Delaware at Penn State predictions: Which young players will stand out?

Penn State plays its second game of the season Saturday afternoon against the Delaware Blue Hens in Beaver Stadium. Here are some final thoughts and predictions ahead of the Nittany Lions’ matchup with the Blue Hens.

Beau Pribula gets meaningful playing time

I’m sure West Virginia head coach Neal Brown won’t like this one. Penn State should be able to get up early in this game. I don’t mean early as in the third quarter — I mean early as in this lead could be four or five scores before halftime. The Nittany Lions are one of the best teams in the country and the Blue Hens are an FCS team. This game will be a blowout.

That’s good news for redshirt freshman Beau Pribula, who should be able to step in for sophomore Drew Allar at quarterback for well over a quarter of football. The snaps he will get the rest of the season are going to be few and far between. The Nittany Lions only have two non-conference games left, counting this one, and those are going to be Pribula’s best chance to get reps this year. Now, why does that matter? Well, Allar is likely to be good enough to leave for the NFL Draft as soon as he’s eligible which is in 2025. That gives him two years as the starter before another real competition opens up. Every rep Pribula can get to potentially take over as the starter in what would be his redshirt junior year will give him an advantage.

Of course, it will also matter for this year. Pribula brings an added dimension to the team’s offense because of his mobility and athleticism. There’s a world where he’s in games in specific packages or trick plays in big games because he has a skillset that’s different than Allar’s. Getting reps now will make him more comfortable if that time comes. That doesn’t guarantee success in those instances but making sure he’s ready to go when he takes the field will always be beneficial.

Freshmen defensive players stand out

King Mack and Tony Rojas. Those are the two names to remember. There will be others, of course, that step up and play well when the team’s youth gets into the game but I would pick Mack and Rojas to be the two that turn heads most this weekend. The Nittany Lions shouldn’t have to wait to get the freshman duo into the game, either. Mack should be able to rotate in at safety and Rojas should be able to do the same at linebacker early in the game to maximize their playing time. Both are players Penn State head coach James Franklin identified as “green light” freshmen — players who are cleared to play in more than four games and burn their redshirt.

Mack has a chance to move into the safety rotation that currently features Zakee Wheatley, Keaton Ellis, Jaylen Reed and K.J. Winston. He was a standout player in the preseason for Penn State and someone coaches and teammates brought up as someone who has made the transition from high school to the college game. He’s a versatile player who can play deep in coverage or close to the line of scrimmage against the run. Not to mention, he can step out to the slot and play as the team’s nickel cornerback. He’ll have the talent advantage over Delaware and could break out this game.

Rojas is in a similar situation at linebacker but has a chance to move up the depth chart even higher. The Nittany Lions have three good linebackers in Kobe King, Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter but there are questions beyond those three. Dom DeLuca and Tyler Elsdon have struggled to defend in space in the passing game and that will matter more as the Nittany Lions take on teams like Ohio State later in the year. Rojas has elite athleticism and could step into a real role in the team’s pass defense later this season. This is going to be his first extended chance to show what he can do in live action.

Kicking game battle continues

The clear weak point from Saturday’s win over West Virginia came on special teams. Sander Sahaydak missed two field goals the team will need to consistently make in close games — both of which were under 40 yards. That led to Alex Felkins taking over the kicking duties for the rest of the matchup with the Mountaineers. While the change was made at the time, Franklin has since said the team will still stay in the competition phase for the time being.

That could mean Sahaydak gets another opportunity or it could mean Felkins will remain at the forefront until he makes a mistake and gives the opportunity back to Sahaydak. This weekend may not present all that many field goal opportunities — I can’t imagine the Nittany Lions stall out on too many drives — which could push the competition into next week against Illinois on the road. Still, there will be opportunities for both Sahaydak and Felkins on extra points. I’d bet on the Nittany Lions scoring at least five touchdowns this game and giving those players chances.

Now, they’re only extra points, but it’s still an in-game data point for the coaching staff to evaluate in the competition. The more information they have to evaluate Sahaydak and Felkins, the better, especially in an area that’s going to be relied on in close games. I don’t see either kicker fully claiming the job any time soon, but eventually somebody is going to have to step up and lay claim to a spot that could decide matchups this season.

Final predictions

Penn State 55, Delaware 6: I don’t see a world where this game is close. Penn State is going to take care of business and probably have at least 28 points by halftime. I’m guessing Delaware doesn’t score until the backups are in and even then it’s far more likely those points come on field goals than touchdowns because of the talent disparity. This is going to be a great chance for Penn State to rotate in its young players, backups and walk-ons as they steamroll the Blue Hens in Beaver Stadium.

MVP: Dani Dennis-Sutton. Picking an MVP is kind of tough for this one. You’re essentially trying to figure out who is going to play enough to have a massive impact. Allar would make sense, but there’s a world where he throws 15 times and has 175 yards and two touchdowns because the game is out of hand thanks to Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton breaking off big runs. I’ll go with Dennis-Sutton here as a young player who should play even more than usual. He’s going to feast against an FCS offensive line and is young enough to play a few extra snaps here and there. I’ll say he ends the matchup with two sacks, including one that results in a fumble recovered by Penn State.

The last word

Penn State defensive tackle Dvon Ellies on what it’s like absorbing a hit from running back Kaytron Allen:

“It’s like — you ever get hit by a car? You’d rather not. I see why he gets so many yards after contact.”