UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- At 3-0 with two good road wins under their belt, there's little doubt Penn State is an extremely confident team right now.
The Nittany Lions would seem to be a shoo-in to gain even more confidence Saturday as 28-point favorites over Central Michigan. No one expects this to be a close game, and if it is, it most likely would mean that Penn State came into the game with too much confidence and taking the Chippewas lightly.
The Lions typically don't do that, thanks in large part to James Franklin's incessant 1-0 mantra, which keeps the team grounded against these kinds of opponents.
"Got a ton of the respect for Coach (Jim) McElwain and his career," Franklin said of the former Florida and Colorado State coach, who's in his fourth season at Central Michigan.
"My time in the Northwest -- my wife is from the Northwest, obviously my time at Washington State -- a lot of these guys that's not only Coach McElwain, but on his staff, he's from Montana. You look at his career, he's done a bunch of really good things."
Having been at Florida -- going 22-12 from 2015 until 2017 when he was fired after a 3-4 start -- McElwain is used to coaching in big games. So he'll have his players prepared from a mental standpoint, and the Chippewas already played a road game at Oklahoma State (losing 58-44).
The bottom line though, is if this game is close, it would be more about things that Penn State is not doing well, as opposed to things Central Michigan is doing well.
There is, however, some cause to put a magnifying glass to what Penn State has accomplished thus far. The 3-0 record, No. 14 ranking and immense confidence are matters of fact, but it's still worth examining if the Lions are indeed worthy of the praise everyone is heaping on them.
Penn State barely won at Purdue, 35-31, and needed a last-minute TD drive to pull that off. It was a good road win against a Big Ten opponent, but then Purdue just went to Syracuse and looked mediocre at best in a 32-29 loss to the Orange. That's the kind of loss that makes you wonder if Purdue is any good, which then makes us re-evaluate the Lions' performance against the Boilermakers.
Ohio was Ohio. The Bobcats stink, losing 46-10 to Penn State and 43-10 at Iowa State last week.
Nobody can question the performance Penn State put on at Auburn in a 41-12 rout. It was impressive under any light.
But ...
Auburn just might be terrible. Like, worst team in the SEC level terrible. The Tigers host Missouri on Saturday, and maybe we'll find out just how deep the problems are at Auburn. Just like it hurts the perception of Penn State, to a degree, that Purdue looked subpar against Syracuse, it would help Penn State if Auburn goes on and has a good year.
Now, all of that stuff pertains to how the outside world looks at this Penn State team.
But when it comes to a confidence standpoint, none of that should really matter to the Lions, because they have seen their confidence grow exponentially the first three weeks.
"It was just a great team win. I am just so proud of this team," Sean Clifford said after the Auburn blowout.
"We were confident coming into this game," he added. "We just went about our business and that was why I was so happy. Just to be able to see a full team win come full circle. It was passing, rushing, offensive line, defense, and it was just Penn State football."
That's it right there. The part about what we've seen this season being Penn State football.
Especially the past two weeks, when the Lions went out and played great on both sides of the ball, controlled the line of scrimmage, didn't mess around and blew things open instead of letting inferior teams hang around.
And that's what should happen again Saturday against Central Michigan.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Penn State (3-0) vs. Central Michigan (1-2)
• When: Noon, Saturday
• Where: Beaver Stadium (106,572)
• Weather: Partly cloudy, 59°, 0% rain, 4-mph wind
• TV: BTN
• Radio: Penn State Sports Radio Network
• Satellite: Sirius XM 84, online 957
• Media notes: Penn State | Central Michigan
TWO REASONS
Two reasons Penn State will win:
1. The Lions are riding high and have the much better team all the way around. The defense, in particular, should make things very difficult for the Chippewas, giving the offense plenty of opportunities to enjoy a big day.
2. This is a noon kickoff coming off an emotional win, so the possibility for a letdown does exist. But there's also incentive for the coaches to want to get off to a fast start so they can get Drew Allar and other backups some important reps in the final non-conference game. So, maybe look for a little bit more sense of urgency early on than we're used to seeing from Penn State in noon kicks.
Two reasons Central Michigan could win:
1. The bulk of the Penn State team could come down with the flu or something, like last year against Rutgers. Short of that, the Chippewas just don't have the manpower to keep this close.
2. Penn State could come in too overconfident, take this opponent lightly and mess around playing a sloppy first half that keeps the game way too close for comfort. Central Michigan did score 44 points at Oklahoma State, after falling behind 37-7, so the Chippewas may keep fighting even if they get down big.
FIVE KEYS
My five keys for Penn State:
1. Come out sharp. Look to squash the bug early in this game, rather than slogging through an ugly first half, which the Lions have done many, many times in these kinds of games over the years. Penn State has all the momentum in the world, so cash in on that with a sharp focus from the outset.
2. Get Allar at least 1-2 relatively meaningful series in this game, including at least one in the first half. This could be the last time we get to see Allar for a while, with the bulk of the Big Ten schedule coming up starting next week, so make sure he gets as many game reps as possible.
3. Penn State's defense can gain a whole bunch more confidence with an aggressive showing and forcing numerous turnovers, after getting four takeaways at Auburn. There's no turnover chain on this Manny Diaz defense, but make no mistake, the unit's ability to force turnovers will be one of the most important factors of the season once the Lions get into the tough part of the Big Ten schedule.
4. Stay healthy and get a lot of backups some experience.
5. Enjoy the celebration. Penn State will honor the 1982 national championship team at halftime, and numerous members of that historic squad will be on hand. It's been a rough couple of years for Penn State, but this team looks like it could have a chance for a special season. Fans can enjoy that while also getting to cheer for the '82 team that brought the school its first national title.
PREDICTION
Penn State 41, Central Michigan 16. I do expect the Lions to start a little slow here, simply because we've seen that movie play out so many times.
HOW TO BET THE GAME
Penn State is favored by 28. Over/under is 62
Take the Chippewas at +28. That's such a big number, and once Penn State's backups start playing, I can see the visitors getting a late score for a backdoor cover.
ALCOHOL PROPOSAL PASSES
Penn State's Board of Trustees on Friday passed a proposal that will allow for alcohol to be sold to the general public at Beaver Stadium. The start date for alcohol sales has not been finalized yet, but the Nittany Lions host Northwestern next Saturday, and it's possible the plan could be implemented by then.
The following is from Penn State's press release:
Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics announced the expansion of alcohol sales to the general public, following a vote today (Sept. 23) by the Penn State Board of Trustees. The start date for beer offerings is in the process of being finalized and will be announced at a later date. When sales begin, beer offerings will be available for purchase throughout Beaver Stadium, with the exception of areas near the student section.
Intercollegiate Athletics has made alcohol available for purchase in the club and suites areas at Beaver Stadium and Pegula Ice Arena since 2016, while the Bryce Jordan Center has been selling alcohol at select external events since 2015. In putting in the appropriate safety protocols in place, the introduction of alcohol in these environments has been successful.
Under the plan, all patrons 21 years of age and older who purchase alcohol will be required to show proper identification to obtain a wristband. Further, all IDs will be scanned to confirm they are legitimate. All alcohol vendors will have completed RAMP (Responsible Alcohol Management Program) training and certification. This approach means every person purchasing alcohol will be ID’d, and that a maximum of two beverages (16 oz. cans) per person can be purchased at any one time. Employees who undergo training will also learn alcohol absorption rate factors and intervention techniques to help identify patrons who may need assistance. In addition, all athletics and game day staff will be asked to report any inappropriate behavior or violations immediately.
