Penn State Tailgate Show: Homecoming vs. UMass
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team faces UMass today at 3:30 for the 2023 Homecoming game. We’re previewing the game today on the Penn State Football Tailgate Show, starting at 12:30. The show airs live, outside of the Bryce Jordan Center across the street from Beaver Stadium. Former Penn State defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins gives you his thoughts on the upcoming game and the state of the Nittany Lions as they head into the pivotal second half of the season.
The Penn State Football Tailgate Show is a production of Seven Mountains Media and is an exclusive video broadcast on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube channel. Can’t make it to the show? Join us on the stream or listen locally on 99.5 The Bus.
Penn State impressed with UMass
Penn State head coach James Franklin discussed the UMass football team to begin the week and praised the independent club for their innovation and production on offense.
“Their offensive coordinator, we’ve been impressed with, Steve Casula. Steve is doing a really nice job for them. We’ve been impressed with them on offense.
They’re an 11-person, no-huddle spread, heavy, heavy RPO team. Maybe the most explosive team we’ve played this year. If you look at them statistically, they’re No. 2 in major college football for plays of 50 yards or more. They’re ranked No. 2 in the country. Plays of 10 yards or more, they’re ranked ninth in the country, so this is an explosive team,” Franklin said
It’s also the first game that Penn State should have number two wide receiver Trey Wallace back in the lineup. Wallace appeared in the game against Iowa but wasn’t targeted and then missed the game against Northwestern the following week before the bye. During the show, Hawkins highlights the receivers in his Key Matchups segment. He’ll break down how Wallace’s return affects the offense.
1-0, but with an eye on the future
One of the key elements of the final non-conference game is health. Wallace is back, but the team lost guard JB Nelson during the last contest with Northwestern. However, Franklin wouldn’t comment on his stats, per his usual policy with injuries. But he did acknowledge that the team is, overall, in a good spot.
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“Nothing has changed with J.B. in terms of how we normally discuss injuries and things like that. Nothing has changed there.
In terms of health, I think we’re in a pretty good place from the things that we talked about in terms of the number of reps our guys have had in games the number of guys we’re playing. I think we’re in a pretty good place from that perspective.
I mean, obviously, you’d always love to be totally healthy, and we’re not that, but I think we’re in a pretty good place,” Franklin said.
However, the team’s showdown against Ohio State looms next week. So, getting out of this game healthy is a critical part of today’s contest. We’ll discuss the Penn State offense, defense, and give predictions for the game on today’s show. Join us starting at 12:30!
