James Franklin must make these key changes to get Penn State Football back on track

Build depth through experience

In 2021, Penn State Football did not have much depth at any position on the field (except for maybe tight end).

Against Ball State, Villanova, and Indiana, many of the starters were playing much deeper in the game than they needed to. All positions are relevant here, but quarterback is an easy example to use, so we’ll start with that.

Against Ball State, Clifford took the field to start a drive with 5 minutes left in the third quarter and a commanding 31-6 lead. That could have and should have been the time to bring in Roberson or Veilleux, either to see what you have with them and/or to let them get more experience.

This isn’t to say that every single starter should be pulled from the game at that point either. You can send a backup quarterback out there to let them get reps, while still leaving some offensive starters in, mixing and matching between the first and second team, so that the starters can help take some pressure off of the backups.

Against Indiana, Clifford and all the offensive starters were on the field to start a drive with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, despite having a comfortable 21-0 lead. They then went back out with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter, still with a 21-0 lead, rather than getting a young quarterback, and maybe some young receivers and linemen, some reps.

Following a field goal to make is a 24-point advantage, the entire first team defense took the field with 8 minutes to go. Why not put a lot of the backups/inexperienced guys in to help them gain experience? That would help build depth with some experienced backups, notably along the defensive line and linebackers.

Some of the offensive starters, including Roberson, did not take the field until there was five and a half minutes left in the game, at which point Roberson just handed the ball off to milk the clock away, rather than allowing him to play a quarter+ where he could get some more experience as a passer, which could have been useful the following week in Iowa City.

Ultimately, if/when Penn State Football begins to pull away in games early in the season, which should happen against teams such as Ohio (week 2) and Central Michigan (week 4), some of the younger and more inexperienced guys need to start getting worked in with some of the starters to get them more in-game reps.