Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
1 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Point – Counterpoint The Nittany Lions Need An Offensive Identity Greg Pickel: It's simple to articulate this problem but not so easy to correct it. Simply put, Penn State needs to figure out what kind of offensive team it has. During the first half of the season, that was an open question. The rushing attack was a consistent weakness, and the Nittany Lions' inability to run the ball, coupled with inaccuracy from senior quarterback Rocco Becht, led to poor results. Prior to the USC game, Becht said the Lions lacked an offensive identity. "We just don't really know if we're a running team or a passing team right now," he said. "We're going back to the drawing board, going back to the meeting rooms, and figuring out what we can do well." It's a chicken vs. egg argument. Is a weak rushing attack allow- ing opponents to put more emphasis on stopping the pass? Or is the inconsistency of the downfield passing game resulting in more loaded boxes that make it all but impossible for Penn State to break out on the ground? The answer doesn't really matter. It all needs to be better if Penn State wants to win more games in the season's second half. The Lions must stop going three-and-out so often, which is putting stress on the defense. When Becht has open receivers, he must find them during his progressions and then make accurate passes. When a running back has a chance to make someone miss, he must do so. Same with an offensive lineman who needs to strain one more second to turn a short gain into an explosive play. Let's be clear: Football is an easy game to describe and a hard game to play. We have no doubt that the coaches and players are trying to fix these things. Until they show consistent results, though, questions will remain about this part of Matt Campbell's team. The Defensive Line Has To Turn Up The Heat Ryan Snyder: I came into the season feeling skeptical about Penn State's defensive line following the loss of all four of last season's starters and the efforts by PSU's new staff to replenish the line via the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions brought in five defensive tackles and two edge rushers, but none who were proven difference-makers at college football's highest level. At the halfway point in the season, I think my initial skepticism has turned out to be warranted. Through their first six games, the Nittany Lions had totaled only 8 sacks, an average of 1.3 per game. They ranked 111th in the FBS, where they were tied with five other teams. Unsurprisingly, those teams had put together a combined record of 14-22. Penn State's standard should never be to play roughly .500 football. That's why, especially in today's game, getting pres- sure on the quarterback is so important. The only thing more important defensively is actually finishing the job and creating a negative play. The ability to create sacks is one of the biggest indicators of success; it's no coincidence that the top 10 teams in average sacks per game through the first six weeks had a com- bined record of 44-11. Penn State's best run of success this decade was from 2022- 24. The Nittany Lions totaled 43 sacks in the first of those three seasons, 50 the following year, and 44 in 2024. This year's team, which was hindered by a season-ending injury to redshirt sopho- more edge rusher Max Granville in September, wasn't even on pace to get to 20 sacks heading into its matchup against Michigan. When you add in the fact that PSU ranked 105th in the FBS in rushing defense and 101st in tackles for loss, the defensive line, both inside and outside, is undoubtedly the area this team needs to fix if it wants to finish strong in the second half of the season. What's The Most Urgent Fix Penn State Needs To Make? Through six games, quarterback Rocco Becht had completed 62.7 percent of his attempts for 1,397 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Caleb Bacon started out as a linebacker following his transfer from Iowa State but has been moved into an edge-rushing role to fill out a thin position group. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL