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Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Start Slow, Defeat Kent State 33-13
Penn State struggled a bit with kent State, but was able to start the 2016 with a win. The Nittany Lions recorded a 33-13 victory over the Golden Flashes. Unlike 2015, the Nittany Lions avoided a Week 1 upset.
Penn State’s offense struggled to get started in the first half and the defense had a hard time stopping a quick Kent State offense. After going down by a field goal early, the Nittany took the lead on a four-yard touchdown strike from Trace McSorley to Chris Godwin.
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Saquon Barkley scored on a seven-yard run to put Penn State up 13-6 before a Kent State recovery of a McSorley fumble went for a touchdown.
Up 16-13 to start the second half, the defense provided a huge play when cornerback Amani Oruwariye ignited the home crowd with a 30-yard pick-six. Penn State never looked back from there and added a second Tyler Davis fired goal and a 30-yard touchdown from McSorley to Mike Gesicki.
Perhaps the biggest positive to take away from the game is the fact that the special teams showed much improvement from last year. True freshman punter Blake Gillikin averaged 47 yards on his six punts and did a great job flipping field position.
Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s new offense definitely showed some potential, but it sputtered at times, particularly in the red zone. It was fast-paced and aggressive, often throwing the ball deep down the field. The decision to go for two points after the first touchdown certainly had fans scratching their heads, but the aggressiveness is something that hasn’t been seen out of the Nittany Lions over the past few seasons.
McSorley finished the game 16-31 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 47 yards on the ground.
The defense showed some weakness, allowing the Golden Flashes to move down the field, particularly in the first half. However, the unit dug in when it needed to and kept Kent State out of the end zone. Linebacker Jason Cabinda led the way with 11 tackles. Fellow linebacker Brandon Bell added eight total tackles.
Penn State ended the game with seven team sacks, led by 1.5 from both Shareef Miller and Antoine White.
In the end, it was a victory for the Nittany Lions. However, there are clearly some things to work on for next week’s tough matchup at Pittsburgh. That game will kick off at noon.
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