Penn State Season Review: Offense

The Penn State offense thrived under a new offensive coordinator in 2016.

If you’ve been a fan of Penn State football, particularly the last few years, then you know that the offense has been a problem. Even with a top recruit at quarterback, the Nittany Lions ranked as one of the worst offenses in FCS in 2015.

However, a change at offensive coordinator this year brought a new life to the Penn State offense. Joe Moorhead brought his up-tempo, high-powered scheme to Happy Valley, and it has paid dividends this year.

The Nittany Lions finished ranked 49th in total offense with 432.6 yards a game. They ranked 92nd in the same category last year. This year, Penn State averaged 37.6 points a game and at least 38 points in each of the last seven games.

There were some bumps in the road to start the season, but as the calendar turned to October, the offense really got comfortable and took a huge step forward.

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Quarterback Trace McSorley started every game and compiled 3,614 yards and 29 touchdowns. He finished with eight interceptions, but three came in the Rose Bowl. He also added 365 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.

The young signal-caller quickly developed into one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the nation.

McSorley and the offense loved to hit the home run and go for the big play. The Nittany Lions averaged 6.50 yards per play and finished fifth in FBS with an average of 16.15 yards per pass completion.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin was on the other end of a lot of those big pass plays. He led the team in receptions (59), yards (982), and touchdowns (11). He ended the season in a big way, making nine receptions for 187 yards and two scores in the Rose Bowl.

After Godwin, the numbers dipped a bit.

DaeSean Hamilton was the next leading wide receiver, making 34 catches for 506 yards and just one touchdown.

Saeed Blacknall, who was suspended for the Rose Bowl, turned out to be Penn State’s big-play receiver. He finished with three touchdowns and an average of 23.1 yards per play. Joining Blacknall as downfield threats were Juwan Johnson (35 yards per catch) and Irvin Charles (53 yards per catch.

Brandon Polk, who entered the year with a lot of promise, dealt with injuries and made just two catches. DeAndre Thompkins finished third among wide receivers with 27 catches for 440 yards and a touchdown.

Tight End Mike Gesicki shook off the problems from the last two seasons and turned into one of McSorley’s more reliable targets. He was second on the team with 48 receptions and 679 yards. He was also second with five touchdowns. Gesicki showed his ability to go up and get balls by finishing the year with a leaping touchdown grab in each of the final three games.

When not slinging the ball all over the field, Penn State relied heavily on star running back Saquan Barkley. He finished the season with 1,496 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.

The sophomore also proved to be a dangerous target out of the backfield, particularly on the wheel route. He made 28 receptions for 402 yards and four touchdowns.

Barkley ended the year on a high note, rushing for 194 yards and two touchdowns and catching five passes for 55 yards and a score in the Rose Bowl.

The guys behind Barkley on the depth chart didn’t get much work on offense this season, but Andre Robinson, Mark Allen, and Miles Sanders all had at least 100 rushing yards and a touchdown. Robinson led the reserves with five rushing touchdowns.

While the offensive numbers were extremely impressive this year, what can’t be overlooked is the play of the guys up front. Much maligned the last few years, the offensive line really had a great overall season.

After battling numerous injuries to starters and reserves, including three offensive tackles, new offensive line coach Matt Limegrover had to piece together several different combinations. It wasn’t always pretty, but the unit played even better as the year went on.

The play of Penn State’s offensive line had a lot to do with the success of the team this year.

Next: Penn State Starting WR Declares for NFL Draft

2016 will go down as a great season in Penn State history. It was a great all-around year for the offense, and with the majority of starters returning, 2017 could be just as good, if not better.

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