Sunday Column: As Stage Clears for the Big Battles, Lions’ Strengths Matter More Than Their Weaknesses

Penn State’s afternoon started like an old man trying to get the blood circulating after waking up—slowly, deliberately, with a few creaks and groans along the way.

It ended ignominiously, with a touchdown surrendered in the final minute on a semi-busted coverage by a freshman safety.

And yet, once again, in the middle, the Nittany Lions did the things they needed to do against an opponent they needed to beat, headlocking a sloppy UCLA squad for a 27-11 win and staying on track for the games that will determine their season.

And although another slow start and that rare late score allowed by the defense will probably be enough on their own to keep some grumbling, isn’t it about time we start celebrating these Nittany Lions for what they are rather than gripe about what they are not?

For example, we could continue to bemoan the lack of a true alpha wide receiver on the team, even though Tre Wallace (three catches, 46 yards) once again looked solid on limited targets and Liam Clifford (three catches, 107 yards) made some impressive open-field grabs as well. There is validity in that, given that teams like USC and Ohio State will test all of your weaknesses as well as your strengths. However, look around college football right now, even in places like Columbus and Tuscaloosa, and ask yourself how many alpha receivers are worth sacrificing the targets and touches that all-purpose tight end Tyler Warren is getting? Put another way, do the Nittany Lions need an alpha wideout if they already have a unicorn at tight end?

We could say that the running game lacked big plays, or even the healthy 8- and 9-yard gains it was enjoying in large doses last week against Illinois. There is validity in that, too, considering an offensive line that had seemed to be gaining some momentum in recent weeks looked kinda meh in run-blocking Saturday (if more than solid in pass pro), which might be cause for trepidation given the games ahead. Or, we could say that the Nittany Lions’ big-play runner, Nick Singleton, was not available for this one and that Kaytron Allen, who gobbled up 21 of the team’s 30 official carries, did his usually commendable job of moving the pile forward, putting Drew Allar in manageable third downs that his team converted with impressive efficiency (7-of-12).

We could point out yet another mediocre start by Tom Allen’s defense, this time in the form of holes in zone coverage that the Bruins’ green young quarterback, Justyn Martin, was able to exploit, plus a couple of fourth-down conversions. Or, we could point out that the defense kept a weak UCLA offense out of the end zone until that meaningless final drive and that Allen’s defense, yet again, came roaring out of the halftime locker room, allowing minus-19 yards on its first nine plays of the third quarter, which added up to three three-and-outs and put whatever hopes the Bruins had of making it a game to bed.

We could point out that the offense stalled out in or near the red zone on a pair of second-half occasions, sullying otherwise productive drives, or we could mention that maybe, possibly, hopefully, the Nittany Lions resolved their placekicking situation, with Ryan Barker connecting on both of his field-goal attempts after replacing the unproductive Sander Sahaydak as the starter.

See where I’m going with this? Penn State’s problems at the moment are the equivalent of a noisy exhaust on an S-Class Mercedes: Annoying, sure, but not detrimental to the overall performance. The Nittany Lions have lost one of their best three defensive players, KJ Winston, to an unspecified injury, while one of the other two, Abdul Carter, has been going through expected growing pains while learning a new position. Offensively, they were without one of the most dynamic running backs in college football on Saturday, and have had to rotate offensive linemen less for depth-building than for injury purposes during the last few weeks. All everyday football stuff that every team is dealing with as the air gets cooler and the days get shorter, to be sure, but again, they’re simply continuing to roll on, thriving under the schemes of two new coordinators as if they’ve been playing for them for years, and waiting for someone to stop them, or at least take advantage of the cracks in the armor.

Could USC be such a team? We’ll find out next week. What about Ohio State? Historically, the chances are good. But the tendency has been to look at every Penn State drive that doesn’t end in a score or every defensive series that doesn’t end in a three-and-out and say, “That’s not going to cut it against the Buckeyes or Trojans or (oh, yes) a playoff team.” And sure, there are moments each week when the Nittany Lions don’t look like one of the top teams in the country. But there are a lot more moments when they do, when they are making plays that Ohio State or USC or a playoff team will need to be their sharpest to handle.

For weeks, we’ve looked at this team and said, “Well, they could be something special if they put it all together,” but what’s becoming clear is that these Nittany Lions could easily wind up as something special even if they don’t—if they’re not already. It’s not a dominant offense. It is no longer a dominant defense. You’ll probably hold your breath on field goals the rest of the season. But the parts are adding up to a stronger whole in a way that they haven’t the last few seasons, and that matters.

Remember that when it’s 7-0 Trojans after one quarter next week.