Takeaways and Grades: PSU vs UB Report Card

The Takeaways:

First And Foremost, Give Buffalo Credit

These out-of-conference matchups are usually supposed to go the way week 1 did for Penn State. But give credit to the Buffalo Bulls for not only leading after one half, but also completely dominating PSU in several important statistical categories. UB held the ball for a whopping 42:32, compared to the Lions’ 17:28. The New York team ran, ran, and then ran some more — right down PSU’s throats. Ultimately netting 184 rushing yards, compared to State’s 78 (51 on one play). The Bulls weren’t intimidated by a team that’d been ranked for 34 straight weeks, or by a night game in front 100,000+ fans. They came out and balled.

UB didn’t try anything fancy, they just executed a simple plan to perfection for one half. They knew Penn State’s talent at DE is amongst the best in the country, so they ran right up the middle for most of the game. In fact, the first half MVP (in my opinion), was Buffalo’s O-line. Especially the interior. UB then deployed quick, 3-step drops with QB Matt Myers, who was effective enough to keep drives alive. WR Antonio Nunn toasted the Nittany Lions DB’s to the tune of 113 yards on only 5 receptions. Unfortunately for the Bulls, they couldn’t keep momentum after Myers threw a pick-6 to John Reid in their first offensive possession of the second half. Buffalo was expected to come in, withstand a harsh L, take their $1.5 M and go home. They did not, and for that, they deserve credit.

Is It 2016, 2018 Or 2019?

Penn State’s 2016 Big Ten title-winning team was known for an explosive offense and for coming alive in the second half. The 2016 side averaged 23.9 points per second half, while only allowing an average of 9 points following the halftime whistle (statistics courtesy of TeamRankings.com). That disparity is nuts. Shades of the 2016 team were evident, as Penn State trailed 10-7 at the half. The sleeping Lions were awoken at the break and outscored Buffalo 38-3 after halftime, helped by a four-touchdown 3rd quarter.

In 2018, the Nittany Lions’ dominant defense had a very clear flaw: lack of pressure up the middle. As mentioned above, Buffalo exploited this defect and dominated on the ground for quite some time. The lack of d-line pressure (in general) was arguably the most surprising part of PSU’s entire Saturday performance. The Happy Valley side sacked Matt Myers only once the entire night. That’s it. Again, much praise must be deemed upon the Bulls’ interior o-line, but the Lions just have to do better if they expect to compete in the Big Ten East. My suggestion: start PJ Mustipher over Windsor or Shelton. The sophomore showed once again the skills that made him an elite DT prospect. The few times State did get pressure up the middle, Mustipher was usually the reason why.

Cliff’ Is Improving But Still Growing

Sean Clifford was extra scrappy on Saturday night. His final stat line – 16/22, 279 yards, and 4 TD – was impressive, but his decision making in the RPO was questionable. Again. Not only did he continue to keep the ball in 3 situations where he should have handed it off (misread the DE), but on two occasions, Sean ran out of a completely clean pocket. These mistakes served as drive-crushers in moments where his team was offensively-starved. In my first report card of the season, I wrote about Sean silencing doubters who questioned his athleticism. Well, the Ohio-native once again showed off his (recently revealed) 4.5s (40-yard dash) speed to continue the silencing:

Gotta feel for Cliff’ here. He ran like he stole something (props if you know which football movie coined that phrase) down the line, and got caught on a shoelace tackle. If Clifford could improve his decision-making, and I believe he will with time, it’d do wonders for this offense.

PSU Grades:

Offense:

The offense put up 45 points. Again, an impressive showing. But the same problems from 2018 (and from week 1) still troubled Ricky Rahne’s unit. The team was only 2-9 on third-down conversions, and as James Franklin told Matt McGloin after the game, “…on offense, we just weren’t consistent enough, it was either three-and-out or touchdown.”

Two of the drives which ended in tuddies were thanks to WR Jahan Dotson. The Nazareth, PA-native toyed with the Buffalo DB’s and put up 109 yards and 2 TD’s on 4 receptions. Including this 56-yard bomb off a pump-fake:

Despite all this, 7 points and two first downs in one half against a MAC team is unacceptable. Especially the first half, when all the starters are in and fresh. Furthermore, this was a game on the schedule where you wanted to see the O-line dominate. They did not. Matt Limegrover’s squadron was once again average, and couldn’t open up any holes for the Lions’ running backs. All in all, given the expectations against this quality of opponent, a mediocre day at the office.

Grade: C

Defense:

On one hand, the Penn State defense only allowed 13 points, 10 in the first half, and a minuscule 3 in the second. Brent Bry’s faction also scored a touchdown of its own. But, the Lions’ defense gave up 423 total yards and allowed Buffalo to convert 10/23 third downs. The most bitter pill Nittany Nation must swallow is how a MAC offensive-line only gave up one sack and a mere three QB-hurries against a supposedly elite d-line. This defensive line must show up against Pitt this coming weekend, to calm the nerves before opening Big Ten play.

One thing to note, Penn State may have one of the best cornerback tandems in the country in John Reid and Tariq Castro-Fields. The two starters combined for 12 total tackles, 4 passes deflected, 1 QB-hurry, and the Reid pick-six made it back-to-back games with an interception for the RS senior. Castro-Fields stood out most of all for his tackling in space. When an offense attacks you with constant three-step drop passes, quick tackling from your corners is imperative. And in case you’re wondering, neither of them gave up bombs.

The defense bent. A lot. Then bent some more. But thankfully for Penn State fans, it never truly broke.

Grade: B-

Special Teams:

We’ll keep this last grade quick. Why? Because the special teams unit did its job. Pinegar made all 6 extra-points and notched his only FG attempt — a 32 yarder. Blake Gillikin punted 5 times, including a booming 51-yard blast. And Jordan Stout continued to make the Virginia Tech athletic department look like morons, just going a casual 8/8 on touchbacks (I will never understand how they let him go). No fumbles this time. Nothing special, but everything was consistently above average.

Grade: B+

Overall Grade: B-

As always, keep it locked on Overtime Heroics all season for more Penn State and college football coverage. Don’t agree with my grades? Let me know on Twitter or our forums!