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really thinking that the success rate [should be] with these plays? What are our shot plays? Do we have enough of them?" If it sounds familiar, it should; Penn State has been relying on explosive plays as part of its o5ensive identity and will continue to do so. But it will likely need to be more pro3cient going forward. During the 2019 regular season, the Lions found themselves on the losing end of the explosive play battle as many times as they won it. That was partly due to their opponents' success at gen- erating big plays, but it was also a re4ec- tion of their own di6culties on o5ense. Penn State lost the explosive play battle to Bu5alo, Pitt, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State, and it tied Rutgers in the regular-season 3nale. The Lions won the battle in the Cotton Bowl vs. Mem- phis, but just barely, hold- ing a 15-13 edge in their 53-39 victory over the Tigers. Penn State 3nished its season with 135 explosive plays – 68 in the passing game and another 67 on the ground. Of the Lions' 61 total touchdowns, 29 came via explosive plays (10 rushing, 19 passing). One of the ways to en- hance a team's explosive- play potential, Ciarrocca said, is to focus on the receivers' ability to make contested catches down3eld, to turn 50-50 balls into 75-25 balls. That, he said, will require steady improvement within Penn State's wide receiver room in advance of the 2020 season. The Nittany Lions have plenty of three- and four-star talent in that room, and that in itself is a promising indica- tion that the team will be able to 3nd the answers it's seeking in the passing game. Ciarrocca emphasized that a strong tal- ent base is a prerequisite for what he wants to accomplish. "I've been doing this a long time, and I've been in the penthouse and the out- house," he said. "Luckily, I've been in the penthouse a lot more than the out- house, but the common denominator was that every time I've been in the penthouse, I've had really good players around me. But I think it's a system that we've developed that 3ts, and it has an- swers. We know what the answers are, and we know how to move our pieces as the defensive people move their pieces and to put ourselves in the best possible situation for our guys to execute. "So the core philosophies of what I be- lieve make you a successful o5ense have been with me for a long time. The actual plays have evolved with time and with the di5erent players that I've had the pleasure of working with, but I've been blessed. I've been around a lot of good o5enses, and conversely, I've been around a lot of really good players who are willing to work hard and pay the price on a daily basis." The end result of that work, more than any of the individual components within it, is the metric that Ciarrocca will use to de3ne success. The Nittany Lions will likely need to improve on a passing game that ranked 76th in the FBS last season. They may also need to improve on a rush- ing o5ense that ranked 36th. They will certainly be looking to move up in total o5ense a7er 3nishing 57th in that category last season. And while they were 15th in scoring o5ense at 35.8 points per game, there's room for improvement there, too. The program's new o5ensive coor- dinator is ultimately more interested in the scoreboard than in the stat sheet. "The only thing I'm concerned about on Saturdays is, do we score one more point than our opponent?" Ciarrocca said. "I think that's been pretty consis- tent in my career, that I've always looked at that. I never cared about lead- ing the country in this or that. I want to lead the country in wins. That's what I want to lead the country in." ■ 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 I never cared about leading the country in this or that. I want to lead the country in wins. That's what I want to lead the country in. KIRK CIARROCCA " "

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