Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
3 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M GRADING THE NITTANY LIONS Penn State earns solid marks following a bounce-back performance in 2022 P enn State entered the 2022 season determined to achieve some level of redemption. The Nittany Lions had played .500 football over the previ- ous two seasons and as a result were un- ranked going into their latest campaign. They ended up going 10-2 and were ninth in the AP poll and 11th in the Col- lege Football Playoff rankings heading into bowl season. Here's a look at how BWI graded Penn State's position groups during the regu- lar season: QUARTERBACK Sean Clifford returned for a sixth year to man- age the quarterbacks room. His ceiling and floor as a signal-caller had both been well established by the time the 2022 season got underway, but his on-field performances were just one facet of Clifford's overall contribution to the Nittany Lions. He ended up doing what he needed to do to turn around the team's fortunes. Clifford com- pleted 210 of 330 passes for 2,543 yards, throw- ing 22 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions. Three of those interceptions came against Ohio State, and they did prove costly. His 63.6 percent completion rate was a career-high, though, and at a moment in the program's trajectory when steady leadership presented the most viable path to success, Clifford delivered. Grade: B RUNNING BACK By winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year hon- ors, Nicholas Singleton signaled just how dramati- cally Penn State had improved on the ground this season. What's more, he wasn't the only fresh- man running back who shined for the Nittany Lions. Kaytron Allen was also a big part of Penn State's rise from 118th in the FBS in rushing last year to 43rd this fall (182.1 yards per game). Together, Singleton and Allen rushed for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns in 12 games, giving the Lions a reliable and dynamic one-two punch. With improved ball security and more consis- tency catching passes out of the backfield, this duo has a chance to reach new heights next season. Grade: B WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT ENDS Super senior transfer Mitchell Tinsley helped complement third-year sophomore Parker Wash- ington, while redshirt junior Brenton Strange and third-year sophomore Theo Johnson provided a needed threat from the tight end position. On the other end of the spectrum, though, the Nittany Lions struggled at times to find a consis- tent third option among the receivers. Third-year sophomore KeAndre Lambert-Smith (21 catches) and redshirt freshmen Harrison Wallace (17) and Liam Clifford (8) are going to be counted upon next season, regardless of whether PSU dips into the transfer portal again. Grade: B OFFENSIVE LINE Penn State's performance here was as good as the team could have hoped. In Phil Trautwein's third season as offensive line coach, the Nittany Lions mostly kept Clifford upright and created holes for Singleton and Allen. On its own, that would be enough to earn a markedly improved grade over recent seasons. That the Lions performed effectively despite significant injuries to redshirt freshman guard Landon Tengwall, redshirt sophomore tackle Olu Fashanu and redshirt junior tackle Caedan Wal- lace makes the line's performance even more impressive. Grade: B DEFENSIVE LINE Penn State finished the regular season as the Big Ten leader in sacks with 37, and it did so de- spite totaling just 1 sack in its first two games. Heading into the Rose Bowl, PSU had taken big strides under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. It was stopping the run (ranking 14th nationally) and putting opponents into negative-yardage situations (seventh in tack- les for loss). Grade: A LINEBACKERS This group's productivity lagged at times during the first half of the season, with a 41-17 loss at Michigan serving as a painful reminder of how much room for improvement remained. Eventually, though, demonstrable steps were taken. Third-year sophomore Curtis Jacobs ben- efitted from freshman Abdul Carter's emergence, while redshirt sophomore Tyler Elsdon and redshirt freshman Kobe King settled in at middle linebacker. By the end of the regular season, this position group looked to be in better shape than nearly anyone could have anticipated a few months earlier. Grade: B DEFENSIVE BACKS These guys can play, and they proved it repeat- edly throughout the season. Super senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown, redshirt junior cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and sophomore cornerback Kalen King combined for an eye-popping 32 pass breakups and 5 interceptions. As a team, Penn State went into the Rose Bowl ranked No. 2 nationally in pass-efficiency defense. Grade: A SPECIAL TEAMS In his first season as special teams coordinator at Penn State, Stacy Collins capably handled the overhaul that was needed after punter/place- kicker Jordan Stout graduated. The Nittany Lions were better than expected on punts and kickoffs, improved on their kickoff re- turns and largely avoided backbreaking mistakes. Grade: B NAT E BAU E R | NAT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M After disappointing finishes in 2020 and '21, coach James Franklin led the Nittany Lions to another 10-win regular season this past fall, their fourth in the past seven years. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE