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Kent St.-Penn St. Preview

Sep 14, 2010 - 10:26 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Senior Writer

Kent State (1-1) at No. 13 Penn State (1-1), 12:00 p.m. EDT

A freshman quarterback and a defense plagued by missed tackles doomed Penn State in its matchup with the defending national champion.

Its next opponent should be much less of a threat.

Rob Bolden and the No. 22 Nittany Lions look to bounce back Saturday and run their nonconference home winning streak to 21 when they face Kent State.

No team starting a freshman under center had ever beaten a No. 1 team on the road, and Alabama made sure Bolden wouldn't be the first. A week after he threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-14 rout of Youngstown State, Bolden was intercepted twice in Penn State's 24-3 loss to the Crimson Tide.

"He got stuck in some tough situations and unfortunately it didn't go our way," wide receiver Brett Brackett said. "But it's a learning experience. He has to learn from it. We have 10 more games and we can't separate as a team. We have to come together as a team and come back and fight."

Perhaps more damaging than Bolden's 13-for-29 performance was a porous effort from the Nittany Lions' typically stout defense. Alabama tailback Trent Richardson ran through Penn State (1-1) in the first quarter, gaining 93 yards on eight carries and breaking numerous tackles.

Richardson finished with 144 yards to end the Lions' 17-game stretch of not allowing a 100-yard rusher. The Crimson Tide became Penn State's first opponent since Michigan State on Nov. 17, 2007, to top 400 yards in a regular season contest.

The Nittany Lions also haven't forced a turnover in two games.

"I think that's because we have some tentative people," coach Joe Paterno said. "We've tried to emphasize the fact you can't let the other guy stand around and wait to make a move all the time. ... You play two games without a takeaway, you gotta start being a little more aggressive and get some people who go after things. That's the big job we have ahead of us."

Penn State can take some heat off the defense and make Bolden's job easier by establishing the running game. Tailback Evan Royster has 20 carries for 72 yards without a touchdown through two games, and backup Stephfon Green (11 carries, 45 yards) hasn't provided much of a boost either.

Getting Royster untracked will be key, particularly once the Lions open their Big Ten schedule. Penn State is 29-2 when the senior tailback runs for at least 40 yards and 1-6 when he doesn't.

"I think the effort's fine," Paterno said of Royster. "I don't know whether we've established the type of running game Royster would do well in. He's not a guy that's gonna run over you. He doesn't have great speed. He has good speed."

Despite the poor performance in Tuscaloosa, the Lions should feel confident in their ability to rebound. They've won 20 consecutive non-conference games at Beaver Stadium, starting with a 32-10 victory over Kent State (1-1) in 2003.

Two weeks before that, Boston College became the last non-conference visitor to win in University Park.

That's the team the Golden Flashes were matched up with last Saturday. Kent State failed to replicate the success it established in a season-opening 41-10 win over Murray State, falling 26-13 while finishing with four rushing yards.

The Flashes also committed five turnovers.

"Even with our turnovers, I felt we were in position to (win) and that bodes well for our team, especially within our conference," coach Doug Martin said. "You're not going to have a chance to beat a (good) team if you come up here and help them."

Kent State has faced four ranked Big Ten opponents since 2000, losing by an average of 36.5 points.