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Penn State Football: Offense has chance to clean up against Panthers

By Collin Wieder

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 09: Mike Gesicki #88 of the Penn State Nittany Lions jumps into the end zone for a 10 yard touchdown catch in the first half against Ruben Flowers III #11 of the Pittsburgh Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 9, 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 09: Mike Gesicki #88 of the Penn State Nittany Lions jumps into the end zone for a 10 yard touchdown catch in the first half against Ruben Flowers III #11 of the Pittsburgh Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 9, 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football’s offense did not have its best showing against Pitt. A cleaner performance against Georgia State could alleviate some concerns.

It’s no secret Penn State football did not look great last Saturday. However, there’s no doom and gloom for an offense that played a terrible game and still managed to win 33-14 over its rival. Now do adjustments need to be made? No doubt, but a quality outing against lowly Georgia State could be the answer.

Offensive confidence, as fans know from last year, can make or break a team’s season. Once the team finds its confidence a team generally trends in a winning direction. When that confidence wavers or shows inconsistency, teams struggle.

Last week the team caught a break because Pitt threw itself out of the game – that won’t happen against Michigan and Ohio State. Against Georgia State, a few things need to happen to prevent struggles against the blue bloods.

Trace McSorley needs to hit at least 60-percent of his passes and connect on key third down throws. He needs to avoid any major mistakes like interceptions and fumbles. At receiver, DaeSean Hamilton needs to build off a better week two performance, while Juwan Johnson needs to find week one’s success again.

Tight end Mike Gesicki is the lone receiving performer that needs to keep his play up. Gesicki caught 10 passes for 97 yards and four touchdowns through two weeks.

At running back, the offense needs to establish Saquon Barkley early and see him leave the game at half. He needs to get enough carries just to keep the tread on, but Joe Moorhead needs to get him the ball earlier. Against Pitt, he didn’t get his carries until the second half.

If he can churn some big yards out quickly, the team can take him out early. Maybe Miles Sanders and Andre Robinson can then get some reps alongside backup quarterback Tommy Stevens. Overall, the efficiency needs to return to the Akron game and keep that momentum going forward.

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As long as this team comes away with a win, strong offensive play and zero injuries, it’ll be a quality weekend for Penn State football.

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