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Penn State Football Tailgate Show: Villanova

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby: Thomas Frank Carr09/13/25ThomasFrankCarr
Drew Allar James Franklin Penn State Football On3
Aug 30, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin talks with quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Penn State Nittany Lions Football team takes on Villanova at 3:30 to close out the nonconference season. Will the team end its tuneup schedule before Big Ten play with a bang? Or will they stay the course and work on themselves to improve as a team? Could it be both? Join the Penn State Football Tailgate Show today at 12:30 as we discuss the team’s nonconference strategy and the matchup with Villanova this afternoon.

The Penn State Football tailgate Show is produced in conjunction with Seven Mountains Media. You can catch the show today on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel, or locally on 99.5, 107.5 The Bus, or Bigfoot Country Legends.

Penn State will win, but what will it look like?

The Nittany Lions are 2-0 yet have received criticism for their lack of total domination over Nevada and FIU on the scoreboard. With FCS Villanova coming to Beaver Stadium this afternoon, the hope for Penn State fans is that the team will finally look like the number two team in the nation on the field.

However, part of the plan to start the year has been a lack of urgency in dominating the opponent. Head coach James Franklin has openly discussed the team’s desire to work on aspects of its offense and defense through this part of the year, extending some aspects of training camp.

We’ll debate the merits of that decision and the outcome of that work so far.

Breaking down what to expect today on the field

While Villanova isn’t necessarily a threat, their offensive and defensive schemes do present similar looks that Penn State will see later in the year. Teams like Indiana run heavy RPO sets, and they’ll face a defensive front that likes to use pre- and post-snap chaos to confuse the offensive blocking scheme. We’ll discuss how valuable this work is for the team and what they need to show today that would feel like a positive sign for the future.

Offensively, we’ll discuss what’s left for the team to work on in its final game of the three-game September run-up to the White Out against Oregon.  

Lastly, we’ll look at some of the position battles that have continued from camp, including the team’s third running back spot and safety.

Join the Penn State football tailgate show live to discuss the game with fellow fans and have a chance to have your questions or comments featured on the show!