Review: No. 8 Penn State 31, Akron 7

Some Big Ten teams struggled on opening day while other cruised. Luckily for Penn State fans, the Nittany Lions put together an impressive first half to crush the visiting Akron Zips, 31-7 Saturday afternoon.

In today's game review, we'll break down Penn State's unit by unit performance.

Offense

• Offensive Line: The pass protection was superb; really, beyond what I expected going into this game. QB Daryll Clark had plenty of time to sit back in the pocket, even when Akron brought in its blitz packages.

However, it was obvious that the Zips sold out the entire game to stop the run. So, take Penn State's pass attack with a grain of salt. Even Joe Paterno said after the game that with Akron designing its defense this week to stop the run, the holes weren't quite there up front.

Stats: 4.5 yards per rush; Sack (-5) allowed

• Receivers: It's tough to gauge how good this unit will be down the road, but it's a safe bet that the receivers will go from a liability during the preseason to a strength by mid-year. As Akron focused on the run, Penn State's receivers were able to get open against a soft secondary and man coverages.

There were a few drops, but even the most experienced receivers will miss a few here and there. Derek Moye (6/138, TD) led the group in yards, while Chaz Powell (7/65, TD) led in receptions. All three statistical leaders caught touchdown passes, with Graham Zug's (5/62, TD) catch in traffic in the end zone was impressive.

I would have liked to see more passes to the tight ends, since both Mikey Shuler (1/8) and Andrew Quarless (1/12) are dangerous weapons.

Stats: 24 receptions, 300 yards, 3 touchdowns

• Running Backs: Akron picked its poison Saturday, putting everything into stopping the run. It worked to some extent. Evan Royster (14/61, TD) had little running room all day, but didn't lose yardage on any attempt. While Royster's performance wasn't dominating, he did his job.

What was more disconcerting was the performance by everyone else. The longest run of the day was a 37-yard jaunt by safety Andrew Dailey on a fake punt to the up back. Stephfon Green (7/17) couldn't get anything going beyond an early nine-yard run; the longest run beyond the fake punt was a scramble by backup QB Kevin Newsome (2/14) in the waning moments of the game.

This unit should be fine, despite the mediocre numbers in the opener.

Stats: (RB/QB only) 28 attempts, 92 yards, Touchdown

• Quarterbacks: Clark's (29-40/353, 3/1) interception came on a juggled reception by Powell. However, even with career-highs on the stat sheet, Clark had some problems making accurate reads. He threw into double and triple coverage more than a few times. But that's just being picky.

True frosh Kevin Newsome wasn't given nearly as much playing time as I thought. He was inserted into the game late in the fourth quarter, completing three of four for 26 yards. One pass to true frosh Curtis Drake was dropped; so, Newsome could've been perfect.

Stats: 32-44, 379 yards, 3 touchdowns, Sack

Defense

• Defensive Line: Dominant. Period. Against an Akron offensive line that returned 4/5 starters from last season, Penn State's defensive front wall camped out in the Zips' backfield all game long. DT Jared Odrick nearly intercepted a hand off in the first half, and was key in three of the line's four sacks. Ollie Ogbu (6 tkl, 2.5 TFL) led all defenders in tackles for loss.

The new defensive ends -- Jack Crawford (2 TFL, Sack), Jerome Hayes (1.5 TFL), Kevion Latham (0.5 TFL, 0.5 Sack), Eric Latimore (TFL, Sack) -- put together an impressive performance, eerily resembling one of last year's all-America ends.

Stats: 0.9 yards per rush allowed; 20 tackles, 9.5 TFL (-35), 3 sacks (-14)

• Linebackers: Navorro Bowman (0 stats) left the game when he re-aggravated a groin injury. He could be kept out of action, since he essentially won't be necessary until the Iowa game. Sophomore Nate Stupar (12 tkl, TFL, Sack) stepped in for Bowman, and ended the day as Penn State's leading tackler.

It was good to see All-American Sean Lee (7 tkl, 2 TFL) return to the field. He was all over the field, and was a force early on. Josh Hull (4 tkl, 0.5 TFL, PBU), much maligned by fans, played a solid game in the middle.

I would have liked to see more of the backups get meaningful playing time. It is tough to evaluate the younger guys when they're only in for five plays.

Stats: 23 tackles, 3.5 TFL (-6), Sack (-1)

• Defensive Backfield: National perception this offseason pegged Penn State's defensive secondary as the weakest link for 2009. Against an experienced offensive line, experienced receivers, and a very good quarterback, this unit performed relatively better than any other for the Nittany Lions. Akron QB Chris Jacquemain completed just over 50 percent of his passes for less than 200 yards and an interception.

The great Penn State pass rush was integral in the secondary's performance, but it was only part of the story. Senior AJ Wallace (tkl, 2 PBU), who was suspended from starting until further notice for academic issues earlier this summer, nearly picked off a pass, part of a good day overall for the unit. Sophomore D'Anton Lynn (PBU), starting in Wallace's place, didn't log any tackles, but did play very well in his first career start. Knowledge Timmons (3 tkl) led the secondary in stops.

(Something of note: Starting safety Nick Sukay has apparently changed his number to #9. He was listed on the most current roster and game notes as #10.)

Stats: 9 tackles, 3 PBU, Interception

Special Teams

• Kicking/Punting: Colin Wagner (1-3, long 29) didn't start off the way many fans had hoped, missing a 28-yarder in his first attempt. But Wagner did well enough, launching deep kickoffs all day. His other miss was from 49 yards out. Chalk up the first miss to nerves.

Jeremy Boone (43.0 ypp) only punted twice, but kept Akron pinned deep on both boots.

Andrew Dailey and the punt unit perfectly executed a fake punt, when Dailey gained 37 yards on the run.

• Returns/Coverage: I know I wasn't the only one surprised by true frosh Devon Smith back returning kickoffs. Linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden is in charge of the return units, and pressed Joe Paterno for Smith to get back on returns. He's apparently working on getting Smith in for Royster on punt returns.

There wasn't a lot to be impressed by from this unit. Smith returned both kickoffs, but nothing long.

• Overall: Penn State beat Akron impressively enough. The second half was slow going for the offense (zero points), but even Joe Paterno said that's what you get with inexperienced players who think the game is over.

I was surprised when Paterno said post-game that he wanted to throw the ball even more than Penn State did (44 att), but was overruled by the offensive staff who wanted to run more. Go figure, Joe wanted to pass more.

A lot of questions were answered in this game, as the units perceived as the weakest going in, performed above all expectations. Syracuse gave Minnesota a tough game this weekend (23-20 overtime UM win), which means it might not be the cakewalk Penn State expects. But this team showed a great deal of ability to adjust to its opponent. I anticipate this team improving each week and taking full advantage of the lower-level competition the next few weeks.

• Official Stats, via GoPSUSports.com:

Full Box Score

Post Game Quotes

Post Game Notes