Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
spring practice, the Lions can't afford to be complacent. When he was head coach at Fordham, Moorhead wanted his quarterbacks to complete at least 65 percent of their at- tempts. Trace McSorley didn't hit that mark in his first season as a starter, fin- ishing the year with a 57.9 percent com- pletion rate. There were some mitigating factors, of course. The most obvious was that McSorley was often slinging passes deep downfield, as Penn State looked to capitalize on its depth at wideout, as well as the fear that running back Saquon Barkley instilled in opposing defenses. And even when he wasn't throwing deep, McSorley was often having to throw into tight windows on obvious passing downs, the result being a 32.6 percent third- down conversion rate that ranked 117th in the FBS. So it's not as though the Lions didn't leave themselves any room for im- provement this spring. Moorhead said in November that he thought McSorley was "trending in the right direction." His completion rate in the team's last three games was 68.7 percent, including a 73.9 percent mark in the regular-season finale against Michi- gan State and a 71 percent mark in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin. If he continues trending up this spring, the Lions' offense could turn out to be even more dynamic than it was in 2016. That's got to be a worrisome thought for opponents. Even with a completion percentage in the upper 50s, McSorley threw for a school-record 3,614 yards last year. 2 What will we see from the Nittany Lions' four early en- rollees? That depends on which freshman you have your eye on. If it's K.J. Hamler, prob- ably not a lot. The speedy receiver is still working his way back from a knee injury he suffered last August in a preseason game at IMG Academy in Florida. One of the reasons he opted to enroll at Penn State in January was to have access to major-college rehab facilities. Assistant coach Josh Gattis said in February that "he's come along very well" since arriving on campus. But with ample depth at wideout this fall, Penn State will un- doubtedly take a patient approach in bringing Hamler along. As for offensive lineman Mike Miranda and linebacker Brelin Faison-Walden, they figure to play more active roles in their first spring practice. The Lions have been building depth on their offensive front, but they do have a hole in their depth chart at center, with Brian Gaia having graduated. At 6-foot- 3, 295 pounds, Miranda has the size to contribute right away, as Connor Mc- Govern did last year, and by all accounts he has the right demeanor, too. Gattis has described the Lions' four offensive line recruits as "inside swing guys with the ability to play outside as well." Given that P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> Sandwiches • Salads • Spuds • Soups • Sweet Tea HUB-Robeson Center • On-Campus mcalistersdeli.com he ic w nd a S • s ad al S • s u o S • s ud Sp T t ee w S • s p u a e T