Penn State football already on ropes at 0-1
Penn State let its football season opener slip away at the end, it will be noted, by unfortunate inches and decisions that turned sour.
A field goal barely missed to win it.
An enemy touchdown barely scored to lose it.
A head-shaking, game clock management decision to keep it all going.
But there was so much more fundamental to the stunning loss to Indiana, surprisingly so – no matter that it was the first time these Nittany Lions played in 10 months. No matter they were breaking in a new offensive coordinator.
Too much went wrong for a Top 10 team, one that shouldn’t even be in position to lose at the end.
That’s what matters most now, in this pandemic-shortened season that only ratchets up in difficulty this week with playoff-favorite Ohio State coming to town.
It’s one thing that the Lions are staring at a 0-2 start for the first time in eight years.
It’s quite another to wonder when they will be able to fix these unexpected shortcomings to allow themselves to perform close to their expected level.
Because, if there’s anything you could depend on from coach James Franklin’s teams, its that they rarely beat themselves, almost never lose to someone when they own the talent advantage.
And yet, for parts of the first three quarters Oct. 24, his deepest and most talented team yet at Penn State all but handed over momentum and the outcome to the Hoosiers.
One basic blunder after another.
From 10 penalties to three turnovers to one missed field goal after another. From dropping balls on the ground to overthrowing receivers.
“I don’t think our attention to detail was great, including myself,” All-American tight end Pat Freiermuth said after it was over. “We got ourselves in good opportunities, but we turned the ball over too many times. … You can’t win the game like that.
“We can’t even use the excuse that it’s a new offense … because we’ve had a hundred meetings and a hundred walkthroughs prior to this.”
At least a Penn State defense breaking in three new linebackers, then losing one of those, accounted well for itself. It gave up only 211 total yards through four quarters and overtime and was steady throughout.
Even when it got beat in the end, it was mostly because of the sudden superlative play of Indiana quarterback Michael Penix and his receivers. It wasn’t on them, not in the least.
No, the offense and special teams pulled this team down to the point where preparation comes into question – and the once-promising future seems cloudy.
While quarterback Sean Clifford finally found his rhythm and led his team back, he was forced to do much of it with his legs and absorb far more hits than intended. His 119 rushing yards took 17 carries, which is what this team is trying to avoid.
To make matters worse, the Lions are now not only without starting tailback Journey Brown for the foreseeable future, they also may miss top backup Noah Cain, who left the Indiana game with an injury.
And, so far, sophomore Devyn Ford is not the hopeful answer. He gained just 69 yards on 20 carries, 14 of those coming against a defense that begged him to score when he should not have.
Even worse, the special teams units fell all over themselves, an embarrassing development for second-year coordinator Joe Lorig.
If anything, Penn State was expected to control this game by relying on its strong foundational running game and the beginning-to-end decision-making of Clifford.
Now, it seems curious if this team can fix its holes to redeem the kind of success expected.
Beating Ohio State will not be expected in front of an ESPN “College GameDay” set and a nearly empty Beaver Stadium.
Rather, the true difficulty ahead lies in facing beatable opponents that will require a kind of discipline, precision and pass game invisible for much of the Indiana game.
Forget about a 0-2 start. The meaning of this season will be determined by how quickly this team grows in the seven weeks that follow.
That always was the case, actually.
It’s just that the work never figured to be this substantial, and this questionable, to get there.