Tag: Ball State Cardinals

WATCH: Jesse Luketa snags INT with one hand, returns it for TD vs Ball State

WATCH: Jesse Luketa makes AWESOME one-handed INT and returns it for a touchdown vs Ball State

Penn State has its first defensive touchdown of the 2021 season, and they have Jesse Luketa to thank for it. Luketa’s third-quarter interception of Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt was a big one as it continued to pad Penn State’s lead on the defending MAC champions.

Luketa dropped back in coverage after lining up at defensive end, which he has been doing since halftime after Ellis Brooks returned to the field following his first-half suspension (for a targeting ejection last week). Recognizing the offensive scheme, Luketa dropped back in coverage rather than provide pressure on the edge, and he put himself in the perfect position to make an amazing highlight-worthy pick.

And once he got his hand on the football, there was nothing standing in his way on a short return to the end zone.

Penn State has started to put this game on ice, so we may not see much more of Luketa and other starters on either side of the football.

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WATCH: Jahan Dotson takes advantage of a screen for TD

WATCH: Jahan Dotson scores off the screen to extend Penn State’s lead on Ball State

As the old saying goes, if you get the football in the hands of Jahan Dotson, good things will happen. Penn State has certainly made a point of getting the ball to Dotson in the first half against Ball State this afternoon. And, as expected, good things have been happening.

Not too long after Sean Clifford couldn’t quite lead a streaking Dotson to a deep ball down the middle of the field, Clifford and Dotson connected on a short screen pass on the right side of the field. Dotson, with some solid blocking in front of him, did the rest for a touchdown.

Dotson’s second touchdown of the season extended Penn State’s lea don Ball State to 24-3 following an extra point conversion. Dotson has caught four passes for 53 yards to lead the Nittany Lions and all players late into the first half.

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WATCH: Noah Cain gives Penn State early lead on Ball State

WATCH: Noah Cain’s touchdown gives Penn State an early lead on Ball State

Week 2 could not have started much better for Penn State compared to last week’s season opener. After the Nittany Lions defense forced a three-and-out without yielding a yard, the Penn State offense marched right down the field against Ball State. Noah Cain finished off the drive with a short touchdown run to give the Nittany Lions an early 7-0 lead on the Cardinals just five minutes into the game.

Cain carried the football five times on the opening offensive series for Penn State and he racked up 23 yards in addition to his touchdown.

Quarterback Sean Clifford was four-of-four on the opening drive with passes to Cain, Jahan Dotson, Theo Johnson, and Parker Washington, evenly distributing 35 yards between his four receivers. Clifford also took off three times on the ground for 13 yards.

After a difficult first half of offensive struggles last week, this was refreshing to see for Penn State fans.

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Penn State once again without a pair of notable players vs Ball State?

What notable Penn State players were not in pads for pregame warmups?

For the second striaght week, it is looking as though Penn State will be without a couple of players expected to play some notable roles on the roster this season. According to media reports coming in from Beaver Stadium by way of Twitter, safety Keaton Ellis and running back John Lovett are not in pads during the pregame routine, a suggestion that both players will not play once again for the Nittany Lions this week.

Ellis and Lovett did not travel with the team for the season opener ar Wisconsin last week, but no official update had been given detailing their status. Penn State head coach James Franklin does not typically dive into injury updates, so it is unknown just why either player has been unavailable for the Nittany Lions.

Without Lovett in the lineup, supposing that is the case, Penn State’s running game will continue to be led by Noah Cain on the majority of the running opportunities, which would have been the case anyway.

Penn State’s secondary was just fine last week against the Badgers with Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields leading the way. The absence of Ellis may not have a significantly major impact on the outcome of Penn State’s matchup with Ball State, but it will be nice to see Ellis eventually be ready to get in the mix whenever that may be.

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James Franklin stresses importance of not looking past Ball State

Penn State is in the perfect trap game scenario in Week 2 against Ball State. How will they handle it?

There is a lot of confidence with the Penn State Nittany Lions after they managed to grind their way to a win over Wisconsin to start the season in Week 1. And with a big game everyone is looking forward to coming up in Week 3 against the Auburn Tigers, a Week 2 matchup against BNall State could be the perfect recipe for a trap game situation.

Penn State head coach James Franklin has developed a strategy to stay focused on each game as they come, but that message must be sent even more loud and clear to his team this weekend.

“I do believe in trap games if you’re sending mix messages,” Franklin said during his Tuesday press availability. “It’s subtle things that people pick up on. So, I try to make sure that we don’t do that and that message is consistent, so whether they go down and they’re getting gear from our equipment people, that there is no cracks in it. There is consistency. Same thing in the training room. Same with our coaches and staff and so on.

Penn State’s “1-0” mentality really became visible to the fans in 2016 when the Big Ten results were beginning to pave a potential path for Penn State to play for the Big Ten championship. Following Penn State’s upset victory over Ohio State in 2016, Franklin took to Twitter to stress how much his program needed to focus only on the next game on the schedule and let the rest of the pieces fall into place as they would. To this day, Franklin puts out a message on Twitter every week to dial in on that particular opponent for the upcoming week. This week has been no exception.

“Really the message hasn’t changed,” Franklin explained this week. “In the past, I would say Wisconsin 75 times and Ball State 75 times because the message was about our entire focus needs to be on this game, this opponent, and being 1-0.”

We shall see if Penn State is not overlooking Ball State.

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5 Reasons why Penn State will defeat Ball State

5 keys to success for Penn State in Week 2 against Ball State

Coming off a very physical game to start the season, the Penn State Nittany Lions will get ready to battle Ball State to look to go 2-0.

Here are 5  reasons why Penn State will defeat Ball State in Week 2.

1. Welcome home fans

This game against Ball State will be the first time that Penn State will be able to play in front of its fans for the first time since November 2019. The impact of a home crowd in Beaver Stadium is exceptional. When former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer calls it one of the loudest and challenging places he’s ever coached, you know something is being done right. We can probably expect a more electric atmosphere in week 3 for a primetime game against Auburn, but the first game back in the stands should be something special for Penn State to feed off of.

2. Defense builds off last week

The Penn State defense was the reason the Nittany Lions were able to escape Madison with a win in the season openrr against the Wisconsin Badgers. Big plays by Jaquan Brisker, Ellis Brooks, and Arnold Ebiketie throughout the day led to crucial stops. Brisker’s late interception helped to salt away some time off the clock last week.  Ball State has a very experienced offense, so the defense could be in for a stiffer challenge than some may realize in Week 2.

3. Will the Offense start to click?

In the win over Wisconsin, the offense got off to a slow start, but Mike Yurcich started to get some things moving with Sean Clifford getting in a rhythm and finding time to process the field a little bit. Jahan Dotson and Noah Cain got more momentum in the second half against the Badgers and everything should be able to get off to a better start at home against Ball State. Ball State gave up a lot of passing yards last week.

4. Take advantage of the opportunities

It’s way too early to begin speculating about postseason futures for the Nittany Lions, but things are already trending in a very positive direction for the Nittany Lions after just one week. Being a big favorite against Ball State gives Penn State an opportunity to flex some muscle a bit and instill a little more confidence in them moving forward. A nailbiter or a “closer than the experts think” kind of game will only lead to some more questions about what Penn State isn’t doing compared to reacting to what they are doing.

5. Go 1-0 every week

The motto that Penn State coach James Franklin sets every week is to go 1-0. That means have a very good week at practice and take what you can from the week before and add to it. How good did practice go this week? That may be determined by just how good a start Penn State gets off to in this game against the Ball State Cardinals.

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How to watch, listen or stream: Penn State vs. Ball State

Not making your way to Beaver Stadium this weekend? Here’s how to watch Penn State’s matchup with Ball State.

Penn State football is back in beaver Stadium and the gates will be open to fans for the first time since the 2019 season. While Penn State is expecting a pretty big crowd for this weekend’s home opener against Ball State, odds are most of you will be looking to catch the game from home or with some friends and family around a television.

If you are looking to catch the game from home, we have provided all the information you may need. Of course, we are always looking to include as many ways as possible to catch Penn State football games in these guides. So if you have any recommendations or feel there should be additions considered that are not listed here, please let us know by reaching out to us on Twitter.

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Basic Info

When: Saturday, Sept. 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Beaver Stadium (State College, PA)

How to watch/listen

Broadcast: FS1

Online: FOX Sports Live, GoPSUSports.com

Radio: Find a local Penn State radio affiliate near you; Sirius/XM/Internet 136/83/993

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Nittany Lions Wire staff predictions: Penn State or Ball State in Week 2?

The picks are officially on the record from the staff at Nittany Lions Wire, and it looks like Penn State is about to go 2-0.

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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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Behind Enemy Lines: Ball State reporter shares his insight on Cardinals

Get an expert’s insight on Penn State’s Week 2 opponent, the Ball State Cardinals.

After coming off a defensive win over Wisconsin to start the season, Penn State will look to go 2-0 as they take on Ball State Cardinals on Saturday from Beaver Stadium.

To give Penn State fans an idea of what to expect from Ball State, we chatted with Robby General who covers Ball State for The Star Press in Muncie, Indiana.

Q: What was your reaction when you saw Penn State on the Ball State Schedule for Week 2 of the 2021 season?

Robby: I thought it was a good opportunity to Ball State and thought it comes at a tricky time for Penn State, especially coming off such an emotional road win at Wisconsin.

Q: Who on offense should Penn State be concerned with?

Robby: There are a number of weapons on Ball State’s offense, the most obvious of which being wide receiver Justin Hall. Hall, who’s the FBS’ active leader in receptions, moved up to third on Ball State’s all-time list in terms of receiving yards last week. A speedy, undersized receiver, Hall can be a problem for whoever he’s lining up against.

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Q: For those who don’t follow Ball State, what makes this matchup very interesting?

Robby: This matchup is intriguing for several reasons. First, like I previously stated, it comes at a tricky time for Penn State between big games against Wisconsin and Auburn. Also, the Cardinals come into this game with nothing to lose and everything to prove. With 16 super-seniors coming back from its MAC Championship team, Ball State certainly has the experience needed to compete on both sides of the ball.

Q: Do you like to see more games between the Big Ten and the MAC as it gives other schools exposure to big-time environments?

Robby: I love Big Ten and MAC games. Not only do they make sense location-wise, it helps get exposure to mid-major programs like Ball State (and give me an excuse to see some cool venues along the way). Also, at least one MAC team has beaten a Big Ten team in 14 out of the past 15 years (no non-conference games were played last season), so it’ll be interesting to see which potential MAC-Big Ten upset happens this season.

Q: Do you see Penn State playing at Ball State in the future?

Robby: NO

Q: What is one reason why Ball State will beat Penn State?

Robby: Execution on offense and turnovers. Ball State has plenty of weapons to move the ball on the ground and through the air. If they execute, I’m sure the Cardinals will be able to score some points on the Nittany Lions. But, being underdogs, I feel like Ball State is going to need some momentum-shifting turnovers if it wants to pull off the upset.

Be sure to follow Robby on Twitter.

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Who are the experts picking in Penn State’s Week 2 matchup?

You’ll have to look really hard to find anyone picking Ball State to score a major upset this weekend against Penn State.

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Penn State heads back home for Week 2 to take on the Ball State Cardinals. This should not only be a fairly easy win for the Nittany Lions, but it should also be a game where they are able to fix the struggles of their offense from their week one matchup against Wisconsin.

Let’s dive deeper into who the experts are picking for this game this week. First, Penn State currently has a 93.8% chance to win this game.

This should also be another game for Penn State defense to potentially have a field day against the Ball State team lead by quarterback Drew Plitt that likes to pass the ball quite a bit.

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The site editors of the college wire pages got together to make their Week 2 predictions. Not a single one of them picked Ball State to upset the Nittany Lions this week. After watching last week’s performance, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, it’s hard to believe that Penn State would struggle immensely against the Cardinals.

After last week’s win, Penn State moved up to number 11 in the AP rankings from 19. Penn State also moved up to No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

2021 Penn State Football Schedule: Downloadable Wallpaper

Out of all the games this week, this game is probably one of the least intriguing games to watch. However, as mentioned, this is a perfect opportunity for Penn State to grow on their offense.

Overall, this should be a pretty easy game for the Nittany Lions. There are several expert pics out there, and just about all of them have Penn State coming out on top.

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