Despite The Loss, Saturday Was A Good Recruiting Day For Penn State

This past Saturday Penn State suffered a heartbreaking loss to their in-state rival Pitt Panthers. However, it was still a positive day in terms of recruiting.

On Saturday afternoon one of college football’s best rivalries returned. The Penn State Nittany Lions traveled to Pittsburgh to do battle with the Pittsburgh Panthers. In the end, the Panthers got the better of the Nittany Lions by a score of 42-39.

The loss on Saturday was a heartbreaking one for the Nittany Lions. I was sitting directly next to the Blue Band behind the end zone that Trace McSorely was intercepted in during the closing minute to ice the game for the Panthers, it was crushing. Personally, this was the worst loss since losing to Iowa in 2008.

Despite losing on Saturday, it was a good day for Penn State from a recruiting stand point. I realize this sounds insane. Penn State just lost to their in-state rivals and it was a good day for recruiting? Just hear me out here.

In recent years James Franklin has done a great job of recruiting for Penn State. Despite posting back-to-back 7-6 seasons he currently has a top 25 class committed for the 2017 cycle. However, there are some recruits waiting to see more.

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During the James Franklin era Penn State has bland a very vanilla brand of football. They have been especially vanilla and bland on offense. This has led to the Nittany Lions averaging just 21.8 points per game during their first two years under Franklin’s leadership.

However, a big change was made to the offense this past offseason. Joe Moorhead was brought in as the new offensive coordinator to replace the fired John Donovan.

Moorhead brought a great resume with him. As head coach at Fordham he turned the Rams into a FCS powerhouse after being a FCS doormat. And Moorhead did it due to being one of the brightest offensive minds in all of college football. While this excited recruits, they still wanted to see his offense translate to Happy Valley.

The first chance for Joe Moorhead to show off his offense at Penn State was the Blue White Game back in April. Recruits on hand liked what they saw — an offense that was fast, used multiple sets, spread the ball around, and was explosive.

Of course, there is a big difference between what an offense looks like in a spring game and an actual game. This kept recruits wanting to see more as the spring rolled into summer and the summer rolled into the season. In week one Penn State’s offense had a good, not great, showing. They scored 33 points against a solid Kent State defense, and this feature some fantastic in game adjustments from James Franklin and Joe Moorhead.

Sep 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) rushes the ball against Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Jordan Whitehead (9) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. PITT won 42-39. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

However, putting up 33 points on Kent State does not excite many people. Sure, the Golden Flashes had eight returning starters from a top 30 defense, but they are still just Kent State. What Penn State did on Saturday was different though.

On Saturday Penn State went on the road against Pitt. Pitt is an ACC school that has a very solid defense. What did Penn State do on the road against that defense? They moved the ball at will.

On top of scoring 39 points, Penn State posted over 400 yards of total offense. This was highlighted by superstar sophomore running back Saquon Barkely scoring five total touchdowns. The 39 points Penn State scored is also the most they have ever scored against a Power Five opponent under James Franklin, and the second most ever under Franklin next to score 48 against Umass in 2014.

Through two games this season Penn State is averaging 36 points per game. Nine different players have caught a pass. Four different players have played running back. And all of this has come against two strong defenses. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the kind of offensive output recruits have been waiting to see.

Penn State’s offense is trending upward in a big way. It was good week one against Kent State, and, minus turnovers, it was great in week two against Pitt. They have been able to throw the ball, run the ball, and have used a plethora of play makers.

I expect the offense to continue to improve and keep clicking better and better as the season progresses. The tempo will increase and so will the efficiency of the offense. While this will benefit Penn State on the field, it will also benefit the Nittany Lions off the field in recruiting.

Next: Close Calls, A Signature Of James Franklin

The most important thing James Franklin and Penn State needs to do this fall is have a more exciting on field product. Through the season’s first two weeks, they have most certainly had that. Saturday was the most impressive offensive output Penn State has had under James Franklin, and that is exactly what recruits have been waiting to see.

For that reason, despite the loss, Saturday was a successful recruiting day for Penn State.

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