Blue White Illustrated

D uring Penn State's preseason drills last August, many fans and media members seemed to believe its of- fense was poised for an upswing. Christian Hackenberg had a chance to break seemingly every season and career passing record in the program's history, in spite of a frustratingly up-and-down 2014 season. He had capped his year with a terri9c performance in the Pin- stripe Bowl and appeared ready to take another step forward in 2015. The Nittany Lions' o:ensive line re- turned four starters, and there was an outstanding group of underclassman wide receivers on hand. Additionally, with two of the most highly recruited tight end prospects in the country on the roster, plus a handful of inexperi- enced but talented tailbacks, it didn't seem unreasonable to believe Penn State's o:ense could improve signi9- cantly. However, that optimism quickly fad- ed when the Nittany Lions were upset by Temple, 27-10, in the opening game of the season. After scoring the first 10 points of the game, Penn State fell apart on offense, finishing with only nine to- tal first downs, 141 yards rushing and only 103 yards through the air, while al- lowing Hackenberg to be sacked 10 times. It would turn out to be a sign of things to come. For the second year in a row, the o:ense 9nished at the bottom of nearly every statistical category in the Big Ten, a major letdown given the ex- pectations. The numbers were paltry, as Penn State ranked 11th in the conference in scoring average at 23.2 points per game. It averaged 16.5 9rst downs per game, 9nished in 12th place in the Big Ten in rushing with an average of only 133.9 yards per game, and it didn't fare much better through the air, ranking ninth with an average of 214.5 passing yards per game. That adds up to 348.4 yards per game of total o:ense. Only one Big Ten team was worse: Northwestern, at 327.1 yards per game. The Nittany Lions' pass protection again faltered, as they allowed 39 sacks for 230 yards in losses, some of the worst totals in the country. Their third- down conversion rate of 27.6 percent (51 of 185 opportunities) was last in the Big Ten. And even when Penn State got close to the end zone, it didn't score touchdowns. In 45 red zone opportuni- ties, it scored 25 TDs to tie for ninth place in the conference alongside Rut- gers. That certainly wasn't the type of per- formance James Franklin and his o:en- sive sta: were expecting heading into the season, and it has given rise to skep- ticism about whether the Lions will be able to turn things around in 2016. Yes, they once again return four starters on their o:ensive line, but doubts remain a;er two underwhelming seasons. Moreover, Hackenberg is gone and the candidates to replace him are inexperi- enced. So while there's excitement about the arrival of new o:ensive coor- dinator Joe Moorhead, those feelings are tempered by the realization that Penn State has yet to show that it can move the ball consistently. But even though the results to date have been unimpressive, I believe Penn State has the potential to improve sig- ni9cantly. Here's a look at what needs to happen for the Nittany Lions to make strides on o:ense in 2016: QUARTERBACK For a detailed look at Trace McSorley's performance in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Georgia, see Page 24. What I want to emphasize here is how I believe McSorley, redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens and January enrollee Jake Zembiec will 9t into Moor- head's o:ensive philosophy. On paper, all three seem better physi- cally suited to the spread o:ense than Hackenberg did, having already run variations of the spread in high school. But McSorley is the only returning scholarship quarterback with any game experience at the collegiate level. For the season, he completed 20 of 40 passes for 185 yards, with touchdown passes of 17 and 20 yards, both against Georgia. He also proved himself to be a running op- tion in the bowl game while 9nishing the season carrying the ball 13 times for 43 yards (3.3 yards per carry). Against Georgia, he was the Lions' second-lead- ing rusher with 31 yards on seven carries (4.4 ypc). However, I'm still expecting Stevens to o:er strong competition in the battle for the starting quarterback job this fall. And Zembiec can't be eliminated from the equation, having enrolled in January. He will have an opportunity to work with Moorhead's system at the same pace as McSorley and Stevens. I'm convinced Stevens will give Mc- Sorley a run for his money, thanks to his physical presence – he's 6-foot-4, 211 pounds – and his athleticism, both of which appear perfectly suited to Moor- head's system. RUNNING BACK Akeel Lynch is set to leave early, and his impending departure deprives Penn State of some game expe- rience and leadership at the running back position. But with sophomore Saquon Barkley 9rmly established as Penn State's No. 1 ball carrier, Franklin and his o:ensive sta: have a legitimate star-in-the-making, one who is primed for even more success in the years Nittany Lions have the potential to make strides on offense in 2016 PHIL'S CORNER

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