Mason probably summed Penn State’s performance up best following beat down over Idaho to open the season. His statement was simple, but right on point.
“They played great defense,” Mason said. “We knew they were going to be good defensively, I knew they were going to be good defensively, I didn’t know they were going to be this good right out of the block.”
Mason was simply talking about the defense, but those comments could’ve been applied to the offense just as easily. After being forced to settle for a pair of field goals on their first two drives of the game, Penn State turned into a runaway train, plowing over every Vandal that stood in its way.
And when the Nittany Lions weren’t running over defenders, they were running past them.
Journey Brown scored the first touchdown on a 23-yard run in the first quarter. KJ Hamler got past Idaho defenders on a 36-yard pass from Sean Clifford in the second quarter. He had another 21-yard touchdown catch a few minutes later. Devyn Ford ripped off an 81-yard scoring run, torching everyone on the field.
There was a point in time when I took my glasses off, sprayed them with a little solution, dried them off and refocused on my vision, because I was sure Trace McSorley won some sort of NCAA appeal to get a fifth season of eligibility. Nope, it was Sean Clifford, showing off his dual-threat ability throughout the first half. He finished by completing 14-of-23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns while adding 57 yards on seven carries — second-highest total for the game.
In 60 minutes of football, Penn State scored 79 points.
As for the defense that Mason was talking about? That was pretty good, too. Idaho gained just four rushing yards and picked up a grand total of five first downs. Yetur Gross-Matos accounted for 2.5 of Penn State’s seven team sacks and John Reid nabbed the only interception. Somehow, the Vandals crossed the goal line, bringing the final score to 79-7.
Speed everywhere. Talent everywhere. Depth everywhere. I finally saw what James Franklin was talking about when said this might be the fastest team he’s ever had. After watching this team, I agree that he might have the best defensive line in the B1G — if not the country.
To take it a step further, I’m on board with the notion that this is Franklin’s most talented squad in his six-year tenure in State College.
It feels weird saying that about a team that doesn’t have McSorley, Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Jason Cabinda, Shareef Miller or Nick Scott. There are probably at least a half dozen other players I could mention.
But I can’t remember a Penn State team with this much speed at every position. There’s certainly not been this many quality athletes in the running back room before. The receiving corps might be the biggest question mark, and even that group has names like Hamler, Justin Shorter and Weston Carr. Oh, and did we mention sophomore tight end Pat Freiermuth is one of the best in the conference?
Clifford completed the puzzle. He lived up to a promise he made to his teammates in the offseason, saying there wouldn’t be a decline in the quarterback position. There certainly wasn’t, at least after the first game.
No, Idaho doesn’t exactly challenge Penn State’s size, speed and athleticism. Yes, it’s incredibly difficult to judge a team by how it performs in the first week of the season against an FCS opponent. Bigger tests are still awaiting. But when you score 79 points in the first game of the season, though, it sends a strong message to the rest of the college football world: Penn State is very much a contender in the B1G East.
The Nittany Lions got off to a fast on Saturday. Don’t expect them to slow down, either.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB