Brian Bennett stops by to talk Nittany Lions football.
This week, as we prepare for another game against a possibly CFP bound opponent, the fine folks over at Black Shoe Diaries agreed to swap questions with me. Brian answered all my questions and provided a lot of good info about the Penn State team that Purdue is going to face this weekend. Does he think there are any cracks that Purdue can exploit? Read on to find out!
First off, and I think most importantly, what makes the Lion so Nittany?
You know I’ve been to games at most of the pre-2024 expansion Big Ten stadiums. This, by far, is the question I get asked the most. So, here you go with the history. Mountain Lions are indigenous to Central Pennsylvania. Penn State sits in the valley next to Mount Nittany. So, Penn State Mountain Lions…nah Penn State Nittany Lions. Just an ode to the tallest peak that looks down on the college.
Any chance you’ll go easy on Purdue for us? I really can’t stomach another shutout.
Somewhat seriously, I think Penn State could rest some players on Saturday. For all the 1-0, every week is the Super Bowl mentality that James Franklin preaches, he’s shown that he’s more likely to go deeper into the bench or hold out certain players in games that he feels his team has a clear advantage. Like every other team, Penn State has had its fair share of injuries this year and I think he has his eye on the road game at Minnesota as the bigger obstacle to a playoff berth. With that in mind, I could see more players getting reps who normally might not.
With Penn State’s remaining schedule do you think a trip to the CFP is all but assured?
I think they’re in a great spot. They’re huge favorites this weekend and they’ll be huge favorites at home on Senior Day against Maryland. That leaves Minnesota, which could be a tricky game. I know the Gophers struggled on Saturday, but Franklin has had one dream season (2019) spoiled with a November loss in Minneapolis. But, win these next three and it seems that Penn State will get a chance to host a game on campus in December.
Who does the Purdue defense need to try and slow down in order to stop the Penn State offense (yes I know the prospect of Purdue stopping or slowing down Penn State is laughable but please just go with it.)
Tight end Tyler Warren. It’s weird to have an offense built around a tight end (though I am actually old enough to remember when Purdue had a Heisman campaign for fullback Mike Alstott), but Penn State uses Warren in so many different and creative ways. Of course, they didn’t do that inside the five-yard line against Ohio State…but I digress. Anyway, Warren draws a ton of attention and helped open things up for Penn State’s wide receivers last Saturday. Otherwise, those receivers aren’t very good. Penn State has two very good running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, too. However, Singleton has battled injuries this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was held out on Saturday.
On defense, which unit would you say is the strength and who stands out elsewhere on the defensive side of the ball?
The defensive line is very good, led by All-American candidate defensive end Abdul Carter. He made the switch from linebacker to edge rusher this year and it’s gone well. He will be a first round NFL pick and he wears No. 11 just like Micah Parsons. Purdue fans might remember Carter for getting in for two plays back in the 2022 opener and getting hit with a targeting penalty in his first ever college game. Anyway, he leads that group. The secondary is also very strong, led by Jaylen Reed – another guy who will at the very least be a first-team All-Big Ten player. He had a momentum changing pick six against Wisconsin and came away with another pick last weekend against Washington. Ironically, Penn State’s weakest group is its linebackers, the unit that has produced the best talent year after year. It’s not a bad group by any means, but just doesn’t have the NFL talent that the line and secondary have right now.
James Franklin had a testy exchange with a Penn State fan recently, should Purdue fans go after him pre-game just in hopes it can throw him off his game? We are desperate here Brian.
I wouldn’t do that. It will lead to you getting Petty James. You don’t want to see Petty James. You might remember Petty James from such moments as 59-0 against Maryland or calling a timeout to ice a kicker and preserve a 56-0 shutout against Georgia State or getting in the face of an Iowa assistant after an easy 24-0 Whiteout win. Smug, arms-crossed James has been the flavor of most of this season. That James hasn’t embarrassed any opponents.
What’s it like winning football games? Is it nice?
I’m glad you asked that. We have a lot of conversation on our site and even Franklin alludes to the fact that it’s hard to win games and there are upsets all over college football each week. Penn State, the past three years, simply hasn’t been upset. They’ve won all of their games against teams not named Michigan and Ohio State. So, yes, that’s been nice. But it’s also been unfulfilling because the Lions keep coming up short in their biggest tests. There’s sort of been a narrative that either you’re a playoff team or “you suck”. Well, Penn State is in line to win at least 10 games in a season for the sixth time since 2016. They’ve spent time in the AP Top 10 every year dating back to 2016. That’s been nice too, but the fanbase is still desperate to see this team get into the playoffs and win some games once there.
Somehow you miss the game and wake up Sunday to see Purdue has won, how in the world did it happen?
Penn State’s defense comes out as flat as it did against Bowling Green. The Falcons had a great game plan and executed well enough to have a halftime lead and were within a single score all the way through most of the second half. Meanwhile, Penn State’s offense has red zone issues and turnovers. Also, maybe Purdue somehow dials that up that anomaly of an offensive performance they put together against Illinois.
Finally, what’s your prediction for this one?
For your sake, I truly don’t think it will be as bad as Ohio State or Oregon and especially not Notre Dame. I think Purdue does score, but Penn State methodically pulls away.
Penn State 31, Purdue 10
Thanks again to Brian from Black Shoe Diaries for stopping by to chat. Make sure to head over to their site to read my answers to their questions later on in the week.