Penn State returns to the field this Saturday after its first bye week of the 2024 season. The Nittany Lions will host 0-2 Kent State at Beaver Stadium. The Golden Flashes are fresh off of a 71-0 loss at Tennessee and are a massive underdog opposite head coach James Franklin’s team.

“I think there was a mismatch in personnel to start,” Kent State coach Kenni Burns said. “I think our coaches tried to do the best they could to simplify it and allow us to play fast. You’re going to give things up when that happens. What I was disappointed with was we didn’t knock the ball out when we had the chance to. That means just tackling the ball and using the tackling circuit. I think some of our guys get in the moment and go away from what they know and have been taught. They have to watch it and learn from it.”

Get ready for this week’s game with our early look ahead to the contest below.

Time and TV info

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network will air the game. A broadcast crew is not yet out as of Monday morning.

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What is the Penn State-Kent State spread?

Penn State is a 48.5-point favorite at FanDuel. The over/under betting total is 54.5 points. No money line is currently listed for the contest.

Game week schedule for the Lions

On Monday, head coach James Franklin will hold his first news conference of the week around lunchtime. He will also speak after Wednesday’s practice and during the second half hour of the Penn State Coaches Show on Thursday, which runs from 6-7 p.m. ET. Select players will be available to reporters on ZOOM or after practice in person Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. And, an assistant coach will chat with the media Thursday morning.

What’s up with Kent State?

Kent State is dead last in Bill Connelly’s SP+ ratings at ESPN. The Golden Flashes have an overall rating of -26.8. By comparison, the top team, Ohio State, sits at 30.6. And, Penn State is at 20.5, which is good for the No. 11 spot. So far this year, the Mid-American Conference team has lost by 71 to Tennessee, to FCS school St. Francis at home as a 17-point favorite, and by 31 to Pitt. Luke Floreia is the leading receiver. Devin Kargman is the starting quarterback. And defensive end Kameron Olds is a player to watch, as he has three sacks already this year. That’s more than the entire Penn State team combined.

Weather report

The latest weather report calls for what appears to be a cooler and possibly rainy day. It reads: “Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 74F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.”

Early Penn State-Kent State storylines

–Former Penn State assistant Matt Limegrover is the offensive line coach for the Golden Flashes. It is his second season with the school. He is also the co-offensive coordinator.

–The Golden Flashes are simply not a good team, and perhaps the worst in all of college football. Will they come to State College and put up a fight after their blowout loss against the Volunteers? We shall see. Chances are that they might pose some problems early but not for a full four quarters.

–Who will be back for the Nittany Lions? We’ll be curious to learn the status of safety KJ Winston Jr., and linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson among potentially others this week.

–Will the Lions make this one easy? They did not against Bowling Green. But there is no reason for this game to be close unless Penn State makes it that way. We expect that it will not.

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