Penn State-Villanova Matchups: What to expect from the Lions, Wildcats

Penn State coach James Franklin spent part of his Tuesday news conference rattling off the list of FCS teams who have recently beat FBS foes. He did it for a reason: To drive home the point that his Nittany Lions are not taking Villanova lightly.

The Wildcats are 3-0 to start the season, and a few players jump off the page when reviewing the stat sheet. Yet, it goes without saying that head coach Mark Ferrante's side will be at a major talent disadvantage when the two sides meet at Beaver Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set for Noon on BTN.

Most weeks, we'll break down the matchups to watch. This week, we'll do that some but also take a closer look at some Wildcats to know.

Penn State has another opportunity to finetune its attack before the full Big Ten schedule arrives in October and November.

What do you want to see from Mike Yurcich and co.?

I'd like to see a dominant effort in the running game. The Nittany Lions have struggled to ground and pound consistently throughout a perfect start, but, with all due respect to the WIldcats, there is simply no reason why Penn State shouldn't be able to get as much push as it wants for Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee, and John Lovett, among others, to run wild. Doing so would provide a nice boost of confidence ahead of a visit from Indiana and also a trip to Iowa in two weeks.

Linebacker Forrest Rhyne is Villanova's leading tackler, as he's made 13 stops so far in addition to a tackle for loss. Seven different Wildcats have a sack, but none have more than one, and end Malik Fisher has the best nose for the backfield so far with four tackles for loss already. Finally, corner Christian Benford has four of VU's six interceptions through three games, so the Lions will probably try and avoid looking his way on Saturday, and it'll be fun to watch him and Jahan Dotson matchup all game long. Penn State's tight ends should feast, too.

Ultimately, the Nittany Lions should be able to build an early lead and get backup quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson plenty of work, which, frankly, is probably the thing I'm most looking forward to seeing on Saturday.

EDGE: PENN STATE

The Nittany Lions' defense has been flat-out nasty through three weeks. Brent Pry's group is really fun to watch. They hit hard, play fast and aggressively, and don't make a lot of mistakes.

Justin Covington is the lead Villanova back they'll have to deal with on Saturday. He's averaging seven yards a carry and has 307 total to go with a pair of touchdowns. This is a balanced offense that leads slightly toward the run as opposed to the pass, but they aren't afraid to let quarterback Daniel Smith chuck it around, either. He's completed 64.29 percent of his passes in 2021 to go along with an 8-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Jaaron Hayek and Dez Boykin have been his top-two targets so far, as they've caught 13 and 10 passes and scored three and two touchdowns, respectively. Then, there is receiver Rayjoun Pringle, who has turned three of his six catches into scores. Assuming Villanova finds limited success against Penn State's front seven, the strength of its defense, the secondary, will have to be up to the task of containing this group, and we're thinking it's safe to assume that they will be.

Like above, we're hoping to see some backups get lots of run. I especially want to watch more of the deeper defensive tackles play a good bit, and wouldn't mind seeing more of what Jaylen Reed, Jamari Buddin, and Kobe King can do, too, with expanded opportunities.

EDGE: PENN STATE

--Villanova has used three different field goal kickers this year, and the group is 8-for-9. The leader of it appears to be Cole Buncy.

--The Wildcats have already given up one touchdown on a kick return this year. Will Keyvone Lee or Devyn Ford shine in that role this weekend?

--Ferrante is a Villanova football institution, at this point. He's been on the staff for 35 years and is now in his fifth season as the head coach.

Penn State is a little more than a four touchdown favorite in this one, and with good reason: Villanova might be a good FCS side with playoff hopes at that level this year, but the Nittany Lions should have no problem cruising to victory on Saturday.

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