Penn State football has put back to back victories together for the first time this year and looks like a different team as they head into the final two games of the season.
Penn State football has seemingly righted the ship, after starting 0-5 for the first time in program history, picking up their second consecutive victory Saturday in a 23-7 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Not much has gone the Nittany Lions’ way in 2020, between Micah Parsons opting out, a Journey Brown heart condition that ended his football career, or season ending injuries to Noah Cain and Pat Freiermuth. Through that, Franklin’s squad has showed some resolve, piecing together two solid performances in trips to Michigan and Rutgers with an eye on ending the season on a four game winning streak.
Possibly even with a Bowl berth.
Even with optimism building after picking up a few victories, 2-5 is not where Penn State thought they would be sitting as the calendar turned to December.
Here is a deep dive on positional grades at the quarter pole of the season for Penn State football:
Quarterback
Grade C+
The quarterback position has been up and down and taken many turns throughout the past few weeks – but it looks like Sean Clifford is back to being “The Guy” – at least for the remainder of 2020.
The Will Levis experience only lasted about five quarters before the turnover bug got him, too. As a result, James Franklin went back to Clifford, who is the best passer of the two. It looks at this point, that Levis will be used solely in the “falcon package” on quarterback runs, mostly in short yardage and goal line situations.
Clifford was expected to take a step forward this season with new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s arrival in State College, however, it has been much of the opposite as the redshirt junior has seemingly regressed.
The good is Clifford has thrown for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns, while being second on the team in rushing with 276 yards. The bad has been turnovers, with nine interceptions and two fumbles, both of which resulted in a scoop and score for the opposing defense.
The last two weeks have been more of the Clifford we saw in 2019, making smart efficient throws, back to being more of a “game manager,” with only one turnover in the last two games. Clifford completed 64% of his passes for 296 yards and a touchdown in games against Michigan and Rutgers. The Ohio native had a big day with his legs in week six against the Wolverines, running for 73 yards and a score, a lot of them coming on crucial third downs.
The quarterback we have seen over the past two weeks gives Penn State a chance to win most of the games they play, so time will tell if he can build on that as the season winds down.
The harsh reality is: the 2021 week 1 starter may not be on this roster right now …
Running Back
Grade B+
Penn State has done a terrific job of recruiting the running back position in recent years, and the depth and talent of the room has showed in the last few games.
The outlook was bleak after a week five loss to Iowa, in which Penn State did not have a running back rush for 10 yards as Devyn Ford, Keyvone Lee, and Caziah Holmes combined for 16 yards on 13 carries. Levis led the team in rushing that afternoon with 34 yards.
Since then, the group has bounced back in a big way, with the freshman, Lee, stealing the spotlight. With sophomore Devyn Ford out for the game in Ann Arbor, Lee stepped in and ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, coming away with Big Ten freshman of the week honors. He followed it up with 95 yards on 17 attempts in the win against the Scarlet Knights this past Saturday.
Ford was back in action in week seven, and also put forth maybe his best performance of the season, rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown on only 11 attempts in the win. Ford ran tough, breaking tackles and showing the elusiveness the staff and fans have been waiting for.
Lee lacks true breakaway speed, but did show he can get out in the open field when he broke away for a 31 yard gain late in the game against Rutgers when Penn State was backed up inside their own two yard line. He is a tough downhill runner and a great compliment to the speed and shiftiness of Devyn Ford.
The future is bright at running back as the Nittany Lions will also get Noah Cain back from injury in 2021.
Wide Receivers
Grade: A-
Junior Jahan Dotson has been the anchor of the wide receivers unit, as he is currently third in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 587 and has hauled in six touchdown passes.
Despite that, Dotson has been rather quiet the last two games, with only a combined seven catches for 60 yards, allowing for the continued maturation of freshman wideout Parker Washington. Washington had a career day in the trip to Ann Arbor with nine catches for 93 yards, following it up with a touchdown reception last week against Rutgers.
Washington has been a menace to opposing defenses working in the slot and running slant routes over the middle of the field. When Penn State has the running game going and can play action off of that it opens the middle of the field for Washington, who is a dangerous runner after the catch with the ball in his hands.
Senior Isaac Lutz has come on of late as well, catching five passes in the past two games after having no receptions through the first five weeks of the season. Freshman KeAndre Lambert-Smith also contributed four receptions for 25 yards against Rutgers, but the one knock on the receivers group would be a lack of progression from guys not named Washington and Dotson.
If Penn State can get Lambert-Smith or Daniel George more involved in the last few games, this grade could go to an A+.
Tight End
Grade: C-
Star tight end Pat Freiermuth suffered a shoulder injury in the week two clash with Ohio State and did his best to grimace through it for a few games until Penn State ultimately shut him down for the year after four games. Despite not having played the last three games, the junior still ranks third on the team in receptions with 23.
With Freiermuth out, the tight end duties have fallen on a pair of freshmen in Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson.
Strange has 10 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Johnson has been quiet, hauling in two catches for 14 yards.
The future of the position looks bright with these two former high 4-star recruits. But, right now it is probably unrealistic to expect much more production after they were thrust into much bigger roles then originally anticipated, especially with an abbreviated off-season due to covid-19.
Strange, at six-foot-three and 248 pounds, and Johnson, listed at six-foot-six and 251 pounds, certainly look the part and both have had their presence felt as a blockers. The announcers made a point to single out both tight ends during Saturday’s game for what they were doing moving defenders out of the way, helping pave the way for 248 rushing yards.
This grade can go way up the more the two freshmen are integrated into the passing game over the next two weeks.
Offensive Line
Grade: B
The offensive line has been one of the most criticized position groups on the team thus far, and rightfully so.
However, after making some positional and depth chart changes, this group seems to be coming into its own over the last few games.
Ahead of their Week 4 matchup with Nebraska, Penn State inserted redshirt freshman Caeden Wallace into the starting lineup at right tackle, moving senior Will Fries over to right guard in place of redshirt junior CJ Thorpe.
The offensive line has enjoyed their two best performances of the season over the last two games, keeping quarterback Sean Clifford up right and finally moving the defense off the ball and creating lanes for the running backs.
The Nittany Lions were utterly dominant up front against Rutgers Saturday, rushing for 248 yards and routinely having runners go four or five yards before even being touched. The week prior Penn State bullied the Wolverines, running the ball 50 times for 254 yards, allowing only one sack and two tackles for a loss.
Penn State’s offensive line has nothing but blue chip prospects across the board and should have been playing like this all year, but is a welcomed sight as they head into the stretch run of the season.
It is no coincidence that Clifford has also enjoyed two of his better performances the past two weeks as well. The new starting five is finding continuity and has significantly improved this grade over the past few games.
Defensive Line
Grade: B+
The defensive line is arguably the most talented and deep position group the Nittany Lions have and has played up to those expectations of late. After Iowa came into Happy Valley and punched Penn State in the mouth physically, this group has responded with back to back stellar performances against Michigan and Rutgers.
Although they did not record a sack in the win at Ann Arbor, the defensive line was stout when they needed to be, pulling off multiple short yardage stops, including stopping quarterback Joe Milton’s quarterback sneak attempt on 4th and inches late in the fourth quarter, all but sealing a Penn State victory.
In Week 7, the defensive line manhandled the Rutgers front line, living in the backfield. Defensive tackle Antonio Shelton and defensive end Jayson Oweh were bright spots for the Nittany Lions. Penn State held Rutgers to only 83 rushing yards on 32 attempts, an average of 2.6 yards per carry while sacking quarterback Noah Vedral twice.
Penn State has been finding more playing time for the young guys along the defensive line, as the likes of Adisa Isaac, Fred Hansard and Hakeem Beamon have all flashed moments of promise, makin standout plays. Redshirt freshman Dvon Ellies picked up his first career sack on the last play of the game against Rutgers.
Linebackers
Grade: C+
The linebackers have been the most porous group on the defensive side of the ball for the Nittany Lions.
Yes, losing Micah Parsons due to him opting out in August hurt, but after seven games that excuse has run its course, and the play of the backers needs to improve.
Defensive coordinator Brent Pry has nothing but blue chip talent across the board at this position, so their lack of effectiveness is puzzling. On paper, it is a good blend of experience with Ellis Brooks and Jesse Luketa, and talented youth with Brandon Smith and Lance Dixon.
Brooks and Luketa lead the team in tackles, however, this might be the worst tackling Penn State team in James Franklin’s tenure. The Nittany Lions are routinely are exposed when they are in the open field, one-on-one with a ball carrier. One play that comes to mind is in the Michigan game when running back Hassan Haskins broke loose for a 59 yard run when he went untouched right through the heart of the defense. The linebackers seem to constantly take bad angles in the running game.
The play of this group improved in the Rutgers game, as Brooks forced a fumble and redshirt freshman Brandon Smith had an impressive tackle for loss on an end around play where he really showcased his speed and explosiveness.
Smith, a former 5-star recruit, undoubtedly has the highest ceiling of this group and should excite the fan base as he matures physically.
Defensive Backs
Grade: B+
The secondary endured a few tough weeks early in the season after being torched by Ohio State and Maryland but has bounced back in a big way, and done it on the back of a youth movement at cornerback.
Senior Tariq Castro-Fields has not played the last four games due to injury so the burden has fallen squarely on freshman Joey Porter Jr., sophomore Keaton Ellis, freshman Deaquan Hardy and sophomore Marquis Wilson at cornerback. Hardy recorded a sack in both games, including forcing a sack fumble in Ann Arbor, while Porter Jr. was honored as the Big Ten defensive freshman of the week in the win at Rutgers, recording seven tackles and a tackle for loss while blanketing Scarlet Knights receivers in coverage.
The young guys have stepped up in a big way the last two games, holding Rutgers to 122 yards passing, and the Wolverines to 112 the week prior. The coverage has been tight, and more importantly has had no breakdowns on the back end like we saw in games earlier in the season.
Senior safety Lamont Wade has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but fellow safety Jaquan Brisker has put together a quality season, playing with more confidence each game. Brisker has nine tackles the past two games, including a key pass breakup against Rutgers on a deep pass down the sidelines, where he came over and delivered a big hit on the receiver, breaking up the pass.
The future is very very bright for this position going forward, just as it might be for the Penn State Football program in 2021 and beyond.