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Monday thoughts: Has Penn State's o-line and special teams taken steps forward this season?

By Audrey Snyder/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 8 years ago

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Last I checked Thanksgiving is this week and Penn State has one regular season game left. Of course there’s a bowl game after that and James Franklin was correct when he said after the game that this team needs every practice and every meeting the rest of this season. 

It’s indeed November and as I wrote in today’s Post-Gazette many of Penn State’s problems aren’t new and they didn’t show up overnight. For much of this season and last they’ve dealt with a porous offensive line and poor play on special teams. 

The trip to East Lansing, MI. to play No. 6 Michigan State will complete a three-game stretch where Penn State played ranked opponents in Northwestern, Michigan and of course Michigan State. The puzzling thing to me is looking at this Penn State team and trying to figure out if the struggles of the offensive line or the special teams have been more problematic this year? Both areas have been bad this season and this comes after it was a major point of emphasis in the offseason.

Remember the “world tour” special teams coordinator Charles Huff took in the offseason to visit with and learn from numerous NFL teams about how they handle their special teams?

Remember the school record 44 sacks Penn State’s offensive line surrendered a year ago and how that number was used as motivation for the offensive line all offseason? Well, a year later I really can’t say with certainty that Penn State is better off in either area. Christian Hackenberg was sacked 36 times this season —and 101 times in his three-years under center— and with two games remaining that school record (44) could be within reach. The special teams surrendered a 55-yard kick return during a critical point in the game and a fumbled punt deep in their own territory made way for seven points for the Wolverines. 

Penn State’s offensive line additions this season included graduate transfer Kevin Reiner who wasn’t able to crack the starting lineup and besides contributing on special teams was a non-factor. Left tackle Paris Palmer, the top rated junior college offensive tackle in the country, has struggled against some of the better defenses Penn State faced and was pulled in the third quarter on Saturday after these back-to-back plays:  

Penn State moved right tackle Andrew Nelson to left tackle and put Brendan Mahon at right tackle, but things didn’t get much better up front:

What went wrong on the four sacks on Saturday?

  1. Tight end Brent Wilkerson was just beaten as the defender looped around him to close in on Hackenberg
  2. The pocket collapses as RB Saquon Barkley was pushed backwards and rather than throwing the ball away Hackenberg tries to spin out of it to keep the play alive but just ends up going even farther backwards. 
  3. Left tackle Paris Palmer was beaten (video clip above)
  4. Michigan brings a five-man rush and right tackle Brendan Mahon can’t hold up while center Wendy Laurent is driven backwards before slipping, thus creating the Hackenberg sandwich. (video clip above)

Yes, this Michigan defense is one of the best in the country, but take away Saquon Barkley’s 56-yard first-quarter run (Andrew Nelson and Brian Gaia did a nice job getting their guys to the ground to spring him) and for most of the afternoon the line was getting pushed around. Center Wendy Laurent was driven backwards a few times and the most telling play of Penn State’s inability to run the ball against the stingy Michigan defense was down around the goal line when the Lions beefed up the line with a jumbo seven-man front, plus o-lineman/fullback Derek Dowrey and an extra blocking tight end. With their biggest bodies on the field (Paris Palmer checked back in for the play too) they got no push and the Barkley rush actually lost three yards. 

Other thoughts: 

Why is Penn State hesitant to change punt returners? 

DeAndre Thompkins, a speedy redshirt freshman, lost four fumbles this season and after he lost the one against Michigan Penn State made a switch. Back-up returner Gregg Garrity, a walk-on from North Allegheny High School, came into the game and returned the next punt eight yards. 

I guess freshman Brandon Polk, one of the team’s best threats in open space, probably hasn’t been consistent enough in practice (or, maybe they haven’t even repped him there since camp?). Running bak Mark Allen, another punt return option in the summer, hasn’t played in four of the last five games. This might not matter much given the issues on special teams as a whole, but I was surprised that Garrity, who if I recall correctly hasn’t even traveled to all of the road games, was next in line. Makes me wonder what they would’ve done had this happened on the road and who along with Garrity and Von Walker are their other punt return options? 

Can tackling improve in one week?

Off the top of my head I can’t think of a game where Penn State tackled worse this season. James Franklin said after the game he thought at times the tackling was good. I’m curious to see on Tuesday, after having a chance to watch the film if he’s going to say differently. During the course of a game he’s got probably 50 other things to keep an eye on, but the tackling stood out to me as an issue.

The cornerbacks struggled on the perimeter as John Reid and Grant Haley, who have both done well in coverage for much of the season, weren’t in great positions to make tackles and/or they couldn’t make the tackle when they were in a good position. Penn State says tackling is emphasized every day in practice yet the execution, with a team that was as fresh as it’s been coming off a bye week, wasn’t there. 

Kick coverage can’t keep having lapses

Jourdan Lewis did his part to answer the bell when Penn State pulled within five points. The Lions’ special teams, like it did against Northwestern when it gave up a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown, once again surrendered a huge play, this time allowing Lewis to break free for a 55-yard return that sparked a touchdown drive. The return was something else and so was Penn State’s tackling on the play.

The positive was earlier in the game Penn State’s Von Walker blocked a punt, but the PSU kick coverage can’t continue to have errors like this. Remember, Penn State uses a lot of starters on special teams, so this shouldn’t be an area that’s blamed for having a lack of talent or depth. 

Will year three be any different, or is it really about year four?

Of course there are two games left and the always important 15 practices that come with bowl prep, but let’s just look ahead here and think big picture for a second. It takes time to build a program and James Franklin stressed that since he arrived 22 months ago and said generating hype while managing expectations is one of the most difficult parts of his job. 

When Franklin arrived he talked about year three being the year where everything was in line as far as rebuilding scholarship depth and having those offensive linemen who redshirted as true freshman a year ago ready to roll. That’s next year. Assuming QB Christian Hackenberg declares for the NFL Draft after this season Penn State will have to break in QB Trace McSorley, a redshirt freshman this season who entered in mop-up time and for the occasional play after Hackenberg has been sent to the sideline after taking a big hit. With a new QB comes inevitable growing pains.

Penn State will also need someone to step in at left guard for senior Angelo Mangiro, or they could move center Wendy Laurent to guard and work in a new center. The rest of the line has to take a big step forward, which based off the way things went this season hasn’t cut it. Really, maybe year four, (likely McSorley’s second year as a starter, Saquon Barkley’s junior year) is a better indicator of where this program is headed and whether or not the talented recruiting classes will develop and mature in the way Penn State needs them to?

Who knows if Franklin will make any changes to his coaching staff this offseason and really it’s difficult to tell if it’s coaching, players not executing, a lack of talent at some of these spots or a combination of all three. In some instances, take the tight ends for example, I don’t think it’s on offensive coordinator John Donovan (who also is the TE position coach) if his players don’t catch the ball. It’s a lack of focus and a lack of execution that falls on the players.

Of course the offense as a whole though, ranked 111th in the FBS and 126th (27 percent) on 3rd down conversions raises a lot of questions about whether or not Donovan and his offense, which was problematic last year too, will be around for year three. 

How can Charles Huff (RB coach/special teams coordinator) be evaluated when using two walk-on kickers and two walk-on punters? That’s part of the hand he was dealt, but I don’t give PSU a pass on the kick coverage issues though and that’s been magnified in the last two games. With two scholarships tied up in a kicker and a punter in the incoming 2016 class help should be on the way. As I said last year with the offensive line (looks like we all might’ve been fooled a bit there....) special teams has to get better, right?

What is offensive line coach Herb Hand really working with? His most versatile player (Angelo Mangiro) was moved from center to guard and his best player, right tackle Andrew Nelson, missed time because of various injuries and on occasion was moved to left tackle. Brendan Mahon was taken of the starting lineup, Paris Palmer has been inconsistent protecting Hackenberg’s blindside and Brian Gaia, once a defensive lineman, has also struggled. This makes me wonder about the developing talent behind these guys and if any of those players who will be redshirt sophomores next season will be ready to challenge for spots. What Penn State has out there now has to be their best, but how much better are they and is this entire team from last year to now?

Measuring growth and development of this entire team will continue to come into focus for the final two games, especially as the Lions then shift their focus to bowl prep and the valuable reps that come with it for many of the younger players. 

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4.