Penn State Football: Position Grades For The Army West Point Game

Oct 3, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Army Black Knights running back Drue Harris (34) leaps over Penn State Nittany Lions safety Jordan Lucas (5) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary:  

The secondary knew it weren’t going to be tested through the air and would need to step up in run support against Army.  The defensive backs did an okay job, but there were several missed tackles leading to big runs.

On Army’s second touchdown run, quarterback A.J. Schurr ran for 56 yards.  It appeared cornerback Grant Haley was going to catch him from behind, but safety Jordan Lucas tried to run into Schurr instead of wrap-tackling him.  This effectively took Haley out of the play.  Lucas had eight tackles on the day, but that play, combined with a few missed tackles, was not a day to remember for him.

In addition to that, on Army’s only pass attempt the secondary got burned for 32 yards.  They fell asleep at the wheel since Army was calling run after run, and Penn State fell for it.

I suspect the secondary will have better days against more traditional offenses in the Big Ten.  However, they still need to learn from this so-so performance.

Grade: C

Next: Special Teams