Two teams coming off decisive victories face off in Week 2 as No. 2 Penn State football plays host to FIU. These are two teams on different sides of the FBS spectrum. As Florida International looks to become a bowl game contender once again, Penn State football has National Title aspirations. While the game should be lopsided, there are still bold predictions to be made.
FIU opened the season in Week 1 against Bethune-Cookman. BCU drove the field on the first drive but settled for a field goal. FIU struck back with a vengeance. The Panthers scored touchdowns on each of its first four drives of the game, building a massive lead. FIU did not punt until there were just 54 seconds left in the first half. They went on to win 42-9, not allowing Bethune-Cookman to find the end zone once.
Meanwhile, Penn State was just as dominant in Week 1. The Nittany Lions forced two early turnovers and scored on all five of their first-half drives in a 46-11 win over Nevada. The team found the end zone three times while putting the ball through the uprights twice.
Furthermore, Penn State did not punt in the game. Only two drives ended without a point. The first was with 1:54 left in the game, when they went for it on fourth down at the 50 with backups in and failed. The other was the final play of the game, when the Nittany Lions took a knee to seal the victory.
Penn State's run game plays a bigger role
Penn State gained 438 yards of offense in Week 1 against Nevada. Still, the team had just 135 yards on the ground and averaged just 3.8 yards per rush attempt. The running game was not a focus for the Nittany Lions in Week 1 even as the backups came in. Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer was still throwing the ball in the second half, completing seven of nine passes for 86 yards.
This is surprising considering Penn State has some of the best running backs in the Big Ten, if not the nation. The offensive line is also one of the tops in the nation. Kaytron Allen ran the ball just eight times against Nevada, going for 43 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Nicholas Singleton ran eight times as well but for just 19 yards. He did score twice, though. The longest run of the day was by Trebor Pena, a wide receiver, but that was for just 13 yards.
The Penn State running backs should find more room to run in this game. While Bethune-Cookman had to rely on the pass more, being down much of the game, the offense still had some solid running stats. Marqui Johnson ran the ball just nine times but went for 76 yards.
Meanwhile, Ali Scott Jr. ran five times for 29 yards. Expect Allen to receive plenty of carries early in the game and potentially break off a longer run. Singleton will get some carries as well while continuing to be a receiving threat out of the backfield. The duo will be running for more than 135 yards this week, and Allen will be a major part of that.
The Nittany Lions find some explosive plays
The longest play from scrimmage in Week 1 for Penn State was a 31-yard pass from quarterback Drew Allar to Kyron Hudson. Head coach James Franklin wants more explosive plays this week, and they will be found.
To begin with, Penn State was more conservative against Nevada. While Nevada does not have a stellar defense, Penn State decided to keep it close to the vest in this warmup game as they prepare for No. 6 Oregon in Week 4. With Franklin noting he wants to see more explosive plays, there could be more deep shots in this one.
Secondly, FIU is not great on defense. FIU is under new head coach Willie Simmons, and he is still rebuilding the roster. The team is also ranked 106th in the nation in defensive SP+ according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. Bethune-Cookman also had some big plays against FIU in Week 1. Marqui Johnson had a 23-yard run while Ali Scott Jr. had a 19-yarder, both longer than the runs for Penn State in Week 1.
Meanwhile, Javon Ross brought in a 59-yard reception, while Lorenzo Jenkins also had a 28-yard reception. The Wildcats had multiple big plays and are not nearly the level of offense of Penn State. Expect Drew Allar to take some deep shots while the running backs make some big plays as well.
FIU keeps it close early
Nevada had a chance to score early in their Week 1 contest with Penn State. After starting the first drive on their own 25-yard line, the offense drove the ball to the Penn State 41. The next play, Ky Woods took a carry 10 yards to the 31-yard line but fumbled, and it was recovered by the Nittany Lions. After throwing an interception on the next play from scrimmage, it took some time for the offense to get back working, but the Wolf Pack did manage a first-half field goal.
Meanwhile, FIU has a solid offense and was dominant in the early part of its game. The Panthers scored touchdowns on each of the first four drives, and they were not on short fields. It was drives of 67, 89, 75, and 70 yards that all led to touchdowns. Quarterback Keyone Jenins played well early on, and the run game kept the ball moving. The offense is facing a much tougher defense in this one, but it will still find the end zone in the first half.
The point spread provided by FanDuel, have Penn State favored in the first quarter by 10.5 points while also having the FIU team total at just 6.5 points. With how well FIU played early plus how Nevada moved the ball in the first drive, expect FIU to cover both of those marks, scoring early in this game before the talent difference fully sets in.
