Penn State Vs. Villanova Gameday: Story Lines, Predictions

The Nittany Lions host Villanova in their final non-conference game before the White Out vs. Oregon.

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Luke Reynolds (85) attempts to make a catch during the second quarter against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State coach James Franklin can tie Rip Engle for second on the program's career-victories list Saturday, when the No. 2 Nittany Lions host Villanova at Beaver Stadium. The game ends Penn State's cushy non-conference schedule, in which the team played two FBS teams ranked in the 100s of ESPN's College Football Power Index and an FCS team (albeit one that made the second round of the 2024 playoffs).

The program is undergoing a three-game beta test before the ostensible product launch date of Sept. 27, when the Nittany Lions host Oregon in their Big Ten opener. Penn State needs to get a bunch of things right before the Ducks' visit for the annual White Out. It has one more live check Saturday against the Wildcats.

RELATED: Penn State fans shouldn't be worried about Penn State, Ben Jones writes. Yet.

Penn State (2-0) vs. Villanova (1-0)

• When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

• Where: Beaver Stadium

• TV: FS1

• Series History: Penn State leads 6-3-1

• Last Meeting: Penn State 38-17 in 2021

• Betting Line: Penn State is 47.5-point favorite

RELATED: How to watch Penn State vs. Villanova

Parsing the Penn State-Villanova betting line

Fans walk up a section of temporary bleachers on the west side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium before the game against Nevada. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State is a huge favorite for the third consecutive game. The Nittany Lions are 47.5-point favorites over Villanova, the third time this season they have been favorites of 40+ points. According to OddsShark, this is just the eighth time Penn State has been a 40-point favorite since 1999, and this is the first season that has happened three times.

Penn State did not cover that spread in wins over Nevada (46-11) and FIU (34-0), which also were firsts. Prior to this season, Penn State had covered the spread as a 40-point favorite five times, including in a 56-0 win over Kent State last season.

The last time Penn State played Villanova

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) runs with the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew OHaren-Imagn Images

Sean Clifford became the first, and only, Penn State quarterback to throw for 400 yards at Beaver Stadium in 2021, when the Nittany Lions hosted Villanova. Penn State won 38-17 as Clifford completed 19 of 26 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns.

Clifford had a phenomenal big-play day, throwing an 83-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, two 52-yard touchdowns ( to Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington) and seven passes of 23 yards or longer. He became just the second Penn State quarterback (with Christian Hackenberg) to throw for 400 yards in a game.

Penn State vs. Villanova story lines

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam (54) celebrates a tackle vs. the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

• Franklin enters Saturday's game with 103 career victories, one behind Rip Engle for second on Penn State's coaching victories list. With a win, Franklin would improve his Penn State record to 104-42, just 305 from tying Joe Paterno for the program record.

• Penn State might funnel the ball a bit more to running back Nicholas Singleton, who hasn't snapped the big run yet this season. Singleton's longest run is 16 yards and he has just 95 yards in two games. Franklin said he wants Singleton to play more freely, which will be something to track Saturday.

• Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam has been a terrific counterpart to Zane Durant inside, delivering pressure on both of the defense's interceptions. Gilliam is listed with just quarterback hurry but has generated more stress than that.

• Villanova runs what Franklin called a stacked defensive front, in which it will line three linebackers behind three linemen to attack the run. That worked in 2021, when the Wildcats held Penn State to 80 yards on 34 carries.

Penn State players to watch

Penn State Nittany Lions receiver Kyron Hudson (1) celebrates with tight end Khalil Dinkins (16) during a game vs. the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Receiver Kyron Hudson: The senior has 11 catches in two games, though he didn't have quite the impact vs. FIU as he did in the opener. Hudson needs to be part of the offense, particularly on third down, where his hands and body control can move the sticks.

Defensive end Chaz Coleman: "In the matter of 16 months, his life has changed dramatically," Franklin said on the Penn State Coaches Show of the true freshman. Which is true. Coleman has been the young star of the Nittany Lions' defense, making two tackles for loss and a sack and forcing a fumble in limited playing time.

Running back Cam Wallace: Following his emotional return from injury in the opener, the running back didn't get onto the field vs. FIU. In fact, none of the backs behind Singleton and Kaytron Allen did. It wouldn't hurt to give the backups a few plays in the first half.

Villanova players to watch

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin meets Villanova Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante (right) meet at midfield following the completion of the 2021 game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew OHaren-Imagn Images

Quarterback Pat McQuaide: The Wildcats' fifth-year senior threw for 2,218 yards and 14 touchdowns at Nicholls State in 2024 before transferring to Villanova. He set a program record for passing yards in a debut last week, throwing for 299 yards and a touchdown. McQuiade also ran for a 28-yard score.

Receiver Luke Colella: Another graduate transfer (from Princeton), Colella was McQuiaide's top receiver in the opener, catching five passes for 124 yards. Colella went over 1,100 career receiving yards at Princeton.

Punter Luke Larsen: Penn State has an interesting punter in Gabriel Nwosu, as does Villanova in Larsen. The 33-year-old Australian ran a trucking business, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and was a DJ before taking his swing at American football.

Penn State vs. Villanova predictions

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Mark Wogenrich: Penn State doesn't need to Make a Statement and win by 60 in its last non-conference game. But it does need to field an offense that looks capable of doing so. The Nittany Lions' first two games have been a piecemeal collection of nice plays and fizzles without a great deal of momentum. Time to build some. Penn State 56, Villanova 6

Amanda Vogt: Penn State has a lot to fix, but against Villanova I think the offense will perform similarly to how it did against Nevada. On defense, Jim Knowles’ unit will allow a few chunk gains but won’t allow more than a few field goals. This final non-conference tuneup needs to show progress with tougher opponents on the horizon. Penn State 47, Villanova 12

Chase Fisher: Since Penn State’s 34-0 win over FIU, the team has faced nothing but scrutiny. But Saturday, the Nittany Lions will silence their critics. With its bye week immediately following Saturday’s contest, Penn State must come out firing on all cylinders against Villanova to get in sync before Sept. 27’s expected top-five matchup against Oregon. If the Nittany Lions look lethargic yet again, it might be panic time for the Penn State faithful. Penn State 54, Villanova 3

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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