For Penn State, What to Fix First?
In 2016, Penn State got on a plane after getting steamrolled at Michigan, heading home to face Minnesota the following week. Several players, including quarterback Trace McSorley, called that flight a turning point of their Big Ten championship season.
Six years later, here they are again, bound to play Minnesota after getting run out of Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines' 41-17 victory Saturday ranks among the most dominant in James Franklin's 8+ seasons at Penn State, perhaps even worse than that 39-point game in 2016.
There's no shame in losing to a top-5 team on the road. But to get shoved off the ball in both directions, to allow 418 yards rushing, to go nearly 22 minutes without a first down, to be noncompetitive? Those weree warning signs.
The 2016 team that lost 49-10 at Michigan was without five starting linebackers. Its stable of offensive talent (McSorley, Saquon Barkley, Chris Godwin, Mike Gesicki, DaeSean Hamilton) was finding its rhythm. It was a pretty good team growing into a very good one.
But where is this Penn State team headed? Despite Saturday's score, these Lions (5-1) have recruited talent comparable to Michigan. Penn State's average four-year recruiting ranking, per 247Sports, is 13.5; Michigan's is 10. Penn State should have competed with this team.
Instead, as defensive tackle PJ Mustipher told reporters in Ann Arbor, "they really just kicked our behinds." And, as Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy said, the Wolverines sensed their ability to dominate "from the jump."
So where to now? Penn State stares squarely at Part 2 of its three-week October grind with a host of questions. Perhaps the Lions began confronting them on the flight home from Michigan — as the 2016 team did.
More thoughts on Saturday and the future.
Sticking with Sean Clifford
Let's address the quarterback first. Unless Sean Clifford is seriously injured (he left the Michigan game in the second half), the chances of Franklin benching him are remote.
Franklin is a "build for the future" coach in that he rightly devotes part of every day to recruiting. And this year he has demonstrated a plan to "play for the future" by giving Drew Allar more reps than any previous backup quarterback.
However, Clifford is his quarterback until he isn't — whether that's through injury or performance meltdown. Clifford has been mostly good (he certainly wasn't the defining issue at Michigan) but just doesn't have that game-breaking ability.
Of course, Penn State is in much better position than last year regarding a potential injury to Clifford. Franklin doesn't have to play a 50-percent Clifford over the backup because Clifford is the best option. This year, Clifford might not be, and that might give Franklin more room to play Allar.
Don't expect an announcement this week on the quarterback situation, however, unless Clifford's injury was season-ending. In the meantime, let the speculation continue.
Penn State quarterback completed 7 of 19 passes for 120 yards before leaving the Michigan game with an injury.
Rick Osentoski/USA Today Sports
The Real Issue Vs. Michigan
Penn State generated just 268 yards of total offense. Michigan gained 295 yards on first down alone. The physical difference between the teams was significant, which Franklin acknowledged.
"We need to be bigger, we need to be more physical," the coach said.
That's a candid, and potentially alarming, admission from Franklin in Year 9. He has recruited speed on both sides of the ball to compete with Ohio State's offense. But now, Franklin has a roster that can't play against Michigan's style of power football.
Michigan ran the ball 55 times, something Franklin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz plainly expected, and still averaged 7.6 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, without Clifford's 62-yard gain, Penn State averaged 2.3 ypc.
Penn State now is chasing two teams in the Big Ten East and will struggle with both styles. Moreover, teams like Illinois and Minnesota are playing power football. The Illini used it to bully Penn State last season. What if the Gophers can employ the same style effectively next week, even if starting quarterback Tanner Morgan can't play because of injury?
That's a frustrating recruiting-and-development issue for Franklin and his staff.
Rebuilding Linebacker U.
Perhaps this is a short-term issue, but Michigan exposed what Penn State has been trying to hide this season — namely, that it lacks playmaking linebackers.
Donovan Edwards raced through an unguarded gap for a 67-yard touchdown. No linebacker was there to fill the gap. Michigan didn't surprise Penn State; Diaz even spelled it out last week.
"An A gap left open and can be a problem, doesn't matter whether you're playing Michigan, Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, or Lake Michigan," Diaz said.
However, Penn State's linebackers weren't physically able to close those gaps. Big issue.
Freshman Abdul Carter is learning through increased playing time and shows promise. But Franklin might want to reconsider his recruiting strategy and seek more true linebackers instead of the positional hybrids who can move down from safety or forward to end.
All the Little Things
They really didn't matter against Michigan but were notable nonetheless. The Lions made a bunch of detail-oriented mistakes Saturday.
- Clifford missed a wide-open gap over right guard for an easy first-down sneak on third-and-short. Instead, he handed off to Nicholas Singleton, who lost a yard bouncing a run outside against Michigan's defensive strength.
- The Lions had a first down called back when tight end Tyler Warren was called for pass interference on a 10-yard completion from Clifford to Singleton. Wasn't Warren's fault, though. He executed the pick play correctly. However, the pass had to be caught behind the line of scrimmage for the play to be legal. But, as Franklin said, Singleton drifted across the line, and Clifford waited too long to throw.
- Several defenders tried to shoulder Michigan's Blake Corum to the ground. He bounced off one attempt for an extra 6 yards.
- After a touchdown, Gabe Nwosu kicked off out of bounds, giving Michigan 10 free yards. Penn State has four specialists on scholarship: kickers Jake Pinegar and Sander Sahaydak and punters Barney Amor and Alex Bacchetta. Are they really still struggling to find the right personnel?
Penn State returns home Saturday to face Minnesota. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
