Penn State Football: Grades vs Kentucky

Coaching

Ah, the page that everyone was waiting for… coaching. Let’s get right to it here. I thought that Penn State was coaching like it was a bowl game at first. They were being more aggressive than normal, and that all starts with the fake punt at the beginning of the game, and the Sean Clifford bomb on the play Trace McSorley was sidelined for in the first half.

Obviously, the aggressive approach to the bowl game changed when there was just over four minutes left in the game on fourth and six. Yes, it was 1000 percent the wrong move to kick the field goal in that situation.

First of all, you have Trace McSorley who’s red hot, leading Penn State down the field, and you’re at the Kentucky 14 yard line. If you go for it, I think there’s a pretty good chance you convert based on how the game is going.

If you don’t convert, it’s no big deal, you still need to get a stop down six, but you would need to score a touchdown to win. Remember, kicker Jake Pinegar was 0/2 at this point in the game, with both field goals 40 yards or closer. There’s no way you can trust him to hit a game-tying field goal later on if need be.

If you kick the ball, which Penn State did, you still need to get that stop, with Kentucky having Benny Snell at running back. Snell is among the best running backs in the country, and he ws having a great game. There’s a minimal chance you’re holding him to under ten yards combined on three carries in a row.

At that point, you have to ride the momentum and the red hot offense over your defense which had been shaky all day. There’s no guarantee you get the ball back. You cannot stop that offensive momentum, which is what Penn State did. For the second time this season, on an extremely important play, Penn State took the ball out of Trace McSorley’s hands.

If you ask 90 percentof football fans/analysts, they would have told you to go for it. It’s simple game management, and it cost Penn State a Citrus Bowl win, which is why I’m giving the coaching an F for this game.

Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but to play that conservative in a bowl game with a player like Trace McSorley is ridiculous, and I hope that James Franklin begins to coach much more aggressively next season.

Grade: F