Penn State vs. Delaware Predictions: What should fans expect against the Blue Hens?

Following a Week 1 win over West Virginia, Penn State will now shift its focus to FCS opponent Delaware this weekend. Despite its proximity to State College, the Nittany Lions have never hosted the Blue Hens. Of course, they have played other FCS opponents under James Franklin’s leadership, the most recent of which was two years ago against Villanova. The result was a 38-17 win for the Nittany Lions.

Following a 5-6 season in 2021, Delaware made a change at head coach, firing Penn State letterman Danny Rocco. The team is now led by Ryan Carty, a Delaware alum who played for the Blue Hens during its 2003 national championship season. In his first season in charge, Carty led Delaware to an 8-5 record.

But despite its improvement at the FCS level, Saturday should be a tough one for the Blue Hens. It should also be an opportunity for Penn State to play some of its younger players.

So, what can fans expect? Our staff gives their thoughts below.

Nate Bauer (Season 1-0)

Penn State, ranked No. 7 nationally following a 38-15 win over West Virginia on Saturday night, will hold every conceivable advantage when it hosts the Blue Hens this weekend. And yet, Delaware, a quality FCS program in its first meeting with the Nittany Lions, the highest-ranked FBS opponent it has ever faced, is still likely to find some pockets of success.

It just won’t be enough to seriously challenge Penn State for a win.

Not unlike West Virginia, Delaware would be wise to pressure Drew Allar and hope to create turnover opportunities, all while attempting to snuff out the success of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen as is possible. The issue for the Blue Hens is that Penn State has already demonstrated its ability to capitalize on the vulnerabilities that plan presents, and is likely to do so again on Saturday afternoon.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions can and will find some turnover opportunities that proved elusive last weekend. 

Penn State: 42
Delaware: 7

Sean Fitz (Season: 1-0)

The talent gap will be wide as Penn State looks to clean things up after a season-opening win over West Virginia. The Nittany Lions should be able to do what they want on both sides of the ball and cycle through a number of players. Obviously scoring early is the preference for the Nittany Lions, who should be able to run and pass on the Blue Hens when they want. 

Delaware beat Stony Brook last week in its season-opener. Quarterback Ryan O’Connor spread the ball around and eight different receivers had more than one catch. The Blue Hens will likely attack the perimeter of the Nittany Lions’ defense with quick throws and screens. They had success there and went over 400 yards passing as a team last week. Delaware’s offensive line will have a tough time dealing with Penn State’s front four, so anything that’s not out quick will likely result in pressure from the Nittany Lions. O’Connor threw a pair of picks last week, both of which came on throws down the field. 

Schematically on the defensive side, Delaware will do what it can to try to confuse the Nittany Lions up front. The Blue Hens will go with a multiple fronts and try to move guys around to cause chaos. Penn State should be able to cruise, regardless.

Penn State: 55
Delaware: 10

Thomas Frank Carr (Season: 1-0)

The major theme of this week for Penn State football is self-improvement. Some of the areas that the team needs to clean up after the first week is gap control on defense, and third down conversions on offense.

Additionally, while the running backs were efficient last Saturday, they didn’t hit the explosive plays we’ve seen in the past. That will come with time, but that time should start this week against Delaware. Whether it’s an extra defender or a safety, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton need to keep their feet to score. That’s not only doable but something that Penn State fans should expect this week. The good news is that the offense has proven it can play with balance, and even lean on its first-time starter in Drew Allar.

Defensively, communication and control were a big factor last weekend. The unit seemed to be sped up, trying to make big plays instead of making the plays in front of them. A cleaner, sharper performance will result in the desired shutdown of the Delaware offense. With those corrections, Penn State should score over 50.

Penn State: 52
Delaware: 10

Matt Herb (Season: 1-0)

The last time an FCS team ventured into Beaver Stadium, it actually fared pretty well. Villanova was only down by a couple of touchdowns at halftime and ended up holding PSU to just 80 rushing yards in a closer-than-expected 38-17 loss to the Nittany Lions two years ago.

Special bonus prediction: Delaware will not hold Penn State to 80 rushing yards. The Blue Hens have fielded one of the most successful Division I-AA/FCS programs in the country over the years, but on Saturday they’ll be facing a much more balanced PSU offense than the one that Villanova enjoyed some success against. Drew Allar, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and company will maintain the momentum they established last week against West Virginia then will give way to the backups, and the Nittany Lions will roll.

Penn State: 52
Delaware: 13

Greg Pickel (Season: 1-0)

As a connoisseur of point spreads and using those and the over/under total to help inform these picks each week, it’s a unique experience doing so without the help of either. Sportsbooks are waiting longer and longer these days to post every FBS vs. FCS number. Penn State-Delaware is one of the delayed ones this week.

Regardless, it will be a name your score kind of a day for the Nittany Lions, who should have the backups in early in the second half while cruising to a straightforward but perhaps unfulfilling victory for the home side.

Penn State: 50
Delaware: 3

Ryan Snyder (Season: 1-0)

I’m not going to overthink this one. Penn State should play its starters into the second quarter, but once we get into the second half, I expect Beau Pribula to get a lot of reps. I wouldn’t be shocked if he actually plays more than Allar in this one. It could very well depend on how much they want to play freshman Jaxon Smolik. Yes, I think we’ll see Smolik, although most of you will probably be back out tailgating at that point.

With that said, I also expect Mike Yurcich to primarily focus on his depth at running back this week. Between Trey Potts, Tank Smith and the two freshmen, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see as many as 40 to 50 carries.

Penn State’s first-team defense shouldn’t allow Delaware much production, but the Blue Hens will get a field goal and a score in the second half.

Penn State: 45
Delaware: 10