Penn State vs Purdue: Keys to victory for the Nittany Lions
Penn State football opens its 2022 season and its Big Ten schedule with a Week 1 nightcap against Purdue on Thursday night. The Nittany Lions come off a 7-6 season and a 24-10 loss in the Outback Bowl to Arkansas in 2021 but are looking to get off to a hot start in 2022.
A number of big-name starters, including quarterback Sean Clifford, have returned for this season and they face a tough task against a Purdue team that upset two top-5 teams last season, were ranked as high as No. 19, and finished 2021 with a 9-4 record, including a 48-45 overtime win in the Music City Bowl over Tennessee.
If Penn State wants to start 2022 on the right foot, they’ll need to step things up immediately against Purdue. Here are the keys for a Nittany Lions victory on Thursday.
1. Stop the prowess of Aiden O'Connell
This is a very obvious key and much easier said than done, but O’Connell comes into this season as a dark horse candidate for the best quarterback in the Big Ten. He threw for over 3,700 yards last season and over 300 yards a game, completing over 71.8 percent of his passes in the process. He's got a strong arm and is incredibly efficient a deadly combination to say the least.
Just over 80 percent of Purdue’s offense last year came through the air, so if Penn State can prevent the pass and force the Boilermakers on the ground, there’s a really good chance this game can go in their favor.
2. Get Mitchell Tinsley involved
Losing Jahan Dotson is a tough blow for this Penn State receiving corps as he caught 91 passes last season, by far leading the Nittany Lions in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith will be expected to come up big for Penn State this season, but Tinsley, a Western Kentucky transfer with 87 receptions last season for the Hilltoppers, just might be the X-factor Clifford needs out wide. That level of production translated to the Big Ten could put Penn State in the mix for best-receiving corps in the conference
3. Use the ground game
Purdue was in the bottom third of the Big Ten for rushing yards allowed per game last season, giving up 146.9 yards on the ground on average. Like their rushing offense, Purdue struggled in this department, something Penn State needs to capitalize on.
Last year’s leading rusher, Keyvone Lee, is now a junior and did well as a sophomore, averaging nearly five yards per carry. He ran the ball just 108 times last season, which means there’s plenty in the tank for 2022. Add in true freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and Penn State's running attack in 2022 will be quite a bit more explosive than it was a season ago which should open up more opportunities for Sean Clifford and the passing game.
4. Silence Ross-Ade Stadium early
Purdue has shocked some of the best teams in the country at home in recent years, teams like Ohio State and Michigan State, both ranked in the top-5 when losing in West Lafayette. As for any season opener, the crowd at Ross-Ade is expected to be rocking from the jump.
That’s where Penn State needs to attack early and put points up on the board. Home-field advantage in college football means something different, and if the traveling Nittany Lion fans can have something to cheer for quickly, it very well could be a tough day for the Boilermakers.
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