All-Out Blitz: No. 19 Penn State

BadgerBlitz.com' brings back its All-Out Blitz weekly series, where you can find everything you need to know about Wisconsin's next opponent. We kick off the 2021 season with No. 19 Penn State.

Head Coach: James Franklin 60-28 at Penn State (.682 winning percentage)

Penn State All-Time Record: 902-398-42 (.688 winning percentage)

2020 Record: 4-5 overall, 4-5 Big Ten

Rankings: No. 19 AP poll, No. 20 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Series vs. Wisconsin: Penn State leads 10-9 (Nittany Lions have won six of the last seven dating back to 2007, including a current four-game winning streak from 2012 to the present)

In Madison: Wisconsin leads 6-4

*As Penn State elected not to unveil a depth chart this week, BadgerBlitz.com is using Blue White Illustrated's predicted two-deep, seen here.

BadgerBlitz.com already highlighted Wisconsin needing to not just prepare for a new iteration of Penn State football with roster attrition and addition, but also a Nittany Lions new offensive coordinator. Mike Yurcich came to Happy Valley from Texas, with stops at Ohio State and Oklahoma State previous to his brief stay in Austin.

“Always a challenge when you go into a new season, you know things are going to change," Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said on Monday. "Obviously add the new coordinator on top of that, you got to look a lot of different places and really overexpose your players to what could happen. You’re playing the guessing game a little bit.

"Feel confident in the plan we have going into the week and putting it into the players’ hands. We have a talented group, an experienced group, and Week 1 is all about letting them play fast and play physical, be aggressive and trying to get them a plan that can handle the issues that you think might come about, but really allow them to play fast.”

Head coach James Franklin hopes Yurcich's influence strengthens the development of and results from quarterback Sean Clifford, who completed only 60.6% of his throws for 1,883 yards with 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions in 2020. Leading rusher Keyvone Lee (438 rushing yards, 4.9 yards per carry, four touchdowns) returns to the backfield, as does Noah Cain. The latter back only played in one game last season.

A key matchup for Wisconsin's defense comes in the secondary, as it hopes to contain the duo of wide receivers Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington. Dotson caught 52 receptions, for 884 yards and eight touchdowns on way to consensus third-team All-Big Ten accolades. Washington, now entering his second year as a Nittany Lion, hauled in 36 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns of his own.

"They are good receivers," sixth-year senior cornerback Caesar Williams said on Monday. "They go and get the ball, and they throw a lot of 50-50 balls, and they're going to run scheme routes and all that. But I think it's a good chance for our secondary to play honest football, see what we could do with the ball in the air and create takeaways. I think it'll be a good opportunity for us.

“But they got guys that they're comfortable with getting the ball downfield, and to come up with some of those takeaways will be big for our defense and big for our reputation.”

Can a physical Wisconsin front seven -- boasting Matt Henningsen and Keeanu Benton on the line, Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn at inside linebacker, and Nick Herbig and Noah Burks off the edge -- get in the backfield? Penn State gave up 28 sacks in 2020.

*As Penn State elected not to unveil a depth chart this week, BadgerBlitz.com is using Blue White Illustrated's predicted two-deep, seen here.

Penn State will need to replace the NFL-bound Ofade Oweh and Shaka Toney on the line, but we could see a replenished group that features two transfers in Derrick Tangelo (Duke) and Arnold Ebiketie (Temple) to go along with Nick Tarburton and PJ Mustipher (35 tackles for the latter in 2020).

The linebacker group once again brings talent to the field, this time with Brandon Smith (37 tackles, eight tackles for loss in 2020) projecting at WILL linebacker and Curtis Jacobs at SAM linebacker. The Nittany Lions' two leading tacklers from a year ago, Ellis Brooks (60) and Jesse Luketa (59) also return for the 2021 campaign.

Wisconsin's offensive line retools with a mix of redshirt seniors like Tyler Beach and Logan Bruss (left and right tackle, respectively) on the edges and Josh Seltzner at left guard -- then some new starters in center Joe Tippmann and right guard Jack Nelson.

They will need to open holes for running backs Chez Mellusi and Jalen Berger, who opened as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the depth chart earlier this week. It will be interesting to see if Isaac Guerendo or true freshman Braelon Allen can find carries not just this week, but later in the season.

Quarterback Graham Mertz should have a deeper set of players to complement him in the passing game at running back (Mellusi and Berger, to note), wide receiver (Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor and Chimere Dike) and tight end (Jake Ferguson and Jack Eschenbach). The presence of Davis and Pryor, who missed a combined nine games last season that hampered productivity, should boost an aerial attack that has more depth in Alvis Whitted's room.

Penn State's secondary features safety Jaquan Brisker (57 tackles, six pass breakups in 2020) and cornerbacks Tariq Castro-Fields and Joey Porter Jr. (33 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, four pass breakups for the latter).

"They're a defense that plays hard, man, and they fly around the ball. They make plays," Davis said on Monday. "So you know, just knowing our game plan and knowing how to attack them is our main thing. I feel like whoever's the most sound on offense and on defense, whoever makes the less mistakes will win that game. So just going out there and attack and doing what we do, and if we do that, I feel like we'll be in great shape."