Penn State Plans 'Prudent' Approach to Running its Quarterbacks
Kirk Ciarrocca seldom asked his quarterbacks to run as the offensive coordinator at Minnesota the past three years. So has he transferred that approach to Penn State, where quarterback Sean Clifford was the team’s third-leading rusher last season?
“We’d be crazy not to run our quarterbacks,” Penn State’s offensive coordinator said. “That’s one of the things that they do really well."
How much Penn State's quarterbacks actually will run figures to be a fascinating element of this offense. Penn State made the quarterback run a bedrock element under former coordinator Joe Moorhead, and Ricky Rahne retained it with Trace McSorley and Clifford.
In fact, the Lions probably leaned too heavily on its running quarterbacks, underscored by nagging injuries to both McSorley and Clifford later in each season.
Meanwhile, Ciarrocca really hasn’t asked his quarterbacks to run significantly. Over the past seven years, as offensive coordinator at Western Michigan and Minnesota, Ciarrocca hasn’t had a quarterback run more than 80 times in a season.
At Minnesota last year, Ciarrocca relied on quarterback Tanner Morgan’s skillset in the pass game rather than force-feeding him carries. Morgan had 61 attempted runs, losing 57 yards because of sacks. The quarterback run simply wasn’t a compelling argument in the offense – nor did it need to be when Morgan compiled a 90-percent completion rate against Penn State.
But head coach James Franklin recruited Clifford (116 carries last season) and Will Levis (51 carries to 47 pass attempts) to operate in offenses that asked its quarterbacks to run. Or at least, the offense asked its quarterbacks to run zone-read plays that gave them an option to run, one which Clifford took often last season.
Still, upon arriving at Penn State, Ciarrocca quickly grasped the kind of running talent both quarterbacks possess. He also said that “these guys look different than Tanner,” with frames able to withstand more pounding. As a result, that might loosen him to give the quarterback more run-option plays.
"One of their strengths in their athleticism," Ciarrocca said of Penn State’s quarterbacks. "So we’re going to continue to do that. I just think you have to be prudent with it. How many times are you asking him to run between the tackles, that type of stuff, in a game? But it will be from game to game, depending on who we’re playing and what we need to do to give us the best chance to win the game. It’s really that simple.
"I do understand that, every time I ask him to run the ball, I’ve increased his opportunity or risk of an injury, that’s for sure. But, it is part of the game. And the one thing about these quarterbacks here, besides the fact that they’re athletic, is, I’ve been really impressed with their work in the weight room and the way their bodies are built and how they look physically. That’s a tribute to our strength staff and what they’ve done with these guys."
One element to watch will be Penn State's red-zone offense, where Levis (at 6-3, 230) could deliver a quarterback-run option in place of Clifford. Ciarrocca wouldn't give away too many details, though he did hint at liking the idea.
"In the back of my mind, I think there's a possibility he could be really good in that phase," Ciarrocca said of Levis in goal-line situations. "I think he could create some real problems to the defense."
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