Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State turned in one of its most complete performances of the season on Nov. 9 when it routed Washington, 35-6. The Nittany Lions were sharp in the first half, scoring touchdowns on all four of their possessions and racing out to a 28-0 lead. However, the third quarter was dis- jointed, beginning with a holding penalty that negated Nicholas Singleton's 97- yard return of the second-half kickoff, and continuing with a fumble by senior tight end Tyler Warren on the second play from scrimmage. Aided by those miscues, Washington was able to linger for a while as a viable threat. The performance was part of a series of games in which Penn State wasn't able to put its opponent away early. The only true blowouts this season have been a 56-0 win over Kent State on Sept. 21 and a 49-10 romp over Purdue on Nov. 16. Most of the other games have been com- petitive deep into the third quarter if not the fourth, and one has gone to overtime. On Nov. 11, head coach James Franklin opened his press conference by speaking about the team's plan to use its remain- ing redshirt availability for the class of 2024. There is, however, a flip side to that conversation. With so many games be- ing relatively close, the starters and key reserve players have been piling up more snaps than ever. Franklin attributed this situation to a shift in the dynamics of conference membership. In his view, expansion has leveled the playing field. "The Big Ten is not the Big Ten that we always remember. The SEC is no longer the SEC that we all remember," Franklin said. "When you bring these teams in and you increase the competi- tion week in, week out, this is not your grandfather's Big Ten. This is not your father's Big Ten, and the same with the SEC. You're not going to have these lop- sided games that you've had in the past. It's going to be more like the NFL, where there are a lot of one-possession games." To Franklin's point, the bulk of Penn State's schedule this year has been against the middle tier of the Big Ten. Il- linois is a solid team at 7-3. Even UCLA rebounded from a disastrous start to reel off three in a row against Rutgers, Nebraska and Iowa. The Illini and Bruins kept their games at PSU frustratingly close. Given that context, how has Penn State fared when it comes to managing snap counts? Franklin said the team is roughly where it wants to be. "I think we are positioned fairly well right now because we've been very, very strategic," he said. The biggest concerns are at safety, where there is little depth. With junior Kevin Winston Jr. missing virtually the entire season due to an injury he suf- fered against Bowling Green in Week 2 and King Mack having transferred to Alabama after spring practice, the Lions have been forced to lean on senior Jaylen Reed and redshirt junior Zakee Wheatley. Through 10 games, Reed had played 518 defensive snaps, while Wheatley had played 508. The next-closest Nittany Lion defender was junior edge rusher Abdul Carter with 446. If there's one area on the roster where Penn State needs to back off in the final weeks, it's here. Reed and Wheatley will still play, but getting freshman safeties Dejuan Lane and Vaboue Toure into ac- tion as much as possible makes sense. The issue, of course, is that unless it's a true blowout, Penn State must always keep Wheatley or Reed on the field. Linebacker is another position group with limited depth. Through 10 games, only redshirt junior Kobe King and sophomore Tony Rojas had registered a "starter" number of snaps this year. Rojas has absorbed the worst of several compounding factors. The staff doesn't think the young backups are ready to see the field, so he's received the most snaps (415) of any linebacker while also working through an injury. If possible, the coaches would surely like to give him some rest ahead of the postseason. Carter has been a workhorse for the defense. Not only did he add weight and change positions this year, he also has played virtually the same number of snaps as he did last season. Decreasing his workload for the final weeks and al- lowing him to be the best version of him- self for the postseason is critical. Penn State's next opponent, Minne- sota, falls into that middle-tier category at 6-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play heading into the Nov. 23 matchup. PSU's final opponent, Maryland, was 4-6 overall and 1-6 in conference play prior to its game against Iowa on Nov. 23. The Terrapins have been slowly sinking to the bottom of the league standings. Their Nov. 30 visit to Beaver Stadium will be Penn State's Senior Day, but it may offer the Lions a chance to rest their veterans and put their depth to good use. ■ O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR T F R A N K .C A R R @ O N 3 .C O M Snap Counts Reflect The Big Ten's New Normal Senior safety Jaylen Reed has played more snaps than any other Penn State defender this year — 518 through 10 games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL UPON FURTHER REVIEW