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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 26, Digital 6

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 26, ISSUE 6 97 omore or a freshman. The QB race is between Trace McSor- ley and Tommy Stevens, though sopho- more McSorley had the edge entering the summer because he has some game experience (185 yards, two TDs). Who- ever wins the battle should have a reli- able receiving corps, led by Chris Godwin (1,101 yards, five TDs), and an all-league running back in Saquon Barkley (1,076 yards, seven TDs). But it'll be hard to get any of those pieces rolling if the line doesn't improve. Penn State allowed a whopping 39 sacks last season — and 83 over the last two — and the run game managed only 134.2 yards per game last season, even with Barkley's 5.9-yards-per- carry average. Perhaps it'll help that Moorhead is changing to zone-block- ing principles and that most of the players are back with another year of experience. "If Moorhead is going to pro- duce the type of offense that he was brought in to do, he's going to need the line to be more reliable," Bauer said. "It's just all about finding a bal- ance and getting those (position) groups to find enough success — aided by a system that hopes to alle- viate the issues of the past — to put points on the board." Those talented skill-position players and Moorhead's changed approach offer some reason for opti- mism on offense, as does an expect- ed solid secondary that could stand to generate more turnovers. The non-conference schedule in- cludes Temple and Pitt, but a strong start could help Franklin's group at least return to the bowl scene and build toward bigger things, especial- ly considering the program is back to a full complement of scholarships after NCAA sanctions. "Short of the Temple game last year, Penn State has done a pretty good job of winning those middle-tier games that it has on the schedule," Bauer said. "Whether or not an upset will finally be in the cards — Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan — remains to be seen. Those aren't really the important games on the schedule. It's Pitt, Temple, Mary- land, Iowa, Indiana, Rutgers that this program has to come out of with at least four wins for Penn State to get to the seven or eight wins it needs to feel like progress is being made." — Stacy Clardie Penn State Saquon Barkley just may be the Big Ten's best returning running back — and he'll be counted on to duplicate his success in Year 2. Heartbreak at Minnesota 2015 Results (6-7) 9/3 TEXAS CHRISTIAN . . . L, 17-23 9/12 at Colorado State . . . . W, 23-20 9/19 KENT STATE . . . . . . . . . W, 10-7 9/26 OHIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 27-24 10/3 at Northwestern . . . . . . L, 0-27 10/10 at Purdue . . . . . . . . . . W, 41-13 10/17 NEBRASKA . . . . . . . . . L, 25-48 10/31 MICHIGAN . . . . . . . . . L, 26-29 11/7 at Ohio State . . . . . . . L, 14-28 11/14 at Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 35-40 11/21 ILLINOIS . . . . . . . . . . W, 32-23 11/28 WISCONSIN . . . . . . . . L, 21-31 12/28 vs. Central Michigan. . W, 21-14 Minnesota Golden Gophers NOV. 5 TCF BANK STADIUM TIME: TBA • TV: TBA COACH: TRACY CLAEYS RECORD AT MINNESOTA: 2-4 (PART OF ONE SEASON) RECORD VS. PURDUE: FIRST MEETING 2016 Schedule 9/1 OREGON STATE 9/10 INDIANA STATE 9/24 COLORADO STATE 10/1 at Penn State 10/8 IOWA 10/15 at Maryland 10/22 RUTGERS 10/29 at Illinois 11/5 PURDUE 11/12 at Nebraska 11/19 NORTHWESTERN 11/26 at Wisconsin Coach Darrell Hazell's 2014 squad came within a possession of a huge road win at Minnesota. In the past quarter century, there have been some classic battles in Minneapolis with seven of 11 games being decided by a touchdown or less: Prior to becoming head coach, Tracy Claeys served as defensive coordinator at Minnesota and the Gophers unit showed improvement. In 2013, its third season under Claeys' leadership, the Gopher defense allowed only 289 points. It marked the first time that Minnesota allowed fewer than 300 points in a full season since 2004. 2016 Opponent Preview 1991 Minnesota 6, Purdue 3 1993 Minnesota 59, Purdue 56 1995 Minnesota 39, Purdue 38 1999 Purdue 33, Minnesota 28 2001 Purdue 35, Minnesota 28 (OT) 2005 Minnesota 42, Purdue 35 (2OT) 2014 Minnesota 39, Purdue 38 G O L D A N D B L AC K 'S E A R LY L I N E : M I N N E S O TA - 6

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