Penn State Football: keys to success against the Ohio State Buckeyes

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 22: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after a play against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 22: Brenton Strange #86 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Key to success on offense #2 – feed the tight ends

Is it a coincidence that the Penn State offense is more successful when they incorporate the tight ends a lot? Probably not.

The trio of Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson, and Tyler Warren is one of the best in the country at their position, and they’re tough for defenses to match up with–especially when there’s more than one of them on the field at a time.

Does the defense try to match personnel in terms of size when Penn State goes with a two or three tight end set? If so, that could open up the passing game. If they stay with a smaller unit on defense, the Nittany Lions can take advantage of that to try and run the ball with multiple tight ends in the game to block.

Getting this unit involved opens up the playbook so much and also makes Sean Clifford’s job much easier. They’re dangerous weapons over the middle and in the redzone.

If Mike Yurcich can find ways to incorporate the tight ends early and often, Penn State Football should be successful on the offensive side of things.

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