Tag: Jahan Dotson

Penn State Blue-White game preview: 5 questions for the offense

Penn State’s offense has been the main story of the spring. On Saturday, fans will get to see what the fuss is all about.

Penn State’s spring football practice schedule will culminate this weekend with the final spring practice being held on Saturday inside Beaver Stadium. A small fraction of fans will be allowed to enter through the gates of Beaver Stadium for the first time since 2019, which is exciting on its own, but the offense of the Nittany Lions has a real chance to offer its own form of excitement. The Blue-White Game, in whatever form it will hold this week, should offer a glimpse of big things to come, but just how much of that will we see in live action?

With a new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich, a third-year starting quarterback in Sena Clifford, and one of the Big Ten’s top wide receivers in Jahan Dotson, the key ingredients for a fun offense appear to be in place. Here are five questions about the offense to keep in mind this weekend.

1. Just how much of the Mike Yurcich offense will we actually see?

Penn State made an upgrade on the coaching staff this offseason with the addition of Mike Yurcich, formerly of Texas. Yurcich inherits an offense that got off to a tough start in 2020 but started to turn a corner in the second half of the season. There is no question Yurcich has some good players to work with in the Penn State offense, but for reasons that will be outlined in a moment, it may not be fair to judge the status of the Penn State offense based on whatever is shown off on Saturday.

Saturday’s final spring practice will not likely be a showcase for all that will be unfolding in the Yurcich offense, either because some of the key players may not be on the field long enough to get a chance to shine the way they may in the fall. Instead, this could be a good opportunity to see what some other players on the roster have to offer.

Speaking of which…

2. What will the quarterback situation look like after the spring game?

One of the biggest questions Penn State head coach James Franklin has faced this offseason has been what he will do with the quarterback situation after the spring. Sean Clifford is without hesitation the team’s starting quarterback, but the experience and depth behind him is a looming concern following the transfer of Will Levis (to Kentucky) and Micah Bowens (to Oklahoma).

How much time in the final spring practice is dedicated to Sean Clifford may be relatively brief. Instead, this will serve as a good opportunity to get more reps for backups Taquan Roberson and Christian Veilleux. If all goes well, both will show they have blossomed this spring and given Franklin and Yurcich much more confidence about what they have on the depth chart behind Clifford. Otherwise, Penn State’s search in the transfer portal could intensify in a hurry.

Next: Brenton Strange taking charge at tight end

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2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Profile Card: Jahan Dotson

Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson is motivated for big success in 2021, both as an individual player and as a team.

Name: Jahan Dotson

Number: 5

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Senior

Height: 5′-11″

Weight: 182

Hometown: Nazareth, Pa

High School: Nazareth Area

Twitter: @H55ZY

Overview

A year ago Jahan Dotson was thought of as a receiver who could be expected to become a significant part of the Penn State offense, but it was unknown just how much of an impact he would have. It turns out, he was a major part of the offense with his dazzling highlight catches and big numbers.

After posting 488 receiving yards in 13 games as a sophomore in 2019, Dotson doubled his receiving yardage in four fewer games as an emerging star in the Big Ten. Dotson led the Big Ten with 884 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, although other wide receivers on more successful teams landed more notable postseason accolades around the conference. But it was impossible to ignore some of Dotson’s signature moments for the Nittany Lions.

Of course, Dotson isn’t just a threat to catch the football on offense. Penn State has seen big returns from him on special teams. Last season, Dotson recorded the nation’s best punt return average for the season, setting the school season record in the process.

Dotson could have headed off to the NFL and been an interesting receiver prospect to monitor. But he joined a few of his upeprclassmen teammates I making a decision to return for one more season and attempt to redeem themselves as a team after a disappointing 2020 season. Driving Dotson’s own motivation is the chance to leave Penn State as a true Nittany Lion legend. As he makes his way up the school’s all-time receiving list, his legendary status is a goal coming into sight.

Dotson is putting in work this offseason to ensure his impact will once again be respected by his peers and opponents, while at the same time serving as inspiration for younger receivers around him on the offense. With a third-year starting quarterback in Sean Clifford throwing him the football in an innovative offense designed by new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, Dotson should be in for a big year for the Nittany Lions.

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Jahan Dotson moving his way up list of Penn State’s all-time leading receivers

Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson is projected to finish in the top 10 among Penn State’s all-time leading receivers.

Penn State wide receiver has commented on how he wants to be a legend like Saqon Barkley before he leaves the Nittany Lions. One step toward becoming a legend would be to move his way up the list of Penn State’s all-time leading receivers with one final and full season in 2021.

Dotson will begin the 2021 season already in the top 20 in the Penn State record books for most career receiving yards. Dotson is 17th on the all-time list at Penn State, just behind his former teammate KJ Hamler. Dotson would have to turn in a record-setting single-season performance for Penn State to climb to the top of the list, as he is 1,451 receiving yards away from the Penn State career record of 3,026 yards held by Bobby Engram. Allen Robinson holds the single-season receiving record with 1,432 yards in 2013.

With Dotson setting his own personal goal to leave Penn State with legendary status, here is a look at the top 20 players in Penn State history with the most career receiving yards.

Locked On Nittany Lions: Penn State offense will be theme of spring football this week

Expect plenty of discussion about the progress of the Penn State offense this week during spring practices.

Penn State opens another week of spring football practices this week, and the offense figures to be the main talking point in the ongoing coverage. Penn State will put some key offensive players in front of webcams for Zoom conference calls this week as questions about the offense will be addressed.

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford will be one of the first players to get to meet with the media this week (he is scheduled for a Monday conference call). While there won’t be questions about his status since he will be entering his third season as the starter, Clifford will likely be asked about working with new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and how the transition is going for him.

What new things is Clifford working on with his new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator (Yurcich serves both roles), and what is he seeing from his potential backups? Is Clifford even bothering to think about the possibility of Penn State heading to the transfer portal to add another quarterback to the depth chart?

Wide receiver Jahan Dotson will also be scheduled to meet with the media on Monday, and wide receivers coach Dana Stubblefield is scheduled for a Wednesday conference call, as is head coach James Franklin. Dotson will also likely be asked about what he is seeing from some of the other receivers on the team.

Wide receiver may not be quite the same looming concern it was heading into the 2020 season, but there is still some question about whether or not it will be a position that can be relied on regularly, outside of Dotson.

Also discussed in this episode is the reaction of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to Penn State’s pro day and what a Zach Snyder cut of Penn State football might have looked like given the reception to the recent release of the Snyder cut of “Justice League.”

Follow Locked On Nittany Lions on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Or, you can catch today’s episode below and listen in your browser.

Follow us on Twitter @NittanyLionWire and like us on Facebook for continuing coverage and commentary on the Nittany Lions.

What QBs in the transfer portal could be Penn State targets?

WATCH: Penn State WR Jahan Dotson makes incredible TD catch

Watch Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson make an amazing one-handed touchdown catch against Ohio State

Even in a losing effort for Penn State, wide receiver Jahan Dotson made one of the best catches of the year in all of college football.

Going up against one of the nation’s top corners in Ohio State’s Shaun Wade, Dotson made an incredible one-handed stab, landing in bounds and then finishing it off by taking it into the end zone.

Wade is widely regarded as a first-round talent in the 2021 NFL draft class, and Dotson is doing his best to prove that he belongs in the same conversation.

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Breaking down Ohio State’s defensive breakdowns against Penn State

Ohio State had some defensive breakdowns in the passing game. We look at what caused them and what OSU can do to fix them.

Ohio State walked out of Happy Valley with a victory that had some ups and downs. One of the downs was some of the defensive breakdowns in the secondary. Granted, Jahan Dotson is really good, and with two circus catches and a perfect throw by Sean Clifford, it made some of the issues seem worse than they really were.

Still, if we’re being honest and a bit nitpicky (we are), then things weren’t as tight in the back-end of the defense as anyone rooting for Ohio State would like.

One thing we did see as a positive was the defensive line getting consistent pressure on Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford. Ohio State was also able to contain the running attack by the Nittany Lions. The pressure certainly rattled Clifford, but he made some big throws at some big times.

Some people will point directly at Shaun Wade, but he played the receiver perfectly on the first one-handed catch by Dotson and then on the throw by Clifford to Dotson for the touchdown over the middle. For the one-handed catch for a touchdown, there was some shoving that didn’t get called that got Wade got off balance, and it still took Dotson making a circus catch.

What most people didn’t seem to remember is that for a little more than a half Dotson was lined up against Sevyn Banks. Banks played soft coverage against Dotson and it showed with the Buckeyes allowing a lot of crossing routes. Banks not getting a hand on whomever he was lined up against allowed Penn State to hit multiple passes straight down the field in the opening of the second half.

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Because the Buckeyes were putting pressure on Clifford and using linebackers to add to the pass rushers, Penn State hit the crossing routes much of the night. As soon as the linebackers dropped into coverage, then that all changed. It was a way Penn State took advantage of the aggressiveness of Ohio State.

There were some times where Penn State tried to clear out the linebackers and safeties to allow a one-on-one situation and trust that the receiver could get just enough separation. It worked off and on throughout the game. Something the Buckeyes will need to focus on going forward is getting receivers off their routes earlier, and not letting them get a clean release.

As the season wears on, Banks will get more experience and should be able to come down and provide more press off the line. You can bet teams will key on. Going deep on Ohio State is going to be difficult, and working underneath and over the middle will be an issue until things get worked out through growth, experience, and development.

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