Sunday Column: Complete Performance Still Eludes Nittany Lions, but They’re Getting Results

Sometimes, the bottom line has to be enough.

On several occasions on Saturday in wind-swept Piscataway, Penn State looked like a team that finally had all four wheels on the ground, and on others looked like the team that kept veering into traffic during the first five weeks of the season. But when the fourth quarter read all zeroes, the Nittany Lions had another win, by the score of 23-7, and exactly how convincing you believe that was or precisely what it means for the bigger picture is up to you.

Because, really, that’s what it’s about at this point in a lost season, right? What you see on the field is not really about the present any longer but what the future means for Penn State. And while maybe the margin wasn’t what some observers wanted it to be or thought it should be, there were enough positive signs in this one that bode well for the future.

Statistically, Penn State held a Rutgers team that had scored at least 27 points in four of its first six games to seven, six of which came on an across-the-body heave into traffic and the wind from Noah Vedral to Bo Melton. The Scarlet Knights had 12 first downs and 205 yards of offense, which was nine and 164 below their respective season averages. Penn State gained 381 yards and controlled possession for nearly 37 minutes, and was inarguably the dominant team at both lines of scrimmage.

Perhaps more importantly, the Nittany Lions handled the afternoon’s most challenging opponent, the 25-30-mile-per-hour wind gusts, far better than their hosts. Was it mind-numbing to watch Sean Clifford and Will Levis take keeper after keeper into the middle of the line on third- or fourth-and-short? Absolutely. But it was clear from the outset that Penn State’s coaches had a plan to take the elements out of play, even if it might not have been the sexiest or even the most efficient plan, and the Nittany Lions executed that plan, which was something they hadn’t done often earlier in the season. It was a lot harder to tell if Rutgers had a plan given that Penn State’s defensive line was doing whatever it wanted, but a Knights offense that had shown some explosive punch against Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue couldn’t exploit or really even penetrate a suspect Penn State secondary that played with an edge on Saturday.

This is not to say it was the cleanest game for the Nittany Lions. They committed a pair of turnovers a week after finally halting the giveaway train against Michigan and were a paltry 4-of-15 on third down and just 1-of-3 on fourth down. The offensive line was great but couldn’t account for the extra defender(s) Rutgers was sending to the mesh point in the second half, and Penn State’s coaches either didn’t adjust or, knowing the game was basically in hand at that point, didn’t see a need to. And though this was probably the best game the defense has played since the first 58 1/2 minutes of the Indiana game (we won’t bring up the ending of that one again) and Rutgers couldn’t get anything going, there were more missed tackles than you would like to see.

If this wasn’t exactly the team Penn State was supposed to be in 2020, though, it might be the closest it’s going to get, and lately that has been a damn sight better than the disaster it was early in the season. Clifford missed a few throws, including the tipped pass that led to the pick but, afforded more time than he’s often had this season, his decision-making was improved. Lee and Devyn Ford made people miss and finished runs. Penn State’s defensive line made frequent forays into the backfield and its linebackers and defensive backs swarmed to the ball. Jake Pinegar and Jordan Stout made their field goals. The deeper parts of the bench got some game reps. There was energy and even a little exuberance on the field and on the sideline. 

Most importantly, everyone seemed to be on the same page. Now, was that page part of a story about dominance of a perennial conference bottom-feeder from the first snap to the last? No, and if you expected it to be, even against Rutgers, you haven’t been paying enough attention. But these last few games are about rebuilding winning habits, about taking what small steps Penn State’s players and coaches can toward a better future. Beating teams they should beat — and not beating themselves — is one of the tangible and achievable steps the Nittany Lions can take this month. They did so Saturday for the second week in a row. If you liked what you saw Saturday and think the Nittany Lions can build on it, great. If you continued to see more problems than solutions, just keep your focus on the bottom line.