Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M O ver the first month of the 2022 sea- son, Penn State's running game saw a significant transformation thanks to the talents and efforts of five-star freshman Nicholas Singleton. Usually, when a star player achieves the success you expect, the lion's share of attention and credit go to the individual with the ball. But let's look beyond that and examine the framework the offense operates within to understand the "how" behind Singleton's success. In the most basic sense, there are two styles of run-blocking schemes: man and zone. Man-blocking schemes call for offensive players to secure the defensive players to whom they are assigned. Zone- blocking schemes designate an area of responsibility for a blocker who works in concert with his teammates. For most of head coach James Frank- lin's tenure, the Nittany Lions have been an inside zone-blocking team. This scheme, built in concert with the read option, creates a problematic situation for defensive linemen and linebackers. It has led to a revolution that has prolifer- ated throughout the college and NFL landscape during the past 15 to 20 years. As a result, these schemes are typically a core element of the spread offense. It seems now that defenses have caught up with the spread. "For a while, everyone was running the wishbone, and it was a nightmare," Franklin said this fall. "And then over time, people started to figure that out and go away from it. The spread is kind of the same way." During the past few seasons, Penn State has struggled to run the football from its traditional shotgun sets. As a re- sult, the Nittany Lions have incorporated more man-blocking schemes into the of- fense. You can run both systems from the same formation but on different sides of the offensive line. So, for example, if the running back is lined up on the same side as the tight end in a shotgun formation and runs to that side, it's a man scheme. On the flip side, if he crosses the quarterback's path, it's a zone scheme. This tendency-breaker has been the bulk of what Franklin and his coordinators have done regarding man blocking. But this season, Penn State's rushing attack has taken a vastly different ap- proach. With Singleton in tow, PSU has de-emphasized the spread look and has gone to traditional running sets with the quarterback under center and the run- ning back in a single-back set. Penn State's complete transformation took effect in the blowout win at Auburn, where the team rushed for 245 yards and 5 touchdowns. What's more, the Nittany Lions went all-in on gap schemes in the game, which include power (one pulling lineman) and counter (two pulling linemen) schemes. According to Pro Football Focus, the core offensive linemen executed a gap scheme on 65.7 percent of running plays against the Tigers. While this is a one-game sample, that's a massive shift in philoso- phy. Over the past five seasons, the high- water mark for a starting offensive line- man executing a man-blocking scheme was 45 percent in 2020. Franklin downplayed the change, cit- ing the use of these same concepts dating back to 2019. "I wouldn't say the gap schemes are significantly different because they're the same schemes we've had," he said. "But I think being under center [is different]. A big strength of our personnel is our tight ends. A big strength right now of our per- sonnel is our running backs and being as multiple as we possibly can." Franklin's point about "being mul- tiple" is critical going forward. The team showed proficiency in executing zone, man, gap, counter, pull, and power con- cepts through the season's first month. That level of diversity creates a healthy environment for the offense to operate. It also means the Lions can run any system during any game if they need to. On top of this, offensive coordinator Mike Yurich is also using formations to assist his players. Franklin's condensed formations and jumbo two-tight-end sets mentioned earlier are the chief of these. These formations force the defense to bring safeties and defensive backs into gap responsibility when paired with a man-blocking concept. It's a style made famous partly by NFL coaches Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay of the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, respectively. These formations, which align the re- ceivers tight to the edge of the tackle box, open up massive stretches of green grass to the outside. The concept allows an elite athlete like Singleton to break off big runs if he can get outside of the defensive containment. To illustrate this point, Singleton rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown out of these condensed formations against Ohio and Auburn. The run against the Tigers was a game-changing play that set up a score two plays later to put Penn State up by 15 in the third quarter. By leaning into the talents of their players and evolving beyond the tradi- tional systems they're used to, the Penn State offensive coaches have put their players in a position to succeed. The Li- ons' ground game is as healthy and dan- gerous as it's ever been heading into the teeth of the Big Ten schedule. ■ Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has used formations to create open space that the Nittany Lions' running backs can exploit. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT A Schematic Evolution Puts PSU Runners In Position To Excel JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR TFRANK.CARR@ON3.COM