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Penn State football: Getting KJ Hamler more touches a priority moving forward

By Justin Grasso

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 07: KJ Hamler #1 of the Penn State Nittany Lions catches a pass against Tyrone Hill #33 of the Buffalo Bulls during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 07, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 07: KJ Hamler #1 of the Penn State Nittany Lions catches a pass against Tyrone Hill #33 of the Buffalo Bulls during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 07, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football must get the ball in KJ Hamler’s hands moving forward this season.

This Friday night, the Penn State football program returns from the bye week with their first road game of the year. Over the last two matchups, they have been unbeaten, but the wins weren’t flawless. With struggles on both sides of the ball, the Nittany Lions have some work to do.

Against Pitt in Week 3, the Lions defense had to come to the rescue as a defensive battle ensued. This week, Penn State is looking to get some help from their offense as they are fitting to come back with an upgraded look, improving their progress in critical situations.

Every position on the offense could be doing a lot better. The line can block better. The running backs can make better plays, the wideouts can secure the ball better, and the quarterback can make the most of his opportunities with his weapons in place.

Penn State has a talented offense, but some of their best weapons have been somewhat underutilized at this point. And it’s become clear that in order for their offense to be as explosive as they can be, the Nittany Lions need to get the ball in KJ Hamler’s hands.

James Franklin discusses Hamler’s role moving forward

Against Pitt, there were multiple plays where Hamler had separation deep down the field, and Sean Clifford misfired the ball to him. While it’s clear that Clifford needs to do better with “hitting his shots,” as he said after the game — it’s also on the coaches to create better scenarios for the Clifford-Hamler dynamic duo, which hasn’t quite clicked since Week 1.

During his weekly press conference, Penn State head coach James Franklin brought up KJ Hamler and his progress thus far. Ten receptions for 245 yards and two touchdowns isn’t bad, but there’s so much more the Nittany Lions can do in order to utilize Hamler.

“We need to get KJ Hamler even more touches,” Franklin mentioned on Tuesday. Not just on shot plays. When KJ goes, there’s no like, three-quarters speed for him, that’s just kind of how his personality is.”

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We’ve seen Penn State use KJ Hamler for deep, medium, and short passes along with some reverse handoffs as well. However, it doesn’t feel like he’s been used to the best of his ability at this point. Well, get ready for that to change. As competition gets stiffer, Penn State will have to pull out all of their tricks in order to help their offense hit its stride.

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