It was never going to be easy, but it certainly wasn't an inspiring performance either, as Penn State lost its second-straight game to start the season Saturday night, falling to Ohio State, 38-25. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson put together one of the best games of his career, but unfortunately for fans, too few teammates joined him.
Below we grade out each position from last night's game against Ohio State
Quarterback - Sean Clifford helped facilitate four good drives out of 12 last night, completing 18 of 30 attempts for 281 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. If you don't include Ohio State's five sacks, he rushed for 33 yards on 18 attempts. The pressure that the Buckeyes managed kept him from getting into a rhythm. That wasn't his fault, but it also felt like he was unsure of himself at times, waiting too long to get the ball out and electing to run as soon as he felt even a slight amount of pressure.
Grade: C
Running Backs - Devyn Ford had nice 23-yard run in the first quarter that put the Nittany Lions into field goal range, and he was also better in pass protection compared to last week. However, if you take out that one rush, he averaged less than 2 yards on his other seven carries. The fact that neither Keyvone Lee nor Caziah Holmes had a single carry speaks for the staff's confidence against a team like Ohio State. It's hard to judge Ford's performance. He had little room to run.
Grade: C+
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - There's no question that Jahan Dotson deserves an A for his effort, scoring three touchdowns on eight receptions, totaling 144 yards. Those back-to-back receptions to start the fourth quarter will be among the best you'll see at any level this season. Parker Washington also had a pretty good game, but Pat Freiermuth was held in check almost the entire night. It was clear early that the Buckeyes were trying to take away two things: Friermuth and Clifford making plays with his feet. They succeed at both.
Grade: B-
Offensive Line - Penn State's offensive line was supposed to be a difference-maker this season, but they were anything but against the Buckeyes. The pressure came from all over, although C.J. Thorpe in particular struggled to get much of a push. Give Ohio State credit. There were questions about their front seven, but no one is questioning that group this morning.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line - Antonio Shelton only registered two tackles, but he was the most consistent defensive linemen when it comes to holding his own. PJ Mustipher was pushed around more than we're used to seeing, while Jayson Oweh and Shaka Toney provided little pressure on Justin Fields. Toney also missed some key tackles.
Grade: D
Linebackers - James Franklin made it clear in the beginning of his postgame press conference that his defense missed Jesse Luketa in the first half. Luketa played well against the run in the second half, but struggled in pass coverage. To be fair, the entire linebacker corps struggled in coverage. Brandon Smith played better than last week, but he still struggled to get off blocks more often than not. Lance Dixon also struggled at shedding blocks.
Grade: C-
Defensive Backs - Lamont Wade takes more heat from fans than he often deserves, but last night was one of the worst games of his career. Biting on the pump-fake that allowed the 49-yard touchdown to Chris Olave really hurt. It came at a terrible time, just eight plays after the offense had gained some momentum and got it to within one score. But he's far from the only defensive back that struggled in coverage last night. Most puzzling was the fact that this group looked confused and out of position multiple times. It's hard to cover this receiving corps, but you have to expect better from the three upperclassmen that all have NFL aspirations.
Grade: D
Special Teams - What was with all the fair catches on kick return? Early in the game, OK, but in the second half, Penn State needed a special teams play to gain momentum and get back into the game. That was puzzling. Jake Pinegar made his lone attempt, but Jordan Stout once again stole the show with a make from 50 yards to end the first half. He also averaged 49 yards per punt. Stout gets an A. Everything else was pretty much average.
Grade: B
Coaching - Going for it on 4th down at your own 45-yard line sent a message right away that Penn State had little faith in its defense stopping a high-powered Ohio State offense. You have to appreciate the aggressive mindset in these big games, but that should've been a punt. Kirk Ciarrocca's offense has yet to impress, while the defense struggled with alignments on multiple occasions. This has been a very poor start to the season, and the staff has to take most of the blame at this stage.
Grade: D
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