College Football

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Penn State- Wisconsin: 3 Keys to a Big 10 Title

Hello all. In case any of you are wondering, I will not be going into detail about Penn State and the College Football Playoff. I have decided to be like James Franklin and only focus on what is straight ahead, which is the Wisconsin Badgers. Here are 3 things Penn State can do to beat the Badgers and go to the playoff or Rose Bowl

Key #1: Stop the run
The Wisconsin Badgers are not a good passing team. I think the fact that they have juggled between two quarterbacks (Alex Hornibrook and Bart Houston) proves that. However, the Badgers do have a decent running game. Corey Clement is a workhoarse, and he is the leader of the Badgers offense, with 1,140 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Another thing the Badgers do very well are jet sweeps, as receiver Jazz Peavy is one of the biggest weapons in the Big 10. Dare Ogunbowale and Bradrick Shaw are also weapons that Paul Chryst will use on Saturday night.

Penn State's defensive line has, for the most part, done a solid job at stopping the run, and although I expect the Badgers to get their fair share of yards, I also expect the Nittany Lions to hold their own.

Odds of Execution: Fair

Key #2: Contain T.J. Watt
He'll probably always be the second best player in his family, but T.J., brother of J.J., is a beast in his right. The Junior linebacker is one of the best defensive players in the country, and he can change the game with one play. The Nittany Lions must keep Watt from wrecking the whole damn night, because he is capable of doing just that.

Odds of Exeuction: Solid 

Key #3: Trace McSorley
Just Trace Mcsorley. While many see Saquon Barkley as the most important man in the Penn State offense, nobody has more pressure on them than the quarterback. McSorley has played in some big games, in this his first season as a colligiate starter, but nothing close to what will go down in Indy on Saturday Night.

The two questions that I have about McSorley are;
1. Can he handle the moment?
2. Can he throw the football?
I have no doubts that McSorley can handle the moment, as he is not the type of kid to get rattled. However, I am concerned about the strength of Wisconsin's defense. The Badgers have one of the best units in college football, and it's probably the biggest challange Penn State's offense has faced since the Michigan game.

Although there is reason for doubt, this team knows how to find a way, and I believe Trace McSorley will find a way.

Final Prediction
It will be a tough, low-scoring game, but I believe that Penn State is the more balanced team. The Nittany Lion offense is a machine, and I think if they can score 21 points against this tough Badger defense, they will win the game. I just don't think Wisconsin's offense will be productive enough to get them over the hump, which is so rare to say about a Paul Chryst coached team.

Penn State will win. This is our moment. This is for Nittany Nation. These will be the Big 10 Champs. Get ready to smell to roses (or face Alabama).

Penn State 21, Wisconsin 17.


No comments:

Post a Comment