Nittany Lion Film Study: Familiar themes begin to emerge for Penn State

Today, T-Frank continues his look at the Nittany Lions' 2021 campaign with a deep dive into what gave Penn State such a commanding edge over Ball State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

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Without further ado, T-Frank's Film Study of Penn State's 44-13 win against Ball State:

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Penn State football trounced a MAC opponent in its season opener at Beaver Stadium Saturday in front of 105,000-plus fans.

Things are starting to feel familiar again.

So too was the brand the Lions exhibited. Familiar themes and trends continued to show up, both good and bad, which we’ll discuss today.

Some interesting new trends are beginning to establish themselves two weeks into the season, too. We’ll take a look at both in today’s film study.

If you checked out some of my thoughts about Ball State before the game on Saturday, I noted that the Ball State secondary impressed me in their opening game against Western Illinois. They’re a veteran unit that can execute some complex coverages, rotate post-snap and avoid making mistakes. That combination of skill, plus some talented players in key positions, can make the unit as a whole better than the sum of its parts.

That held true, for the most part, Saturday. A combination of solid play and schematic decisions limited Sean Clifford and the Penn State passing attack to 230 yards on just under 30 attempts. As James Franklin said after the game, Ball State's game plan was fairly obvious right from the start.