Ask anyone on Penn State’s campus about football and you’re guaranteed to hear two words: Christian Hackenberg. The 6’4” junior quarterback is already getting Heisman trophy buzz to go along with the title as one of the captains for this year’s season (for the second consecutive time). Sure, the preseason buzz and watch list placements are exciting, and no question something to be proud of, but the Nittany Lion community want results.
The Nittany Lions start their season off against Temple in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 5 at 3:30 ET. The Big Ten is no doubt one of the country’s most competitive and storied conferences with the intense and historical rivalries that hardly ever disappoint. That being said, there is little room for Hackenberg to have a season of inconsistencies like he did last season if he wants to have a shot at hoisting the Heisman Trophy in New York City.
Penn State Football 2015 Season Opener Preview
Looking forward, the upcoming game against Temple is the Nittany Lions chance to show how much stronger of a team they are.The emergence of sophomore wide receiver, DaeSean Hamilton is going to be quite the experience for Happy Valley. As a freshman, Hamilton led the Big Ten in receptions from the beginning of the season to the end. With a freshman season full of set and broken records, including those that he set during previous games, as well as numerous awards, Happy Valley is going to be expecting great things to result from passes from Hackenberg to Hamilton.
Although the offensive side of the ball led by Hackenberg is expected to create great plays, Penn State cannot be analyzed without a tip of the hat to the defense. Penn State isn’t referred to as “Linebacker U” (or “LBU” for short) for no reason. Miami Dolphins linebacker and former Penn State great, Mike Hull, is making some serious noise during the 2015 National Football League’s preseason games. Junior linebacker Brandon Bell is one of Linebacker U’s premiere members. During his sophomore season, in which he appeared in 11 games—starting in 10, he recorded a career high of 47 stops. Junior Nyeem Wartman-White is also expected to maintain the validity of the name Linebacker U. Wartman-White has thus far recorded 108 stops which ranks him second within the team behind senior safety Jordan Lucas.
Taking a look at the 2015 season game against Temple, with this season’s strong development at the linebacker, the odds do not seem to be in the favor of the Temple Owls. The Owls only recorded 61 rushing yards that resulted in zero touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions recorded approximately four times that by recording 254 yards with two rushing touchdowns. Regarding the defensive side of the ball for the Nittany Lions, if the 2015 season opener is anything similar to the 2014 game against Temple—which included 55 total tackles seven of which were for loss of yards—Happy Valley fans can expect to be very happy come Saturday evening.
Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, PA breaks the dawn of a new season for the Penn State Nittany Lion football team, and the team’s fans are just as excited as the team. The success of the 2015 season will not only be measured by the decrease in inconsistencies of Hackenberg but also improvement within the Big Ten conference. The Nittany Lions went 2-6 in the Big Ten in 2014, but the total of seven wins sent them bowling in New York to the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College; a 31-30 win in overtime.
Main Photo:
