The last time Penn State fans saw the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium, it wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty.

Penn State was in a dogfight with Bowling Green, but eventually pulled away in the second half. The Nittany Lions return to Beaver Stadium this week after their first of two bye weeks this season to face Kent State.

It’s been a tough first three weeks of the season for the Golden Flashes and our staffers are confident the tough season will continue.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (2-0): Penn State 59, Kent State 3

Folks, it’s Kent State.

I understand Penn State didn’t look good two weeks ago against Bowling Green, but the first bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. The Nittany Lions will be well-rested, fresh, and hungry to show the nation that their narrow win against Bowling Green is nothing to hold them against. For that reason, I expect big games from everyone, including Beau Pribula to come in during the second half.

As for Kent State, this team is horrible. The Golden Flashes are 0-3 and are coming off an embarrassing 71-0 loss against Tennessee last week. If you can’t compete against Tennessee, then this team most certainly can’t compete against the Nittany Lions, especially in Beaver Stadium. I expect them to get blown out of the building, but I don’t think they will get shut out.

Penn State goes 3-0 and continues their march to making the College Football Playoff heading into Big Ten play next week.

Aidan Conrad (2-0): Penn State 56, Kent State 3

We all saw what Tennessee did to them last week, right?

Michael Siroty (2-0): Penn State 62, Kent State 10

Penn State needs a bounce back before a night game against an Illinois team that is currently ranked. Kent State isn’t good. This is the perfect chance to show off the solutions the Nittany Lions came up with during the bye week after an iffy game against Bowling Green.

A 52-point win is what I see coming, and if Kent State keeps it close, Penn State’s got issues to address.

Cooper Cazares (1-0): Penn State 60, Kent State 3

This isn’t hard. It’s Kent State.

After a grueling test in week two against Bowling Green, I would hope adjustments have been made to get back on track. With that being said, Kent State just lost to Tennessee 71-0 and has been ranked in the bottom few teams of Division I football for a season or two now. I don’t think it’s close and I have hope that the Nittany Lions figure out who they are a bit this week.

Jamie Lynch (2-0): Penn State 63, Kent State 10

I think the Nittany Lions will bounce back this week against the 134th-ranked team –- the lowest-ranked team -– in college football.

Kent State is coming off a 71-point loss to Tennessee, and a late-afternoon crowd will await them at Beaver Stadium. On the other hand, Penn State is coming off a much-needed bye week. I hope to see some adjustments on defense for Tom Allen’s unit, even with the news that safety K.J. Winston will be out “long term.”

The Nittany Lions really shouldn’t let up 10 points in this matchup, but based on the shaky performance against Bowling Green, I’m playing it safe with my prediction. I have Penn State earning the victory with the same score as the last time the Golden Flashes came to Happy Valley in 2018.

CJ Gill (2-0): Penn State 59, Kent State 3

This game is going to get ugly real quick, folks.

Kent State is one of the worst teams in FBS this season and it will show in Beaver Stadium this weekend. The Nittany Lions will try to play much better than they did against Bowling Green two weeks ago and I don’t think they will have any issue doing so. 

Nolan Wick (2-0): Penn State 63, Kent State 0

This should be Penn State’s easiest game in years. Out of 134 teams, Kent State’s offense and defense rank dead last in FBS football.

The Nittany Lions won’t do what Tennessee did to the Golden Flashes last week, but they’ll come close. I’d be shocked if there are any problems here, despite what happened against Bowling Green two weeks ago. In some aspects, this is a get-right game, and that’s exactly what Penn State will do before embarking on its Big Ten schedule.

CJ Doebler (2-0): Penn State 56, Kent State 3

We’ve seen games like this before, but I don’t think Penn State is going to have any problem with Kent State this Saturday. Drew Allar and the offense should pick up where they left off. There also should be a look further down the depth chart as the game is expected to get out of hand fast. I think the defense returns to the level it’s capable of playing against an offense that’s one of the worst in the FBS.

The Golden Flashes have had a tough start to the season, going 0-3 with a loss to St. Francis and double-digit losses to both Pitt and No. 7 Tennessee. Any extra motivation Kent State has to get a win will certainly be negated by the Beaver Stadium atmosphere.

Mitch Corcoran (2-0): Penn State 66, Kent State 10

I may have been a bit too optimistic about the Bowling Green prediction, but I know for a fact this game will be a blowout. I’m so confident that I’m willing to bet my college tuition the $20 in my wallet on it.

Instead of giving a spew about why I think it will be a blowout, I’ll just list a series of stats and facts about Kent State, so if this game is anything like the Bowling Green game, you all can see Penn State almost lost to the worst team in college football.

To start, Kent State lost 71-0 to Tennessee. Need I say anything more? No, but I will anyway.

The Volunteers also had 740 total yards in that game. For perspective, Penn State has 895 total yards this season.

Kent State has been outscored 149-41 in its three games this season for a -108 point differential. The last time the program won a game was September 16, 2023, and Kent State’s record since 2022 is 6-21.

The Golden Flash also lost to Saint Francis 23-17 at home. Saint Francis is an FCS school in Loretto, Pennsylvania, in case anybody was wondering.

Finally, here is how Kent State compares to the rest of the country (there are 134 FBS teams): 147 passing yards per game (123rd), 54.3 rushing yards per game (132nd), 13.7 points per game (tied for 127th), and 49.7 points allowed (134th).

Fire the entire staff if this game is anywhere close.

Joe Lister (2-0): Penn State 1,000,000,000, Kent State 0

For the record, Mitch made me pick this score.

Still, the point remains that Kent State sucks at football. The Golden Flashes are bad at the game. Not good. Downright rotten. Incredibly abysmal. Nasty. A disgrace to the sport. Should probably switch to soccer. Yikes.

Penn State by a billion.