Penn State-Minnesota Report Card: 'Getting Back to Who We Are'
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State's quarterbacks and receivers met as a group last Monday, during which they insisted that the plays would come. In particular, quarterback Sean Clifford and receiver Parker Washington affirmed their trust and cleansed themselves of the Michigan game.
"I thought that last week just wasn't us," Clifford said after Penn State's 45-17 win over Minnesota. "We’d been playing so well, and then we get to last week and a lot just didn’t work or go in our favor. We had our shots last week and they just didn’t happen.
"But I thought that this week we really made it a very, very strong point to make the plays when they’re there, to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best position and just getting back to who we are. And I thought we did that tonight."
How well did Penn State recalibrate from the loss to Michigan? To the report card.
OFFENSE: B+
Once they cleared the initial hurdle, namely a Clifford interception, the Lions played probably their best offensive game of the season. Clifford threw four touchdown passes, two to tight ends, and Washington made the big downfield play for which he's been pining. Washington and Clifford shared a confidence on their third-quarter touchdown, which both said sharped its focus last week.
Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich supplemented a few rollouts and screens (easy throws for Clifford) with the deep shots the team has lacked. That finally freed some interior running room for Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who combined for 156 yards and two scores.
DEFENSE: B
Franklin called it the "big base" package, one that included linebackers Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter on the field simultaneously. Jacobs, playing his old field-linebacker spot, made a season-high 14 tackles. Carter had eight, and the Lions overcame the defensive end Chop Robinson's absence.
One troubling series: Before halftime, Minnesota went 90 yards for the longest touchdown drive against Penn State this season. That included some big runs from Mohamed Ibrahim, who had his 15th consecutive 100-yard game. However, Penn State made Ibrahim (30 carries, 102 yards) work hard for it.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Aside from an early muffed punt, the entire operation was cleaner. Jake Pinegar made a 41-yard field goal, and Dom DeLuca was credited with a punt block, even though it still went 29 yards. No kickoffs out of bounds was a boost, too.
COACHING: B
Much has been made of Franklin's post-loss struggles. But the head coach deserves credit for rallying his team from blowouts. The Lions have won five straight regular-season games following losses of 20+ points. Yurcich shares that credit, maintaining his offense's calm early, continuing to thrown downfield against the right looks and identifying the tight ends as proper targets.
OVERALL: B+
Calling Saturday a crossroad game for Penn State overstated the situation. However, the Lions needed to play well after whatever that was at Michigan. Having exorcised that demon, they can move on to Ohio State with clear heads and game film to back their confidence.
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