Penn State Sports Magazine
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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M M eeting with the Big Ten Network during the conference's pre- season media days in July, Penn State head coach James Franklin cut through more than eight months of conversation. Leading a Nittany Lion program beleaguered by its inability to pair an elite offense with its elite defense in 2023, Franklin identified the factors necessary to reverse course this time around. That list of improvements wasn't particularly complicated. "The big thing for us is explosive plays," Franklin said. "We did some re- ally good things last year offensively, but we were not explosive enough." The changes made to the program in the past year reflect the coach's com- mitment to improving that area of the offense. Beginning with the Nov. 12 dismissal of coordinator Mike Yurcich, Franklin has moved with intent to restore the Nittany Lions' explosiveness. His hir- ing of Andy Kotelnicki, made formal three weeks later on Dec. 1, came with an implicit vow to do everything pos- sible to improve that capability. Citing Kansas' offensive success under Kotelnicki's direction, Franklin acknowledged those needs for the Nit- tany Lions. "If you studied Kansas, not only were they explosive, but they did it a ton of different ways — run game, pass game, quarterback run game," he said. "It was a lot of different things that make it really difficult and challenging to defend." The foundational principle at work in the new partnership is straightfor- ward enough. Seeing that Kotelnicki created a mul- tifaceted offense that produced consis- tent explosiveness, Penn State's staff believed it could sweeten the pot on the recipe. Boasting explosive playmak- ers who had previously demonstrated their potential, a contingent led by ju- nior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, junior quarterback Drew Allar and senior tight end Tyler Warren, the Nittany Lions would ef- fectively have better ingredients with which the new chef could work. "We've got a ton of guys who can make big plays," Franklin said. "We've got a system that will put our players in all three phases in position to make big plays. Who are the guys that can do it day in and day out? We've got to be explosive on offense." The sample size is small so far, but Kotelnicki and the Nittany Lions' of- fensive playmakers have lived up to that potential. In the first two games of the 2024 campaign, Penn State produced 26 total explosive plays. As explained by Franklin on his weekly radio show, the Nittany Lions aim each week to pro- duce explosive plays — defined as runs of 12 or more yards and passes of 15 or more yards — on at least 15 percent of their offensive snaps. In a 34-12 win at West Virginia on Aug. 31, Penn State had 11 such plays, accounting for 18.3 percent of the team's 60 total snaps. The next week against Bowling Green, the Nittany Lions bettered that effort with 15 plays exceeding the threshold on 57 offensive snaps — 26.3 percent. Combined, their impact has been undeniable. Out of 895 yards of offense, Penn State generated 628 yards via explosive plays. And, out of the first 9 touchdowns scored in the two games, 7 came on explosive plays. With Penn State wanting to be above 15 percent on offense while holding op- ponents to less than 10 percent defen- sively, those numbers typically would put a team in the top 20 for each statis- tical category nationally. It's a critical area, because even though prolonged drives are a worthy goal, they are more difficult to sustain than they used to be. "That's always a goal for us because it's just too difficult against these de- fenses now to go the old school, 3 yards, 3 yards, 4 yards. We want to be explo- sive," Franklin said. "When you get into these games, some of these opponents, their whole game plan is to say, 'OK … I'm going to run the ball on offense to try to eat up the clock and slow the game down. And I'm going to play a soft defense and keep everything in front of me.' "So, if you play that type of opponent that is playing that style, you can't force the explosive plays. You've got to let them come." While it has met its benchmarks so far, there's still ample room for im- provement. Penn State's 35 percent conversion rate on third down ranked 93rd nationally and 15th in the Big Ten heading into Week 3, and its inability to extend drives has been detrimental. Ex- cluding garbage-time possessions, Penn State has had nine possessions (out of 22 total) that have consisted of five or fewer plays and ended in either a punt or a turnover. Those numbers will need to improve, and the Lions are determined to take the necessary steps. But, for a group that spent the offseason trying to right the shortcomings of its 2023 campaign, the progress made thus far has been en- couraging. ■ J a m es Fra n kli n h as sa i d t h a t h e wa n ts a t least 1 5 percent of Penn State's offensive plays to produce explosive gains. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Big Plays Crucial To PSU's Offensive Productivity