Blue White Illustrated

T H E 2 0 2 0 N I T T A N Y L I O N S Narduzzi said, "We attacked their weak- ness, which was their secondary." The Panthers weren't the only ones who did that. The Nittany Lions ranked 13th in the Big Ten and 100th in the FBS in pass de- fense after allowing 251.5 yards per game this past season. The Cotton Bowl didn't do anything to help that average, as Memphis quarterback Brady White shredded the Lions for 454 yards. Franklin has said on several occasions that Penn State's unsightly numbers were due in part to its success at stopping the run. That's undoubtedly true. Narduzzi admitted as much in his postgame presser. Asked why the Panthers had attempted two passes on three plays from the Penn State 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, he replied, "Just look at the success we had running the ball today on that front seven. We didn't have much success." But Franklin also conceded that Penn State experienced some coverage break- downs throughout the season. That was a disheartening admission considering how much veteran talent the Nittany Lions re- turned in the secondary. Reid and Taylor were both seniors and multiyear starters, while Castro-Fields was an experienced junior. Going into the season, it had seemed as though the secondary was going to be a strength. With the 2020 off-season under way, the unit will be undergoing a partial overhaul. The one position at which the depth chart is likely to remain intact is free safety, where Wade, Brisker and Hartlaub all return. Wade and Brisker, who will both be seniors, made a nice tandem last season, combining for 99 tackles, eight pass breakups and two in- terceptions. The Nittany Lions also have a starter re- turning at cornerback, with Castro- Fields having opted to come back for his senior season rather than leaving early for the NFL Draft. As a junior, Castro-Fields had a team-best eight pass breakups and tied for the team lead with two intercep- tions. The other two starting spots are in some degree of upheaval. Strong safety seems to have the clearest pecking order, with Sutherland seemingly ready to step into a starting role after backing up Taylor the past two years. He's been a special teams standout throughout his career and fig- ures to bring an aggressive mentality to the position in 2020. Meanwhile, at Reid's vacated corner- back spot, there is likely to be a heated battle this spring. Penn State used three true freshman CBs this past season, and two of them – Ellis and Wilson – were listed as backups on the Cotton Bowl depth chart. Wilson had one of the key plays in the game, intercepting White at the Penn State goal line to all but decide the outcome. Ellis appears to be first in line to replace Reid after seeing action in 13 games during his debut season. But there's no shortage of potential con- tenders for playing time at this position. For now, one thing is certain: If they're going to contend for the Big Ten title next season, this is an area in which the Nit- tany Lions will have to be better. QUOTABLE Franklin on the Lions' pass- coverage problems: "We had some blown assignments late in the year that I don't think we necessarily should have had. I think our players and staff feel the same way. … I think we've got a very high stan- dard here of how we want to play and what we want to do. I also would make the argument that sometimes the statistics can be skewed. … When you're so good at defending the run like we have been, peo- ple are going to throw the ball a lot more, which is going to make you susceptible to giving up a few more of those plays." SPECIAL TEAMS KEY RETURNEES H: Michael Shuster; KR: Journey Brown, Ricky Slade; LS: Chris Stoll, Joe Calcagno; P: Bradley King, Jordan Stout; PK: Rafael Checa, Jake Pinegar, Jordan Stout; PR: Jahan Dotson, Daequan Hardy, Mac Hippen- hammer KEY LOSSES KR/PR: K.J. Hamler; P/H: Blake Gillikin NEWCOMER P: Levi Forrest OUTLOOK The Lions incurred two big losses here in Gillikin and Hamler. Gillikin was a four-year starter who finished his career ranked second in school history with a 43.0-yard punting average. Ham- ler was the team's top kickoff and punt returner for the past two seasons. Gillikin's backup last season was Stout. Arriving at Penn State last year as a kick- off specialist, the Virginia Tech transfer didn't attempt any punts for the Lions, but he did punt in high school, averaging 47 yards during his junior season at Honaker High in Virginia. The Lions have also received a verbal commitment from Forrest, who was rated the No. 6 punting prospect in the Class of 2020 by Kohl's Kicking Camps. Forrest is an invited walk-on, so his commitment is not yet binding. But assuming he follows through, he'll likely have a chance to challenge Stout and Bradley, the latter having won first-team All-Conference honors at Lackawanna College before en- rolling at Penn State. The return game is in flux with Hamler gone. Dotson backed him up on punts last season and may well do so again after av- eraging 19.5 yards on two attempts as a sophomore. Hippenhammer has done it, too, and Hardy is an interesting wildcard. He was a tremendous all-purpose athlete at Penn Hills High in Pittsburgh, excelling on offense, defense and special teams. As a senior, Hardy scored touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns, including an 84-yard kick-return TD in the PIAA Class 5A championship game. The Lions also have a pair of experienced kick re- turners in Brown and Slade, but this could be another area in which a newcomer is able to find a niche. As far as place kicking goes, the Lions appear to be in excellent shape. Pinegar and Stout combined to hit 13 of 15 field goal attempts this past season, and Penn State tied Ohio State for the Big Ten lead with an 86.7 percent success rate. One of those makes was a school-record 57- yarder by Stout, and he also had 66 touchbacks in 83 kickoff attempts. QUOTABLE Special teams coordinator Joe Lorig on the impact of Stout's arrival at PSU: "It's elevated everyone in that room. He's a great kid. The players love him, the coaches love him, and again, he's just made our whole program a lot better. I'm really proud of him." ■

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