BREAKING: Penn State announces starting lineups for Kent State matchup

Off the first of two bye weeks in 2024, Penn State football returns to Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes. Ranked No. 10 in the country, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are looking to secure their third win of the season after victories over West Virginia and Ball State to open the year.

Saturday will also be the first time Penn State takes the field since James Franklin announced this week that star safety KJ Winston would be sidelined with a “long-term injury.” The junior defender left the field during the second quarter of the Nittany Lions’ Week 2 contest with Bowling Green and did not return.

Winston is one of a baker’s dozen of Nittany Lions Penn State football announced as out against Kent State when it released its conference-mandated availability report earlier Saturday afternoon.

Now moments ago, Penn State announced its anticipated starters for this afternoon’s contest:

Offense

QB: Drew Allar

RB: Nicholas Singleton (Kaytron Allen also listed as a starter)

WR: Harrison Wallace III, Julian Fleming, Liam Clifford

TE: Tyler Warren

LT: Drew Shelton

LG: Vega Ioane 

C: Nick Dawkins

RG: Sal Wormley

RT: Anthony Donkoh

Defense

DE: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Abdul Carter

DT: Zane Durant, Dvon J-Thomas

LB: Tony Rojas, Kobe King, Dom DeLuca

CB: Jalen Kimber, Cam Miller (Elliot Washington also announced as a starter)

S: Jaylen Reed, Zakee Wheatley 

Special Teams

K: Sander Sahaydak (placekicker), Gabe Nwosu (kickoffs)

P: Riley Thompson

LS: Tyler Duzansky

KR: Nicholas Singleton

PR: Kaden Saunders

Penn State football looking to head into Big Ten play on a high note

© Grace Carella / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

The Nittany Lions were pushed to their limit two weeks ago against Bowling Green, holding on for a 34-27 win.

Kent State comes into Beaver Stadium statistically ranked as one of the worst teams in the FBS. So this time around, James Franklin is hoping for much different results before his program prepares to open conference play against a ranked Illinois squad in primetime.

“We got to win,” Franklin said last week. “We got to win. Having that conversation or talking that way is just not something that we necessarily do. I’m more comfortable talking about past games than future games.

“But yeah, we would love to play really well [next game], get the rep count and the ball distribution the way we’d like it to be, and then get other guys on the field and get our guys out. We were not able to do that this past Saturday.”

Penn State football opened the week as a 49-point favorite, the largest margin in program history since odds first started to be tracked in 1995. Kickoff with the Golden Flashes is officially set for 3:40 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

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