Which Penn State-Bowling Green players, coaches, are in the spotlight Saturday?

Another Penn State game day, its second of the season and first at Beaver Stadium, is nearly here. The Nittany Lions welcome Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green to town on Saturday. Kickoff is set for Noon ET on the Big Ten Network. Watch College Football Games Live –Click HERE NOW TO TRY Fubo for FREE!

Head coach James Franklin’s team is a 34.5-point favorite ahead of kickoff. On the other sideline, Scot Loeffler is amid his sixth season as the leader of the Falcons, who are 1-0 after a Week 1 victory over Fordham.

Below, we take a closer look at the players and coaches who will be in the spotlight Saturday as the Nittany Lions look to improve to 2-0.

Penn State kicker Sander Sahaydak

If rainy and windy conditions present themselves as expected for at least some if not most of Saturday’s contest, the Lions may decide going for any fourth downs in field goal range is preferable to kicking a field goal. Thus, while there is no doubt that Penn State would like to get a kick or two under Sander Sahaydak’s belt after last week’s 47-yard field goal miss, there’s no guarantee the opportunity will present itself. Obviously, if it does, all eyes will be watching to see if he can put that miss behind him. And, if not, then it will come down to making each extra point opportunity. And, there should be plenty of those on Saturday, considering the Lions are a five-touchdown favorite.

Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak

The Falcons are a run-first team. That is true no matter what the conditions are Saturday. But, if the score gets out of hand as expected, the visitors will have no choice but to have Bazelak throw it early and often. Ahead of a game devoid of most typical regular season storylines, Bazelak’s history with first-year Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen from their time together at Indiana is interesting. If nothing else, his inside knowledge of the way Allen operates could lead to BGSU throwing in some wrinkles on offense that create good teaching tape for both the Penn State assistant and his players. But Bazelak must play well for that to potentially happen.

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen

There are weeks where Kaytron Allen will be the big statistical winner in the Penn State backfield. There are others when that honor will go to Nick Singleton . In the opener, it did go to the latter. Will it go for the former this week? As James Franklin pointed out on Monday, sometimes its random based on who is in the game when a perfect call on offense is made against whatever the defense is running. That happened more for Singleton than Allen last Saturday. This Saturday, we won’t be surprised if the roles are reversed and it ends up being Allen who leads the way for the Lions on the ground.

The Nittany Lions Class of 2024

Three Penn State true freshman made their college debuts in Week 1. Offensive lineman Cooper Cousins , Dejuan Lane , and tight end Luke Reynolds all saw the field. We’d expect the first two to do so again. Whether or not Reynolds does likely depends on whether or not veteran Nittany Lions tight end Khalil Dinkins is back from injury this week or not.

Beyond that trio, we’re hard pressed to believe one of the first-year running backs, either Corey Smith or Quinton Martin Jr. , won’t see a carry this week. Linebacker Anthony Speca is one to watch, too. And, perhaps third-string quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer gets some run, as well. Others could factor into the mix, too, based on how practice closes out this week.

Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula

Ahead of a game like this, it’s well-known that the backups will play plenty. Beau Pribula is more than just your standard QB2, though. What we want to see is how much Penn State uses him when Drew Allar is in the game. It did so a fair amount at West Virginia. But, with a bigger second half rep count likely in Week 2, will Andy Kotelnicki dial back his usage while the score is close, especially in the first half? Time will tell.

Bowling Green return man Justin Pegues

After returning the first kickoff of the year for a 100-yard touchdown last week, first-year Falcon Pegues was named the MAC special teams player of the week. He did not record any stats on offense. But, he handles punts and kickoffs and clearly packs plenty of speed. We’d be surprised if he has any chance to make a significant return against the Nittany Lions. But, if the kicking or punting isn’t up to snuff, he just might.

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