Instant Analysis: Penn State suffocates UMass in feel-good game
Penn State football took down UMass 63-0 on Saturday evening for the Nittany Lion’s annual Homecoming game. Blue White Illustrated was on hand for the game, and our experts give you their thoughts about the team’s dominant win. Greg Pickel, Sean Fitz and Nate Bauer discuss the “feel good” performance by the Lions before their showdown with Ohio State next week.
Penn State gets out healthy, now on to Ohio State
Pickel asks the question that all Penn State fans are thinking. Is this team good enough to go to Columbus and beat Ohio State? Fitz gives his thoughts.
“You look at this team, if they’re confident, this is the best shot that they’ve had to beat Ohio State in a decade, including the team that beat them in 2016. Penn State has a ton of talent, and Ohio State has a bunch of questions as well. Penn State won’t be afforded a chance to start slow next week,” he said.
Fitz also pointed out that the team will need to rely on big plays, even if they don’t come from the offense.
“You’re going to need to get explosive plays from some unexpected sources, like Daequan Hardy.”
Daequan Hardy stars in debut as punt returner
Hardy was the star of the game for Penn State with two punt returns for touchdowns in the game. The first sparked a scoring spree by the offense that didn’t stop until the game’s final whistle. Hardy knew he was capable of this; he just needed the opportunity.
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“I, like I said earlier, I did this in high school. So this is really nothing new to me. I’ve always been doing good with the ball in my hands. I’m just happy I got the opportunity to showcase it today.”
According to Penn State head coach James Franklin, Hardy’s issue was his inability to field the ball cleanly enough to earn the staff’s trust. Hardy’s catch percentage went up over time, and he got the chance, which he exploited on Saturday.
“I just think being a ball carrier in general is almost a natural thing, so just be able to find the holes and make guys miss is just natural to me,” Hardy said.
The Penn State football team is now 6-0 and takes on Ohio State in the deciding game of the 2023 season next Saturday in Columbus. Join Blue White Illustrated to get insider access and information leading into the clash of top ten teams next weekend. We’ll also have extensive content on the BWI YouTube Channel.
