Tag: KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Who are the experts picking for Penn State’s matchup against Michigan State?

Who are the experts picking in the Penn State – Michigan State game?

Penn State is back home on Saturday for their last game of the regular season and are hoping to keep their New Year’s Six bowl hopes alive.

It should be a bittersweet moment for [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], who will be playing his last home game in a Penn State uniform. He has seen his ups and downs, but one of Clifford’s best traits is his character, and that is something fans will always appreciate about him. The sixth-year quarterback will take the field one last time at Beaver Stadium this Saturday.

It is also worth noting that wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] is out for the season with a season-ending injury. The Nittany Lions will look to players like [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] to fill the role of production.

On top of that, the Nittany Lions also have two talented freshman running backs to watch out for in [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag].

Michigan State has been a shaky team for much of this season. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked 11th in the nation, while the Spartans remain unranked.

So, who are the experts picking for this matchup? Let’s take a closer look.

Before we start, let’s highlight some key players from Michigan State to watch.

The Spartans are led by quarterback Payton Thorne, who has been a bit shaky throughout the season, but he does have key talent around him like running backs Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard, along with wide receiver Jayden Reed.

Now, let’s get back to our expert picks.

First, ESPN is giving the Nittany Lions an 88.2% chance to win this game, while the Spartans have just an 11.8% chance to win on Saturday.

Next up, we have the writers over at Athlon Sports. Of the three writers, they are all picking the Nittany Lions to take down the Spartans on Saturday.

Next up, we have the writers over at College Football News. The consensus pick was Penn State over Michigan State. Not only that, but all of the writers picked the Nittany Lions to defeat the Spartans.

Lastly, we have our USA Today writers, who predicted every Top 25 game for the final week of the regular season. Of the six writers, they are all picking the Nittany Lions to take down the Spartans.

Anything can happen, but this would not necessarily be a game where the Nittany Lions would be put on upset alert.

Will Michigan State spoil Penn State’s New Year’s Six bowl hopes? Experts don’t think so, but we will find out on Saturday.

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Parker Washington suffers season-ending injury

James Franklin confirms the worst fears regarding Parker Washington.

After not traveling with the team for a road game at Rutgers, rumors were running rampant that Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] is done for the year due to an injury. And on Tuesday, while not getting into the specifics of the injury, head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] did confirm the worst fears among Penn State fans. Washington is officially done for the season.

Washington’s 2022 season comes to a premature close with 611 receiving yards on 46 receptions with two touchdowns in 10 games. Washington entered the 2022 season with high expectations but things got off to a bit of a slower start than most would have anticipated. It was not until late October when Washington scored his first touchdown of the season, but he exploded against Ohio State for 179 yards on a season-high 11 receptions.

The loss of Washington is a significant blow to Penn State’s offense as he had been reminding those watching just how dangerous he can be going into November. Penn State will rely on [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] to lead the way in the receiving game, and the offense may have more opportunities for players like [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag], [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag], and [autotag]Malick Meiga[/autotag] to get some more playing time.

The reliance on the tight ends is also a safe route for the passing game with one final regular season game to be played, in addition to a postseason bowl game.

Penn State will host Michigan State this weekend and then wait to find out what bowl game they will be participating in. The latest bowl projections seem to be favoring the Citrus Bowl, but a path to the New Years Six is still on the table for the Nittany Lions as well.

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Instant reaction: Sean Clifford delivers thrilling win for Penn State at Purdue

Instant reaction from Penn State’s wild 35-31 victory at Purdue to start the 2022 season

It certainly wasn’t looking pretty for Penn State after 55 minutes of football had been played. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, college football is a 60-minute game, and quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] made the most of it with some late-game heroics. Clifford hit running back [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] for a 10-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the game to give Penn State a 35-31 victory at Purdue on Thursday night.

Clifford passed for four touchdowns and ran for one more in the victory. It all happened on a night when he temporarily left the game in the third quarter, and he ended his season debut with 282 passing yards and 11 rushing yards.

Penn State held a 21-10 lead at halftime thanks in large part to tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] scoring on a 67-yard pass in the closing seconds of the first half, courtesy of some broken tackles and solid blocking as he chugged the remainder of the field. But Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell led Purdue to a strong third quarter that saw the home team score two touchdowns and work the Penn State defense to perfection at times. Penn State’s offense was out of sync in the third quarter as Clifford left the game briefly for an undisclosed reason, leaving the keys to the offense temporarily in the hands of true freshman [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. Allar led the offense for just one series before Clifford returned for the remainder of the game.

A season after struggling to run the football, Penn State showed there is still room to improve with its running game in 2022. The Nittany Lions spread the ball around for most of the game and got four different running backs involved, including freshmen [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and veterans [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Devyn Ford[/autotag].

[autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] scored his first Penn State touchdown in the second quarter, and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] made a nice play to give Penn State a lead with a catch and run and broken tackles in the fourth quarter. On Penn State’s next offensive series after taking a 28-24 lead on Purdue, Clifford overthrew Tinsley over the middle and was easily picked off by Jefferson, who returned the interception for the go-ahead score and the play of the game at that point.

Next up for Penn State is the home opener at Beaver Stadium next Saturday against Ohio. Purdue will host Indiana State.

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Who are the experts picking for Penn State’s matchup at Purdue?

Penn State is a popular pick for the experts in its Week 1 matchup at Purdue.

College football is officially back! Penn State will open up its season at Purdue against the Boilermakers on Thursday night.

Several experts have already submitted their picks for this week. The Nittany Lions come into this season with some key talent lost on their defense but a strong offense after the addition of Western Kentucky transfer wide receiver [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag].

As for Purdue, many analysts are high on senior quarterback Aidan O’Connell and expect him to take a leap in 2022. While Penn State lost [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] to the NFL, Purdue is without both David Bell (NFL) and Milton Wright (ruled academically ineligible). In addition, they will have big shoes to fill replacing George Karlaftis.

So, who are the experts picking for this matchup?

To start, ESPN currently has Penn State with a 60.2% to beat Purdue while the Boilermakers have a 39.8% chance to win.

Next up, we’ve got the writers over at College Football News. Of the multitude of writers they have, their consensus pick was that Penn State would defeat the Boilermakers.

Now, let’s head over to the Sportsbook Wire and take a look at the Tipico betting lines. As of Sunday, the spread has Penn State with a -3.5 and the money line is Penn State at -170 and Purdue at +141.

If you want to break down the rosters a bit more, Dotson is a big loss for Penn State, but with the addition of Tinsley and still having [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and even a talented tight end duo in [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag], much of their success will lie on [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag].

As for Purdue, losing Bell and Wright will be tough for them, but they do have pass-catchers with plenty of experience. Broc Thompson enters his second season at Purdue after transferring in from Marshall, and Charlie Jones comes in after spending a year at Buffalo and Iowa. O’Connell is also poised for a big season as well.

It all starts Thursday for the Nittany Lions as they take on Purdue under the lights. As of right now, many experts have the Boilermakers handing Penn State their first loss of the season right away in Week 1.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ wide receivers preview

A quick look at what Penn State has on the roster at the wide receiver position heading into the 2022 season.

Penn State is prepping for a season in which the program hopes to redeem itself on the national stage. After back-to-back seasons of mediocre results, Penn State is aiming to bounce back and prove themselves worthy of being in the Big Ten championship hunt, if not a little bit more.

Penn State kicks off the 2022 season with a Thursday night primetime matchup at Purdue on September 1. After losing a first-round NFL draft pick in [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], Penn State has some big shoes to fill at wide receiver., Fortunately, the depth of the position could be in Penn State’s favor with the returns of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and the addition of transfer [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag]. And there are some young receivers to look forward to as well.

Here is a look at what Penn State has on the roster at the wide receiver position for 2022, starting with the top three receivers that should be a factor with the first-team offense this fall.

Penn State in top 12 for talented four-star receiver from Philly, Tyseer Denmark

Penn State included in top 12 for four-star WR Tyseer Denmark from Philly in Class of 2024

As Penn State begins to put the finishing touches on its Class of 2023, some of the recruiting focus can now begin to shift to the Class of 2024. And keeping one of the state’s top players close to home could be a priority for James Franklin and his staff.

Wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, of Philadelphia, is a four-star recruit according to the 247Sports composite rankings and he is the No. 78 player overall in the nation and the No. 2 player overall in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2024 according to the same ranking system. Naturally, that means Franklin will do whatever he can to keep Denmark from leaving the state, and the competition just went to the next level after Washington revealed his top 12 schools.

Penn State was among the 12 schools included in Denmark’s top schools. The rest of the list is a compilation of some heavy hitters on the recruiting trail with Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC also making the cut.

The 5′-11″ wide receiver from Roman Catholic is clearly a hot recruiting prospect with a ton of tremendous options to weigh as he continues on his recruiting process. He would certainly be a big get for Franklin if he ultimately chooses to go to Penn State, and the Nittany Lions could be in the market for a stud receiver in the Class of 2024. [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] could both be playing in the NFL after the upcoming 2022 season and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] isn’t far away from moving on either. Penn State has obtained some key receivers through recruiting in the Class of 2022 with a couple of four-star players in [autotag]Kaden Saunders[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Ivey[/autotag]. Penn State also has a couple of receivers potentially lined up with commitments from Class of 2023 four-star [autotag]Ejani Shakir[/autotag] from New Jersey and three-star in-state recruit [autotag]Yazeed Haynes[/autotag]. But adding one of the top receivers in the country in the Class of 2024 would be a nice boost for the program.

While no crystal ball predictions have been officially cast on 247Sports, the On3 recruiting prediction machine calculates Penn State as an early favorite for Denmark’s commitment. Penn State is given a 37.0% chance of securing Denmark’s commitment according to its computer model, but it is far too early in the process to know how much weight Penn State is carrying in the recruiting process for sure.

What we do know is Denmark has long been Penn State’s radar, as you might expect for a talented wide receiver from Philadelphia. Denver visited Penn State’s campus early in his recruiting process in April 2021, just two months after Penn State was one of the first schools to extend an offer (Pitt was the first, with Penn State the second a couple of weeks later). He also attended Penn State’s football camp in June 2021 and returned for an unofficial visit on campus last September for Penn State’s spotlighted primetime game against Auburn. At this time, the only other visit Denmark has made is an unofficial visit to Texas A&M back in March of this year.

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Penn State with a top-3 receiving duo in 2022? One analyst thinks so

Penn State has a top-3 receiving duo in the nation according to one recruiting analyst

Replacing Jahan Dotson is no easy feat for Penn State going into the 2022 season, but the expectations should remain fairly high for Penn State’s top receivers according to one recruiting analyst. Mike Farrell recently shared his personal ranking of the top receiving duos in the nation among his various rankings going into the new season, and the combination of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] appears to be set in a fairly good spot.

Farrell ranked the Penn State duo as his No. 3 overall receiving duo in college football for the 2022 season, with only Ohio State and Texas coming in front of the Nittany Lions. Farrell shared his top 12 ranking on Twitter.

That is clearly some high praise for Penn State’s top two receivers considering the expectations and standard for Ohio State receivers and the fact that USC, at No. 4, just added the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison via the transfer portal from Pitt.

Washington is Penn State’s leading receiver returning from 2021 after hauling in 64 catches for 820 yards and four touchdowns. Washington was a secondary receiver behind Dotson, who was a first-round draft pick of the Washington Commanders, but Washington offered plenty of highlights to stand on his own as a big-play receiver for the Penn State offense.

Tinsley comes to Penn State from Western Kentucky. Like Washington, Tinsley was the team’s second-leading receiver for the Hilltoppers in a pass-heavy attack led by quarterback Bailey Zappe. Tinsley had 87 catches for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns and was still the team’s second-leading receiver! Jerreth Sterns was Western Kentucky’s leading receiver but Tinsley’s move to Penn State figures to work out quite well for the Nittany Lions.

The duo of Washington and Tinsley alone makes for a solid receiving combination for quarterback Sean Clifford and offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] to rely on. Adding [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] as another option makes for a potentially dangerous passing game if the offensive line gives Clifford time to work.

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Penn State Top 25 Players for 2022: KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Penn State top 25 players in 2022: KeAndre Lambert-Smith part of a key receiver trio

Penn State’s roster for the 2022 season has a good mix of returning veterans and experience and fresh new faces expected to jump in and contribute this fall. Nittany Lions Wire will be taking a look at 25 of the most important players on the roster for the 2022 season all throughout the month of July by profiling one player each day.

Penn State is looking forward to the potential of its wide receiver group in 2022, and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] will be a part of that mix. Alongside Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, Lambert-Smith has big-play potential as he has shown during his first couple of seasons with the Nittany Lions.

Best photos of Penn State utility weapon Marquis Wilson

Here are the best photos of Penn State athlete and two-way player Marquis Wilson.

When it comes to a real team player, [autotag]Marquis Wilson[/autotag] appears to fit the bill for Penn State. Wilson started off his time at Penn State focusing on the defensive side of the football, but head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has worked on getting Wilson a little involved on the offensive side of things since 2021. Wilson’s ability to play both ways was needed for the Nittany Lions in 2021 as the team looked to add a little more depth to the wide receiver position behind the experience of [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] and the rising stars of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag].

Entering 2022, Wilson could once again fill a role as a utility man for the Nittany Lions and fill whatever spot is asked of him if needed. Here are some of the best photos of Wilson during his time at Penn State going into the 2022 season.

Parker Washington gets some NFL draft love from On3

On3 says this Penn State player is not receiving enough NFL draft hype for 2023

It is never too late to get started looking forward to the 2023 NFL draft. As the mock drafts have already started to make the rounds for the way-too-early draft projections, Penn State cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] is easily the Penn State player with the most draft hype in the next draft cycle. But wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] is certainly on the radar as a potential early-round draft selection for some.

On3 recently profiled six players from around the Big Ten that are “lesser-hyped,” as they termed it. Washington is in a good position to make a name for himself as the Nittany Lions offense attempts to replace a first-round talent in Jahan Dotson. Dotson was selected by the Washington Commanders in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, and Washington has already embraced the challenge he faces this upcoming season of stepping his game up.

Truth is, Washington may not have a whole lot he needs to improve. Washington, at times, had arguably better performances than Dotson last season and he compiled a highlight reel that is worthy of being respected among some of the best receivers in the nation. Penn State has also developed a positive track record for wide receivers at the next level with Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, and now Dotson. Still, Washington may be flying slightly under the radar for many going into this next draft cycle.

Here is what On3 had to say about Washington’s draft grade;

Parker Washington is set to replace Washington Commanders first-round pick Jahan Dotson as Penn State’s No. 1 receiver. Washington (5-10, 212), was second on the team last season with 64 catches, 820 yards and four touchdowns.

Washington is expected to be the top wide receiver for Penn State and quarterback Sean Clifford in 2022. The addition of [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] and the continued development of [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] makes for a solid receiver trio for offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] to experiment with.

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