Report Card: Grading Penn State’s performance vs. Ohio State

The grades are in for Penn State after the loss to Ohio State, and it’s time to assess a few things.

In what seemed to be a very promising performance, the floor fell out on James Franklin and Penn State just as quick as it was built.

Penn State had this game and should’ve won this game when they had no business of it. Three turnovers and they were within one score before it fell apart in the second half of the fourth quarter. This won’t be a very happy report card but it will be an honest one.

Quarterback

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: F

The gloves are off for this one, [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] is the reason Penn State didn’t win today. I am not saying that [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] would’ve done any better but Clifford and his turnovers made this game what it was.

Now, he has his record as the school’s passing touchdown leader and with that he needs to transition to the role of mentor. Let Drew Allar start getting some starts as the schedule starts to get easy so he is primed for next year. Starting Clifford serves zero purpose for the bigger picture of this team.

NEXT: Running backs

Checking in on the draft stock of some key Penn State prospects

Let’s check in on the draft stock of some key Penn State prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft.

We are getting to the crucial games of the season. Penn State blew out Minnesota without Tanner Morgan with a final score of 45-17 last weekend, however, the Gophers’ defense struggled quite a bit and had a tough time stopping Penn State’s offense for much of the game.

After a big win over Minnesota, Penn State will once again be back home to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. That will be crucial games for some key NFL draft prospects for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State’s defense has some key players that have had impressive seasons. Joey Porter Jr. and Ji’Ayir Brown are perfect examples of that. Porter Jr. has been featured in multiple first-round mock drafts for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Penn State is coming off a win off their bye week. A very impressive win, too.

So, what is the draft looking like for some key Nittany Lions prospects? Let’s take a look.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s performance vs. Minnesota

Grading Penn State’s performance against Minnesota sees many high marks to go around.

The game was tight to start but Penn State eventually got its groove that it lost in Ann Arbor back. Minnesota presented a challenge early but the emergence of some veteran names that had been absent all year ended up making a difference.

This ended up being one of the easier report cards to do which hopefully makes you folks happy. We see you in the comments so hopefully, this near-perfect performance gives you a near-perfect reading experience.

Quarterback

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A+

Easily the best game of the year was this one for [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag]. He was hitting his receivers and tight ends at all levels of the field, great velocity, and smart decision making. You can’t ask for much more from the sixth year senior. Sprinkle in a late game touchdown drive by [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and you have a perfect night for the quarterbacks.

NEXT: Running backs

Offensive keys for Penn State against Michigan

What does Penn State’s offense need to do to win at Michigan this weekend? Offensive keys to the game.

October is going to be the toughest month on the calendar for Penn State starting with this weekends matchup against Michigan in the Big House. The next two weeks after include two home games but they are against the surprising Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Keeping eyes on this weekend as Penn State looks to go 1-0, just the way coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] likes to do, they need to be ready for anything. This is a tough Michigan offense but it is a young one. They haven’t faced an offense like Penn State’s yet which gives the Nittany Lions the advantage.

That being said, the last time we saw the offense,e they have 11 penalties and five turnovers. Albeit took place in the remanence of Hurricane Ian but it is supposed to rain this weekend which means all the talk of protective the ball could be tested immediately. Despite that doom and gloom attitude we just expressed there are several keys that the offense can take advantage of to give Penn State it’s biggest win of the year and propel them into the top five.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Week 4 performance vs. Central Michigan

Penn State football report card: The grades are in for the Nittany Lions after a win over Central Michigan.

Not every game has to be as pretty as the last two weeks had been for Penn State. Sometimes you have to find a way to adjust to a bit of adversity, and the Nittany Lions did that on Saturday in their Week 4 win against Central Michigan.

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead on the visiting Chipewas, Penn State found itself in a tied game in the second quarter and in need of a spark to rejuvenate the momentum. They got it in from one of their freshman running backs and the defense forced four turnovers to help prevent Central Michigan from sniffing any potential for a massive upset in Beaver Stadium.

Here are the grades on this week’s report card from Penn State’s 33-14 victory.

Quarterback

Sep 24, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) looks to throw a pass before being tackled by Central Michigan Chippewas defensive linesman Michael Heldman (97) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Central Michigan 33-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: B

This was not the finest outing Penn State could have asked for out of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], but it was more than effective enough to solidify a victory. Clifford passed for 217 yards with three touchdowns, and he ran for another, but he did hit a bit of a cold streak in the second quarter after such a solid start to the game. Clifford was lacking some help from his receivers at times, but he could have put a few more passes in better spots as well. He wasn’t sacked though.

NEXT: Running Backs

Inside the Box Score: Key stats from Penn State’s win vs. Central Michigan

Inside the box score from Penn State’s victory over Central Michigan in Week 4.

It is difficult to argue with the performance of any team that wins a game by a final score of 33-14, but it is possible to argue Penn State did not have its best performance against Central Michigan in Week 4. Some of the team and individual stats may not blow anybody away, but there were some encouraging developments sprinkled across Penn State’s 33-14 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday.

The running game saw another freshman step up in a big way and the secondary got a huge showing from one of its top recruits from the Class of 2021. And it was another overall solid afternoon from Penn State’s veteran quarterback even if it was not one of his better afternoons.

Let’s dig into some of the key stats from Penn State’s Week 4 victory over Central Michigan.

Report card: Grading Penn State’s Week 3 performance at Auburn

Report card: Grading Penn State’s big win at Auburn

Penn State handled Auburn last year in State College by winning by a mere eight points. That was not the case this year with the team traveling down to Jordan-Hare Stadium and laying the smackdown on the Auburn Tigers.

They become the first Big Ten to win a game in Jordan-Hare Stadium and they did so in an impressive fashion. The offense was clicking, the defense imposed their will after a slow start, and the special teams did great with what little they were asked to handle.

To kick things off, the quarterbacks played well across the board and deserve big praise to start this report card.

Quarterback

Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A+

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] last year picked apart the Auburn defense. After a slow start to the game he started to settle in after converting a major third down in the first half. He didn’t throw any touchdowns but he went 14/19 for 178 yards. He didn’t get flashy but he was efficient and kept the offense rolling.

We also got to see [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] as they entered the game for some reps in the fourth quarter. No turnovers from any of them, perfect execution start to finish in today’s game.

NEXT: Running backs

Penn State leads Auburn at halftime, here are the highlights

Check out the first-half highlights from Penn State vs. Auburn.

Penn State and Auburn are locked in a tight one down in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The defenses have been coming up with some big plays, including a pair of red zone stops by the Penn State defense to force Auburn to settle for field goals.

Sean Clifford took a big hit early on but led the offense to a go-ahead touchdown on his second series of the game. Penn State also forced two turnovers in the half.

Here are some of the highlights from the first half of the game as the teams look to make their adjustments going into the second half.

Who are the experts picking in Penn State’s matchup at Auburn?

The experts seem to agree on who will be winning this weekend’s Penn State-Auburn game.

Penn State takes on Auburn for the second year in a row. The Nittany Lions came away with a 28–20 win last year at home for the white out. This year, they’re on the road to take on the Tigers.

So, who are the experts picking for the matchup this time around? Let’s take a look.

To start, ESPN is giving Penn State a 61.7% and Auburn a 38.3% to win the game.

Both teams lost key players to the transfer portal and the NFL.

Let’s start with Auburn. Quarterback TJ Finley was still on the team last year but he was backing up Bo Nix, who is now the starting quarterback at Oregon. The Tigers still have Tank Bigsby, but it’s worth noting he almost transferred from the program over the offseason.

As for Penn State, its biggest piece lost on offense is [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag]. However, it brought in Western Kentucky transfer wide receiver [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag]. And you could certainly make the argument that the offense is stronger this year. On defense, the Nittany Lions lost key players [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag]. This will be another big test to see how well Penn State can adapt to the departure of those players.

Let’s head back to our predictions from experts. Heading over to College Football News, its experts have Penn State winning, 27-23, in another close one.

Lastly, we have the writers over at Athlon Sports. All three of its writers picked the Nittany Lions to defeat the Tigers on Auburn’s home turf.

Even though many of these experts have Penn State winning, they still predicted to be a close game. After all, Auburn only lost by eight points last year at Beaver Stadium. Will we see a similar score or deficit this year? Some of the experts seem to think so.

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Report card: Grading Penn State’s Week 2 performance vs. Ohio

Report card: Grading Penn State’s 46-10 win over Ohio

Penn State had a solid all-around team effort in a 46-10 victory over the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday afternoon, which meant everyone on the team received some good praise for their collective efforts. In a game like this, everyone finds a way to chip in on offense, defense, and special teams. And because Penn State got a chance to go deep into the depth chart beginning midway through the third quarter, there was plenty of praise to go around in the postgame evaluations.

Here is how Penn State’s select position groups, defense, and special teams were graded after the Week 2 victory in the home opener in Beaver Stadium.

Quarterback

Sep 10, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Ohio Bobcats at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio 46-10. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A

Penn State starting quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] may not have lit up the box score the way he did the previous week, but it is hard to complain about starting the game completing all six passes on the first offensive series and capping the drive with a touchdown run. Clifford added 213 passing yards and a touchdown before getting an early rest in the third quarter.

Freshman [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] took advantage of his reps by completing six of eight attempts for 88 yards with two nicely throw touchdown passes. And [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] made his 2022 debut by completing six of seven attempts for 37 yards.

NEXT: Running backs