Penn State hoping offense can halt its skid
James STATE COLLEGE, PA. — Franklin has been asked a lot this season about his longterm future, and those questions continued Tuesday as the Penn State coach was grilled about his name being linked to openings outside Happy Valley.
Franklin has a more immediate concern, however. He needs to find a way to pull a team that started 5-0 out of its current free fall. He’ll have to do it on the road against No. 5 Ohio State, where only a win will keep Penn State’s slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.
“We’ve got to find a way to score some points, because obviously (Ohio State) has the ability to put points on the board,” Franklin said.
The Buckeyes lead the country in total offense, averaging nearly 560 yards and 49 points per game. With games still to be played against No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Michigan State, the 20th-ranked Nittany Lions (5-2) need to get back to making big plays to help their defense and stave off what could be an ugly finish to the season.
“We have a lot of vets on this team,” receiver Jahan Dotson said. “So a lot of guys have been in this position before. The biggest thing for us, executing, that was the main thing. Being more physical, that’s every position group, the wide receivers, running backs, O-linemen. That’s a big thing for us moving forward.”
Ever since quarterback Sean Clifford was injured in the first half at Iowa on Oct. 9, that’s been hard for them to do.
A field goal was all the Nittany Lions could manage without Clifford against the
Hawkeyes. They scored 10 points in regulation against Illinois on Saturday with a banged-up Clifford back on the field. Meanwhile, nagging injuries to three of the team’s top four running backs coupled with a lack of blocking help has left Clifford with no support. Penn State has failed to exceed 3 yards per carry in four games and averaged 2.1 in Saturday’s nine-overtime loss to Illinois.
The team had a handful of opportunities to win the game with a 3-yard run in the 2-point shootout format, but couldn’t get the ball across the goal line.
“It’s hard knowing that we had a chance to win that game and it really hurt us,” defensive end Arnold Ebiketie said. “We can’t just focus on the past. We have to move forward because we have another opponent ahead, so right now we’re just trying to shift all of our focus into Ohio State.”
Ebiketie believes the Buckeyes will adjust their game plan to take advantage of the weakness Illinois exploited.
Penn State captain PJ Mustipher’s absence in the middle prompted the Illini to feature a run-heavy attack. While the sturdy defensive tackle watched from crutches on the sideline, Illinois ran for 357 yards with two backs behind seven- and eightman fronts.
“We wouldn’t be surprised if they try and adjust to that and bring some of those overload fronts into the game,” Ebiketie said.
Franklin said he expects Clifford to be fully healthy for Saturday’s evening kickoff.