Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M GREG PICKEL | GPIC92@GMAIL.COM Penn State finished the first half of its season with a 23-20 loss at Iowa in which a lot of things went wrong. But before their disheartening afternoon at Kinnick Stadium, a lot of things went right for the Nittany Lions. Here's a look at how they graded out through their first six games: QUARTERBACK: Fifth-year senior Sean Clifford has been effective as both a passer and a runner. His completion percentage (66.3) is much better than it was a year ago, and while he was fourth in the Big Ten with five interceptions through six games, he had also thrown 11 touchdown passes while adding two scores on the ground. As for redshirt sophomore Ta'Quan Roberson, he was thrust into a very difficult situation at Iowa and looked ill-prepared for the spotlight. GRADE: B RUNNING BACK: This looked like an A+ position group heading into the season, but it hasn't performed up to those lofty expectations so far. Junior Noah Cain has been playing through an injury, and Keyvone Lee, while probably the team's most effective runner, has had ball-security and blocking difficulties. Junior Devyn Ford and senior John Lovett have flashed, but not consistently enough to earn more reps. And now, both of those guys are banged up, too. GRADE: C WIDE RECEIVER: The only knock on this group is that four players are getting most of the reps. But is that really a bad thing when you have seniors Jahan Dotson and Cam Sullivan-Brown and sophomores Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith? Our answer is no. Dotson has been bottled up at times, with opponents concentrating on taking away the Lions' best playmaker. But that's opened things up for everyone else, and Clifford has not struggled to find those guys. GRADE: A- TIGHT END: Going into the season, there were high hopes for redshirt sophomore Brenton Strange, sophomore Theo Johnson and redshirt fresh- man Tyler Warren. But, like the running backs, Penn State's tight ends haven't met expectations. Drops have been a problem, as have blocking lapses. There have been some positives, too, but this position group needs to be more productive. GRADE: C- OFFENSIVE LINE: This is easily the hardest offensive position group to grade. Coach Phil Trautwein's unit only allowed nine sacks in six games, and yet it really hadn't performed well enough in the ground game. Some will argue for a C here, and it's easily to understand why. But the running game would be better if the linemen were getting more help from the re- ceivers and tight ends, and the backs were doing a better job of hitting the right holes and breaking tackles. GRADE: C+ DEFENSIVE LINE: There were concerns in the offseason about how this group would fare, but it was stellar through six games. Seniors Arnold Ebik- etie and Jesse Luketa and redshirt junior Nick Tarburton have done a fine job of forcing pressure from the end spots, and redshirt sophomore Smith Vilbert has flashed a bit, too. At tackle, senior tackle PJ Mustipher was hav- ing a terrific year before suffering a season-ending injury at Iowa, while senior Derrick Tangelo has eaten up space. GRADE: A- LINEBACKER: Senior Ellis Brooks is maybe the most overlooked player on the defense. It was no secret that the veteran middle linebacker would have to take a big step forward in 2021 for the defense to do the same, and he absolutely has. Junior Brandon Smith and sophomore Curtis Jacobs have been great in their own right at outside linebacker. You could nitpick here, but anything less than an A just feels wrong. GRADE: A CORNERBACK: Penn State didn't face a killer quarterback in its first six games, but it certainly took care of the ones it did face, attacking the ball and sticking like glue in most coverage situations. Redshirt sophomore Joey Porter Jr. has frequently used his long arms to break up what ap- pear to be sure completions, while senior Tariq Castro-Fields looks like the guy we got to know early in his career before he began having injury problems. GRADE: A- SAFETY: Unlike in previous years, you don't get the feeling this season that opposing teams think they can pick on the Lions' last line of defense. Seniors Jaquan Brisker and Ji'Ayir Brown have usually been in the right place at the right time in both pass coverage and run support, while senior Jonathan Sutherland and junior Keaton Ellis have upheld that high stan- dard when they've been on the field. GRADE: A+ SPECIAL TEAMS: We can't completely forget about senior Jordan Stout's missed field goals and extra points early in the year, and the return game hasn't produced a lot of memorable moments. But those are the only demerits on an otherwise stellar report card. Stout has been outstanding as a punter, routinely putting opposing offenses in difficult spots, and his kickoffs are rarely returnable. GRADE: A- Nittany Lions' Midseason Report Card Through Penn State's first six games, senior inside linebacker Ellis Brooks was lead- ing the team with 44 tackles. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL