Matt Mathias

Sports Editor

mcm5909@psu.edu

The Penn State Nittany Lions played their first home game of the season and for the first time since 2019 as they faced off against their opponents, the Ball State Cardinals. Over 100,000 fans were in attendance at Beaver Stadium. The contest was never really close out of the gate as the Nittany Lions scored in four of their first five possessions. At the half, the game was heavily in Penn State’s favor with the score being 24-6.

Offensive coordinator, Mike Yurcich, showed fans why he was hired this offseason with his willingness to move the ball around to various players as well as with his dynamic play calling. Ten different Penn State offensive players touched the football in the first half alone, showing how much confidence he has in his offensive weapons. By the end of the game 14 different members of the Lions contributed and seven different players contributed in scoring. 

In a post game interview Sean Clifford noted the success of the offense by saying, “That’s going to be a common theme. The more guys that get touches the better, especially early in the year.” It was all in all a team effort and a team win that will help Penn State keep its momentum going into week three.

Quarterback Sean Clifford had an excellent performance as he went 21 of 29 on passing with 230 yards and two total touchdowns. Noah Cain led the backfield with 20 total carries in the contest with 69 rushing yards with a score, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Jahan Dotson led the receiving corps with five receptions and 65 receiving yards with a score as well. He averaged 13 yards per reception.

In terms of rival teams in the Big Ten that played Saturday, #3 Ohio State was defeated by #12 Oregon by a score of 35-28. This is big news for the Nittany Lions, as Ohio State’s defeat makes room for Penn State to hold first place currently in the conference. In the updated AP Top 25 ranking for this week, Ohio State fell six spots to number nine and Penn State advanced one spot to finally crack the top ten, being ranked tenth. The Big Ten will still be a tough fought battle between the top five or so teams, but Penn State gains some traction in competing with the best of the best early on in the beginning of the 2021 college football season.