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UMass football ready for unbeaten Penn State

Coach Mark Whipple has made the point that UMass needs to fine-tune some things but is close to breaking through for a win.MARK HUMPHREY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

It is a work in progress. Despite being overwhelmed by Boston College in the opening game of the season, UMass has made considerable strides in the last two weeks, scoring an average of 34.5 points.

Even though the Minutemen (0-3) have nothing to show for it just yet, strong outings against Colorado and Vanderbilt have provided some building blocks as the team travels to Penn State (3-0) for its final nonconference game.

One of the standout performers over the last two games was Rodney Mills, part fullback, part tight end, all offensive threat.

Mills scored a pair of touchdowns against Vanderbilt, including a 53-yard catch off a fake punt in the opening quarter. He has three touchdown receptions in the last two games, three more than he had all of last season.

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“He’s a really good football player and we knew that in the spring right away,’’ said coach Mark Whipple. “He has had his shoulder issues but he’s just a really good football player. He could play defense for us. He’s a good special teams player. Not a real big guy but just a really good football player who captures the ball well.

“We’ve got to try and get him the ball more because he makes the most out of his opportunities and that’s a nice thing to have. We play him at fullback, we play him at wideout, and we play at the ‘U’ position and move him around. We will continue to do that and try to get him a few more touches.”

Video of the fake punt went viral during the week.

“We were in the huddle and Coach came over and kind of told us he wouldn’t mind running it,” said Mills, appearing on the UMass football show this week. “We were all for it, practiced it, we were ready to run it, and we got the look we wanted, and Brian [McDonald] did a good job of selling the fake. He made a good pass and [I] just did the rest.”

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Mills charged up the right sideline and into the end zone, shocking the Commodores.

“All I was thinking about was the end zone, just trying to get there,” said Mills. “A lot of people told me they saw it on ‘SportsCenter’ and they just kind of congratulated me.”

Mills said any success he has had on offense is a credit to his teammates.

“You start with the quarterback [Blake Frohnapfel] and a great offensive line, giving him time to throw the ball and good play calling from the coaches,” said Mills. “I’m just doing my job. I went the whole year last year scoreless. So it was big to get a couple of touchdowns and help the team out.”

One offensive weapon who won’t be available against the Nittany Lions is running back Jamal Wilson, who suffered a right ankle injury against Vanderbilt.

“J.T. Blyden was hurt and then Jamal got hurt,” said Whipple. “Lorenzo Woodley was the best option and he did some good things. Jordan Broadnax was the next guy, so it looks like those two players will see the most time in Saturday’s game. Those are the guys we’ve got so we’ll see where it brings us.”

Whipple is no stranger to Penn State or Western Pennsylvania, where he was the quarterbacks coach for the Steelers, including during a season when they won the Super Bowl. His son, Austin, transferred to UMass from State College, and roomed for a time with starting quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

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Whipple said his team faces a formidable challenge in terms of Penn State’s defensive line, led by tackles Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel. But the biggest threat is Hackenberg, who is the first sophomore captain in the program’s history.

He is 79 for 127 this season for 1,082 yards and four touchdowns.

“He’s going to be the first player picked [in the NFL draft],” said Whipple. “If he could come out this year, he’d be the first player picked. To see the way he has taken the team on his shoulders, the way he played all last year and the way he handles not only success but also the way he handles failures. He’s doing what everyone knows he can do.

“Hackenberg is a winner and I couldn’t say enough about him. He’s different than the guys we’ve seen in the past two weeks, so we have a huge challenge because they also have their receivers who have been doing really well, so they’ve got some weapons.”

Despite how tough the task will be at Beaver Stadium, Whipple said he has seen quite a few positive signs from his squad in the first three outings. But the Minutemen need to fine-tune a few more elements to put them over the top.

“I think our guys are learning and we have a bunch of good guys,’’ said Whipple. “We need to get our best players to make a few more plays to get us a win.”

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Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Elle1027.