Warning signs for 3-0 PSU

Penn State survived a stern test from Pittsburgh Saturday at Beaver Stadium and improved to 3-0 going into its first of two bye weeks.

But some of the Nittany Lions sounded less than celebratory after their 17-10 victory and for good reason.

“We’re very explosive, but we’ve still got a lot to prove,” wide receiver KJ Hamler said. “A lot of players on this team have a lot to prove. We have to get in the film room, take this bye week to recover, be smart about it and do extra work to get us on top.”

For the second straight week, Penn State couldn’t outgain an underdog, couldn’t generate a consistent pass rush and couldn’t sustain drives.

Those are all teaching points for James Franklin and the coaching staff while preparing for the Lions’ Big Ten opener Sept. 27 at Maryland.

“I think this bye week is going to be big for us to get back to our fundamentals,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said.

Pitt’s high-risk, high-reward defense will make offenses look disjointed at times. At other times, the Panthers will surrender explosive plays, like Journey Brown’s 85-yard run, Hamler’s 53-yard catch and run and Ricky Slade’s 40-yard grab out of the backfield.

Pitt sacked quarterback Sean Clifford three times in the first half and knocked him down several other times. They limited the Lions to one sustained drive, a 13-play, 88-yard march that ended with Noah Cain’s goahead 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

“We knew they had a defensive tackle (Jaylen Twyman) that we felt could be a problem,” Franklin said. “The other thing is they were very aggressive in their blitz game and how they attacked our running backs.”

Under pressure, Clifford had an uneven performance, completing 14-of30 passes for 222 yards. He threw several deep passes and missed all of them, including a couple when receivers were open.

“I need to get better,” he admitted. “I missed my shots today and that’s on me. I don’t think I played up to the standard. The defense made plays. Our running backs made plays. Our offensive line played great.

“We won the game and that’s all that matters.”

Some of the issues, though, might matter if they’re not corrected soon. Scoring 10 points and allowing opponents to control the clock in the first half of each of the last two games will not do.

“We just have to continue to improve,” said linebacker Jan Johnson, the Gov. Mifflin product. “We get after it in the first quarter and it may fall off in the second quarter. We have to play a full game.

“Our second quarter really needs to improve. It can get even better.”

Just like the pass rush, which was supposed to be strong after the Lions returned six of their top eight linemen from last year when they led the nation in sacks.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett was barely touched in the first half before Penn State found a way to turn the heat on him in the second half and dropped him three times. Two of them, though, were by linebackers, Johnson and Cam Brown.

Pickett completed 35-of51 passes for a career-high 372 yards.

“We have to get to the quarterback more consistently,” Franklin said. “We have the guys to do it, but we haven’t gotten the pressure that we think we should get.”

All is not bleak, however. Penn State’s defense has allowed just 30 points in three games after holding the Panthers to 24 net rushing yards on 25 carries.

Offensively, the Lions have several weapons capable of making big plays. Clifford has completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards and six touchdowns and hasn’t committed a turnover in his first three career starts.

So, where exactly are the Lions after the non-conference portion of their schedule?

They’re a talented, young team with room to grow, especially if Clifford settles as he gains more experience.

“We’re getting better each week,” he said. “This tape (of the Pitt game) is going to be really important. It was a tight game. This tape is going to be good to watch.”

Whether the rest of the season is remains to be seen.