Penn State offense preps for top ranked UGA defense

Rahne has had a lot of time to think about the game during the bowl preparation, which he calls the most challenging part of his role. Assistant head coach (as well as wide receivers coach, recruiting coordinator, and passing game coordinator) Bryan McClendon will coach the TaxSlayer Bowl before leaving Georgia to take the offensive coordinator job at SC under Will Muschamp.

Said Rome: “I just want to have a great game and get a ‘W.’ Whether that’s blocking or catching passes doesn’t matter”. “Just organizing the practices, and other things”. Quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne will run the offense against the Bulldogs in what could be Hackenberg’s final game for the Nittany Lions.

“So yeah, there will be a couple things, minor tweaks here and there”.

“Players are players”, he said. “Once he arrived (on campus), his demeanor and his approach and his attitude was he was going to do everything in his power to play as a freshman, and not just play but have an impact”. I won’t be shocked if we see a somewhat flat effort from the Bulldog players with all of the turmoil.

An upright Hackenberg has the opportunity to show off his arm and make use of a talented receiving trio of Chris Godwin (63 receptions, 968 yards, five touchdowns) and DaeSean Hamilton (40 receptions, 509 yards, five touchdowns).

“It’s great because there will be great weather so we can’t complain”, tailback Sony Michel said.

“It’s up to us players to make the plays work, ” he said. With blue and white balloons welcoming them to check in for their flight at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, their destination is Jacksonville, Florida for Saturday’s Taxslayer Bowl. “You know all the guys getting to come out here and see stuff like this is pretty fun”. We do have a lot of the Sports Illustrated covers in our house all along the wall. “We’re excited about it”. Does Penn State have anything for them?

McClendon spent most of his time at Georgia as a running backs coach from 2009-14.

Rahne said he has given some of the Lions, including Hackenberg, a chance to talk about ideas and plays they might like.

James Franklin stood across the practice field and called out the names of Penn State’s seniors. “Obviously Christian is still analyzing his decisions, and it’s a big decision between him and his family”.

Gregg Garrity Jr., a walk-on receiver, will be starting for Penn State on punt returns on Saturday.

A stout defense on par with Penn State’s has been the backbone of Georgia’s season.

Once again, Penn State’s fate will likely come down to the beleaguered O-line being able to tread water for most of 60 minutes. While the new job is on the horizon, McClendon’s “time and energy”, he said, will remain with Georgia for one final week.

The Blue Band began its journey to hype up the football team and the crowd on Wednesday for the January 2 bowl game against Georgia.

“That would be just unbelievable”, he said.

After being known for stability for so long, Penn State can relate to having some uncertainty on the sidelines around this time of year.

That’s a possibility behind running back Saquon Barkley, though the freshman already runs with plenty of flair. Penn State will be without senior Jordan Lucas because of his shoulder injury. Payne has played in seven games this year with no starts while Welch has appeared in 11 games with no starts.