Predicting No. 5 Nittany Lions' matchup vs. Georgia State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- This one doesn't have all the glitz and glam of a usual night game at Beaver Stadium, but it still makes the Penn State players and coaches wait around a little while longer to get the game rolling.

"Class on Fridays, then you have your pregame meetings, walkthroughs," senior cornerback Grant Haley said. "In the morning the next day, you do another walkthrough, breakfast, some down time to watch games. ... You definitely have a lot more time on your hands. And you get a little more anxious, depending on what game it is, but our coaches do a great job of keeping us focused and letting us be a little loose so when game time comes we're ready to go play."

Penn State, ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll, has night games this Saturday with the 7:30 p.m. kick against Georgia State and again next week at Iowa. During the lead up to the Lions' third game of the season the team's graduate assistants will already be working ahead on preparations for next weekend's game come Saturday morning, James Franklin said.

Given the quick turnaround time after a night game and Sunday's workout, which typically starts later in the day after a night game, it's a little different of a routine. However, Penn State looks to keep rolling and round out non-conference play against the Georgia State Panthers in a night game the Nittany Lions are favored in by 37 points.

The pick: Penn State: 51, Georgia State: 7



OFFENSE

After Penn State wasn't particularly sharp against Pitt, how the Nittany Lions rebound here is important, but it's also difficult to gauge given the level of competition. Franklin rattled off a list of areas where he wants to see this team improve and among them were the Lions' third-down conversions.

Of course there are drives where Penn State doesn't even make it to third down because they're striking so quickly and efficiently, but being able to consistently string together drives is something that this group struggled with last week. It doesn't help that Georgia State's defense surrendered just two plays of 50-plus yards in their past 13 games. That's one number Penn State was eyeing this week.

"That's a pretty impressive stat, one of the best in the country," Franklin said of the Panthers' 3-4 defense. "That's going to be one of the big challenges in the game. They do a great job of limiting big plays and we do a pretty good job of creating big plays. So that's going to be one of the big storylines in the game. You have a number of ways of creating explosive plays, that's throwing it over their head or that's breaking tackles."

While Franklin said the Panthers' ability to limit explosive plays is also a credit to their tackling, he also said Georgia State's cornerbacks seemingly are their best players on the team.

Penn State's wide receivers haven't caught a touchdown pass so far this season and tight end Mike Gesicki, who has four touchdowns through two games and has scored in Penn State's last five consecutive games, will look to keep his streak going.

While Saquon Barkley is known to rip off big plays whether out of the backfield or as a receiver, the Lions will also need to show they can sustain some of these drives should Georgia State limit some of their shot plays.

"They are fast." wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins said of Georgia State's defense. "They have guys who have played a lot of football, a lot of experience on the back end. They are just guys who have been playing football for awhile. Experience is always something that you can't teach."

Players also can't be taught what to expect on the road under the lights at Beaver Stadium, but Franklin cautioned -- and several players mentioned it this week as well -- that Georgia State played Wisconsin tough last year, one game several players went back and watched. While Wisconsin won 23-17, it took 10 fourth-quarter points for the Badgers to pull out the victory.

We'll also see how many more reps right tackle Andrew Nelson takes on this week after he made his season debut last week coming off the bench to spell starter Chasz Wright. It was Nelson's first game action since a season-ending knee injury last fall.

DEFENSE

Franklin still wants to see more of a pass rush and better tackling, two areas he's harped on through Penn State's first two games.

"We're building a lot of depth," he said of the defensive line. "I'm hoping we'll be able to do that again this week and hopefully by the midpoint of the season, we've created a defensive line and a position that we've got a lot of guys that we feel like can play and play at a very, very high level for us. I think we're getting a lot of production out of our defensive tackles. I think they are playing at a high level."

The questions entering this season involved the defensive ends and Franklin wants to find out more about these guys, something they started to figure out last week when Shareef Miller was disruptive. However, Franklin showed the players a clip this week of Kobe Bryant, one where he ran the length of the court after a turnover, creating an effort play, reinforcing the message that should these Lions find themselves out of position or miss a tackle they still need to stay in the play.

Georgia State wide receiver Penny Hart is someone who the Lions zeroed in on this week. The 2015 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year will look to make his mark after missing most of last season due to a foot injury.

"They are the same kind of offense we go against every day in camp," Haley said. " That's one benefit we'll have going into the game. They have a lot of athletes. They have a very athletic team. I know looking up their receivers, they're pretty skillful. They have a guy, who a couple years ago before he got hurt, was a freshman All-American in Penny Hart. He's an explosive player. They're going to get him the ball."

While three true freshman have burned their redshirts on defense (Yetur Gross-Matos, Lamont Wade and Tariq Castro-Fields) an interesting pregame development will be whether or not cornerback Amani Oruwariye suits up. Cornerback Amani Oruwariye, who hobbled off in the fourth quarter against Pitt, will be one to keep an eye on in warmups.

Oruwariye was at practice this week and if he's held out of this one not only would Penn State be missing the guy they view as their third cornerback, but they'd also be down a key special teamer. That could mean increased responsibilities for Wade, Castro-Fields or redshirt freshman Zech McPhearson. The Lions' secondary is in the midst of a nice stretch of creating turnovers with three interceptions in the past two games, one they'll look to try and extend.

"We're playing at an elite level," said cornerbacks coach Terry Smith. "We're making plays on the football better than we've done the last three years here. ... They work really hard during the week to perfect their craft. They worked really hard during the offseason to get their footwork and eye discipline in place. It's important to these guys."

SPECIAL TEAMS  

The cat is out of the bag and Barkley is indeed the Lions' top kick returner, a role that moves Miles Sanders down the depth chart. While the Lions made it somewhat official with the depth chart this week, it's what they've been doing this season.

"One of the things that I don't really understand is everybody talks about how important special teams are, and it's just as important as offense and defense until you try to use your starters on special teams," Franklin said. "I don't really get it. To me, it seems like talking out of both sides of your mouth."

When Barkley is back to return kicks the Lions also have linebacker Koa Farmer, a former kick returner, also back there should teams kick it short. Knowing that Barkley is the top guy we'll see whether or not the Panthers kick it to him or if they'll look to Farmer or elsewhere.

"Sometimes I'm with the wedge with Jason [Cabinda] and sometimes I'm just getting a guy on the back side," Farmer said of his duties. "But when I do get the ball, just got to get as much as you can and do as much as you can."

Punter Blake Gillikin was a difference maker in the game against Pitt and with a difference maker in the punt return game in Thompkins, the Lions are now looking for a similar boost with the kick return unit. The Lions haven't returned a kick for a touchdown since 2011, a statistic that they'll look to throw by the wayside, much like the punt return slump that Thompkins busted in the season opener.

"My goal every game is to put our defense in the best position to be successful," Gillikin said. "So if that means we're punting from the 40-yard line every time, I'm trying to pin it deep. Or if that means punting from the 20-yard line and flip the field, I'm just trying to give the defense as much room as I can so they can make plays and so they can get the ball back to our offense. So obviously it's a great statistic to have a huge [yards per punt] average, but I think the most important thing to me is to pin the opponent as close to their goal line as possible."

The Lions were solid for the most part with the exception of one return last week against the elusive Quadree Henderson, certainly a confidence boost for the third phase moving forward.

DON'T BE SURPRISED IF... Penn State's starters on both sides of the ball play into the fourth quarter. At some point style points do matter and Penn State showed in the opener that it wanted to keep the starters in for the majority of three quarters and with conference play opening up next week I don't see that changing. But, should there be any players who are on the bubble about participating in this one because of injuries then I wouldn't be surprised if they're held out of this one. Running back Mark Allen, who also was at practice this week, has yet to suit up this season. Oruwariye, who limped off last in the game last week, will also be another one to keep an eye on.

KEEP AN EYE ON... The sidelines during warmups should you be in the stadium. If not, don't worry I'll have you covered. Penn State is slated to have a pair of highly-touted visitors on campus in five-star defensive end Micah Parsons as well as four-star defensive end Jayson Oweh. Franklin mentioned the importance of having a packed Beaver Stadium a few times this week and there's no doubt that also impact recruiting where a game under the lights, even if Penn State is heavily favored, can still help leave a favorable impression on these prospects. It's also not uncommon for Penn State's student section to start chants about prospects while they're down on the field before a game.