Penn State Football: Position grades versus Indiana
By Dylan Burd
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
The wide receiver position continued to show that it’s one of Penn State’s biggest problems this season. The drops that occur every single week are inexcusable. They change the entire game, costing the Nittany Lions yards, first downs, and even touchdowns in some cases.
Brandon Polk had a couple of brutal drops in this game, including one in the end zone. In addition, Juwan Johnson had a drop, and Mac Hippenhammer had a drop that wound up turning into an Indiana interception after the ball deflected off his shoulder. This problem is something that needs to be addressed, but with only five regular season games left, it’s highly doubtful that it will be.
Juwan Johnson led the team in receiving yards with 72 on two receptions. However, he got injured on his second reception and was out the rest of the game. Cam Sullivan-Brown had two receptions for 33 yards, and K.J Hamler caught four passes for 27 yards. Furthermore, DeAndre Thompkins had a catch for 13 yards, and true freshman Jahan Dotson had a reception for 10 yards.
True freshman tight end Pat Freiermuth has been another bright spot for this Penn State team, as he had two receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was the Nittany Lions’ only passing touchdown of the day, thrown by Tommy Stevens.
With three tough games in a row coming up for Penn State, there’s no doubt that the wide receivers need to improve tremendously for the Nittany Lions to come out victorious.