Will Sean Clifford really be challenged this spring? Can a freshman become the main running back? That and more pressing questions for Penn State’s offense this spring.
The beginning of March can only mean one thing in Happy Valley. Because it looks like this will be another year without a spot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the focus can easily shift to the start of spring football practices. And once again we enter spring practices with Penn State likely feeling they need to prove something to their critics in 2022. If last year’s spring was about proving to the doubters that 2020 was a mere fluke, then this spring has to find a new way to deliver the message and set the tone after seeing a once-promising 2021 season unravel in the way it did.
Fortunately for Penn State, the program has some good pieces in place to begin setting the tone for some redemption in the upcoming season, but this is not a spring without a handful of big questions that must be addressed beginning this spring.
It was just over a month ago that the final game of Penn State’s 2021 season was played, and spring football is still a little more than a month away. But winter workouts are underway in Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions begin preparing for what they hope will be a big rebound season, and some new faces are starting to get to the grind with their new teammates.
Winter workouts officially got underway bright and early Tuesday morning and assistant coaches made sure to spread some encouraging news about who showed up to compete in the practice sessions.
Both coordinators took to their Twitter accounts to share who their unit’s best player was. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich named starting quarterback and team captain Sean Clifford as the offensive competitor of the day. Clifford announced his return for a rare sixth year of eligibility prior to Penn State’s appearance in the Outback Bowl. It will be the first offseason in which Clifford has had the same offensive coordinator to work with leading into a new season, and Clifford would like to make up for a few down moments in 2021 in his final year of eligibility.
Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, also went with a team captain for his defensive competitor of the day, with Jonathan Sutherland getting the props of the day from the new defensive playcaller. Sutherland has been a standout on special teams during his time at Penn State, with some defense mixed in. But Sutherland is expected to be a top candidate to take on a larger role in the defense in 2022.
Other notable players from Penn State’s first winter workout included cornerback Kalen King, defensive end Nick Tarburton, cornerback Ji’Ayir Brown, running back Keyvone Lee, wide receiver Jaden Dottin, tight end Tyler Warren, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, and punter Barney Amor.
Great work this morning!!! Tight competition, but the Competitor of the day for the TE room is Tyler “T-Breezy” Warren!! He brought it this morning! Love the way our group worked!! pic.twitter.com/6qMG3snyuE
These winter workouts are the first that have been opened to early enrollees in Penn State’s Class of 2022, so we will be keeping an eye out for possible shoutouts from the coaching staff for any of the new faces in the crowd. Penn State will eventually be adding to its roster with other recruits in the Class of 2022 that have not enrolled early and any possible additions from the transfer portal, including recent commit from Cornell, Hunter Nourzad.
Penn State’s running game to be under the microscope in 2022. Here’s what the position looks like right now
To say Penn State’s running game in 2021 was a disappointment would be a massive understatement. An offense with three Doak Walker Award watch list players ended the season without any player on the roster accumulating 100 rushing yards in a single game. Who would have thought that would be possible?
The struggles of the running game could be based on the struggles of the offensive line and playcalling, and perhaps a few other reasons. But heading into the 2022 season, there will be no room for excuses. The position will be in the spotlight with not so unreasonable expectations that things will improve. And once again, the makeup of the running back position will be an intriguing one for the Nittany Lions.
Here is a look at the state of the running back position in Happy Valley heading into the 2022 season, starting with the leading rusher coming back for another season.
Keyvone Lee the leader of the pack
Photo: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Keyvone Lee showed some glimpses of good things to come as a freshman in 2021, and he emerged to be Penn State’s leading rusher in what was clearly a rough year for the rushing offense. Lee led the Nittany Lions with 530 yards while averaging 4.91 yards per attempt on 108 attempts. Lee managed to score just two rushing touchdowns, but he will enter the spring practice season as the leading candidate to be the top running back on the depth chart in the fall.
If there is one drawback to Lee’s game that has been evident at times, it may be a reluctance to attack the line with a burst of speed. There have been some times when Lee may be waiting a bit too long for room to run, and before too long he would be swallowed up for a loss or minimal gain. That can be coachable and should be addressed in the offseason. Lee can do some damage if he takes off with more authority at times instead of trying to be too patient, which sounds weird to say as someone who respects being patient and waiting for a play to develop. But in this case, it may serve Lee well to realize quicker when a play is a lost cause.
But Lee should start the 2022 season as the top running back on the depth chart.
Grading Penn State’s performance in the Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas
Despite the Penn State loss, there are still some positives to take out of this game.
Penn State was a little bit shaken to start the game, but the first half was strong and the game was kept close. However, that wasn’t necessarily the case in the second half.
Let’s take a more in-depth look and grade the performance of Penn State‘s loss to the Razorbacks.
Quarterbacks: C-
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Sure, there were flashes of athleticism, but Sean Clifford struggled for much of this game. There were times where he was panicking under deep pressure and it came back to hurt them at times. Clifford recently announced his decision to return for sixth season in Happy Valley.
Clifford was later benched for freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux, who last played November 20 against Rutgers, where his debut was nothing short of impressive.
Comparing and contrasting key positions in the Outback Bowl between Penn State and Arkansas
After choosing to sit out of the bowl season in 2020, Penn State is gearing up for this season’s Outback Bowl. In what will be the first meeting with the Arkansas Razorbacks, Penn State arrived in Tampa as a slight favorite in the bowl matchup. But this year’s Outback Bowl appears to be a fairly even matchup between the Nittany Lions and Razorbacks.
Both teams will be missing some key players, including Penn State’s top two linebackers Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks, safety Jaquan Brisker and wide receiver Jahan Dotson and Arkansas’ leading receiver Treylon Burks. And there could still be more names added to that list in the days leading up to the Outback Bowl. But let’s take a look at what both teams have to offer at the moment and see if we can determine if either team has a decided edge in this bowl pairing.
Shortly after Penn State came up short in the final game of the regular season, a 30-27 setback at Michigan State, head coach James Franklin was relatively short in his responses to questions from the media. Answering questions with the media is always more tolerable for any head coach after a win, but this particular loss led to some hard questions for Franklin to address and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to do so.
Despite playing a Michigan State team that entered the week ranked 130th out of 130 in FBS against the pass, Franklin defended Penn State’s desire to try running the football as much as it did in the snowy elements in East Lansing.
“It’s important,” Franklin said when asked about the importance of not having a single 100-yard rusher this season (via Lions 247). “I want to be able to run the ball.”
Penn State had three Doak Walker Award watch list players prior to the start of the season; Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee, and John Lovett. None of those three players, or any other player for that matter, managed to rush for 100 yards in a single game all season long. Of course, Franklin is adamant there is still a chance for that to happen.
“The year is not over,” Franklin tensely said when asked about not having a 100-yard rusher this season.
At what point did Penn State decide the best way to beat Michigan State was to put the ball into the hands of Keyvone Lee and not attack the nation’s 130th-ranked pass defense with Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington?
Lee carried the football 15 times for a total of 79 yards, 33 of which came on one play. Cain had one rushing attempt for no yardage and Devyn Ford carried the football twice for seven yards. Sean Clifford was unable to contribute to the ground game as well. As a team, Penn State rushed for 61 yards when taking into account sacks of Clifford by the Spartans defense.
Perhaps the weather played a factor in deciding to try gutting out yards on the ground, but that was never an area where Penn State should have felt comfortable establishing itself after the way the previous 11 games of the season had gone. Penn State’s dedication to the run led to a 4th-and-1 stuff by Michigan State on a day when the best play was to trust Sean Clifford getting the ball into the hands of Jahan Dotson. And Penn State’s decision to run three straight plays down three points midway through the fourth quarter came back to haunt them as well when Lee fumbled the football. Michigan State would go on to score a touchdown, on 4th-and-15 from the 20-yard line, to extend the lead to 30-20.
Penn State’s struggles on the ground were frustrating to see on a weekly basis this season. The offensive line could not create running space and the potential of a three-headed monster on the ground never matched the hype it had going into the season.
But, as Franklin says, the season is not over yet. There will be one more game to try and figure things out on the ground with a bowl game to look forward to. But figuring out the running game should be among the top items on the offseason to-do list for Franklin and his staff.
Report Card: The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the regular-season finale loss at Michigan State
Penn State fell to Michigan State late, 30-27, in the final game of the regular season. The Nittany Lions fought to the end, but they started to fall apart in crunch time, losing in a nail-biter.
Let’s take a more in-depth look and grade the performance of the Nittany Lions today.
Quarterback: B+
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Despite the loss, Clifford played very well today. His performance was a major reason why Penn State was able to keep it so close for all four quarters. He came into today after battling an illness a week ago but was 100% healthy as this week progressed.
Inside the box score: Some of the key stats from Penn State’s loss to the Spartans in the snow
Penn State’s final game of the regular season game went down to the wire against Michigan State, but Spartans running back Kenneth Walker III really shined today for the Spartans.
Penn State had a very productive passing game, but their run game still struggled through their season-long woes.
Here are some of the key stats that lead to the outcome of Penn State’s loss at Michigan State in the snow.
5 takeaways from Penn State’s road loss at Michigan State
Penn State never packed it in in some classic Big Ten weather at Michigan State, but the Nittany Lions ended their disappointing regular season on the losing end of a 30-27 final in East Lansing on Saturday. Penn State dug an early hole, battled back from it, and even held a lead thanks to a defensive score in the third quarter. But Penn State just didn’t have enough in the tank to hold off the Spartans in the regular-season finale
Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s fifth setback of the season.
Why did Penn State shy away from the passing game?
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The game plan for Penn State should have been pretty simple. Throw the football, throw the football, and throw the football. With receivers like Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington, each making big plays in the first half, at your disposal against the nation’s worst pass defense in the country (Michigan State entered the game 130th out of 130 FBS teams against the pass), this should have been as easy a gameplan to execute as they come.
So why did Penn State back away from it in the second half? Was it purely because of the snow? There were some times when it appeared the ball may have been a bit slippery for Sean Clifford, but there was no good reason to abandon the pass as much as Penn State did in key spots.
A season without a 100-yard rusher is unfathomable
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I have personally been harping on this storyline for a few weeks now, only because I find it absolutely incredible that Penn State managed to pull off this ridiculous feat. Penn State went a full 12-game regular season without recording one game with a player rushing for 100 yards. That is practically unheard of, yet it was very much the story of the season.
And that makes Penn State’s playcalling leaning more on the run in the second half even more perplexing against a Michigan State defense that was shredded by Purdue and Ohio State in recent weeks.
If I had to bet a $1 on it right now, I would count on Penn State having at least one game with a 100-yard rusher in 2022. This was just bizarre for a team with three preseason Doak Walker Award watch list players.
What was wrong with the red zone defense?
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Penn State’s defense in the red zone had been tough as nails all season long, but Michigan State didn’t get the memo. The Spartans scored two touchdowns in the red zone on their first two possessions and Michigan State left five red-zone trips with four touchdowns. No team has had that kind of success against Penn State inside the 20-yard line all season long.
The biggest of the red zone conversions for Michigan State came in the fourth quarter on a 4th-and-15 conversion from the 20-yard line to Jayden Reed for a key score. The touchdown extended Michigan State’s lead to 30-20 on a day when there was no kicker to rely on for the Spartans.
Things fall apart in the fourth quarter
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One of the consistent criticisms of James Franklin over the years has been the decision-making in the fourth quarter. It’s fair to add this one to the list for those keeping track of this trend. Penn State opted to run on 4th-and-1 from the Michigan State 16-yard line in a three-point game and was stuffed for no gain. On the next drive, instead of attempting any passes, Penn State handed off to Keyvone Lee three consecutive snaps and he fumbled on the third, leading to a decisive touchdown.
Penn State’s reluctance to make the biggest plays through the air against this defense was suspect and deserves some questioning.
At least the snow looked great
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A snow game in the Big Ten is always fun, and this game did pack plenty of entertainment for viewers. Penn State blended more and more into the scenery with their road white uniforms and the teams did go back and forth for stretches.
