Nittany Notes Recap: Week #1 versus Akron

Final Score:
Penn State 31, Akron 7 (Nittany Lions led 31-0 at the half)

Stars of the Game:
Daryll Clark was 29-of-40 for 353 yards with three touchdowns and one interception -- later named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week; Derek Moye and Chaz Powell as the new starting wideouts combined for 13 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns; Nathan Stupar -- in place of the injured Navarro Bowman -- was all over the field with 10 tackles and a sack.


Shoot-From-The-Hip First Impressions:
Clark was either very accurate (most of the time) or wildly daring and ill-advised (seldom). He used good decision-making was crisp and quick with his release; Chaz Powell is a bullet in space, and Moye (while also fast) has sure hands and runs sharp routes; offensive line was very good in keeping Clark upright, but didn't come off blocks to get to Akron's second wave (normally right at the line of scrimmage) on running plays; Sean Lee was a beast in cleats -- all over the field, while Stupar showed his ability, giving coaches the confidence to play him and keep both Lee and Bowman fresh; A.J. Wallace didn't start, but his play should go a long way to getting back into Joe Pa's good graces; kicking game needs a lot of work as Collin Wagner missed two field goals; complacency is also an issue after zero second-half points.

Game By The Numbers (because Numbers tell a story):
0: Number of first downs for the Akron offense in the first half.

28: Number of rushing yards surrendered by the Nits, who yielded 0.9 yards per carry as Jared Odrick could not be blocked.

43: Number of negative yards on running plays for Akron, again illustrating how Odrick, Jerome Hayes and Jack Crawford could not be blocked.

44: Number of yards (4.4) Evan Royster averaged per rush on Saturday. Stephfon Green averaged just 1.4 as Penn State's new offensive line couldn't open the gaping holes many expected against a smaller Akron front seven.

62: For all of the talk about Moye and Powell (and rightfully so), Graham Zug had a solid game on the stat sheet. He patiently made his way across the field and into the end zone, where Clark found him on a 19-yard scoring strike. The lanky and sure-handed junior caught five passes for 62 yards.

Final Thoughts:

Penn State listened to my offensive crescendo on the opening drive, pounding Royster and the Akron defense into submission, culminating in the back's five-yard TD scamper. Yet, after that, Clark let loose to a collection of wideouts with far more polish than I had expected.

If Powell, Moye and Zug continue to be steady hands on Penn State's offensive ship, and the Nits get something from tight end Andrew Quarless, this unit could surprise a lot of people.

On the defensive side of the ball, the front four was unblockable and penetrated the Akron backfield over 60 minutes (and this was an Akron offensive line that returned four of five starters). The defensive backs weren't tested, and likely won't be until Big Ten play begins.

Overall, it was a dominating first half and a casual second half that should light a fire under Paterno and give him material to harp on this week in practice as Syracuse beckons.

UP NEXT:
BOOK NEWS THURSDAY MORNING
JOE PA'S PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT AND THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY
SYRACUSE GAME PREVIEW ON FRIDAY