Takeaways and Grades: PSU v UM Report Card

The Takeaways

#LawnBoyz Came To Play

Let’s be honest, essentially this entire article could be written praising PSU’s running back positional group. They completely dominated the Memphis defense to the tune of 38 carries, for 380 yards and 5 TD’s. It didn’t really matter which ‘back was out there for the Lions, Memphis simply could not stop the ground and pound. Few of the massive chunk-runs were more exciting than this one by Journey Brown:

That run was reminiscent of Marshawn Lynch’s legendary run against the Saints in 2010. In essence, credit must be given to coach Ja’Juan Seider, as he was able to handle a four-running back rotation for an entire season, and keep all four guys relatively happy. Furthermore, credit must be given to the four dudes themselves. Running back is a very individualistic position, but it takes tremendous character to sit back, wait your turn, and be genuinely happy for your brothers.

Micah Parsons Is The Best LB in America

Linebacker U may very well have returned on Saturday. Micah Parsons played like a man possessed. The Harrisburg-native finished with an impressive stat-line: 15 total tackles, 13 solo, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, ad 2 forced fumbles. It’s worth mentioning that he also dropped an interception. The defensive end-turned-linebacker almost single-handedly stopped the Tigers on some drives. It was one of the most dominant individual performances I’ve ever seen.

Remember that dropped interception I mentioned? Well, Micah served up an interception to a teammate in arguably the game’s most impactful play:

Following a 4th & 1 stop by the Tigers, Micah made this game-changing play on the subsequent drive. Senior safety Garrett Taylor intercepted the fumble and returned it for 6 points.

When Micah decides to declare for the NFL draft, he’ll likely be a top 10 pick. So in essence, next year will be his last in a PSU uniform. Due to the departure of Chase Young, I fully expect Micah to receive all the #DefenseForHeisman attention in 2020.

Offense Exploded, But Ciarrocca Is Needed

Firstly, I fully believe TE coach Tyler Bowen did a solid job calling plays. He put up 53 points and had over 400 total yards. However dominant the running game was, the passing game was equally bad. Clifford looked completely lost for a large majority of the game. And unfortunately, Cliff’s Cotton Bowl performance was not a new occurrence. In fact, since the Minnesota game, Clifford has only completed 53% of his passes, while throwing 2 TD’s and 3 INT’s. Moreover, if you’ve actually watched the games, you could tell Sean simply does not look comfortable.

Enter Ciarrocca. The former Golden Gopher play-caller made Tanner Morgan look like a Heisman finalist against PSU. In total, Morgan completed 66% of his passes, while hurling 28 TD’s to only 6 INT’s. In Dallas on Saturday, it became ever more clear that Ciarrocca’s services are clearly needed as a QB coach.

The Grades

Offense:

This grade was a little tricky. Namely, because the offense hung up 53 points, with 529 total yards. However, only 133 of those yards were through the air. And as mentioned above, Cliff’ looked shook the entire game. Additionally, Sean was still making costly incorrect reads during RPO hand-offs. Also, the Cincinnati-native threw a very bonehead pick at a pivotal time. This pick highlighted arguably Sean’s biggest problem: his KJ Hamler dependence. Far too many times down the stretch of the season, if KJ were his first read, he’d force the ball to him — regardless of if he was open or not. When KJ wasn’t his first read, he made him his second. That needs to change. But, Nittany Nation is confident a new OC will cure those ailments.

Now, for as poorly as Clifford and the pass-protection did (looking at you, Fries), the rushing offense carried James Franklin’s squad. As previously mentioned, it was pretty much unstoppable. Let’s look at another TD run to remind ourselves:

Grade: A-

Defense:

This is another tricky one. Because for as dominant as Micah was, if we’re being realistic, this pass defense got absolutely torched. The Tigers’ offense put up a whopping 479 passing yards, and actually outgained the State College, PA squad in total yards.

It bent about as much as a defense could bend without breaking, but still letting a G5 team hang up 500+ yards and 39 points, will never get the job done in the regular season.

Grade: B-

Special Teams:

Blake Gillikin’s first punt was a booming 59 yarder, Pinegar hit a very clutch 45 yard FG to keep PSU in the lead, and there were no fumbles. All in all, a pretty good day at the office for Joe Lorig’s unit against his former employers.

A great way to send off a two-time team captain in Blake.

Grade: A

Overall Grade: A-

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!