State College football set to face one of state’s best teams in Harrisburg
State College owned the line of scrimmage and wore Harrisburg down in last season’s matchup on its way to victory.
This season, the Little Lions will look to duplicate that type of performance behind their offensive line.
“I think if we do that, we have a good chance of winning,” State College center Collin De Boef said. “Same game plan. Do it again this year.”
The Little Lions (6-1) will be taking on another Cougars team loaded with talent at 1 p.m. Saturday in Harrisburg. Harrisburg wide receiver Shaquon Anderson-Butts is committed to Penn State, while Cougars teammate Micah Parsons is a former Penn State commit and five-star recruit. With Anderson-Butts and Parsons surrounding quarterback Yahmir Wilkerson, the Cougars have proven to be one of the state’s best and most explosive teams. They’ve dominated on both sides of the ball, regularly scoring more than 40 points while limiting opponents to fewer than five points per game.
The Little Lions are familiar with this Harrisburg team after facing many of the same playmakers in last year’s matchup. Wilkerson threw for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns, and Anderson-Butts hauled in six catches for more than 100 yards and a score.
Parsons wasn’t on the field for the Cougars, but the Little Lions had to deal with current Nittany Lion defensive end Damion Barber.
“They’ve got a bunch of individuals with phenomenal talent, and we know that,” Lintal said. “And they did a year ago as well. It’s a similar team — you take away Barber and you add Parsons — so it’s a very similar look to what we saw last year. We’re excited for the opportunity.”
Parsons has been unstoppable for the Cougars this season. The running back/defensive end leads the team with 13 1/2 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Parsons will be a challenging matchup for the Little Lions offensive line as it looks to set the tone Saturday.
“With his speed and being able to chase things down, he’s exceptional, so he may worry me more when he’s on the back side sometimes than even on the front side just because he runs so well,” Lintal said. “The difference between those two is obviously Parsons is playing running back, too. He doesn’t leave the field. He’s kicking, he’s punting, he’s doing everything. The nice thing with Barber was at least he was only out there part of the time.”
Even with Barber on the field last year, State College rode its running game to victory.
Pete Haffner finished with 185 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries to lead the Little Lions past the Cougars. This season, State College running backs Tristen Lyons and Isaiah Edwards have each put together big games. Lyons is coming off his best game of the season with 151 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 11 carries in a win over Central Dauphin East.
The offensive line paved the way for Lyons, and Lintal said the team’s communication was “exceptional” on the offensive side of the ball after some missed assignments the previous week against Cumberland Valley.
De Boef plays an integral role in keeping everyone on the same page on offense, calling out blitzes and defensive fronts before each snap.
“I’ve been playing center since eighth grade and I’ve been playing football since I was 6, so it comes naturally,” De Boef said.
On defense, safety Paul Olivett makes the calls for the secondary.
And he’s looking forward to the matchup with Harrisburg, knowing the Cougars like to throw the ball after last year’s matchup. Olivett, who had an interception in the win over the Cougars in 2016, complimented Wilkerson, Anderson-Butts and the dynamic Harrisburg passing attack.
“You got to respect all those guys,” Olivett said. “There’s a reason they have all the hype.
“I’m not trying to disrespect them at all or anything, but we definitely feel like we can do some stuff to lead us to the victory.”
It will start at the line of scrimmage like it did last season for the Little Lions.
“That’s what the challenge is this week,” Lintal said. “They’re stout on the inside and they’re extremely athletic, and they’ve got a couple linebackers that are very, very good, so we’ve got to play great assignment football, but also we’ve got to be physical.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 4:45 PM with the headline "State College football set to face one of state’s best teams in Harrisburg."