What We Learned From Penn State Football Media Day

Sponsor: Hey, it’s us! For The Blogy! Join our 2021 FTB Donors Club – the best way for you to show your support and keep this train rolling – and receive an exclusive FTB zipper bottle Koozie as a gift! Sign up HERE.

*Please remember to click the ‘Share My Address With For The Blogy’ box when checking out so we know where to mail your gift! 

To all the men and women sequestered in that sauna/storage container on stilts, also known as the Beaver Stadium press box, thank you for your service.

On Saturday, the college football calendar finally got back on schedule when Penn State held its annual early-August Media Day, even though the alterations to this event’s usual minutiae — Zoom-powered press conferences, 1-on-1 interviews done from a six-foot distance behind a plastic white chain  – reminded us that normalcy hasn’t completely returned to the fold. 

But, for a few hours anyway, it was fun to keep refreshing Twitter like it was a mechanical pencil and make way too much of various reporters’ observational notes from the 25 minutes of practice open to the media.

For those of you with a life, and better things to do on a summer Saturday, the martyrs here at FTB rummaged through the cornucopia of clichés and plucked out every enlightening spoken word/observation for you.  You’re welcome.  

Mike Yurcich’s Offense will look “similar” to Joe Moorhead’s Offense.

If you’re wondering who said this, James Franklin said this.

And, not surprisingly, several media outlets live-Tweeting coach’s press conference posted this titillating quote within nanoseconds of it leaving Franklin’s lips because they knew it’d generate a ton of engagement and feed the insatiable beast of optimism.

But “similar” how?

Similar explosive-play potential? Similar scoring output and yardage production? Similar mindset to stretch the field horizontally and vertically?

Sure, in those regards, Mike Yurcich’s 2021 Penn State offense and Joe Moorhead’s 2016/2017 Penn State offense could be similar…at least, that’s certainly the hope.  

But they’re not going to LOOK similar. 

As we beat to death last week in three monster blog posts, Mike Yurcich’s best offenses at Oklahoma State –2017 and 2018 – ran roughly 6 more plays per game than Moorhead’s 2017 Penn State juggernaut despite possessing the ball for 2 less minutes per contest than the Nittany Lions. Mike Yurcich’s up-tempo, quick-snap offense is something Penn State fans have never seen before – a fully-caffeinated pace that makes Bill O’Brien’s “NASCAR Offense” look like Pole Position on Atari.

Furthermore, Yurcich’s base wide/outside zone run scheme differs from Moorhead’s predominant use of inside zone, Yurcich dabbles with the QB under center from time to time, and he’ll ask more of his tight ends (especially as blockers) than Moorhead ever did. 

Really, one of the few philosophical similarities we found on tape between Yurcich and Moorhead was each coach’s extreme trust in letting their QB fling up 50-50 balls when coverage put certain receivers in one-on-one scenarios. 

Remember all these Trace McSorley heaves?

Mason Rudolph had the same green light at Oklahoma State. 

Mike Yurcich will coach from the sidelines. 

Kudos to Greg Pickel of Blue White Illustrated for asking a super ‘Inside Baseball’ question to Yurcich during the breakaway interview portion of Media Day: Will he call plays from the sidelines or up in the coaches’ box?  

“I’ll be on the field,” Yurcich answered. “I’ve been on both. I’ve been up. I’ve been down.

Pickel then followed-up, “So why on the field here?”

“Well, it’s important from a leadership standpoint to be able to rally the troops, so to speak, and to be able to look Cliff in the eye and have a good conversation with him, as well as clear communication with any adjustments we need,” Yurcich said. “To be able to talk to each personnel grouping, to be able to talk to Coach Franklin, I just think the communication is very critical.”

Yurcich will be the first Penn State offensive coordinator to coach from the sidelines since Moorhead. Ricky Rahne called plays from the booth. Kirk Ciarrocca called plays from the booth. 

Last season, as Texas’ offensive coordinator, Yurcich called plays from the booth. 

Yurcich also coached from the booth as Ohio State’s Passing Game Coordinator/QB Coach. After a failed Google search, we went on YouTube and played two 2017 Oklahoma State games on fast-forward hoping for a cutaway Yurcich shot…but no luck. So we’re not sure whether he coached in the booth or on the field there.

Completely speculating here, but we’re guessing the rationale for putting Yurcich on the sidelines is strictly for Clifford’s comfort and confidence – giving the 3rd-year starter a fast-talking, loose-belt-wearing X’s and O’s Jiminy Cricket he can converse with face-to-face as he settles in this new offense. 

Position updates

Maybe it’s just a coincidence – or maybe this is a byproduct of modern free-agency college football and the death of ‘depth’ – but, man, it feels like a lot of Penn State defenders are flirting with a few different positions. 

With penciled-in starter Adisa Isaac out for the season, senior linebacker Jesse Luketa plans to spend the next four weeks figuring out if he can play defensive end. In case he can’t, promising youngster Amin Vanover will split practice reps between DT and DE. According to the roster, DT Hakeem Beamon dropped 40-plus pounds and now checks in below 260. Perhaps he bounces outside, too.  

Jonathan Sutherland, a senior safety stuck behind PFF All-American Jaquan Brisker, might see time at SAM linebacker. Marquis Wilson’s brief flirtation with playing wide receiver appears to be over. He’s back on defense. And former cornerback Keaton Ellis seems poised to challenge Ji’Ayir Brown for the other safety spot. 

Brent Pry compared DE Smith Vilbert to Yetur Gross-Matos

Makes sense that Penn State’s tallest defender — 6-foot-6 DE Smith Vilbert – would also be the guy with the highest ceiling.

When asked about replacing Isaac, defensive coordinator Brent Pry first spoke of Nick Tarburton, then briefly touched upon Temple transfer Arnold Ebiketie, before gushing over Vilbert.

“The guy that I’m probably most excited about from camp – who just made great strides in spring, especially this summer with Coach Galt and his staff, is Smith Vilbert,” Pry said. “Smith has some similar qualities to Yetur Gross-Matos – basketball background, very athletic, very good size. Smith is finally turning the corner. Really, he’s a football player for the first time.”

Vilbert didn’t play football until his junior year of high school.

Jaquan Brisker, Kick Returner?

Patrick Koerbler of Black Shoe Diaries reported that Brisker was one of five players returning kicks during the open portion of Saturday’s practice.

“Brisker’s definitely in the mix,” special teams coach Joe Lorig said during his Media Day press conference. “He’s a guy that’s obviously very capable. He’s got tremendous skill, good ball skills, he’s a great decision maker. You know…when we look at those positions, it’s not always going to be the most dynamic person, necessarily, because our goals – and they’re very clearly stated throughout the program – are to own the ball…and make great decisions.”

For those wondering, Brisker did not return kickoffs or punts at Lackawanna College.