Even with an underwhelming 29-7 Week 2 win over Temple, there hasn’t been much adversity for Penn State through the first two weeks of the season. So, the most common nit being picked is the run-game struggles, particularly starting running back Carson Hansen and his lack of explosiveness through his first two games as a Nittany Lion.
On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser faced questions about Hansen’s slow start and shouldered the blame for his RB1.
“I think Carson is a great football player, and I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job as the offensive coordinator showcasing him, getting the offense in rhythm on the ground,” Mouser said, echoing Matt Campbell’s repeated message that the running game is just “a hair off.”
And that might be true, considering that none of Penn State’s running backs have been particularly impactful, averaging 3.9 yards per carry as a team while Hansen is averaging 4.4 yards across his 30 attempts.
It’s also commendable for Mouser to deflect the criticism away from a player who came with him from Ames, but one way or another, Penn State needs to get results on the ground against Buffalo in Week 3 before Wisconsin arrives in Happy Valley in Week 4.
If it is on Taylor Mouser, he needs to find answers for Week 3
You can ultimately put any offensive struggles on the play-caller, but there haven’t been any glaring issues in the Penn State scheme so far this season. Mouser has relied on heavy personnel looks with his bevy of tight ends, and for the most part, they’ve all acquitted themselves quite well as blockers in the run game.
Mouser has given Hansen a fairly diverse diet of run calls, mixing up inside and outside zone runs, a similar distribution to last year at Iowa State when Hansen ran for 950 yards and six touchdowns. Still, even without any noticeable differences and a low level of competition, the numbers say that Mouser is right that the issues are bigger than Hansen himself.
Through two weeks, despite averaging just 4.4 yards per attempt, down from 5.1 yards per attempt last season. Yet, Hansen is averaging a career-high 3.33 yards after contact per carry. 100 of his 133 total rushing yards have come after contact.
Penn State’s new-look offensive line deserves more scrutiny
Mouser could share the blame with an offensive line breaking in four new starters from last year’s group and two first-time starters, Cooper Cousins and Malachi Goodman.
That group needs to open more holes for all of the team’s running backs, not just Hansen, but the good news is that the more those five play together, the better they should get. And, in turn, all of Penn State’s running backs will benefit.
With so many Iowa State transfers following Campbell from Ames this offseason, there are legitimate questions about their ability to be as effective in the Big Ten as they were in the Big 12. Mouser acknowledged that on Tuesday:
“He was an all-conference running back for us last year. Does that mean he’s an All-Big Ten running back? No, it doesn’t, but I know the level of work that that guy brings and how important it is to him. For whatever reason, we’ve been a hair off.”
But Penn State isn’t playing Big Ten opponents yet and won’t until Wisconsin heads to Happy Valley in Week 4. Hansen is plenty good enough to beat up on Marshall and Temple, and needs to run wild on Buffalo in Week 3 to quiet the growing noise about the entire run game.
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