Youth, coaching moves and where’s the screen pass?
Penn State's 42-7 loss to Michigan prompted further questions about coaching and a couple about the playbook.
We'll delve into some of that in this week's Penn State mailbag. Thanks to all for participating.
Q: Any chance that younger players (such as Justin Shorter, Journey Brown and Jesse Luketa) see more playing time? A:
Coach James Franklin said this week that he plans to play Shorter, the nation's top receiving recruit last year, in the season's stretch run. Shorter, who lost time to a preseason injury, has played in one game, meaning he can play in three more and preserve his redshirt season.
Micah Parsons gets nearly as many snaps as Koa Farmer at linebacker and has been more productive on them: The freshman is tied for the team lead in tackles (51), 11 more than Farmer. He might not supplant the fifth-year senior as a starter, but Parsons has made substantial contributions at linebacker as a freshman.
As for Tommy Stevens, the quarterback should have been given the ball even after last week's pick-6 against Michigan. At that point, Stevens became the minor-league pitcher learning to dig out of a jam. The experience would have been beneficial. Unless McSorley's truly injured, though, Stevens will continue to play his backup (and ‘lion') role.
Franklin has to walk a delicate balance with his young players, several of whom (such as Brooks and Luketa) have played in all nine games in situational roles. In particular, those two play middle linebacker, a position vital to getting the defense set. Starter Jan Johnson has been good in that role.
Penn State is favored by nine over Wisconsin on Saturday, but the game is a tossup. My expectation is that Franklin's rotations will look quite similar this
week. Q: Do you think there’s any chance of a few coaching changes after the season?
A: Absolutely. Franklin cannot be pleased with the development of his wide receivers or special teams, both run by assistants new to the staff. David Corley (receivers) and Phil Galiano (special teams) have to be evaluated critically in that respect.
And other assistants may want to move on. That's the nature of today's college coaching nomads.
But one interesting area of Penn State's coaching staff is the offense. Four positions (quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end) have new assistants this season. Offensive line is the only position with the same coach (Matt Limegrover) who was in charge last year.
Franklin this week acknowledged that the changes have had “an impact.” But he also seemed to be thinking long-term. As a result, I expect coordinator Ricky Rahne to return, though he might have one or two new coaches with him.
“Yeah, there's a transition there,” Franklin said. “I think at times, we've done some really good things, and at other times we haven't. … It's going to be important that we just continue to grow and continue to evolve and get better this week and build on it.”
Q: What was the bigger coaching loss: offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead or assistants Josh Gattis and Charles Huff ? A:
Well, Gattis ran the receivers room, and Huff was the special-teams coordinator/running backs coach. So if you're drawing direct lines of responsibility, at least for now, Gattis and Huff are missed dearly.
Often, though, player error makes coaches look worse than they should. No one schemes for 25-plus dropped passes or two safeties on punting issues in the rain.
But the coaches should be scheming around their weaknesses, which hasn't shown up on offense lately. Penn State called plays against Michigan that produced 12 runs by a hobbled quarterback. Its top playmakers (Miles Sanders and KJ Hamler) touched the ball a combined nine times.
Further, Penn State's offense (particularly the passing game) has been fundamentally unsound all season. I think Ricky Rahne has a world of potential as an offensive coordinator. He has to get some help from his position coaches, though.
Q: Does Penn State have a screen pass in the playbook? A:
Yes, somewhere. Saquon Barkley caught several screen passes the past three years, though it was more of a staple during his freshman season under former coordinator John Donovan.
But Moorhead's offense, which Rahne essentially employs, is about players more than plays. It's based on quarterback decisions. McSorley decides when to run or throw in the run-pass option game.
Now, a receiver screen or two, particularly to Hamler, might be an option to keep defenses from landing so hard on the run game. And it might help to expand running back Miles Sanders' role in the passing offense, where he's willing to assume more responsibility.
“I'll do whatever it takes, as far as catching screens or passes out of the field, to help us win,” running back Miles Sanders said. “Whatever they want me to do, I'm willing to do it.”