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Penn State heads into its Week 2 matchup against Ball State as a pretty solid favorite, which is to be expected. But after winning a defensive slugfest last weekend on the road against Wisconsin, Nittany Lion fans are hoping to see a few more offensive fireworks this week.
Two of us correctly predicted a Penn State victory last week, although we all seemed to think there would be just a little bit more scoring in the game. Regardless, we all shift our attention to this week’s matchup. honestly, the dramas in this week’s picks isn’t quite what it was a week ago or could be next week when Auburn comes to Beaver Stadium for a primetime showdown.
Here’s how the staff at Nittany Lions Wire is predicting things to go down this week.
Sam Dehring, Contributor (@Sam_Dehring68)
Season overall (Against the spread): 0-1 (0-1)
This should be a fairly easy game for Penn State. I think we can expect a lot in the passing game from Ball State. Their quarterback, Drew Plitt, is a guy that likes to pass the ball a lot.
This is certainly also a game where Sean Clifford and the rest of the offense can really flourish and seek improvement under their new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich.
I envision this to be a game that should be fairly easy for Penn State. I think they will win 27-7.
Kevin McGuire, Editor (@KevinOnCFB)
Season overall (Against the spread): 1-0 (1-0)
I came into the 2021 season expecting to see a pretty good Penn State offense, and I think we get some glimmers of that this week. Ball State gave up a ton of passing yards last week and that looks to be just the right recipe to get Sean Clifford off to a solid start. Not having to go up against a stingy Wisconsin defense and playing at home should allow for the offense to get in a groove and create some big plays early and often. I think Penn State comes out firing but I hesitate to take the Nittany Lions in a total blowout. I could be wrong, but I think Ball State manages to keep this game from getting too disrespectful and probably comes up with a late score to get a backdoor cover. Take Penn State for the win, obviously, but I would probably steer clear of taking them to cover this week.
Penn State 38, Ball State 17
David Malandra, Contributor (@DaveMReports)
Season overall (Against the spread): 1-0 (1-0)
No prediction this week at this time.
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