After winning on the road against West Virginia to open their season, No. 8 Penn State will have their first home game this week against the Falcons. Let’s take a look at the series history and some key players on both sides for Saturday’s game.
Penn State vs. Bowling Green Matchup History
This will be the third meeting all-time between Penn State and Bowling Green and the first game since 1998. Penn State is 2-0 all time against the Falcons, winning 45-19 in 1987 and 48-3 in the 1998 season.
Key Players for Penn State
Quarterback Drew Allar got off to a strong start this season, going 11-for-17 for 216 yards and three touchdowns against West Virginia. He added 44 rushing yards on eight attempts. He’ll look to keep his season pointing up with a strong performance in Saturday’s home opener.
Running back Nick Singleton picked up right where he left off last season, rushing for 114 yards on just 13 carries (8.8 yards per attempt) and a touchdown Saturday. With Penn State expanding their passing offense, opposing defenses will have a tough time loading the box against Singleton.
Allar spread the ball around to his wide receivers Saturday, but his favorite on the day ended up being Harrison Wallace III. The junior caught five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, more than double any other Nittany Lion wide receiver in Week 1.
Safety Kevin Winston Jr. showed why he is one of the leaders defensively this season, recording a team-high 12 tackles against the Mountaineers. Fellow safety Jaylen Reed had a coming out party Saturday with nine tackles and two passes defended plus a tackle for a loss.
Key Players for Bowling Green
Quarterback Connor Bazelak, the former Indiana Hoosier and Missouri Tiger, threw for 168 yards on 15-of-22 passing in Bowling Green’s 41-17 Week 1 win over Fordham. Bazelak also ran for a touchdown in the win.
The Falcons have an electric running back in Terion Stewart. He ran for 161 yards on 14 carries (11.5 yards per attempt) against Fordham, scoring three of Bowling Green’s five rushing touchdowns on the day. Stewart had 762 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the 2023 season.
Harold Fannin Jr. led the way in the receiving category with 67 yards on six catches against Fordham. Meanwhile, Jamal Johnson added 54 yards on four catches.
On defense, defensive lineman Anthony Hawkins had a strong day against Fordham, recording seven tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss.
Special teams can also be dangerous for the Falcons. Justin Pegues had a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown against Fordham and can also return punts.
Penn State’s Blueprint for Victory
Slow down Stewart
Penn State held West Virginia to just 85 yards on 37 rushing attempts. They’ll see a very nice back in Terion Stewart. However, they also saw a strong pairing in CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jaheim White in Week 1, and held them to 75 yards on 20 carries. They’ll be looking for a similar result Saturday against Stewart and the Falcons.
Keep their own rushing attack strong
Singleton had over 100 yards against West Virginia. Penn State would love to get Kaytron Allen going as well. He had just 20 yards on 10 carries in Week 1. Bowling Green allowed a 100-yard rusher in Week 1; Fordham’s Julius Loughridge ran for 112 yards on 16 carries as the Rams rushed for almost 200 yards as a team. There’s no reason Penn State can’t have a similar result.
Continue their offensive rhythm
New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki had a strong debut with the Nittany Lions. He now gets a chance to showcase his offense in front of the Happy Valley crowd. Penn State had 457 yards of offense against what should be a good West Virginia defense on Saturday’s game. They have to chance to really get rolling on offense and find their groove before hitting the meat and potatoes of their schedule.
