Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M p-tempo. No-huddle. Fast-paced. Quick, quick and quicker. Penn State's new offense is com- manding headlines this spring, and rightfully so. Beginning with the starters' first possession of the spring scrimmage – a seven-play drive that covered 70 yards in fewer than 3 min- utes, capped masterfully by a rapid-fire 15-yard play-action touchdown pass from Trace McSorley to Chris Godwin – the new offense lived up to most of the reports that preceded it. On the heels of its scoring lull of the past two seasons, Penn State's new of- fensive system so far has been a breath of needed fresh air and thus a saving grace. When it's run according to the instructions, the system has an inherent advantage in that it continuously wears on defenses. As McSorley says, "You're always trying to go a little faster." But before closing the book on 2016's spring practice sessions, before con- vincing ourselves on the evidence pre- sented in the Blue-White Game that that the woes of the previous seasons have suddenly been cured, let's slow it down a little bit. While in theory – and so far in prac- tice – the new offensive system has its benefits, it can also have its repercus- sions. For as fast as it goes, the quicker it can stop. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead said the "base foundation of the offense is installed," and head coach James Franklin estimated that 95 percent of the new scheme is now in place. But what remain to be implemented are some of the more intricate aspects of the system. They're also some of the most important. With a no-huddle approach, Moor- head and the QB have the ability to ma- nipulate the game's flow, depending on the defense it's facing or the situation. In order to prepare for varying scenar- ios, Moorhead not only will institute new concepts (or plays, according to his parlance), he's also introducing alterna- tive tempos in order to keep the oppo- nent guessing. Perhaps more important, though – no matter how fast we all want it to go – the changes-of-pace are used to control the clock as well and chew it when needed. And it will be needed – late in games with leads on the line or, more certain, when its own defense needs time to recuperate on the sideline. PSU used a no-huddle offense at times in Franklin's first two seasons but didn't have consistent success. There were times when the approach did more harm than good. Three-and-outs were common and the quick-attacks that were seen five different times in April were not. If the engine is humming, as it was for the Blue team, then it's a force to be reckoned with. If it doesn't get warmed up, as happened with the White, then other problems arise. Already thinned out by graduation and injuries, the center of Penn State's de- fensive line might find itself especially vulnerable in support of a no-huddle, no-first-down offense. Without ample time to rest and recover between series, speed becomes a burden the defense must carry. Complementary football, as they call it. Consider what Newton said: For every action there's an equal and opposite re- action. Fastballs, after all, create the longest home runs. For as much tempo as PSU uses, surely its opponent can capitalize on it in reverse with a coun- terpunch. Take for instance this not-so-far- fetched scenario: A first-year QB under a new coordinator playing behind a still-jelling offensive line struggles to find rhythm at first when live action be- gins. For a revamped PSU defense, it would be a heavy load to shoulder early. The Blue team's five touchdown drives are proof that Moorhead's plan works, but look no further than the White team to see what happens when the offense isn't piling up yardage. Running largely the same system, not only did the White fail to score any points, it also struggled to maintain possession – and that might be the more worrisome statistic. In the second and third quarters combined, the White offense held the ball for only 9 minutes, 31 seconds compared to the Blue team's 23:29 of possession time. A disparity like that could be conse- quential in games later on for any of- fense and, maybe more important, any defense that's left picking up the slack. But the key is to work fast and score as often as possible. With Moorhead's best players running the show in his Beaver Stadium debut, the offense did just that. The Blue team compiled 411 yards of total offense, running plays so quick- ly that even the computer systems keeping track of live stats struggled to match the pace. Late in the second quarter, one of the White's backup de- fensive linemen could be seen vomiting from apparent exhaustion. A moment that most wanted to turn away from en- ergized the offense and in turn epito- mized what Moorhead hopes to accom- plish. "It's huge for us knowing that we can do that to a defense," McSorley said. "Not only is it a big boost for an offense, but for an offensive line it's so much easier for them to block a dude who is tired and gassed than it is a dude who is energized and juiced up every play." Exactly why it's imperative that his own D-line gets its rest. ■ Speed trap U

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