Penn State Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Northwestern
2. DaeSean Hamilton records second straight 100-yard game
After catching 82 passes during his redshirt freshman season in Happy Valley, DaeSean Hamilton has struggled to find consistent opportunities to shine in James Franklin’s offense.
But in 2017, Hamilton looks like he has regained his freshman form.
After only catching 79 passes during his sophomore and junior seasons combined, Hamilton is tied for second on the team in total catches with 20, and trails only junior running back Saquon Barkley in receiving yards with 331.
While these are far from All-American numbers, Hamilton has improved his average yards per catch from 12.9 over his first three seasons, to a respectable 16.6 as a senior, and has become one of the team’s primary red zone targets after catching a team-leading four touchdowns this season.
This all culminated in the team’s Week 5 game against Indiana, where Hamilton recorded a season-high nine catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns, and became the program’s all-time leading receptions leader.
Related Story: Penn State Football: DaeSean Hamilton sets all-time receptions record
And in Penn State’s Week 6 road trip to Northwestern, Hamilton could build upon the foundation he built the previous week and put up a monster game.
Northwestern’s defense is currently ranked 79th against the pass in 2017, and it has allowed an average of 239.3 yards per game through the air to opposing quarterbacks.
On Saturday, Hamilton, who has spent virtually the entire season lined up in the slot, will be face off against Wildcats’ safety Kyle Queiro for the vast majority of the game.
Unlike many teams who choose to deploy a third cornerback when in the nickel package, Northwestern instead shift starting safety Queiro into the slot, and bring out a third safety to take his place in defensive secondary.
With Northwestern’s secondary currently struggling with a string of injuries, and Hamilton coming off arguable the best game of his career, expect Trace McSorley to look his way early and often in Evanston.