Zips Open Season With Loss at #6 Penn State

Saturday, September 2

University Park, PA

Noon

University of Akron

0-1

Penn State

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Akron

Penn State

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

September 02 | Football

Box Score

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The No. 6 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Akron Zips, 52-0, in the 2017 season opener on a soggy Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium in front of 101, 684 fans.

The 2016 Big Ten champions used a balance attack to generate 569 total yards of offense with 322 yards in the air and 247 yards on the ground en route to finding pay dirt seven times.

The Nittany Lions' ground attack was paced by RB Saquon Barkley. The Heisman hopeful carried the ball 14 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard run that set up the Nittany Lions' third touchdown of the game. In addition, Barkley caught three passes for 54 yards with a team-best 43-yard reception.

PSU starting QB Trace McSorley completed 18-of-25 pass attempts for 280 total yards with two touchdowns and an interception. McSorley found TE Mike Gesicki for a team-best six targets for 58 yards and both passing touchdowns. On the ground, McSorely added 48 yards and a touchdown.

For Akron, senior QB Thomas Woodson (Monroeville, Pa.) returned to the starting role behind center after a season-ending injury in 2016. Woodson completed 12-of-23 passes for 71 yards and an interception.

Woodson shared the ball evenly to the receiving corps, finding senior WR Tra'Von Chapman (Cincinnati, Ohio), senior WR A.J. Coney (Orlando, Fla.), junior WR Kwadarrius Smith (Orlando, Fla.), and senior WR Fransohn Bickley (Akron,Ohio) multiple times. Chapman led the squad with three receptions and totaled 10 yards, while Coney, Smith, and Bickley had two touches each for 25, 23, and 21 yards, respectively.

On the ground, senior RB Warren Ball (Columbus, Ohio) carried the bulk of the load with 13 carries for 27 yards, while freshman QB Kato Nelson (Hollywood, Fla.) posted a team-high 39 yards on nine rushes.

Defensively, Akron was led by senior S Zach Guiser (Fayette City, Pa.) with 10 tackles and an interception. Sophomore CB Alvin Davis, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) followed with six tackles, one for a six-yard loss, and junior LB Ulysees Gilbert III (Ocala, Fla.) and senior LB Andrew Hauser (Mason, Ohio) had five takedowns each. Collectively, Akron had seven tackles for a loss of 29 yards.

In the first quarter, Akron opened with the ball and marched to a first down after a nine-yard carry by Ball on the season's initial snap. The Nittany Lions prevented the Zips from traveling 10 more yards and Akron was forced to punt.

On Penn State's first possession of the season, McSorley rushed for 21 yards before completing a 16-yard pass. He followed with another 10-yard run and 15-yard pass before Akron's Guiser stepped in front of a pass in the end zone for his fourth career interception.

Penn State responded with two touchdown drives before the second quarter, including a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 13-yard pass from McSorely to Gesicki.

In the second quarter, the Nittany Lions defense held their ground while the offense added three additional touchdown drives. By the end of the first half, the Nittany Lions limited Akron to 69 total yards of offense with six first downs. PSU used a balanced attack while collecting 35 points on 358 yards of total offense, consisting of 180 yards on the ground and 178 yards through the air. In addition the Nittany Lions received 127 punt return yards with 61 yard run for a touchdown.

In the second half, Penn State added a 47-yard field goal and two touchdowns while preventing Akron to find the end zone.

Akron returns to InfoCision Stadium– Summa Field for its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 9, with Arkansas Pine Bluff. Festivities begin with the second annual Touchdown Music Fest, featuring Roots-rockers JD McPherson and Nikki Lane as co-headliners. The music festival is FREE to the public. Gates to the Lee R. Jackson Track & Field Complex (next to InfoCision Stadium) open at 2 p.m. Nikki Lane will take the stage at 3 p.m., followed by JD McPherson at 4:45 p.m.

The football game is slated for 6:30 p.m. General admission tickets for football game as part of the Touchdown Music promotion are only $10 each. CLICK HERE. Special Offer Code: TDMF17