It was another frustrating loss for the Penn State football program on Saturday afternoon to the Michigan State Spartans. Despite the Spartans having numerous players either out or playing while recovering from the flu, the Nittany Lions were unable to parlay those issues for Michigan State into a victory.
Overall, for Penn State, it was a game that will ultimately be defined by some of the major issues that have haunted them for the entirety of the 2021 season. From the offensive lines' struggles to missed tackles and just general missed opportunities, it was a game that Penn State had the ability to win.
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1. Poor offensive play calling
Penn State’s offense this season has been nearly entirely one-dimensional. The Nittany Lions struggled week in and week out in trying to get the run game going outside two outlier performances against Ball State and Indiana. On Saturday, while going up against the worst pass defense in the country, the Nittany Lions’ offensive game plan seemed to focus on having a balanced offensive attack. A curious decision to say the least, after all this is a Michigan State pass defense that had faced 40+ passing attempts in all but two games entering Saturday and had allowed 350+ yards in each of their four prior games including three games of 400-yards or more.
Before Penn State's last offensive drive that featured 11 passing attempts, Sean Clifford attempted just 23 passes in the game. Well below, the Nittany Lions seasonal average of 37.5 attempts per game. On that final offensive drive while down 10 with just about four minutes remaining, offensive coordinator, Mike Yurcich decided to allow Clifford to air it out consistently. The Nittany Lions went 77-yards over 13 plays while Clifford was 7-for-11 through the air for 87-yards which included a 15-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington to bring the Nittany Lions within three. It’s also likely a fair assessment that that was more due to situational circumstances rather than choice.
For an offense that hasn’t seen any resemblance of balance all season, picking to do so against the worst pass defense in the country was certainly a questionable time to try and become balanced. Especially when Sean Clifford made quite a few tough throws earlier in the game despite the poor weather conditions. Had they focused on the passing attack, it would be hard to believe Michigan State would've had the means to stop the Nittany Lions' passing attack at any consistent rate.
2. Offensive line
It was another rough outing for Penn State's offensive line as they allowed four sacks in the game and were unable to get any sort of push in short-yardage situations. While Keyvone Lee averaged over five yards per carry on the afternoon when it came to those short-yardage situations, Lee would often be surrounded by Spartans before even receiving the ball. Now, Lee's inability to quickly hit holes has been a factor throughout the season but the offensive lines' inability especially inside to get any push in those situations was a major issue all season.
I also question why Landon Tengwall wasn’t seen before the second half of the game on Saturday. Against Rutgers, Tengwall was the Nittany Lions' highest-rated offensive lineman and looked comfortable in his collegiate debut. However, the coaching staff chose not to play Tengwall until the final 30 minutes against Michigan State. While getting Tengwall a taste of college action against Rutgers was in my mind, a crucial step in developing Tengwall for the future, I would also tend to argue that at this point in the season, playing someone like Tengwall as much as possible is much more important for the future than continuing to struggle with the same offensive lineman you have played with for a majority of the season.
3. Penn State’s defense struggled to get off the field
For the majority of the season, Penn State's offense has been able to trust their defense to bail them out when needed. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions' defense had one of their worst performances of the season in all aspects. In the game, Michigan State totaled 451 total yards including 183-yards allowed on the ground.
It was expected that Michigan State's star running back Kenneth Walker III was going to have a good day, and he did, with 138-yards and a touchdown on 30-carries. But they also allowed 39-yards and a score on eight rushing attempts out of quarterback Payton Thorne. Like last season, Thorne's ability to take off from the pocket and pick up some valuable yardage ended up being crucial for Michigan State's abilities offensively when it came to moving the ball consistently.
Third down and fourth down were both huge struggles for the Penn State defense as well, the Spartans converted 9-of-18 third-down attempts and three of four fourth-down attempts including what would be the game-clinching touchdown on a 4th and 15 with 5:10 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Thorne to Jayden Reed to give the Spartans a 30-20 lead.
For a defense that had come up so big time and time again throughout the season, it seemed that they perhaps finally ran out of gas.
4. Jordan Stout’s placekicking struggles
Throughout the season, Jordan Stout's placekicking has become a place of ire for the fanbase as he had a few costly misses throughout the season including four misses from within 50-yards. On Saturday, Stout's inconsistencies once again were an issue for the Nittany Lions, and ultimately, the four points on which he failed to convert, possibly cost the Nittany Lions a victory.
Towards the end of the first half, Stout had the opportunity to tie the game at 17-17 but missed a 27-yard field goal. Yes, the weather was poor but when playing in the Big Ten, it's almost a certainty that you'll have to perform in cold and potentially snowy weather. Now, one could argue about putting your kicker in that situation, but a 27-yard field goal is a chip shot field goal, you should have trust in your kicker to make those types of kicks.
Twenty years ago, Stout's 69.6% field goal rate would be considered fine, today, it ranks 116th in the nation, surely there are a few kickers in there who attempted well under Stout's 22-attempts but the point remains; In today's college football, it is a must that you have a kicker who can convert on upwards of 75 to80%+ of their field goals, at the very least.
Heading into next season, placekicking is one of the key areas that the Nittany Lions will need to focus on, whether that's through the roster they have now, or looking at the transfer portal. With at least two scholarship kickers on the roster heading into next season, potentially, three if Stout decides to return, the Nittany Lions surely will have options. Will we see the reemergence of Jake Pinegar? After being the Nittany Lions' primary kicker each of the last three seasons, the Iowa native was nowhere to be found most of this season. While he didn't enter the regular season, healthy, it's hard to imagine he wasn't for at least a part of the last few weeks for the Nittany Lions, especially seeing how he did kick the Nittany Lions final extra point on Saturday. Pinegar is a senior, so it is possible he could decide to move on or return next season due to the COVID rules. Additionally, freshman Sander Sahaydak is a name to keep an eye on. The Bethlehem, PA native was considered one of the top kickers in the country coming out of high school, will he be ready to go next season as a redshirt freshman? The placekicking position will be one of the more intriguing position battles in my mind to watch throughout the upcoming offseason and into next season.
5. Where does Penn State go from here?
Our football beat writer, Clay Saurtieg recently posted a piece regarding this exact same question but I will quickly speak on it here as well. It's safe to say at this point, the Penn State football program is at a crossroads, after going 42-11 from 2016 to 2019, the Nittany Lions are now 11-10 in their last two seasons. While the Nittany Lions also saw Big Ten East rivals Michigan and Michigan State also struggle in 2020, both took a major step forwards in 2021 and have, at least for now, passed the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten East's power structure. With the loss of quite a few key players this offseason being highly likely, James Franklin and his coaching staff find themselves in potentially one of the most important offseasons in their tenure.
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