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Penn State Football: Grades vs. Ohio State

By Dylan Burd

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Quarterback Will Levis #7 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is dragged down by Jordan Fuller #4, Shaun Wade #24, and Baron Browning #5, all of the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the third quarter after a gain for a first down at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Penn State 28-17. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Quarterback Will Levis #7 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is dragged down by Jordan Fuller #4, Shaun Wade #24, and Baron Browning #5, all of the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the third quarter after a gain for a first down at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Penn State 28-17. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a call during the first half of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on November 16, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a call during the first half of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on November 16, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

. . THE COACHING . B+.

It’s hard to put any fault on the coaching staff for losing a close game as 18.5-point underdogs on the road against what’s arguably the best team in the nation. In many ways, I don’t think it’s far fetched at all to say that most Penn State fans didn’t expect the game to be this close.

However, if there was a coaching issue in this game, it was the offensive play calling. The offense had 64 yards in the first half, which is inexcusable. Knowing that Ohio State was going to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, K.J Hamler should have had a ton of short passes thrown to him.

However, Hamler only caught three passes in the game. Getting the ball out of Sean Clifford’s hands fast should have been a priority, and Hamler’s the best weapon the Penn State has to make that work.

Other than the play calling, there were moments in the first half where Penn State had a fourth down in Ohio State territory and the Nittany Lions punted it away. Going with a more aggressive mindset in a game like that would have been my call, but I don’t mind trying to play the field position battle if you have a great punter that can pin the opponent back.

There were several times this should have worked, but the punt wasn’t as good as it should have been, and the defense let up a ton of mid-to-long third downs.

As a whole, this season has been a phenomenal coaching job. In what was supposed to be an 8-4 year with a first-year starting quarterback, Penn State managed to go 10-2, as long as they beat Rutgers on Saturday. Additionally, they have a legitimate chance to be in the Rose Bowl if Wisconsin can knock off Minnesota on Saturday. Hats off to the coaching staff for a very good season.

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