Penn State Football: Position Grades versus Appalachian State

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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions on the sidelines during the first half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Coaching

It’s a consensus that Penn State got completely out-coached by App State in this game. In Ricky Rahne’s second-career game as the Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator, he definitely didn’t have a game plan that was as good as the Fiesta Bowl.

Rahne’s plan was definitely conservative, as there were several times where runs were called on three straight plays. There also weren’t many plays designed to throw the ball far down field until at least the middle of the third quarter.

In terms of the defensive, Brent Pry called several corner or safety blitzes, most of which were recognized by the App State offense. Anytime there was a blitz from the Penn State secondary, the Mountaineers countered it with a quick pass for easy yards.

Next. Penn State looks for improvement at Pitt in Week 2. dark

In the defense of the coaching staff, it was the first career start of Zac Thomas of Appalachian State, so there wasn’t much film if any at all to prepare them for what they saw. This will be different for Pittsburgh next week, as their starting quarterback has started two career games, and played in five career games. I expect the defense to play much better next Saturday.

Grade: C

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