4 Fixes Penn State Needs to Make to Repair its Ailing Offense

Penn State’s offense was bleak on Saturday against Wisconsin in a 24-20 loss at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions scored only one touchdown, and that was after being given a short field at the Badgers’ 11-yard line after an interception.

There's plenty to fix with the offense before Penn State visits Northwestern on Friday night. How can the Nittany Lions do that while adding some spice? Here are four places where Penn State needs to improve, starting with an area of the field that the Nittany Lions have struggled with all season.

‘It’s certainly a frustrating element of our offense’

"Offensively, we just couldn't find a flow in the game," Penn State coach Matt Campbell said about his team's loss to Wisconsin.

Here's Campbell on getting it back.

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Offensive coordinator Mouser has not been pleased with his group’s red-zone offense, which has scored touchdowns on just 10 of 20 trips inside the 20-yard line.

“I’m frustrated with that,” Mouser said to the media Tuesday.

Mouser said one of the first things head coach Matt Campbell addressed after Saturday’s game was red-zone scoring. The Nittany Lions went 1-for-3 scoring touchdowns in the red zone and are tied for last in the Big Ten in red-zone touchdown conversions. Specifically, Mouser said that they have to improve their identity with the run game inside the 3-yard line.

“What are we going to do where we can hand the ball off and be able to score?” Mouser said. “Are we playing the right people? Are we handing it to the right people? Are we throwing to the right people? Are the right people in the right spots to be able to block and execute the plays?

“We haven't been able to do that. And it's our job as coaches to figure that out, but it's certainly a frustrating element of our offense for me — something that we have to get better at going forward. But I have failed our offense from that standpoint”

Getting the tight ends more involved

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Benjamin Brahmer (18) makes a catch against the Wisconsin Badgers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tight end Ben Brahmer, one of Penn State’s best receiving threats, caught three passes for 33 yards on the first two drives against Wisconsin. He didn’t have another catch until the 2:42 mark of the fourth quarter. With star wide receiver Koby Howard sidelined with an injury, it’s hard to win with those results.

Andrew Rappleyea and Gabe Burkle, two more tight ends Mouser and Campbell have raved about, did not record a catch vs. the Badgers. Mouser said he’s been impressed with the room but again is frustrated with “my inability” to get the tight ends the ball.

Because of that, Mouser said the tight ends haven’t “sniffed” what they’re capable of.

“[Rappleyea] is one of our best pass catchers and [we] didn't find a way to get him the ball more,” Mouser said. “Same with Ben and even with Gabe. [We] had him and missed him there and thought we could have got going. [Wisconsin] did a good job on Saturday of mixing up what they had shown versus 13-personnel. Teams are going to do that because there's not a lot of teams that see that.

“So for us, especially with Kobe out, those three are some of our best pass catchers, and we're gonna have to find ways to get them the ball in easier ways that we can make those throws.”

Trying new wrinkles with the backup quarterback

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Alex Manske (7) drops back in the pocket against the Buffalo Bulls at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Manske lined up in shotgun with Rocco Becht out wide on a first-and-10 against Wisconsin. A false start penalty forced the Nittany Lions back five yards, and Manske jogged off the field without playing a snap.

Regardless, it was an interesting call by Mouser. And it’s something Penn State fans should expect to see in the future. Remember, Mouser said in the offseason that Manske has “forced us to have to play him.”

“We felt like we had a good package where we could go in there with Manske and Rocco and be able to put the ball in his hands,” Mouser said of the play. “... [To] be able to have the two tight ends and be able to block an edge and reach somebody and to be able to go and mix it up.

“Those guys have done a good job of mixing up what the P and 10 calls look like, or the first down calls look like starting the drive. So I felt like that would be a good wrinkle for us to try to create an explosive play in the run game and in the air. Unfortunately, we didn't get to do that.”

‘When it’s not working, I’m going to always put it on myself’

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser answers questions during football media day in Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Becht had statistically one of the worst games of his career against Wisconsin. He threw for 114 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, completing 41 percent of his passes and posting the lowest passer rating of his career (71.8).

Mouser took the blame for Becht’s performance. He said he didn’t call the right plays to get Becht into rhythm. Expect perhaps more screens to receivers Zay Robinson and Brett Eskildsen on Friday against Northwestern, or short curl routes to the tight ends.

Really, just anything easy that gets the ball out of Becht’s hands quickly.

“I know who Rocco Becht is,” Mouser said. “I mean, he's a 10,000-yard passer. I've been with him for three years, and I know how good he is. So when it's not working, I'm gonna always put it on myself because I know how talented he is and the way that he prepares. So from that standpoint of things, I know that we all walked out of the game and felt like it could have gone a lot better and should have gone a lot better.”

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