Tag: Keyvone lee

Instant Reaction: Penn State cruises past Indiana 24-0

Penn State pitched a shutout of the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday night in Beaver Stadium.

Penn State has defeated Indiana 24-0 in a game that the Hoosiers really struggled to gain any sort of leverage.

Despite throwing just one interception, Sean Clifford still put on a show and we saw quite a few flashes of his mobility throughout the game. There have been games where we have seen Clifford struggle to get rid of the ball. Tonight’s game was not the case. Clifford did a nice job of escaping deep pressure early in the game, with his first touchdown pass of the game to tight end Brenton Strange.

Jahan Dotson played out of his mind tonight, finishing with two touchdown catches and joining Clifford to break the school’s touchdown record with a total of 18.

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The run game definitely had its moments. They were still up and down at times, but there were also times where guys like Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee had stellar runs for huge gains. Tonight was certainly one of their better games for the running back room with lots to build off of.

As usual, Penn State’s defense dominated the entire game. Indiana could not run the ball the entire game. As much of a passing offense as the Hoosiers are, Penn State held them to just 176 passing yards the whole game.

This will be a nice win on Penn State’s resume. They haven’t had the strongest schedule. If you really think about it, as it stands right now, Auburn I their only impressive win.

Next week will be a real test, as they head to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes. If they can get a win next week, that will be a huge statement and an even more impressive win to add to their resume, as they make a push to hold their spot in the College Football Playoff.

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5 takeaways from Penn State’s Week 4 win vs Villanova

Penn State’s passing offense and defense were on point against Villanova, but the running game has to improve.

After starting off the 2020 season in abysmal fashion with a program-worst 0-5 start, Penn State has done nothing but win games since. Penn State’s 38-17 victory over Villanova on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium was the eighth consecutive win for the Nittany Lions dating back to the midway point of the 2020 season.

Penn State head coach James Franklin can feel really good about his team jumping into Big Ten play for the remainder of the season knowing his offense has big-play potential but also has some things to improve on the rest of the way.

Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s latest victory.

Sean Clifford continues to impress

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford became just the second passer in program history to throw for 400 yards in a single game (401 yards, officially). Clifford’s third career four-touchdown performance also saw him make a move up on the school’s all-time career touchdown passing list. Clifford’s Week 4 performance saw him moving up a few all-time passing lists in Penn State history, and he’s clearly not done yet.

Clifford continues to impress with his poise and decision-making. He was intercepted for the second time this season, but neither has come on a poor decision. His first against Auburn was a deep pass that was disrupted by contact from an Auburn defender as he released the ball in Week 3. His second, this time against Villanova was on a pass that was right to his receiver but bobbled. It certainly wasn’t Clifford’s fault. If Penn State continues to get play like this from Clifford, this offense will have more big plays on the way.

Parker Washington has cemented his status

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

We sort of already knew Parker Washignton was likely to be the team’s second-best receiver this season. Washington was the team’s second-leading receiver last season behind Jahan Dotson, and it is looking like we are well on our way to seeing the same result this season. But on Saturday, it was the Parker Washignton show with a game-high 148 receiving yards on five receptions. Washignton also scored two touchdowns.

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Next: Where the heck is the running game?

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Report Card: Grading Penn State’s win over Ball State

The grades are in and Penn State earned high marks for its win over Ball State in Week 2

Penn State won in fashion on Saturday, 44-13, against the Ball State Cardinals. Just like last week, let’s break down the team from a grading standpoint.

Quarterbacks: A

STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 11: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions attempts a pass against the Ball State Cardinals during the first half at Beaver Stadium on September 11, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Sean Clifford had immense improvement from last week. He had a few hiccups, but his performance was considerably better than last week. Auburn will be tough, but not only are they at home, but Clifford also enters this game with a lot of momentum going his way.

Next: Receivers benefit from spreading the ball around

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Top 21 players for the Nittany Lions entering 2021

Penn State football returns soon. Who are the key players to watch for the Nittany Lions in 2021?

Penn State enters the 2021 college football season with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Following a rare losing season played during a pandemic, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are eager to prove they are better than their 2020 record would indicate. With a challenging schedule right out of the gate, Penn State will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself to the masses this fall.

And they will do so with enough talent on the roster to make some things happen. With experience at quarterback, one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten, and one of the nation’s top defensive secondaries to rely on, there are a lot of good ingredients for a successful season in Happy Valley. Every position has a chance to play a key role in the fortunes of Penn State this season too.

Here is a look at 21 key players Penn State has on the roster in 2021, listed in no particular order.

Big Ten Network’s Howard Griffith impressed with Penn State’s running back depth

According to Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith, Penn State may have the best running back group in the Big Ten.

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We are two weeks away from Penn State kicking off the 2021 season on the road at Wisconsin. During training camp, you find out where you have a strong point and Penn State has that on the offensive side of the ball.

On Monday, the Big Ten Network made a stop to Happy Valley on their training camp tour. During their visit to Happy Valley, analyst Howard Griffith said he came away impressed with what Penn State has at the running back position. He even went so far as to suggest the Nittany Lions have one of the best running back groups in the Big Ten.

The running backs will be lead by Noah Cain, John Lovett who is a transfer from Baylor, Keyvone Lee, Caziah Holmes and Devyn Ford. Cain, Lovett, and Lee all appeared on the watch list for the nation’s top running back award, the Doak Walker Award. Penn State is the only school in the nation with three players appearing on the Doak Walker Award’s watch list.

One of the questions will be how Cain will look after missing practically all of the 2020 season due to injury and how the rotation will go the rest of the season. Head coach James Franklin has suggested he believes Lovett has the potential to be a home-run hitter, an idea that seemed to be supported by Griffith’s comments.

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Penn State leads nation in Doak Walker Award watch list running backs

Penn State is the only school with THREE Doak Walker Award watch list players. Can any of them win it for the second time in school history?

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If you had any doubts about the quality depth at the running back position in Happy Valley, then doubt no more. Penn State landed three players on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award on Wednesday, more than any other school in the country.

The Doak Walker Award is awarded annually to the top running back in college football. This year’s watch list was first released with Penn State’s Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee, and John Lovett on the watch list. As is typically the case, a player does not need to appear on the watch list before the season to be eligible to win the award, but it is still nice to be included among the nation’s best at your respective position. Other Nittany Lions aren’t able to say the same this week.

Cain suffered an early season-ending injury in 2020 but appears to be on track to be available for the Nittany Lions in 2021. If healthy, it is expected Cain will be the leading rusher for Penn State.

In Cain’s absence last season, Lee was one of the younger players (along with Devyn Ford) to receive more playing time in the offense, and he showed some good glimpses of what he can do as well.

Lovett is the newest member to the Penn State family, but he is already the most experienced back in the program after transferring from Baylor. Lovett was a key offensive player for Baylor early on in his time in Waco, and he is expected to be a solid piece of the offensive gameplan at Penn State.

Penn State has had just one Doak Walker Award winner in program history despite the award first being presented in 1990. Larry Johnson won the Doak Walker Award in 2002. Ki-Jana Carter missed out on the Doak Walker Award in 1994 behind Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam from Colorado. More recently, Saquon Barkley couldn’t get past Stanford’s Bryce Love or Texas’ D’Onta Foreman for the award.

Alabama’s Najee Harris (drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers along with Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth this spring) won the Doak Walker Award in 2020.

Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson and safety Jaquan Brisker were recently named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Chuck Bednarik Award, respectively.

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5 questions for Penn State at Big Ten media day

5 questions Penn State will be asked during Big Ten media day

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The summer convergence of Big Ten media, coaches, and players will take place this week in Chicago. As they arrive in the Windy City from Happy Valley, Penn State head coach James Franklin and his player representatives will have some tough questions to answer after last season.

Penn State limped out of the gates of the modified 2020 season to a historically bad 0-5 record before turning a corner and ending the season on a four-game winning streak. The Nittany Lions missed an opportunity to even their record and avoid a losing season by deciding as a team not to participate in a postseason bowl game at the end of a trying year. But perhaps the biggest question for Penn State to answer in 2021 was whether or not you can chalk up the 2020 season to being a product of unique circumstances or if it is a sign of a program on the decline.

So what are we to actually make of 2020?

Head coach James Franklin will be very likely to be asked some questions riding along the lines of wondering how Penn State bounces back in 2021 after last year’s setbacks. You can fully expect Franklin to push forward and leave 2020 behind him, but it is an important question to raise for anyone trying to figure out who Penn State is in 2021.

Prior to last season, Penn State had won 11 games three out of the previous four seasons with three appearances in a New Years Six bowl game and winning two of them. This is why the 2020 results were so surprising for many. Injuries and player availability throughout the week were issues as well, as Penn State at times may have been riding a thinner roster than realized at times due to COVID protocols.

So when Franklin is asked about last season and what to expect this season, expect the standard response that Penn State has a lot going right in the program and they are ready to prove something after last season.

Will Penn State still add a transfer quarterback?

As things stand right now, Penn State’s offense is Sean Clifford or bust, or so it would seem. One of the main talking points during the spring football practice season was what Penn State will do to add depth and exp[erience at the quarterback position. Pulling a target from the transfer portal seemed obvious, and Penn State did make a push to add to its roster at the position before ultimately losing out on TJ Finley from LSU. Spring has now come and gone and the summer is half over and Penn State still has not found a suitable passer in the transfer portal to pad the depth chart.

When will Penn State grab a QB out of the transfer portal?

So, is this still part of the game plan, or is Penn State now going to move forward running the risk of not having experience behind Clifford? The ceiling may be pretty high for options like Taquan Roberson and Christian Veilleux, but Franklin made it seem pretty clear he’d much prefer to have a more experienced option available should he need it this fall.

NEXT: What is the confidence level of the defensive line?

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2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Profile Card: Keyvone Lee

Penn State running back Keyvone Lee led the team in rushing as a true freshman in 2020 but should be more a part of a mixed attack in 2021

Name: Keyvone Lee

Number: 24

Position: Running Back

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6′-0″

Weight: 238

Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL

High School: American Collegiate Academy

Twitter: @KeyvoneL

Overview

When Penn State’s running back depth was challenged right out of the gate of the 2020 season, Keyvone Lee embraced the opportunity to jump right into the mix. As a true freshman, Lee appeared in all nine games played by Penn State and he ended the season as the team’s leading rusher.

Entering the 2021 season, however, Lee’s role still looks to be mostly complimentary as the entire rushing unit has options to work with for new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. Lee’s burst in 2020, however, suggests Penn State may be wise to keep him involved in the offense at every opportunity.

Lee rushed for an average of 4.9 yards per carry last season and ended the season with four rushing touchdowns. His breakout performance came at the end of November with a career-high 134 rushing yards on a total of 22 rushing attempts. Lee earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for his showing against the Wolverines, on top of being named the coaching staff’s offensive player of the week.

Lee has every reason to feel confident in himself. The former four-star recruit already arrived in Happy Valley with plenty of potential and he looked up to the hype at times last season. He has the stature to be a physically bruising runner that defenders will struggle to bring down once he gets moving.

Penn State’s rushing attack has plenty of horses with Noah Cain and John Lovett, as well as Devyn Ford. But there should be more than enough ways to make Lee a key part of the offensive game plan, and he may be capable of carrying the load for the offense if called upon for such a role.

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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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