Blue White Illustrated

August 2021

Penn State Sports Magazine

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M ike Yurcich has a way of making offensive football seem simple. Distilled down to its essence, his approach is to score points in bunches and make it impossible for opponents to keep pace. But the college game isn't nearly so straightforward, and Yurcich also has a way of making its complexity seem… well… complex. Dur- ing a recent interview, Yur- cich went into a lengthy, color-coded disquisition about the importance of matchups and how an "orange" offense might expect to fare against a "blue" or "green" or "purple" defense. Asked whether his players knew what those colors signified, Yurcich laughed. "I just made that s--t up," he said. "I don't even know what those col- ors mean." Yurcich is one of the game's most successful of- fensive coordinators, having directed high-scoring units at Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Texas. Now he's bringing his high-intensity approach to Penn State. BWI's Nate Bauer had an opportunity to speak to him in June about his priorities and teaching methods. Here's what he had to say: BWI What would be your elevator- pitch approach to offensive football? YURCICH Score as many points as you can. Turn it over as infrequently as hu- manly possible. Secure the football. Play with good sportsmanship. Be tough. Be smart. Be skilled. Play fast. Be tough. Be tough. And score. BWI How many of those are achiev- able? GETTING TO THE POINTS >> NEW IN TOWN Yurcich talks to quarterback Ta'Quan Rober- son during a prac- tice session this past spring. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics Mike Yurcich brings a new approach to Penn State's quest for more scoring prowess T H E O F F E N S E

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