Blue White Illustrated

Lions' opponents earned the nod for "best catch" on six separate occasions this past year, including a6er the Pitt, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio State and Rutgers games. Even when a Penn State reception was chosen as the day's best, it was o6en a tight end who was singled out. In re4ecting on the season as a whole, some of the biggest passing plays of the year were, in fact, made by Penn State's opponents. The issue came to a head following the Lions' loss at Minnesota in November. Hamler, Dotson and tight end Pat Freiermuth were all in the midst of strong seasons, but a6er those three, there was a big drop-o5 in production. Coming o5 the loss to the Golden Go- phers, James Franklin was asked to as- sess the performances of the other receivers. He admitted that the Lions weren't 3ring on all cylinders. "We've got to be more consistent, there's no doubt about it," Franklin said. "K.J. is obviously making plays and made some tough catches [against Min- nesota]. But we've got to be more con- sistent at that last position, there's no doubt about it. "But that gets spread around. We've also missed some throws. We threw some balls into the ground. We threw a post to open the game; we've got to lead the guy so he can run away with a corner on his back hip. That gets spread around. We've got to 3nd ways to get those guys involved a little bit more early in games, as well. I think it's all of it." All of which leads to Taylor Stubble- 3eld. In January, Penn State announced that Stubble3eld would be taking over as wide receivers coach following Parker's departure for West Virginia. A former Purdue wideout, Stubble3eld has made a lot of stops in his career, having coached at Central Washington, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, Central Michi- gan, New Mexico, Wake Forest, Utah, Air Force and Miami (Fla.). He also had a one-year stint with the Toronto Arg- onauts of the Canadian Football League. The Nittany Lions are hoping that his expertise will help elevate their wide re- ceivers to higher levels of success and productivity in 2020. As Franklin noted last year, the passing game requires a variety of factors to be working in lockstep. The right scheme can help create open receivers. The right call at the right time can generate the sort of defensive breakdowns that make a passing touchdown a matter of pitch and catch. Stubble3eld will have an op- portunity through his coaching to create conditions in which even the slightest advantage can help produce game- changing plays. But at the level Penn State is kicking and clawing to reach, the di5erentiating factor will always be quarterbacks mak- ing the right reads and throws, and re- ceivers coming down with tightly contested catches. The successful exe- cution of those plays – winning more of those one-on-one matchups than are lost – is one of the core concepts of Penn State's o5ensive philosophy. It's a drum that can, should, and will be pounded for the duration of the Nittany Lions' o5-season given its importance to the program's success. With Hamler headed to the NFL, the question facing Penn State is whether its returning and incoming receivers can make those sorts of plays. Whether it's Dotson, George, Hippenhammer, Cam Sullivan-Brown, Isaac Lutz, redshirt freshmen John Dunmore and T.J. Jones, or an incoming class that includes four- star prospects KeAndre Lambert and Parker Washington and three-star play- ers Norval Black, Jaden Dottin and Mal- ick Meiga, the path to improvement is straightforward. "At the end of the day, when the ball comes, you've got to make the plays," Franklin said in November. "And we have all of the faith and con3dence that we can do it and that they can do it. We've just got to bring it out in them more." Stubble3eld will have seven months to help prepare the Nittany Lion receivers to do exactly that. From there, once the games begin and the opportunities arise, the execution will depend on the play- ers. ■ 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S

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