5 Storylines to Watch as Penn State Takes on Delaware

Penn State is looking to go 2-0 on the year as the Nittany Lions get set to face Delaware for a noon kick on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. This might not be the most interesting game of the year, but it does present another opportunity for Penn State to get just a bit better before heading on the road for a Big Ten opening contest against Illinois. Every game is a chance to get better and here are five storylines to follow if you make the jump to Peacock to watch the game.

Tight End Introduction: There’s no particular reason to think that tight ends Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren won’t be part of Penn State’s offensive plan in 2023 just because they didn’t record a catch last weekend. That said, if there was ever a time to get their feet wet before the start of Big Ten play this Saturday is certainly a good time to do so. Both have proven to be capable catching the ball but both will have to prove themselves when it comes to matching the reliability of former Nittany Lion Brenton Strange in the passing game. The good news, even if they aren’t featured quite as much catching the ball, this duo is among the best has had in recent years when it comes to blocking.

Do It Again: The word consistency has been key for Penn State all off season and being able to go from one solid performance to the next is crucial to getting to where this team wants to go. Delaware is probably the second-least challenge team on Penn State’s schedule behind UMass but catching passes, making good throws and solid tackling form are all consistency challenges no matter who the opponent is. This doesn’t mean KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Trey Wallace have to put up gaudy numbers yet again, but not feeling like they – or anyone – took a step backwards is key. Penn State can probably win with its C game, but can it bring its A game?

Tough Inside: For all the things that West Virginia was not particularly good at the Mountaineers did boast a robust and competent offensive front. This subsequently exposed an ongoing concern that Penn State’s interior defensive line isn’t quite where it needs to be against the likes Ohio State and Michigan – or really any Big Ten team with a solid run game. Injuries and opening game woes might have contributed to this somewhat, but Penn State stopping the run this week would be a good step in the right direction. Delaware isn’t likely to pose the same kind of threat as WVU on the ground, but good reps are good reps. Also look for Abdul Carter to make his debut after doing not much at all last weekend.

Kicking It: Not much of a mystery that Penn State has a kicking issue on its hands but a game that should go by without too much dramatics could be a good opportunity to kick some field goals. Wouldn’t be a huge shock if Penn State rolls out more than one kicker to get everyone some game reps, and wouldn’t be a huge shock if Penn State has a less aggressive stance on fourth downs to get these guys some in-game reps. As an aside Penn State could use more consistency in the punting game as well, but time will tell how often the Nittany Lions are going to need to punt in this one in the first place.

Explosive: Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen had a perfectly fine opening week of the season but the big explosive run never came. James Franklin says they believe that run was there to be had on a few occasions but didn’t quite materialize. There’s no real question that Singleton in particular can take a ball 100-yards given the right blocking, but creating a few of those plays this weekend would be a good box to check off early in the year. Rest assured Delaware won’t be the toughest defensive unit this duo sees all year but good long runs are good long runs.