Penn State's Offense Ready to 'Strike First and Strike Fast'
Kirk Ciarrocca debuts Saturday as Penn State's offensive coordinator with a catchphrase he imported from Minnesota, one that won't be hindered by an unconventional preseason.
"We are going to strike first and strike fast," Ciarrocca said recently. "That's what I want everyone to say when you see our offense."
But is that a realistic expectation for an offense introducing itself Saturday at Indiana in its Big Ten season opener? Quarterback Sean Clifford and his teammates answered that question assuredly this week.
"I feel extremely confident and ready to go," Clifford said. "I think that a lot of the guys on the offense would agree with me."
Penn State's offense is the great unknown this season, full of promise and expectation but still untested. Yet the Lions plan to make good on Ciarrocca's promise to "strike first and strike fast," something both Penn State and Minnesota, where Ciarrocca worked last season, did with some success.
The Gophers ranked 10th in the FBS last season in first-quarter scoring, averaging 9.2 points. Penn State wasn't far behind at 8.7.
But this is a new situation, in which Penn State and Ciarrocca primarily worked remotely until late August. Despite that, Clifford said that he hasn't felt more prepared because of the surfeit of mental reps he took even before begining training camp.
In fact, Clifford and center Michal Menet said they felt like Penn State held two training camps (or just one long one) over the past two months considering their walkthroughs, meeting time and actual practice.
"I think it's going to be completely fine," Clifford said. "You know, I'm a big believer in taking mental reps and visualization as [being] a key driving force in my performance on a Saturday. I've grown dramatically in that field. And for me, I've taken more reps now mentally than I probably have in my whole life, especially for this game."
Penn State's defensive players have noticed that preparation carrying into execution at practice. Defensive end Shaka Toney said the offense has been precise and quick, adding that "there's not a whole lot of lollygagging" associated with it.
"Things are done exactly the way they are supposed to be," Toney said. "And the thing I love about coach Ciarrocca is the demand he has for excellence."
Menet expects some wrinkles that will require ironing but predicted that Penn State won't need much time to do that. "I think we'll be able to hit the ground running with this offense for sure."
Clifford confidently used the same terminology ahead of the opener.
"I'm fully prepared to hit the ground running and I know this offense is also fully prepared to hit the ground running," Clifford said. "So I don't see a hiccup coming. I don't see anything like that."
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