Hindsight 2020: PSU Offense vs. Nebraska

Welcome to the New Age. Much Like the Old Age it Lacks Imagination, Often Seems Like it’s Draggin’, but Every Now and Then Becomes Radioactive.  

Man, 501 total yards! (Pops cork) 

After the Pppppppppppppppppppp]ppenn State offense posted its best statistical performance of 2020, is it any wonder why the entire FTB staff feels like cartoon Al Gore when Lisa Simpson bought a copy of his book, Sane Planning, Sensible Tomorrow. 

Lift the needle, move it back, and play it again, Al! 

THIS is what we signed up for. THIS is what we expected to see from the jump…well, except for the quarterback being different, the RBs being 3rd, 4th and 5th stringers, the true freshmen WRs outplaying all but one of the vets, and the reshuffled O-line…with Kirk Ciarrocca flipping the right switches from high above. 

Who knows, perhaps this week they’ll actually score some Pppppppppppppppppppp]ppoints, too! Dare to dream, people!

Sidenote: For those not in on the joke, here you go: 

FORMATIONS

Kirk Ciarrocca’s funkiest formations show up in Goal-To-Go situations. Coincidentally (or not), Goal-To-Go situations have been pure, unlaced kryptonite for the Penn State offense this season. Here Ciarrocca shoehorns a Quads look to the boundary side – a setup we haven’t seen until last Saturday. 

The Play – a Zone Read that Levis kept – gained zero yards when pulling guard 73-Mike Miranda chose not to block anyone wearing red. 

Once Levis unseated Clifford in the 2nd Quarter, Penn State ran this Jet Motion with the RB lined up in the slot a few times – another new wrinkle. Not sure if there is a GIVE option for Levis on this play because he never handed the ball off…even when it appeared he should. On this play, though, he made the right read.

Penn State used 11 Personnel for all but 3 plays vs. Nebraska. The 6 OL HEAVY Package made an inglorious cameo for one play in the 2nd Quarter. This time, Fries lined up outside of Walker on the left side and looked like a fish out of water. Fries misses his block completely. Credit Levis for getting back to the LOS.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Major reshuffling along the starting offensive line. Don’t expect this to change, barring injury. 

71-Will Fries – who started not only every game this year, but every game during his Penn State career at Right Tackle – moved over to Right Guard. 79-Caeden Wallace took Fries’ spot on the edge. 62-Michal Menet, 73-Mike Miranda, and 53-Rasheed Walker stayed at Center, Left Guard and Left Tackle, respectively. This 5-man pairing played the entire second half.

For 69-CJ Thorpe, looks like the music stopped but there’s not a chair to be found. The former starter, whose struggles we highlighted in the past two HINDSIGHTS, entered the game in the second quarter (which pushed Fries back to RT temporarily) and played well during a long drive…up until he got tagged with an Unsportsmanlike flag for laying on a Nebraska defender well after the whistle.  On that same play, 70-Juice Scruggs (in for Miranda) whiffed in pass protection and didn’t see the field again.

The WR rotation is now set: Full meals for 5-Jahan Dotson and 3-Parker Washington while 11-Daniel George, 13-KeAndre Lambert-Smith (KLS), and 85-Rudy Lutz fight for the leftover crumbs. If 6-Cam Sullivan-Brown ever steps on the field, we don’t anticipate a radical shift in playing time. So this is what it is from now to December.   

Though not targeted, 86-Brenton Strange received a bunch of snaps for the second straight week. Makes us wonder if/when James Franklin will treat 87-Pat Freiermuth like Saquon Barkley in the Fiesta Bowl – reducing the star’s playing time to protect the junior’s financial future, especially now that none of Penn State’s preseason goals are attainable. UPDATE: Freiermuth might have a minor shoulder injury.

At running back, same three guys – 28-Devyn Ford, 24-Keyvone Lee and 26-Caziah Holmes – carried the ball. It was refreshing to see each of these guys do “extra” for once — break tackles, finish runs, and gain more yards than the blocking afforded. Here’s a few examples of “extra”:

RUN/PASS BLOCKING

Did the offensive line finally figure it all out?

Don’t think too hard. Here, I’ll answer my own question: Yes…for one week, at least.

For the first time since Week 1 vs. Indiana, Penn State’s big guys got consistent push, opened holes in the running game (holes ball carriers finally found!), and aided Will Levis’ acclimation process by providing plenty of clean pockets – actually the highest percentage of clean pockets in any game this season, according to our charting. 

So what gives? How can a unit look so lost seven days earlier, then transform into a competent, properly-tuned force the next Saturday? Our best guess is Penn State finally has the right 5 guys on the field: Walker-Miranda-Menet-Fries-Wallace. That combination unlocked this offense’s potential – even down two RBs and the penciled-in starting QB. 

53-Rasheed Walker – probably the most talented of Penn State’s front 5 – displayed an intensity and nastiness in run blocking the redshirt sophomore needs to harness and bottle for the rest of his collegiate career. 

PFF graded Walker’s Nebraska performance 82.5 – 3rd best among Power 5 Offensive Tackles in Week Whatever This Was. Here’s Walker pancaking a LB…PSA: Don’t rewind-FF-rewind-FF-rewind-FF this clip and put this on Twitter again, you freaks.

QUARTERBACK PLAY

Out with the old…

*Chart doesn’t include 2 Throwaways

In with the new…

*Chart Doesn’t Include 3 Throwaways/Batted Balls, but does include throws negated by Penalties.

Let’s close the book on Sean Clifford’s Penn State Football Story. Yeah, that’s harsh, but it’s also reality. Sadly, there were no shocking twist-and-turns, and definitely no Happily Ever After’s in Saturday’s final chapter. Nope, just more of the same, a Tale as Old as Time – flawed mechanics, indecision, wild throws, missed opportunities and inexcusable mistakes that forced James Franklin’s hand. 

Throughout his reign as QB1, a recurring theme played out over and over again — Clifford’s physical gifts covered up his remedial Football IQ, and eventually that lack of in-game growth caught up to him in the form of bumps and bruises (late 2019) and sporadic, at best, play (2020). Unfortunately, the sense of urgency that comes with knowing your status as the starter is on shaky ground didn’t remedy Clifford’s deficiencies against Nebraska…in fact, it probably had the opposite effect. 

Check out Penn State’s third offensive play:

Great job finding an alley and running for a first down…BUT Parker Washington is open by a step-and-a-half for a potential chunk play (he even flashes right in front of Clifford’s line of vision) yet No. 14 doesn’t pull the trigger. It’s impossible for a young offense to find a consistent rhythm and formulate cohesion and chemistry when all they’re doing is stringing together a bunch of broken plays, and it seemed for most of this season Clifford only felt comfortable when coloring outside the lines of Ciarrocca’s offense. 

Wish we could have been a group of fat flies on the wall during Penn State’s Staff Meetings leading up to the Nebraska game, because we’re curious whether it was debated what types of Clifford missteps – or how many of them – would usher in the Will Levis Era? Well, if it was discussed, we’re shocked THIS apparently didn’t meet the criteria of “benchable” offenses:

Quite simply, this is Sean Clifford WORST throw of the season…which is saying a lot. We didn’t put a protractor or anything up to the TV screen, but from the naked eye Clifford missed the mark by 5 to 7 yards. This ball needs to find 5-Jahan Dotson halfway between the bottom of the ‘30’ number and the sideline. Instead, Clifford goes all Ricky Vaughn and hits the Nebraska defender – who was beat big time on this play – at the top of the ‘0’ in ’30.’

The FOX guys crushed Clifford on the next drive because he missed a wide open Brenton Strange running a corner route in the end zone. What Robert Smith failed to mention is Clifford also had Devyn Ford – top of the screen, running a hitch – wide open, as well! Judging the soft zone coverage, we guessimate Ford has a 75-25 chance of getting the first down if Clifford throws his way. And while those odds aren’t as favorable as Strange’s, they’re a helluva lot better than chucking the ball seven rows deep. 

Enter Will Levis…well, wait, hold up a second.  Maybe Sean can turn it aroun…oh crap, he fumbled. Alright now Enter Will Levis.

Look, Helen Keller can clearly see Penn State’s coaches don’t trust Levis as a passer. How can we be so sure? Oh, I don’t know, perhaps because Kirk Ciarrocca picked cement-mixer runs for Levis’ first 8 plays despite trailing by 21 points. 

When Levis did finally throw the ball, well, he looked like a backup.

Give Ciarrocca credit, though. Levis emerged from the locker room a different cat, ripping this RPO slant to KLS and resuscitating a lifeless Penn State sideline in the process. Beyond the gain and the on-target strike, Levis reads this play quickly, smoothly transitions into a proper throwing position, and doesn’t second-guess his decision. 

Not sure why this analogy came to mind, but it fits: with Levis at QB, Ciarrocca’s RPO attack reminded us of Forrest Gump finally busting out of those leg braces mid-stride when those punk bike-riding hayseeds chased after him. 

More good Levis in RPO situations.  Confident. Quick Decision. No Wasted Movement. Sunday throw from the opposite hash.

Levis wasn’t perfect. Far from it. From an accuracy standpoint, he was below average. Only 50 percent of his “Easy Throws” were on target. His Red Zone performance was putrid. But, man, between the 20s, Levis’ presence, playmaking ability, and unexpected poise provided Penn State’s players a jolt of electricity and passion missing altogether the last two weeks. 

Although, it’s easy to get excited when the new guy instinctually evades a free-rushing, unblocked (not by design) defensive end, flicks a 50-yard laser to his All-American tight end, and make the whole WOW moment look boring and routine. Not trying to be cruel, but Sean Clifford isn’t making this play. Most QBs aren’t making this play, really. Sidenote: Watch 53-Rasheed Walker literally wave at Levis to alert him, ‘Hey, I’ve absolutely blown my blocking assignment, watch out, bro!’ 

BUT most QBs are making this next play…and for Levis to firmly plant his flag as QB1 this season and next, he’s got to do a better job of finishing drives and giving guys a chance. 

Here it’s 1st and Goal at the Nebraska 9-yard line with less than a minute remaining. The Huskers blitz, putting 3-Parker Washington one-on-one against a lesser defensive back in the slot. All Levis needs to do is throw a “catchable” ball and there’s a great chance Washington hauls it in, or at the very least, draws a DPI flag when the DB panics, setting up 1st and Goal from the 2. But Levis’ short toss off his back foot – like he’d done twice in the 4th Quarter on completed passes – takes the decision to penalize or not penalize out of the equation thanks to the woefully weak throw. 

PASS CATCHING

Love the amount of balls headed Parker Washington’s way. Levis can’t target this youngster enough, in our opinion. Four games into what will likely be an abbreviated 3-year college career, the freshman from Texas continues to be a KJ Hamler-level matchup nightmare for foes in the slot, and flashes elite ball skills the current NFL rookie never developed as a collegian (seen here):

As for the charting, Penn State’s pass catchers were fundamentally sound, catching 13 of 14 gimmes…and to be fair, the KLS drop was borderline and a tad behind him. That incompletion could have easily been moved to the “Tough/Contested” category if we weren’t such jerks.

*Chart doesn’t include uncatchable passes

Lastly, it was encouraging to see this group do “extra” after the catch and accumulate RAC. Here’s Freiermuth and Dotson doing work with the ball in their hands: