Obli's Observations - Ugly in Piscataway

[Obliviax]

Ugly? A Penn State win this year is NOT ugly. Fact is, it was beautiful. Penn State simply dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half on both offense and defense. This, against a Rutgers team that was playing very good ball on offense. R has been averaging over 30 points per game. So here we are, in December, playing football in NJ. As expected, conditions were not ideal. So the ground game ruled and the passing games didn't. Penn State has a 17 point lead at the half, which, for all intents and purposes, ended the game.

O

• Keyvone appears to be the real deal. 17 carries for 95 yards in tough sledding. Kid moves the chains. Ford ran well, also, but Lee is simply better in traffic.
• With the OL dominating, Lee just lowered his shoulder when there wasn't a hole and everyone got pushed between 3 and 5 yards.
• We have a short-yardage game that is working and it is called, Will Levis. I don't know the 3rd down conversions but it was much better than in the first five games.
• I totally agree with CJF going uber-conservative in the second half. R moved their guys down in the box to stop the run. The obvious thing to do is pass, but with the heavy wind and propensity to turn the ball over, along with the success of the running game, that makes complete sense. Bringing all of the defense close to the LOS is a high-risk defense. You attack it by going long. The wind didn't allow us to go long. We actually broke two runs but Lee, seems to be his only real weakness, is that he isn't fast....at all. Lets hope he can gain speed.
• Lee has an interesting style. He is patient yet seems to accelerate in the hole quickly. He's got a good jump cut and spin. Odd someone so deft with quick feet can't run in a straight line well. Regardless, he makes good decisions AND he's a good blocker. He only got 31 yards when he cleared the entire D and they caught him from behind.
• Speaking of blocking, we actually ran a couple of bubble screens well. The WR and TE blocked! The timing looks good too. This is huge as having the slowish Lee takes the pressure off the defense's edge. The bubble screens keep them honest as we can now spread the field so the D can't pack the middle.
• It is hard to get a bead on passing as it was so windy. But SC's TD pass was a seed. Great throw. His INT was off the WR's hands. But that INT caused CJF to go completely into a shell, which was probably smart as well as the D played.
• WR's are improving. A couple of drops but mostly good play. I love the story that Lutz is. I am sure, while not as talented, his years in the program and maturity are helping a lot. Perhaps his blocking as well.
• Not sure that the three QB draws in a row were expected to do. I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. Clifford ran the ball 8 times. So, the QB ran the ball 25 times out of 57 rushing attempts.
• Back to the draws, it wasn't fun to watch but I certainly understood when we were trying to do. And, in this case, it made sense.
• While Ford and Lee averaged 5.9 and 5.6 YPC, the team averaged 4.4.
• To me, it was a fun game to watch as you could see the strategic changes R made at halftime and how PSU responded. We lack a deep threat at RB or at WR and we need to develop that for next year. My guess is that Dotson is that guy but he doesn't seem to have the deep speed we had last year with Hamler. A deep TD to a WR or Lee going the distance would have ended the game in the 3rd quarter and made R pay for the D strategy in the second half.
• Looks like we've got three young guys on the OL who can play. Scruggs is becoming the feel-good story of the year as he earns playing time, perhaps a starting position, after a bad car accident. OL has clearly been the biggest disappointment this year with a very senior group. This had me concerned about next year. But we are seeing the emergence of Scruggs, Walker, and Wallace.

D

• Great to see our DT's dominate. I thought the team played well across the board on defense. We only gave up 83 yards rushing.
• The LBers are playing better. They are still slow but are developing a feel for the game: better positioning, better reads, better angles....The defense is playing with much better discipline.
• Brisker...my God, Brisker! Perhaps the guy that has made the most improvement throughout the year on defense. S play was good but have to factor in the wind limited R passing as it did ours.
• We still only got one turnover. We lost two so we were -1 in that department. Still not good enough. We just aren't getting INT's.
• But Joey Porter Jr. is the best player we have on defense right now. In a running contest, Porter covered the run and is like a S out there. At 6-2, I can certainly see him moving to S if we can develop some young CBs. Kid is everywhere, has a nose for the ball, is a good run stopper, sticks his nose in there and can still cover. Kid was second on the team in tackles from the CB position! Luketa has 10 and Brooks (and JP jr) had 7.
• We used a lot of guys on Defense. 27 guys notched at least one tackle.

ST

• 3-3 on FG, one with Stoudt that was 47 yards. Good stuff. FG kicking has improved a lot
• Still not thrilled with punting as we averaged 37 yards. But with this wind it is hard to judge.
• Coverage was excellent at R is one of the better kick/punt return teams in the B1G.

General

• Refs simply missed the turnover. The kid's foot was OOB. The field view was a bit obstructed but while you couldn't see the player, you can see the ball is out. In the overhead view, you couldn't see the ball but you can see his foot was out. When you piece them together, it is clear the player's foot was OOB when he first touched the ball.
• The three QB sneaks in a row was head-scratching. But I totally get the conservatism at that point. PSU had just turned the ball over on an INT and this team if fragile. No turnovers = a win the way our D was playing so lets win the game, period.
• Sparty simply sucked against a much-depleated tOSU team. Hopefully, PSU can end the "regular season" with a win. I'd love to get another crack at Iowa who is playing the best ball in the B1G outside of tOSU right now.
• Indy beats UW; that team is pretty good (and without their starting QB)
• Lots of rumors that Harbaugh's agent is floating his name in the NFL. Perhaps just smart negotiations but I am not sure he will be UM's coach next year. tOSU could beat them by 50 if they play and are healthy.

 

[Ceasar]

As always good observations. To your point about needing a deep threat to emerge for next season, does anyone know if Lonnie White plans to enroll early? Not a deal breaker if he doesn't, Washington didn't and is having an excellent year. But White may be the missing piece on offense, a true playmaker on the outside who has great size. If Lambert-Smith can have a good off season, he too could be a play maker and those two could change the entire dynamic on offense IMO.

 

[roswelllion]

I get the conservative play but least hand the ball off once in while. Levis had 17 carries and 0 handoffs as best I remember. Also you can be conservative and have SC throw out in the flat. Just don't have him throw anything that if it sails high can be a pic.

 

[Obliviax]

BTW, saw two cool plays this weekend PSU should consider. A team put in their running QB for a short yardage situation. He goes into the shotgun, the hurriedly runs up under center. Clearly going to be a sneak, right? So thinks the defense who's entire team pinches in to stop the sneak. QB gets the ball and runs a quick pitch around end.

Another was the browns. QB makes a quick zone read motion then bellies out the to left. He stops and throws back to the only WR out on the route on the right side of the field. The WR stops to block his CB opponent then goes on a fly pattern. Dude was open by five years (Donovan Peoples-Jones). Browns also ran a great T eligible play. QB fakes a dive then bellies out to his left faking a bubble screen to the WR on the left. Tackle blocks and then walks into the endzone. The entire LB crew was in the middle of the field to stop the run. The entire Corner and Saftey both took off to stop the bubble screen. There was nobody within five yards of the tackle for a TD. .

 

[rohrmd9]

Ugly? A Penn State win this year is NOT ugly. Fact is, it was beautiful. Penn State simply dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half on both offense and defense. This, against a Rutgers team that was playing very good ball on offense. R has been averaging over 30 points per game. So here we are, in December, playing football in NJ. As expected, conditions were not ideal. So the ground game ruled and the passing games didn't. Penn State has a 17 point lead at the half, which, for all intents and purposes, ended the game.

O

• Keyvone appears to be the real deal. 17 carries for 95 yards in tough sledding. Kid moves the chains. Ford ran well, also, but Lee is simply better in traffic.
• With the OL dominating, Lee just lowered his shoulder when there wasn't a hole and everyone got pushed between 3 and 5 yards.
• We have a short-yardage game that is working and it is called, Will Levis. I don't know the 3rd down conversions but it was much better than in the first five games.
• I totally agree with CJF going uber-conservative in the second half. R moved their guys down in the box to stop the run. The obvious thing to do is pass, but with the heavy wind and propensity to turn the ball over, along with the success of the running game, that makes complete sense. Bringing all of the defense close to the LOS is a high-risk defense. You attack it by going long. The wind didn't allow us to go long. We actually broke two runs but Lee, seems to be his only real weakness, is that he isn't fast....at all. Lets hope he can gain speed.
• Lee has an interesting style. He is patient yet seems to accelerate in the hole quickly. He's got a good jump cut and spin. Odd someone so deft with quick feet can't run in a straight line well. Regardless, he makes good decisions AND he's a good blocker. He only got 31 yards when he cleared the entire D and they caught him from behind.
• Speaking of blocking, we actually ran a couple of bubble screens well. The WR and TE blocked! The timing looks good too. This is huge as having the slowish Lee takes the pressure off the defense's edge. The bubble screens keep them honest as we can now spread the field so the D can't pack the middle.
• It is hard to get a bead on passing as it was so windy. But SC's TD pass was a seed. Great throw. His INT was off the WR's hands. But that INT caused CJF to go completely into a shell, which was probably smart as well as the D played.
• WR's are improving. A couple of drops but mostly good play. I love the story that Lutz is. I am sure, while not as talented, his years in the program and maturity are helping a lot. Perhaps his blocking as well.
• Not sure that the three QB draws in a row were expected to do. I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. Clifford ran the ball 8 times. So, the QB ran the ball 25 times out of 57 rushing attempts.
• Back to the draws, it wasn't fun to watch but I certainly understood when we were trying to do. And, in this case, it made sense.
• While Ford and Lee averaged 5.9 and 5.6 YPC, the team averaged 4.4.
• To me, it was a fun game to watch as you could see the strategic changes R made at halftime and how PSU responded. We lack a deep threat at RB or at WR and we need to develop that for next year. My guess is that Dotson is that guy but he doesn't seem to have the deep speed we had last year with Hamler. A deep TD to a WR or Lee going the distance would have ended the game in the 3rd quarter and made R pay for the D strategy in the second half.
• Looks like we've got three young guys on the OL who can play. Scruggs is becoming the feel-good story of the year as he earns playing time, perhaps a starting position, after a bad car accident. OL has clearly been the biggest disappointment this year with a very senior group. This had me concerned about next year. But we are seeing the emergence of Scruggs, Walker, and Wallace.

D

• Great to see our DT's dominate. I thought the team played well across the board on defense. We only gave up 83 yards rushing.
• The LBers are playing better. They are still slow but are developing a feel for the game: better positioning, better reads, better angles....The defense is playing with much better discipline.
• Brisker...my God, Brisker! Perhaps the guy that has made the most improvement throughout the year on defense. S play was good but have to factor in the wind limited R passing as it did ours.
• We still only got one turnover. We lost two so we were -1 in that department. Still not good enough. We just aren't getting INT's.
• But Joey Porter Jr. is the best player we have on defense right now. In a running contest, Porter covered the run and is like a S out there. At 6-2, I can certainly see him moving to S if we can develop some young CBs. Kid is everywhere, has a nose for the ball, is a good run stopper, sticks his nose in there and can still cover. Kid was second on the team in tackles from the CB position! Luketa has 10 and Brooks (and JP jr) had 7.
• We used a lot of guys on Defense. 27 guys notched at least one tackle.

ST

• 3-3 on FG, one with Stoudt that was 47 yards. Good stuff. FG kicking has improved a lot
• Still not thrilled with punting as we averaged 37 yards. But with this wind it is hard to judge.
• Coverage was excellent at R is one of the better kick/punt return teams in the B1G.

General

• Refs simply missed the turnover. The kid's foot was OOB. The field view was a bit obstructed but while you couldn't see the player, you can see the ball is out. In the overhead view, you couldn't see the ball but you can see his foot was out. When you piece them together, it is clear the player's foot was OOB when he first touched the ball.
• The three QB sneaks in a row was head-scratching. But I totally get the conservatism at that point. PSU had just turned the ball over on an INT and this team if fragile. No turnovers = a win the way our D was playing so lets win the game, period.
• Sparty simply sucked against a much-depleated tOSU team. Hopefully, PSU can end the "regular season" with a win. I'd love to get another crack at Iowa who is playing the best ball in the B1G outside of tOSU right now.
• Indy beats UW; that team is pretty good (and without their starting QB)
• Lots of rumors that Harbaugh's agent is floating his name in the NFL. Perhaps just smart negotiations but I am not sure he will be UM's coach next year. tOSU could beat them by 50 if they play and are healthy.

"Not sure that the three QB draws in a row were expected to do. I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. "

You answered your own question earlier in your post....they went into a shell and were not taking risks passing the ball so why would he have Levis fake a draw and throw deep? [Edit: you did mention this in your General comments] I kept hoping he would pull up and dump a pass over the defense but alas, Levis' only job that game apparently was to run QB draws when he's in there. On a side note...how many times did Levis hand the ball off? Was it once?

 

[PSUHarry33]

Ugly? A Penn State win this year is NOT ugly. Fact is, it was beautiful. Penn State simply dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half on both offense and defense. This, against a Rutgers team that was playing very good ball on offense. R has been averaging over 30 points per game. So here we are, in December, playing football in NJ. As expected, conditions were not ideal. So the ground game ruled and the passing games didn't. Penn State has a 17 point lead at the half, which, for all intents and purposes, ended the game.

O

• Keyvone appears to be the real deal. 17 carries for 95 yards in tough sledding. Kid moves the chains. Ford ran well, also, but Lee is simply better in traffic.
• With the OL dominating, Lee just lowered his shoulder when there wasn't a hole and everyone got pushed between 3 and 5 yards.
• We have a short-yardage game that is working and it is called, Will Levis. I don't know the 3rd down conversions but it was much better than in the first five games.
• I totally agree with CJF going uber-conservative in the second half. R moved their guys down in the box to stop the run. The obvious thing to do is pass, but with the heavy wind and propensity to turn the ball over, along with the success of the running game, that makes complete sense. Bringing all of the defense close to the LOS is a high-risk defense. You attack it by going long. The wind didn't allow us to go long. We actually broke two runs but Lee, seems to be his only real weakness, is that he isn't fast....at all. Lets hope he can gain speed.
• Lee has an interesting style. He is patient yet seems to accelerate in the hole quickly. He's got a good jump cut and spin. Odd someone so deft with quick feet can't run in a straight line well. Regardless, he makes good decisions AND he's a good blocker. He only got 31 yards when he cleared the entire D and they caught him from behind.
• Speaking of blocking, we actually ran a couple of bubble screens well. The WR and TE blocked! The timing looks good too. This is huge as having the slowish Lee takes the pressure off the defense's edge. The bubble screens keep them honest as we can now spread the field so the D can't pack the middle.
• It is hard to get a bead on passing as it was so windy. But SC's TD pass was a seed. Great throw. His INT was off the WR's hands. But that INT caused CJF to go completely into a shell, which was probably smart as well as the D played.
• WR's are improving. A couple of drops but mostly good play. I love the story that Lutz is. I am sure, while not as talented, his years in the program and maturity are helping a lot. Perhaps his blocking as well.
• Not sure that the three QB draws in a row were expected to do. I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. Clifford ran the ball 8 times. So, the QB ran the ball 25 times out of 57 rushing attempts.
• Back to the draws, it wasn't fun to watch but I certainly understood when we were trying to do. And, in this case, it made sense.
• While Ford and Lee averaged 5.9 and 5.6 YPC, the team averaged 4.4.
• To me, it was a fun game to watch as you could see the strategic changes R made at halftime and how PSU responded. We lack a deep threat at RB or at WR and we need to develop that for next year. My guess is that Dotson is that guy but he doesn't seem to have the deep speed we had last year with Hamler. A deep TD to a WR or Lee going the distance would have ended the game in the 3rd quarter and made R pay for the D strategy in the second half.
• Looks like we've got three young guys on the OL who can play. Scruggs is becoming the feel-good story of the year as he earns playing time, perhaps a starting position, after a bad car accident. OL has clearly been the biggest disappointment this year with a very senior group. This had me concerned about next year. But we are seeing the emergence of Scruggs, Walker, and Wallace.

D

• Great to see our DT's dominate. I thought the team played well across the board on defense. We only gave up 83 yards rushing.
• The LBers are playing better. They are still slow but are developing a feel for the game: better positioning, better reads, better angles....The defense is playing with much better discipline.
• Brisker...my God, Brisker! Perhaps the guy that has made the most improvement throughout the year on defense. S play was good but have to factor in the wind limited R passing as it did ours.
• We still only got one turnover. We lost two so we were -1 in that department. Still not good enough. We just aren't getting INT's.
• But Joey Porter Jr. is the best player we have on defense right now. In a running contest, Porter covered the run and is like a S out there. At 6-2, I can certainly see him moving to S if we can develop some young CBs. Kid is everywhere, has a nose for the ball, is a good run stopper, sticks his nose in there and can still cover. Kid was second on the team in tackles from the CB position! Luketa has 10 and Brooks (and JP jr) had 7.
• We used a lot of guys on Defense. 27 guys notched at least one tackle.

ST

• 3-3 on FG, one with Stoudt that was 47 yards. Good stuff. FG kicking has improved a lot
• Still not thrilled with punting as we averaged 37 yards. But with this wind it is hard to judge.
• Coverage was excellent at R is one of the better kick/punt return teams in the B1G.

General

• Refs simply missed the turnover. The kid's foot was OOB. The field view was a bit obstructed but while you couldn't see the player, you can see the ball is out. In the overhead view, you couldn't see the ball but you can see his foot was out. When you piece them together, it is clear the player's foot was OOB when he first touched the ball.
• The three QB sneaks in a row was head-scratching. But I totally get the conservatism at that point. PSU had just turned the ball over on an INT and this team if fragile. No turnovers = a win the way our D was playing so lets win the game, period.
• Sparty simply sucked against a much-depleated tOSU team. Hopefully, PSU can end the "regular season" with a win. I'd love to get another crack at Iowa who is playing the best ball in the B1G outside of tOSU right now.
• Indy beats UW; that team is pretty good (and without their starting QB)
• Lots of rumors that Harbaugh's agent is floating his name in the NFL. Perhaps just smart negotiations but I am not sure he will be UM's coach next year. tOSU could beat them by 50 if they play and are healthy.

Good summary.
One quick comment. I haven't seen a booming punt all year, even with the wind at our back on Saturday.

 

[Obliviax]

Good summary.
One quick comment. I haven't seen a booming punt all year, even with the wind at our back on Saturday.

 

[Texas Lion]

To me Saturday was about this......"would you rather win boring and ugly or lose an exciting game."

Offense:
1. Looks like the team is making the decision to run or pass before the play (no option) and thus has allowed the OLine to know what they are doing. And Boy has it made a difference. Miranda has been passed up and apparently Thorpe wasn't even in NJ on Saturday.....OLine needs to be Walker, Scruggs, Menet, Fries, Wallace.
2. Speaking of Thorpe, any news on his no show?
3. Lee is very Cain like in he doesn't lose yards on his runs.....not going to break an 80 yarder but does a nice job.
4. Still need to find some kind of explosive play. Michigan State is going to stack the box and take away the slant.
5. Still too many drops from the WR.
6. I hope we are setting up Michigan State or the Crossover Game or the Bowl game for some kind of pass from the Levis package.
7. Second half was as much of a "let's win and get out of here" approach that I have ever seen a Franklin Team take.

Defense:
1. Oweh was a moster, he will dominate lesser talented and skilled teams. Nees to come back so he can learn how to do that against the OSU's of the world.
2. Brandon Smith is WAY TOO GOOD to ever drop back in pass coverage. That guy closes better than any LB I have seen in a while at LBU.
3. Briskar is doing a lot better....he is another that I hope comes back.
4. Hardy is a football player. Plain and simple.
5. I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH OF #40. He just isn't a good LB at all.His 4 star ranking was over blown big time. His speed is average, his technique is average, and his tackling and pass coverage are below average. Only thing he does well is celebrate after he makes a tackle 5 yards down the field.

Special Team:
1. Nice job in the weather.

Coaching:
1. Head scratcher in the 2nd half but like I said, a win is a win.
2. OK JFF....if you want sympathy for missing your family and for struggling with the covid aspects, then it is time for you to RIGHT NOW to shoot down any coaching rumor with you in it. I don't care if it is leverage for other things you want/need. We have done this for 5 years now. You preach family, etc....well time for you to be a member of the family. It is simple....."I am not going anywhere, I have all I want and need here". Can't act like an assassin for hire, then pout on the field because things aren't going well.
3.Need to be recruiting the portal like crazy for WR size and speed. We need someone that the defense has to respect taking the top off.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

I don't think the people complaining about the 2nd half offensive gameplan realize how terrible the weather was in Jersey on Saturday.

Daquan Hardy was impressive in IMO - that kid seems to have serious potential. One of those classic Franklin late cycle prospect additions that is going to turn into a contributor.

I'm a fan of Lee/Ford - but we need a game breaker at RB to add another gear to this offense.

I'm really high on what the future holds at WR. Add in White/Clifford next season and we could be looking at a team strength next season. Stubbs has impressed me.

Seems like we've found our OL grouping, finally.

Is the consensus that Smith moves to the inside next year? He's really coming on strong here in the second half of the season.

Strange/Johnson are going to be a strong 1-2 punch at TE for the next couple of years. Their blocking is most impressive to me at this stage in development.

Franklin/KC need to hit the transfer portal for a QB next season.

 

[BBrown]

Ugly? A Penn State win this year is NOT ugly. Fact is, it was beautiful. Penn State simply dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half on both offense and defense. This, against a Rutgers team that was playing very good ball on offense. R has been averaging over 30 points per game. So here we are, in December, playing football in NJ. As expected, conditions were not ideal. So the ground game ruled and the passing games didn't. Penn State has a 17 point lead at the half, which, for all intents and purposes, ended the game.

O

• Keyvone appears to be the real deal. 17 carries for 95 yards in tough sledding. Kid moves the chains. Ford ran well, also, but Lee is simply better in traffic.
• With the OL dominating, Lee just lowered his shoulder when there wasn't a hole and everyone got pushed between 3 and 5 yards.
• We have a short-yardage game that is working and it is called, Will Levis. I don't know the 3rd down conversions but it was much better than in the first five games.
• I totally agree with CJF going uber-conservative in the second half. R moved their guys down in the box to stop the run. The obvious thing to do is pass, but with the heavy wind and propensity to turn the ball over, along with the success of the running game, that makes complete sense. Bringing all of the defense close to the LOS is a high-risk defense. You attack it by going long. The wind didn't allow us to go long. We actually broke two runs but Lee, seems to be his only real weakness, is that he isn't fast....at all. Lets hope he can gain speed.
• Lee has an interesting style. He is patient yet seems to accelerate in the hole quickly. He's got a good jump cut and spin. Odd someone so deft with quick feet can't run in a straight line well. Regardless, he makes good decisions AND he's a good blocker. He only got 31 yards when he cleared the entire D and they caught him from behind.
• Speaking of blocking, we actually ran a couple of bubble screens well. The WR and TE blocked! The timing looks good too. This is huge as having the slowish Lee takes the pressure off the defense's edge. The bubble screens keep them honest as we can now spread the field so the D can't pack the middle.
• It is hard to get a bead on passing as it was so windy. But SC's TD pass was a seed. Great throw. His INT was off the WR's hands. But that INT caused CJF to go completely into a shell, which was probably smart as well as the D played.
• WR's are improving. A couple of drops but mostly good play. I love the story that Lutz is. I am sure, while not as talented, his years in the program and maturity are helping a lot. Perhaps his blocking as well.
• Not sure that the three QB draws in a row were expected to do. I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. Clifford ran the ball 8 times. So, the QB ran the ball 25 times out of 57 rushing attempts.
• Back to the draws, it wasn't fun to watch but I certainly understood when we were trying to do. And, in this case, it made sense.
• While Ford and Lee averaged 5.9 and 5.6 YPC, the team averaged 4.4.
• To me, it was a fun game to watch as you could see the strategic changes R made at halftime and how PSU responded. We lack a deep threat at RB or at WR and we need to develop that for next year. My guess is that Dotson is that guy but he doesn't seem to have the deep speed we had last year with Hamler. A deep TD to a WR or Lee going the distance would have ended the game in the 3rd quarter and made R pay for the D strategy in the second half.
• Looks like we've got three young guys on the OL who can play. Scruggs is becoming the feel-good story of the year as he earns playing time, perhaps a starting position, after a bad car accident. OL has clearly been the biggest disappointment this year with a very senior group. This had me concerned about next year. But we are seeing the emergence of Scruggs, Walker, and Wallace.

D

• Great to see our DT's dominate. I thought the team played well across the board on defense. We only gave up 83 yards rushing.
• The LBers are playing better. They are still slow but are developing a feel for the game: better positioning, better reads, better angles....The defense is playing with much better discipline.
• Brisker...my God, Brisker! Perhaps the guy that has made the most improvement throughout the year on defense. S play was good but have to factor in the wind limited R passing as it did ours.
• We still only got one turnover. We lost two so we were -1 in that department. Still not good enough. We just aren't getting INT's.
• But Joey Porter Jr. is the best player we have on defense right now. In a running contest, Porter covered the run and is like a S out there. At 6-2, I can certainly see him moving to S if we can develop some young CBs. Kid is everywhere, has a nose for the ball, is a good run stopper, sticks his nose in there and can still cover. Kid was second on the team in tackles from the CB position! Luketa has 10 and Brooks (and JP jr) had 7.
• We used a lot of guys on Defense. 27 guys notched at least one tackle.

ST

• 3-3 on FG, one with Stoudt that was 47 yards. Good stuff. FG kicking has improved a lot
• Still not thrilled with punting as we averaged 37 yards. But with this wind it is hard to judge.
• Coverage was excellent at R is one of the better kick/punt return teams in the B1G.

General

• Refs simply missed the turnover. The kid's foot was OOB. The field view was a bit obstructed but while you couldn't see the player, you can see the ball is out. In the overhead view, you couldn't see the ball but you can see his foot was out. When you piece them together, it is clear the player's foot was OOB when he first touched the ball.
• The three QB sneaks in a row was head-scratching. But I totally get the conservatism at that point. PSU had just turned the ball over on an INT and this team if fragile. No turnovers = a win the way our D was playing so lets win the game, period.
• Sparty simply sucked against a much-depleated tOSU team. Hopefully, PSU can end the "regular season" with a win. I'd love to get another crack at Iowa who is playing the best ball in the B1G outside of tOSU right now.
• Indy beats UW; that team is pretty good (and without their starting QB)
• Lots of rumors that Harbaugh's agent is floating his name in the NFL. Perhaps just smart negotiations but I am not sure he will be UM's coach next year. tOSU could beat them by 50 if they play and are healthy.

Good post. LBR's did play better but tackling is still and issue. I didnt' look at the PFF grades, I really don't understand them anyway. But using my eyes I don't understand what is going on with Jessie Luketa. For as big and strong as he looks he stinks at tackling. And that 4th down hail mary TD was inexcusable.
Dixon and especially Brooks all need to get much stronger. Brooks looks like he's a safety.
Do you think our LB'rs our playing their best positions? I dont.
I like Stout on Kickoffs and I think he's a pretty good FG guy as well but I do not like his punting.
Its incredibly slow and I'm shocked he hasn't had one blocked. I cant tell on TV about his "hang time" but his distance isn't that great either.

Wanted to read some stuff about MSU but do they not have a free board anymore?
I didn't think the refs were very good. Then I saw O'neil and didn't question it anymore.
The OOB play was just wrong and I swear they only "reviewed" it for about a minute.
I am impressed with Tom Allen and Indy. I love their 2 WR's. Fryfogle was seriously underrated. I think he's terrific.
LOL at Harbaugh's agent. Talk about trying to make Chicken Salad out of Chicken shit.
If he gets Jimbo an NFL gig he deserves every sent he can get.

 

[PA_JOE]

Regarding Lee’s unique running style if I squint really hard I see shades of Blair Thomas. Anyone else?

Ugly? A Penn State win this year is NOT ugly. Fact is, it was beautiful. Penn State simply dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half on both offense and defense. This, against a Rutgers team that was playing very good ball on offense. R has been averaging over 30 points per game. So here we are, in December, playing football in NJ. As expected, conditions were not ideal. So the ground game ruled and the passing games didn't. Penn State has a 17 point lead at the half, which, for all intents and purposes, ended the game.

O

• Keyvone appears to be the real deal. 17 carries for 95 yards in tough sledding. Kid moves the chains. Ford ran well, also, but Lee is simply better in traffic.
• With the OL dominating, Lee just lowered his shoulder when there wasn't a hole and everyone got pushed between 3 and 5 yards.
• We have a short-yardage game that is working and it is called, Will Levis. I don't know the 3rd down conversions but it was much better than in the first five games.
• I totally agree with CJF going uber-conservative in the second half. R moved their guys down in the box to stop the run. The obvious thing to do is pass, but with the heavy wind and propensity to turn the ball over, along with the success of the running game, that makes complete sense. Bringing all of the defense close to the LOS is a high-risk defense. You attack it by going long. The wind didn't allow us to go long. We actually broke two runs but Lee, seems to be his only real weakness, is that he isn't fast....at all. Lets hope he can gain speed.
• Lee has an interesting style. He is patient yet seems to accelerate in the hole quickly. He's got a good jump cut and spin. Odd someone so deft with quick feet can't run in a straight line well. Regardless, he makes good decisions AND he's a good blocker. He only got 31 yards when he cleared the entire D and they caught him from behind.
• Speaking of blocking, we actually ran a couple of bubble screens well. The WR and TE blocked! The timing looks good too. This is huge as having the slowish Lee takes the pressure off the defense's edge. The bubble screens keep them honest as we can now spread the field so the D can't pack the middle.
• It is hard to get a bead on passing as it was so windy. But SC's TD pass was a seed. Great throw. His INT was off the WR's hands. But that INT caused CJF to go completely into a shell, which was probably smart as well as the D played.
• WR's are improving. A couple of drops but mostly good play. I love the story that Lutz is. I am sure, while not as talented, his years in the program and maturity are helping a lot. Perhaps his blocking as well.
• Not sure that the three QB draws in a row were expected to do. I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. Clifford ran the ball 8 times. So, the QB ran the ball 25 times out of 57 rushing attempts.
• Back to the draws, it wasn't fun to watch but I certainly understood when we were trying to do. And, in this case, it made sense.
• While Ford and Lee averaged 5.9 and 5.6 YPC, the team averaged 4.4.
• To me, it was a fun game to watch as you could see the strategic changes R made at halftime and how PSU responded. We lack a deep threat at RB or at WR and we need to develop that for next year. My guess is that Dotson is that guy but he doesn't seem to have the deep speed we had last year with Hamler. A deep TD to a WR or Lee going the distance would have ended the game in the 3rd quarter and made R pay for the D strategy in the second half.
• Looks like we've got three young guys on the OL who can play. Scruggs is becoming the feel-good story of the year as he earns playing time, perhaps a starting position, after a bad car accident. OL has clearly been the biggest disappointment this year with a very senior group. This had me concerned about next year. But we are seeing the emergence of Scruggs, Walker, and Wallace.

D

• Great to see our DT's dominate. I thought the team played well across the board on defense. We only gave up 83 yards rushing.
• The LBers are playing better. They are still slow but are developing a feel for the game: better positioning, better reads, better angles....The defense is playing with much better discipline.
• Brisker...my God, Brisker! Perhaps the guy that has made the most improvement throughout the year on defense. S play was good but have to factor in the wind limited R passing as it did ours.
• We still only got one turnover. We lost two so we were -1 in that department. Still not good enough. We just aren't getting INT's.
• But Joey Porter Jr. is the best player we have on defense right now. In a running contest, Porter covered the run and is like a S out there. At 6-2, I can certainly see him moving to S if we can develop some young CBs. Kid is everywhere, has a nose for the ball, is a good run stopper, sticks his nose in there and can still cover. Kid was second on the team in tackles from the CB position! Luketa has 10 and Brooks (and JP jr) had 7.
• We used a lot of guys on Defense. 27 guys notched at least one tackle.

ST

• 3-3 on FG, one with Stoudt that was 47 yards. Good stuff. FG kicking has improved a lot
• Still not thrilled with punting as we averaged 37 yards. But with this wind it is hard to judge.
• Coverage was excellent at R is one of the better kick/punt return teams in the B1G.

General

• Refs simply missed the turnover. The kid's foot was OOB. The field view was a bit obstructed but while you couldn't see the player, you can see the ball is out. In the overhead view, you couldn't see the ball but you can see his foot was out. When you piece them together, it is clear the player's foot was OOB when he first touched the ball.
• The three QB sneaks in a row was head-scratching. But I totally get the conservatism at that point. PSU had just turned the ball over on an INT and this team if fragile. No turnovers = a win the way our D was playing so lets win the game, period.
• Sparty simply sucked against a much-depleated tOSU team. Hopefully, PSU can end the "regular season" with a win. I'd love to get another crack at Iowa who is playing the best ball in the B1G outside of tOSU right now.
• Indy beats UW; that team is pretty good (and without their starting QB)
• Lots of rumors that Harbaugh's agent is floating his name in the NFL. Perhaps just smart negotiations but I am not sure he will be UM's coach next year. tOSU could beat them by 50 if they play and are healthy.

 

[BBrown]

As always good observations. To your point about needing a deep threat to emerge for next season, does anyone know if Lonnie White plans to enroll early? Not a deal breaker if he doesn't, Washington didn't and is having an excellent year. But White may be the missing piece on offense, a true playmaker on the outside who has great size. If Lambert-Smith can have a good off season, he too could be a play maker and those two could change the entire dynamic on offense IMO.

I agree about a deep threat needed. I'm hoping Lambert-Smith can be that guy.
I'd also like to see what Malick Meiga can do.
Not sure what is going on with CSB or George but I would expect at least 2 possibly 3 WR's to portal or transfer out.
I'm hoping Lutz comes back for another year.

 

[BBrown]

BTW, saw two cool plays this weekend PSU should consider. A team put in their running QB for a short yardage situation. He goes into the shotgun, the hurriedly runs up under center. Clearly going to be a sneak, right? So thinks the defense who's entire team pinches in to stop the sneak. QB gets the ball and runs a quick pitch around end.

Another was the browns. QB makes a quick zone read motion then bellies out the to left. He stops and throws back to the only WR out on the route on the right side of the field. The WR stops to block his CB opponent then goes on a fly pattern. Dude was open by five years (Donovan Peoples-Jones). Browns also ran a great T eligible play. QB fakes a dive then bellies out to his left faking a bubble screen to the WR on the left. Tackle blocks and then walks into the endzone. The entire LB crew was in the middle of the field to stop the run. The entire Corner and Saftey both took off to stop the bubble screen. There was nobody within five yards of the tackle for a TD. .

I would be happy if they would just do a quick snap and catch these teams running off of the field with too many men.
Its been an ongoing thing since the Indy game. Its just flat out stupid that they aren't taking advantage of it.
I'd love to hear someone in the media ask about it but I'm sure there needs to be an update on how the coaches and players are handling Covid.

 

[BBrown]

I don't think the people complaining about the 2nd half offensive gameplan realize how terrible the weather was in Jersey on Saturday.

Daquan Hardy was impressive in IMO - that kid seems to have serious potential. One of those classic Franklin late cycle prospect additions that is going to turn into a contributor.

I'm a fan of Lee/Ford - but we need a game breaker at RB to add another gear to this offense.

I'm really high on what the future holds at WR. Add in White/Clifford next season and we could be looking at a team strength next season. Stubbs has impressed me.

Seems like we've found our OL grouping, finally.

Is the consensus that Smith moves to the inside next year? He's really coming on strong here in the second half of the season.

Strange/Johnson are going to be a strong 1-2 punch at TE for the next couple of years. Their blocking is most impressive to me at this stage in development.

Franklin/KC need to hit the transfer portal for a QB next season.

Agree about needing a speed (Lightening) back to Lee and Cain's thunder.
I think Smith needs to move inside now. Frankly I think it was a wasted year for him, although he has done better the last 2 games. I still think inside is his best position. I don't know what to think about Luketa other than he has not lived up to his recruiting ranking. His tackling is horrible.

The TE's are doing an excellent job. Tyler Bowen is in my top 3 of the staff. Whatever he wants Franklin needs to make happen.

 

[danvillenit]

Regarding Lee’s unique running style if I squint really hard I see shades of Blair Thomas. Anyone else?

Blair was faster and shiftier

 

[BobPSU92]

I saw the thread title and expected pics of rutgres chicks.

FLAG.

 

[BBrown]

Regarding Lee’s unique running style if I squint really hard I see shades of Blair Thomas. Anyone else?

I"m trying to think of who Lee reminds me of but its not Blair.
Maybe a Slower but stronger version of Tony Hunt?
It will be interesting to see how much strong and faster he will be with a full year of S&C overseen by Gault. I think we will be very, very happy with the results. Same with the WR's and LB'rs. Someone give Brooks and Dixon some protein shakes.

 

[Obliviax]

I saw the thread title and expected pics of rutgres chicks.

FLAG.

 

[The Spin Meister]

I"m trying to think of who Lee reminds me of but its not Blair.
Maybe a Slower but stronger version of Tony Hunt?
It will be interesting to see how much strong and faster he will be with a full year of S&C overseen by Gault. I think we will be very, very happy with the results. Same with the WR's and LB'rs. Someone give Brooks and Dixon some protein shakes.

A year of Going Gault will be a big help. They say you can’t coach speed but since he didn’t play last year.....plus the Covid non practice schedule....he will gain speed with good conditioning

 

[Obliviax]

A year of Going Gault will be a big help. They say you can’t coach speed but since he didn’t play last year.....plus the Covid non practice schedule....he will gain speed with good conditioning

The one he reminds me of is Franco. he doesn't look fast but has quick feet, great vision and bounced it to the outside very well. Franco ended up with decent speed but never really looked fast.

 

[BBrown]

A year of Going Gault will be a big help. They say you can’t coach speed but since he didn’t play last year.....plus the Covid non practice schedule....he will gain speed with good conditioning

Thats a great point. I didn't realize until a few weeks ago he didn't play his sr. year.
So in essence you have HS jr. playing this well against the B1G. Thats impressive.

 

[PSU Mike]

At this point, Lee does not come close to doing what Cain can do (gets a little too upright). With that said, I’m glad we have him.

 

[Texas Lion]

A question for those that might know. We keep saying, wait until Gault gets a hold of him, etc......is Gault really that good or has done something great or is it more of let any S&C Coach get him and he will take off.

 

[The Spin Meister]

A question for those that might know. We keep saying, wait until Gault gets a hold of him, etc......is Gault really that good or has done something great or is it more of let any S&C Coach get him and he will take off.

Everyone thinks he worked a miracle with Barkley and expects him to repeat that with every ‘next Barkley’.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Regarding Lee’s unique running style if I squint really hard I see shades of Blair Thomas. Anyone else?

Not really, though he does seem to kind of pick little cracks in the line pretty well, kind of like Thomas used to do. He does remind me a lot of Tony Hunt.

 

[ram2020]

Everyone thinks he worked a miracle with Barkley and expects him to repeat that with every ‘next Barkley’.

That is not true, it was not just barkley. Gesicki, Godwin.....sh*t, even troy Apke were absolute combine warriors. I think SI wrote an article about how penn state won like 8-9 gold medal workout warriors, more than any other program, by a lot.

 

[Texas Lion]

Everyone thinks he worked a miracle with Barkley and expects him to repeat that with every ‘next Barkley’.

I would imagine that Barkley is an exception and not the rule of growth at that level.

 

[BobPSU92]

Holy shit. This will keep me busy a short while.

 

[The Spin Meister]

That is not true, it was not just barkley. Gesicki, Godwin.....sh*t, even troy Apke were absolute combine warriors. I think SI wrote an article about how penn state won like 8-9 gold medal workout warriors, more than any other program, by a lot.

True, we have a very good S&C program.

 

[Obliviax]

Holy shit. This will keep me busy a short while.

if that does it for you, there's a TV show you may like.....great accents as well...

 

[Obliviax]

True, we have a very good S&C program.

except for guards and tackles apparently. 😇

 

[royboy]

Good summary.
One quick comment. I haven't seen a booming punt all year, even with the wind at our back on Saturday.

Agree, though I was surprised when I looked up the stats.

PSU punting average is slightly better than their opponents for the season.

2020 Football Cumulative Statistics - Penn State University Athletics

The official 2020 Football cumulative statistics for the Penn State University Nittany Lions

gopsusports.com

 

[PSU2UNC]

"I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. "
I would like to think they are setting this up to use when they actually need it (i.e. you don't need to "burn" this "gimmick" against Rutgers, especially with the wind). Maybe they break it out for the week 9 crossover game or (fingers crossed) bowl game.

 

[danvillenit]

I"m trying to think of who Lee reminds me of but its not Blair.
Maybe a Slower but stronger version of Tony Hunt?
It will be interesting to see how much strong and faster he will be with a full year of S&C overseen by Gault. I think we will be very, very happy with the results. Same with the WR's and LB'rs. Someone give Brooks and Dixon some protein shakes.

How about Cordell Mitchell

 

[MacNit07]

Blair was faster and shiftier

Much, much faster...

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Maybe a little overlooked, but I think Dotson’s punt receiving on Sat was OUTSTANDING considering the windy conditions.

Re: the three straight QB runs, just wish we’d have a guy in motion and have the QB follow him to the outside. Or simply run right away to the outside instead of hesitating and picking the spot to run up the middle.

Re: our bubble screens, we’ve had a running back all alone in the opposite flat. Fake the throw to the wideout and throw back to the running back, we have an easy 15-20 yd play.

 

[PSUAlum]

Much, much faster...

The comparison to Blair Thomas might be Thomas in 1989. Blair was a completely different RB his senior season after he tore his ACL before Citrus Bowl prep against Clemson.

 

[MacNit07]

The comparison to Blair Thomas might be Thomas in 1989. Blair was a completely different RB his senior season after he tore his ACL before Citrus Bowl prep against Clemson.

Possible.

 

[rohrmd9]

"I kept waiting for Levis to take a step forward then throw deep. Maybe we just didn't need it. Levis carried the ball 17 times and didn't attempt a single pass. "
I would like to think they are setting this up to use when they actually need it (i.e. you don't need to "burn" this "gimmick" against Rutgers, especially with the wind). Maybe they break it out for the week 9 crossover game or (fingers crossed) bowl game.

Like during any of our 5 losses?

 

[RTRMR]

I liked the result of the game. I agree with the OP: “lets get outta here with a win”.
I think JF wanted to run clock, and get on the bus.
The problem I have with the clock killing is this....
If you seceded to the fact your gonna run 3 straight times, then punt, why not:
1. Get the ball in the hands of an RB, to get him the reps? Holmes or Ford are way better play makers than #7.
2. Implement new running plays like a toss sweep, end around, reverse, jet sweep, etc. In this scenario zero to negative yardage is the same as 1-2 yards(if the intention is to run 3 plays, and punt).
3. Get #3 QB reps. When your QB position is hogging >50% of runs, coupled with their style of running, one or both of them are due to get injure
Don’t get me wrong, I am happy with the win. My fear for the future of the program is what you witnessed Saturday. That being, QB zone after QB zone after QB zone.
If you want to be 8-4, Then the above sentence is fine. If you want to compete in the playoffs, This godforsaken zone read in over 50% of your run plays needs To stop ASAP.

My fear is Franklin is going to either live by the sword die by the sword. If we keep running zone read every game he’ll die by the sword. That is my biggest fear for the program going forward.
This philosophy will work maybe four times a year on the schedule, Against the teams that are weaklings.
I just don’t want to be halfway through 2021 season, sitting at 3-3, And our QB is leading the team in rush attempts For the third time in four years.