Here’s 5 things to watch in Saturday’s Penn State vs. Nebraska college football game
The Penn State Nittany Lions (0-3) are looking to avoid opening their season with four consecutive losses for only the second time in program history when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-2) at noon Saturday (FS1) in Lincoln.
Here are five things you should keep an eye on:
PSU QB SEAN CLIFFORD
After Penn State’s loss to Maryland on Saturday night, head coach James Franklin backed up his decision to not pull redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford out of the game early. Even though Clifford struggled — and the game was out of reach by halftime — Franklin said Clifford had “earned that right” to finish the contest.
But on Tuesday, Franklin said he will “mix” backup redshirt sophomore quarterback Will Levis into games moving forward. The seventh-year head coach confirmed that Clifford is the starter for the foreseeable future, but he said that playing Levis on certain drives would keep Clifford — who’s had a team-high 52 rushing attempts through three games — from taking too many hits.
Clifford struggled again against the Terrapins last weekend. The 6-foot-2, 217-pound quarterback overthrew near-wide-open targets early in the game, and he made questionable decisions throughout the contest. Oftentimes, he held onto the ball too long and tried to force plays instead of throwing the ball away.
In Penn State’s three games this season, Clifford has completed just 69 of his 122 pass attempts (56.5 percent completion rate) for 859 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Despite his struggles, Clifford’s teammates have full faith in his ability to be the starter. Junior receiver Jahan Dotson said he believes Clifford is “one of the best quarterbacks in the country” after the Nittany Lions’ loss to the Terrapins.
Whether Clifford can prove his teammates right or not will have a huge impact on the outcome Saturday against Nebraska and on the rest of Penn State’s season.
PENN STATE’S O-LINE
For as much as Clifford has struggled, not every miscue has been entirely his fault. Penn State’s offensive line has had its own set of issues in trying to keep its quarterback on his feet.
Through the Nittany Lions’ first three games, Clifford has been sacked 13 times. He was sacked seven times alone in last weekend’s loss to the Terrapins. When he fumbled on Penn State’s opening drive of the second half, it took about five seconds for Maryland defensive back Nick Cross to get to Clifford and poke the ball loose. Terrapins linebacker Chance Campbell made the 34-yard touchdown return to push Maryland’s lead to 28 points before Penn State could even attempt to execute a second-half comeback of any sort.
“We’re playing hard and aggressive,” redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Juice Scruggs said Wednesday. “We just have to focus on the details and the techniques and just the little things that are gonna make us look a lot better.”
Penn State mixed up players on the offensive line during its game against Maryland — for instance, giving redshirt freshman Caeden Wallace some time at right tackle and putting Scruggs in at right guard — but nothing seemed to work.
When offensive line coach Phil Trautwein was hired in January, there was a lot of optimism for how good the unit could be. But the group has yet to prove it can be the foundation the Nittany Lions’ offense desperately needs.
Keep an eye on how well Penn State’s offensive line fairs against Nebraska’s defensive line on Saturday.
WILL PENN STATE’S RUN GAME FINALLY EMERGE?
Since Penn State’s season-opening loss to Indiana, Franklin has mentioned the importance of getting the Nittany Lions’ run game going. But it has yet to happen three weeks into the season.
Without redshirt junior running back Journey Brown — who Franklin announced Wednesday will retire from football due to the heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — and sophomore running back Noah Cain, the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack has struggled. Through three games, sophomore running back Devyn Ford has 141 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. The freshmen duo of running back Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee has combined for just 83 yards on 21 carries.
Clifford leads the team in rushing yards and attempts, but even he only has 150 yards on 52 carries — good for 2.9 yards per rush. Still, junior tight end Pat Freiermuth said that being able to run Clifford is a “beauty” of the Penn State offense.
“If the defense is wanting to take away our running backs, then we’re gonna run with the quarterback,” Freiermuth said Tuesday.
So far, though, that strategy hasn’t proved to be effective. The Nittany Lions rank No. 94 in the country with 129.3 rushing yards per game this season.
It’ll be interesting to see if Penn State’s trio of running backs can finally have some success on Saturday against Nebraska.
PENN STATE’S SECONDARY
Opposing quarterbacks have been able to toy with Penn State’s secondary this season. The Nittany Lions rank No. 88 in the country in opponent passing yards per game, allowing 256.7 yards through the air per contest.
Last Saturday, Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had already thrown for 246 yards and three touchdowns by halftime. And against Ohio State in Week 2, Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields finished with 318 passing yards and four touchdowns. Sure, Fields is a Heisman Trophy candidate, but it’s hard to overlook Penn State defensive backs consistently looking disorganized.
Too often, opponents have scored on the Nittany Lions on big plays through the air. All three of the Terrapins passing touchdowns Saturday came on receptions of 30 yards or more.
When asked Tuesday if these plays happen as a result of individual mental lapses or unit-wide miscommunications, redshirt freshman cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said the answer was “all of the above.”
“I just feel like we need to execute more,” Porter Jr. said. “We just need to work more as a team and just communicate better. I feel like if we can do that, everything will be solved.”
Nebraska has only averaged 189 yards through the air in its first two contests — the Cornhuskers rank 98th in the country in passing yards — so Saturday could be an opportunity for the Penn State secondary to bounce back and regain confidence.
PSU WR JAHAN DOTSON
One of the few bright spots in a historically disastrous season for Penn State so far has been the emergence of junior wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
Dotson has totaled 361 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the Nittany Lions first three games — this comes a year after only finishing with 488 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 13 games played. The 5-foot-11, 182-pound receiver is one of the main reasons Penn State was able to force an overtime against Indiana in its season-opener, and he’s likely the only reason Penn State was able to keep the game relatively close against Ohio State in Week 2.
In last Saturday’s loss to Maryland, Dotson led the team with nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. It was his impressive grab over Terrapins defensive back Jakorian Bennett that stopped a 21-0 Maryland run with 6:32 left in the first half.
Throughout his two-plus years with the Nittany Lions program, Dotson has been known as a quiet player who leads by example rather than words. But after Saturday’s loss to the Terrapins, Dotson spoke up, saying there were “distractions” that the team shouldn’t be focusing on.
“When he talks, you know he means it,” redshirt sophomore defensive end Jayson Oweh said Wednesday. “And it’s something you want to hear.”
If Dotson can sustain his level of play — and continue to step up as a voice in the Nittany Lions’ locker room — maybe he can help lead a turnaround for the group.
