Blue White Illustrated

F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K So while the ending of the Rose Bowl was a buzzkill, McSorley and his team- mates shouldn't have any trouble get- ting the party started back up again next September. The Lions' style of play is "a ton of fun," he said. "I think you can kind of see that through our offense. Guys are doing celebrations and stuff like that and high-fiving. People go out, get to the sidelines and do their little dances and stuff like that. It's been a lot of fun. "No one is worried about individual statistics, just offensive team success, and I think that's been the best part – that we're all doing this together. We're having this success together, and that makes it all the more fun for us." It's been fun for a lot of other people, too – Penn State fans, of course, but even those without a rooting interest who just enjoy entertaining football. The Lions are going to take their shots because that's what their offense is de- signed to do. To quote Babe Ruth, "If you want to hit home runs, you've got to swing a lot." ■ QUARTERBACK Statistically, Trace McSorley had an excellent year, throwing for more than 3,600 yards and 29 touch- downs. When you remove sacks, he rushed for 577 yards, so it's clear that the Lions have a true dual-threat quarter- back moving forward. He only threw eight interceptions this season, but some came in crucial moments, most notably against Pitt and USC. As long as he im- proves on his decision-making in key moments, Penn State should feel very good about the offense's potential with McSorley under center........ GRADE B+ RUNNING BACK You can argue that Saquon Barkley tried to do too much at times early in the season, but if that's everyone's biggest gripe, than you're doing something right. Not only did he make a number of game-changing plays, but his blocking has consistently improved throughout his career. That will only help his stock in the 2018 NFL Draft. Backups Miles Sanders and Andre Robinson got in the mix, contributing in different ways. If you think this unit de- serves anything other than an A, then I don't know what you watched this sea- son.................................... GRADE A RECEIVER Chris Godwin had an ex- cellent season, while Mike Gesicki put everything together, showing NFL scouts that he should be a top tight end prospect next season. Individually, they each deserve an A. However, behind those two, we still saw a lot of inconsis- tency as the season progressed. This unit has talent, no doubt about it, but it needs to improve at getting open. With more separation next year, we could see the offense take yet another step for- ward.................................. GRADE B OFFENSIVE LINE Joe Moorhead is the assistant who everyone will be talking about this off-season, but no coach did more with less in 2016 than Matt Limegrover. Don't get me wrong, the O- line has some talent now, but almost all of its best players are still very young. Because of that, it's going to take an- other year, maybe even two, before this unit truly imposes its will on oppo- nents. But come 2018, you may be look- ing at one of the best offensive lines in the nation......................... GRADE B+ DEFENSIVE LINE In years past, the Lions had one or two impact players on their defensive front, but in 2016, it was all about depth. Evan Schwan and Gar- rett Sickels led the team in sacks with six each, but nine other defensive line- men at least assisted for a sack before the season ended. I doubt too many other teams can say that. Those 11-man rotations also wore down almost every opposing offensive line this season. Considering how much of a question mark this unit was in August, it really exceeded expectations, as the Lions fin- ished second in the Big Ten with 40 sacks................................ GRADE A- LINEBACKER When healthy, Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell had solid seasons, but it's still pretty clear that it's going to take another year or two until the Lions have the depth they need at this position. They could also use the kind of big-time playmaker that they often had during the Paterno era. That was very clear in pass coverage, but overall, Cabinda and Bell were a major reason why Penn State embarked on a nine-game winning streak this season. Had one of those two gotten hurt again, PSU wouldn't have won the Big Ten.................................. GRADE B- DEFENSIVE BACK Penn State's sec- ondary excelled at run support in 2016, but it finished ninth in the Big Ten in pass-efficiency defense. Overall, the unit did a pretty good job at not allowing big plays, but it only accounted for four of the team's 10 interceptions... GRADE B- SPECIAL TEAMS Penn State's kicking game took a positive step forward, as freshman Blake Gillikin averaged just shy of 43 yards per punt this season. It was a big improvement over the previ- ous year. And how about Tyler Davis, who hit 22 of 24 field goal attempts? The return game still has room for im- provement, but the kicking game took a big step forward in 2016........ GRADE B COACHING What a difference a year can make, at least, on offense. We knew when he was hired that Moor- head was an excellent play-caller, but I don't think many fans expected the of- fense to average 37 points per game. New defensive coordinator Brent Pry also proved that he was ready for the promotion......................... GRADE B+ 2 0 1 6 S E A S O N G R A D E S B Y R Y A N S N Y D E R

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