Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 2 9 ing made big plays, games where Omari Evans stepped up, and Trey Wallace. We would like to get to the point where all of those guys are factoring in on a weekly basis." A Complicated Story The issue against the Buckeyes wasn't new. More than halfway through Penn State's 2024 campaign, the receiver po- sition group had not caught a touch- down pass against a Big Ten opponent. It wasn't until Penn State welcomed Washington to Beaver Stadium on Nov. 9 that a wideout crossed the goal line with the football; Fleming 's 8-yard score in the final seconds of the first half broke the spell. Heading into their game at Minne- sota on Nov. 23, the Lions were fielding the No. 45 passing offense in the FBS at 248.4 yards per game, and Allar was the 11th-ranked signal-caller in ESPN's QBR, but the offense was leaning hard on senior tight end Tyler Warren to cre- ate an aerial threat. Warren was third in the Big Ten, averaging 80.8 receiv- ing yards per game. The Lions' second- leading pass catcher was Wallace in 19th place at 53.3 yards per game, while Clif- ford was 56th at 26.6. Evans, expected to be a significant contributor in his third season, began with a flourish by making 8 receptions for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Nittany Lions' nonconference slate. In the seven Big Ten games that followed, however, he made 4 catches for 33 yards. Fleming, an Ohio State transfer, had 13 catches for 171 yards through 10 games, including his touchdown against the Huskies. Only two other receivers — redshirt sophomore Anthony Ivey and true freshman Tyseer Denmark — had registered a catch. Still, the story is more complicated than those numbers would suggest. Asked if the receivers were productive enough for the team to accomplish its goals this year, Franklin made two com- peting realities clear. While progress had been made in certain areas since 2023, including individual, single-game performances and clutch catches, much work remained as Penn State progressed toward what it hopes will be a College Football Playoff berth. "I think we have improved. I don't think there is any doubt about it. From last year, we've improved on the field, in practice, in production," Franklin said. "I don't know if we had multiple receiv- ers at times, in different games, go for over 100 yards last year, which we have had this year. I don't know if we had guys step up in critical moments and make clutch plays when t h ey we re n e e d e d m os t . So, I t h i n k there have been sig- nificant strides." In their second season under the leadership of position coach Marques Hagans, the Nittany Lion wideouts got off to a strong start at West Virginia. Wallace's 5 catches for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns were integral to the 34-12 win over the Mountaineers, and there were also positive signs in the weeks that followed. Against Kent State, Ev- ans topped the receiving chart with 116 yards and a touchdown. Against UCLA, Clifford totaled 107 yards on just 3 catches. With those performances in mind, Franklin pushed back against offsea- son narratives questioning the group's potential. "I've been pleased with the step that we've taken," he said prior to Penn State's Big Ten opener against Illinois in September. "I'm kind of surprised that [there haven't been] a ton of articles about our wide receivers and the steps that they've taken, and what Marques Harrison Wallace III was Penn State's most productive wide receiver through the season's first 10 games, total- ing 533 yards and 5 touchdowns on 31 catches. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS T he numbers were stark. Unable to score a non-garbage time touch- down against Ohio State for the second consecutive year, Penn State lost, 20-13, on Nov. 2 in a game that was once again a story of offensive stagnation. Finishing with 270 total yards against one of the nation's top defenses, the Nittany Lions improved slightly on their performance in Columbus in 2023. But with only 150 of those yards coming via the passing game on a 12-for-20 per- formance by junior quarterback Drew Allar, one particular issue loomed omi- nously over the proceedings. In ways both glaring and subtle, the Nittany Lions' wide receiver position was again a nonfactor against the Buck- eyes. Redshirt junior Harrison Wallace III and senior Julian Fleming combined to make 3 catches for 51 yards. The Li- ons' other veteran receivers — juniors Omari Evans and Liam Clifford — were held without a n y c a tc h e s. I t made for an un- sightly stat sheet, o n e t h a t c o a c h James Franklin had hoped not to see. "Getting our wide receivers more touches and more opportunities is important, but we also have to create more separation, make more contested catches, all those things. It's a combina- tion of all of it," Franklin acknowledged in the game's aftermath. "We need them involved, and we want them involved. "I was hoping [against Ohio State] that it would be one of those games where they all came together. We've had a game where Liam Clifford was good. We've had a game where Julian Flem- "There's still more work to do. … We've got to be able to threaten people. We've got to be able to stretch people. We've got to be able to make plays and create separation and make tough catches. That needs to happen." J A M E S F R A N K L I N