No. 3 Penn State is gearing up for its biggest test of the season against No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, CBS) in Indianapolis. Nittany Lions fans know how important the usual suspects will be in this matchup.
QB Drew Allar, tight end Tyler Warren, RB Nicholas Singleton and DE Abdul Carter must bring their “A” game for Penn State — a 3.5-point underdog, per BetMGM.com as of Friday — to have a chance of pulling off the upset. But what about the other crucial matchups on both sides of the ball?
Let’s break down three under-the-radar X factors for Penn State (11-1) against Oregon (12-0).
Omari Evans | wide receiver
Penn State’s passing attack is centered on one man, Warren. The star tight end reeled in 81 catches for 978 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. No other Nittany Lions pass-catcher had more than 35 catches and 579 yards receiving.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has a year’s worth of game tape showing him how important Warren is to this offense, so the Ducks’ defensive preparation this week will be focused on shutting him down and making other pass-catchers beat them.
Harrison Wallace III, the team’s second-leading receiver, missed last week’s game against Maryland with an undisclosed injury. The junior might not be able to suit up, and if he does, he won’t be operating at 100 percent. That opens up a massive opportunity for Evans, who’s operated primarily as Penn State’s deep threat this season.
Evans leads the team in yards per reception (18.8), but that has come on only 18 catches in 12 games. The Nittany Lions need Evans to be more active in the passing game Saturday.
