Penn State-Villanova storylines, recruiting notes, more: 5th quarter

Penn State closes out its 2021 college football non-conference slate with a visit from Villanova on Saturday.

The Wildcats might be better than most realize, as they are considered a top-15 FCS squad by every poll, and one even has them slotted at No. 7.

That said, head coach Mark Ferrante's team is an enormous underdog for a reason: The Nittany Lions simply have supreme talent edges all over the field.

In this week's 5th quarter, we have notes on storylines that shaped the week, recruiting, and more. Away we go.

Some fans will find a way to fret over this matchup after a perfect 3-0 start that was filled with difficult foes, but all you need to know is that most sportsbooks don't even have a line on this game yet. And, the one that does, Barstool Sportsbook, has the home team as a 30.5-point favorite with a total of 54.5, which suggests a roughly 44-11 Penn State victory.

Many things have been said about these teams and their players in the buildup to kickoff. Here's what has stood out:

--Is there any reason to worry about this game? Villanoa does have some nice players for their level, such as quarterback Daniel Smith, back Justin Covington, a fine group of receivers, linebackers Forrest Rhyne and Amin Black on defense, and corner Christian Benford, who already has four interceptions. Ultimately, though, the Nittany Lions should have their way at the line of scrimmage, and that should take care of this one.

--In that vein, one of the most-asked questions from fans this week focuses on when the backups will get in, namely quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson. It's impossible to predict, of course, but if things go as planned, you'd assume that many on offense would be in late in the third and for all of the fourth while the defense can probably start rotating much sooner to get the veterans who have taken a lot of snaps during the first three weeks plenty of rest.

--Back John Lovett saw his first game action against Auburn and thrived. We should expect to see more of him Saturday, even if we still don't know and won't know why he sat out the first two games of the season. He could get his first shot at returning kicks in blue and white, as well, though those opportunities figure to be limited assuming Villanova rarely finds the end zone if at all.

This space is a firm believer that as long as Franklin is roaming the sideline in State College, trap games and letdown spots are not something to worry about. Opposing fans and even members of Nittany Nation can chide the '1-0' approach, but its effectiveness is no longer in question. It works and helps avoid sluggish performances.

No matter, bringing the energy early is still a key to victory, mostly because it will possible ensure future victories by getting backups as many real game reps as possible in case they are needed down the road while also helping the starters be fresh for two more games, at home against Indiana and a road trip to Iowa, prior to the bye week.

We'll list all the normal things -- more explosive plays and fewer turnovers and penalties than the opponent, and otherwise not belabor the point here. Get in, get out, and stay healthy is the name of this game on Saturday.

Before we get into what to expect for this weekend, let's take one final look back at the White Out game recruiting crowd plus new news of note.

First, on the Auburn game, was it the largest the Lions have ever hosted?

James Franklin wasn't sure on Tuesday, but it is certainly in the ballpark. The sideline was packed during pregame warmups, and prospects and their families were seemingly endlessly strolling out of the Beaver Stadium south end zone tunnel prior to kickoff.

"I thought we did a tremendous job with not only the number of recruits that we had on campus, but high-end priority recruits, I thought we did a great job of getting them here," Franklin said. "It's really important to see it, because I do think it's a differentiator for us, our game day environment.

"Our pregame from week one to week two was really strong, and I thought the energy in the stadium and the music and the sound system, just I thought it was really well-organized. Then, I thought our staff did a great job. There's a lot going on and you want people to feel special and have a great experience and we work hard at doing that, but there's a lot of moving parts to it. I think some of the expanded staff has helped with that. We have a tremendous group of interns, student interns that work with us that do a fantastic job. It's a great experience for them."

And it was a great experience for the recruits, too. So many raved about the energy in the stadium and how active the crowd was, which is exactly what you want to hear coming out of a game like this.

"Overall, I thought it was really good," Franklin added. "Obviously, as the head coach there's a lot of different hats you wear on game weekends, and having a real strong staff like we do behind the scenes kind of help getting all those things organized makes it go."

Now, how about Penn State landing Andre Roye on Thursday night? The 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive tackle from Baltimore, Md., St. Frances committed to the Lions on Thursday night in something of a stunner. Keep in mind that the Class of 2022 three-star never announced on Wednesday, despite publically saying he'd do so, and then reports suggested he would hold off until the weekend. Regardless, he's now committed No. 25 for PSU in this cycle, and they're happy to have him on board.

More: Penn State football lands massive OT recruit Andre Roye

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If you've been reading the fifth quarter for the last three weeks, you know that this section is typically reserved for a game of fill-in-the-blank as it relates to how Penn State could win or lose the game. However, it's nearly impossible to genuinely answer those this week, so we'll talk some more about recruiting.

It shouldn't be surprising to read that this week's visitor list will be much smaller than last week's. In fact, it might be the lowest number of the year considering both the early start time and opponent. One name to note, however, is Philadelphia Neumann-Goretti Class of 2023 three-star corner Shawn Battle. He's been on campus a few times in recent months and, while the 5-foot-11, 174-pound prospect with nearly 20 offers so far isn't close to deciding, this weekend marks another chance to showcase what the Nittany Lions' defense and the school, in general, have to offer.

You can see a full rundown of who will be in town inside the Lions Den forum.

Franklin said earlier this week that only 1,500 tickets remained for Saturday's matchup, which means another at or near capacity crowd can be expected. With a Noon start, that means traffic and parking patterns will be put to the test. If you're going, drive safe and enjoy the game, and if not, we'll be there providing coverage before, during, and after kickoff at Beaver Stadium.

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