Penn State Vs. Syracuse 2013 Season Opener Preview

Penn State Football's season opener versus Syracuse is less than 2 months away. The old eastern rivals will kick off on Saturday, August 31 at 3:30pm at Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ. The game will be televised on ABC/ESPN2. Penn State and Syracuse have played 70 times. They played every season from 1944 - 1990 and in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Penn State owns a 42-23-5 record versus Syracuse. After the 2012 season concluded it looked as if this upcoming game would be a very tough matchup for the Nittany Lions. The Orangemen won six of their last seven games, including a blowout of West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl. But things changed quickly for the Orangemen, Head Coach Doug Marrone left for the Buffalo Bills. Defensive Coordinator Scott Shafer took over for Marrone. Shafer was the team's Defensive Coordinator since 2009. Shafer's biggest obstacle this summer is choosing a quarterback. Either sophomore Terrel Hunt or Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen will be lining up under center versus Penn State. Both quarterbacks have very little experience. The Nittany Lions can relate on the inexperienced quarterback front. True freshman Christian Hackenberg and junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson will be competing this summer for the starting job. Though Penn State will have an inexperienced quarterback starting, there is plenty of talent returning on offense that will give the quarterback some comfort. Junior running back Zack Zwinak and junior wide receiver Allen Robinson will help take the pressure off the quarterback. Zwinak ran for 1000 yards and 6 touchdowns last season while Robinson caught 77 passes for 1018 yards and 11 touchdowns. Both players will have to show up against Syracuse in order for the Nittany Lions to move the ball on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Penn State will need to put pressure on Allen or Hunt. 2012 Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year, defensive end Deon Barnes and outside linebacker Mike Hull will be relied on to get to the quarterback. If Barnes and Hull can keep Allen or Hunt in check, the Nittany Lions will be able keep the Orangemen off the scoreboard. Both Penn State and Syracuse will be starting inexperienced quarterbacks but the Nittany Lions have the advantage with several key play makers on the offensive and defensive side. Penn State wins 28 – 7.