Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 6 N O V E M B E R 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 In keeping with his long-established policy, Franklin didn't elaborate on the extent of Allen's injury during Penn State's bye week. The running back was practicing during a portion of the team's drills that was open to the media, meaning that we'll probably be seeing him again sometime soon. If that's the case, PSU's two-headed monster will continue to roll, with Potts waiting in the wings when needed. Grade: B+ WIDE RECEIVER: This position group was the biggest question mark entering the season, and that hasn't changed. Junior KeAndre Lambert-Smith has looked like the offensive leader that Penn State needed him to be this year. Through five games, he had 25 receptions for 372 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also one of the more highly ranked pass catch- ers nationally according to Pro Football Focus, earning a 79.4 receiving grade to place 21st among Power Five wideouts with at least 15 targets. After Lambert-Smith, however, it's been hit-or-miss. Sophomores Harrison "Trey" Wallace III and Omari Evans have both seen their playing time curtailed by injuries. Redshirt sophomore Liam Clif- ford, junior Malik McClain and redshirt senior Dante Cephas have all flashed at one point or another, but drops have been an issue for this group collectively, and so has consistency, both as pass catchers and blockers. The bottom line is that Penn State's re- ceivers need to be better moving forward if the team is going to reach its highest goals. That starts with everyone getting healthy so they can get into a rhythm with Allar. Before the season began, we noted that this is the position group that could wreck the team's College Football Playoff aspira- tions the quickest. We still feel that way. The receivers need to start doing a better job of creating separation at the line of scrimmage and giving Allar more chances to throw downfield. As many fans have noticed, that part of the Penn State game plan has been absent all season. Grade: C+ TIGHT END: Penn State believes it has the best tight end group in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are getting plenty of snaps out of juniors Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren. Have they lived up to the hype, though? It's hard to say. Warren has been a key part of the Li- ons' quarterback sneak and T-formation plays. Johnson has been up-and-down as a blocker, despite an offseason focus on that aspect of his game. Warren has 14 catches for 115 yards and 4 touchdowns. Johnson has 12 catches for 101 yards but has not found the end zone. Throw in some solid play from red- shirt sophomore Khalil Dinkins, and this group is performing better than many realize. Can they block better in certain situations? For sure. Is it sur- prising that Johnson hasn't been used more in the pass game? It is, despite his stats. But, by and large, position coach Ty Howle has this group in a great spot. Grade: B OFFENSIVE LINE: Penn State has a future first-round NFL Draft pick at left tackle in junior Olumuyiwa Fashanu. The Lions also have three starters for two guard spots, provided that redshirt junior left guard JB Nelson gets back on the field at some point after leaving the Northwestern game with an unspeci- fied injury. Super senior center Hunter Nourzad has all but eliminated the high snaps that hurt him earlier in the year, so that's another positive. At right tackle, redshirt senior Caedan Wallace is who he is at this point, and that's a player who is maddeningly inconsistent but can be very good when he's on. Penn State surrendered only 3 sacks and 19 tackles for loss through five games. For the most part, we like what we've seen so far. Penn State's linemen have been playing with more of a mean streak than they exhibited in previous years and have grown more consistent. Position coach Phil Trautwein and ana- lyst Frank Leonard are doing a nice job getting these guys ready for game day, and it bears mentioning that they are doing it without Landon Tengwall, who had been projected to start at left guard before an unspecified health problem forced him to medically retire just a few weeks prior to the start of the season. What impresses us most is how Penn State has been able to close out games when the opponent knows it wants to run the ball. The big men up front are a primary reason for that success. Grade: A- DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END: Penn State ex- pected its top three defensive ends — redshirt senior Adisa Isaac, junior Chop Robinson and sophomore Dani Dennis- Sutton — to be excellent this season, and they have been, wrecking games by applying consistent pressure. That trio hasn't been the whole story, though. Juniors Zuriah Fisher and Amin Vanover have both shown that they pos- sess top-end talent, giving PSU pro- ductive depth that doesn't look all that different from the first string. The combination has been wide- ranging and impactful. Isaac was leading the Nittany Lions with 2.5 sacks and 4 tackles for loss through five games, but PFF's advanced metrics showed Robinson tied with him for the team lead in quarterback pres- sures with 15. Dennis-Sutton was right behind with 14, and despite the severe dropoff in reps after missing the first two games of the season, Vanover was tied for fourth on the team with 10. The picture of Penn State's defensive ends, then, is one of waves. Creating mismatch problems for opposing of- fensive coordinators, with fresh legs to frustrate offensive lines, the Nittany Li- ons' edge rushers are virtually tireless, generating opportunities for the entire front seven to have success. There is room for growth in the back half of the schedule. Finishing off the game-breaking plays that have proven elusive — thanks in large part to the chipping Penn State is seeing from op- posing tight ends and running backs — is part of it. But in executing its responsibilities,