Why Parker Washington will be a major x-factor for the Penn State offense moving forward

Coming into the season, Pro Football Focus listed Parker Washington as one of the 25 best wide receivers in college football, but so far, his production hasn’t matched that.

Now, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t still one of the 25 best, but it does mean that he’ll have to play a major role for the Penn State offense moving forward if they hope to have more success moving the ball and scoring points against tougher competition.

Let’s begin by looking at Washington’s stats through the first six games of each of his three seasons with the Nittany Lions

• 2020: 30 receptions, 349 yards, 3 touchdowns
• 2021: 28 receptions, 357 yards, 2 touchdowns
• 2022: 23 receptions, 318 yards, 0 touchdowns

As you can see, through six games, the junior wideout has career lows in each of the three major pass-catching categories.

There are likely many reasons for this, so we’ll take a look at each one.

First–although this was not the case this past week–the Nittany Lions have been able to run the ball more effectively through the first handful of games this season than they did the past two years, so they haven’t had to go to the air as much.

Another potential reason is that Jahan Dotson is no longer around to command as much attention from opposing defenses. That likely plays somewhat of a role, but not only was Washington able to haul in seven passes for 98 yards in the Outback Bowl last season without Dotson out there, but Mitchell Tinsley is also a great receiver that can command some attention, even if not quite to the same level as Dotson.

Another obvious direction to look is at Washington himself. It seems he has struggled at times to get open and create separation. He’s got good speed, quickness, and has shown the ability to get open in the past, but he hasn’t been quite as successful in that regard so far this year.

One play that’s fresh on my mind is the fourth and six play at Michigan last week, where he ran a deep out from the slot and Clifford put the ball in a catchable position. It was absolutely a tough play with a defender draped on his back, but to me, Parker Washington is a good enough receiver to make that play.

None of this is meant to belittle Parker Washington; in fact it’s quite the opposite. We’ve seen what he can do, and I truly believe he’s got the abilities to be a game-changer for the Nittany Lions.

There have also been some moments when he’s been open and they haven’t gotten the ball to him, so that will need to improve as well.

The biggest key, to me, is Mike Yurcich.

They need to do a better job of not only scheming Parker Washington open, but also finding creative ways to get the ball in his hands. He’s too dangerous with the ball in his hands to not get more touches.

Perhaps some more creative route combinations could help him get open, and also some shorter routes that are higher percentage throws to get the ball out of Sean Clifford’s hands quickly and into Parker Washington’s hands.

Some screens from time to time could also be a way to get it in his hands, which could also be a good way to counter a team with a great pass rush. Finally, the occasional, well-timed jet sweep could get him the ball out on the edge and in space where he can make things happen.

Plus, if they have some success with that, then defenses have to respect it and just simply sending him in motion or faking the ‘give’ to him could get defenders to bite, which could open up so many other options–on the ground and through the air–off of that one play.

They ran a jet sweep to Washington in the first quarter of the Northwestern game on a second and seven and he picked up a first down with relative ease, in part thanks to a nice block by Brenton Strange out on the edge.

Parker Washington is one of the most talented and dynamic players on this team, so Mike Yurcich needs to come up with creative ways to get the ball in his hands; and Sean Clifford will need to ensure that it gets there. If they can get Washington the ball in space more often, this offense can be much more effective going forward.