Penn State's Passing Game Needs a Jolt

'We're behind in the passing game,' James Franklin said. The Lions look to catch up vs. Indiana.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State coach James Franklin spent much of his post-practice media availability Wednesday night discussing how his Nittany Lions could move past a crushing loss to No. 3 Ohio State. It happens, Franklin said, partially by not talking about the game and focusing on Indiana's visit to Beaver Stadium on Saturday. But a season-worst offensive performance more than warrants some revisiting.

Penn State tallied just 167 yards, went 0-for-15 on third down and scored only two field goals before putting together a late touchdown drive with the game virtually out of reach. The offense showed signs of this all season, struggling to score at times against Illinois and Northwestern on the road, especially via an effective passing game. Quarterback Drew Allar and his receivers have not been on the same page, and it came to a breaking point in the most important game of the year.

“We're behind in the passing game,” Franklin said Wednesday. He highlighted Harrison Wallace III’s injury, which forced the No. 2 receiver out of more than two games, and slower-than-expected adjustments from two transfer wide receivers as reasons for the struggles.

“This is an opportunity to take a step this week and build confidence moving forward," Franklin said. "I think there's guys in that room that have the ability to do the job and do the job at a high level. It's about consistency physically, but it's also consistency mentally.”

Prized Kent State transfer Dante Cephas has just nine catches for 131 yards this season, while Florida State transfer Malik McClain has six for 71 yards but has barely played since struggling with drops at Illinois. In fact, McClain has played only nine offensive snaps the past three games, none at Ohio State.

Drops have been part of the issue, with Penn State ranking fourth in the Big Ten with an 11 percent drop-rate this season, per Sports Info Solutions. They were more detrimental against Ohio State with five drops on 25 catchable passes.

Allar’s struggles were another major contributor. He threw on-target passes on 24 of his 42 attempts, falling below his on-target rate of 68.3 percent through the first six games. Meanwhile, positive offensive plays resulted on just 31.9 percent of his attempts, a stark drop from 50.3 percent through the first six games.

Franklin spoke at length about the third-down debacle (1-for-16 overall vs. Ohio State) that caused ripple effects through the offense. The Lions ran effectively in spurts but did not lean on the run heavily. They also neglected many of the things that had generated success earlier in the year, like the T-formation or tush-push packages.

“I think on Sunday, just like a lot of people, we were in there, and there were tough film sessions, tough conversations, a lot of transparency, a lot of honesty, really good discussion from the entire staff,” Franklin said when asked about offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. “That is hard to hear sometimes but is also needed.”

Penn State has a favorable matchup with Indiana this weekend to get things back on track. The Hoosiers are middle-of-the-pack in passing defense but field the Big Ten’s worst rushing defense. Franklin and his staff will still be looking for receivers to separate themselves as the whole unit looks to buck a concerning trend. Franklin mentioned that he wants his team to take its frustration out on the field Saturday.

Tight end Tyler Warren was complimentary of the team’s practices early this week, highlighting competitive periods and starting fast as areas of emphasis. The Lions have struggled to score in the first half for most of this year.

“It's not one guy that has stepped up. I think we're all aware of what we need to do and what it's gonna take for us as an offense,” Warren said. “We came together as a group and we know what we want to do, so it's just keeping that path and trusting each other.”

Warren noted a similar thing to Franklin as well, when plays break down because of a missed assignment or something more than meets the eye. Mentally locking into Yurcich’s scheme will be another major turning point as the season winds down.

“Part of it is everybody being on the same page," Warren said. "You see plays and you might think it's on the quarterback or on the wide receiver when, sometimes, it's really just miscommunication on one of those levels. Everybody being on the same page is a big part of it, because a lot of it is just timing and stuff like that.”

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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