Penn State football shows why future is bright in dominant victory over Indiana
Sean Clifford had his arms folded across his chest as he spoke, altering his tone slightly as he spoke about what happened one week earlier.
“I thought that our week of prep was intense,” Clifford said. “I thought that, realistically, we were pretty pissed about last week.”
The Nittany Lions were nearly at full strength for that game, but did not come out unscathed. It was fully possible a letdown could happen this week with three starters out along the offensive line, a group that already had depth concerns entering the game.
But that didn’t happen.
Clifford and the Nittany Lions may have let a winnable game against Ohio State slip away last week, but this week was much different. They were not negatively impacted by those losses and instead relied on their depth and youth to turn around the momentum and blow out the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday evening on the road, 45-14.
Penn State head coach James Franklin said the team’s freshman class played a major role in the ability to find rotation players.
“I said this summer to you guys, that I felt like we had more guys in this freshman class that we felt like would be able to contribute. You’re going in with the mentality that we’ve got to create more depth.”
The freshman impact was clear on Saturday and it was widespread.
On offense Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton led the way as the team’s running game dominated Indiana. Offensive tackle Drew Shelton made his first career start and did more than hold his own against the Hoosier defensive ends. Quarterback Drew Allar came in and kept up the momentum that was built by the first stringers.
Defensively, Dani Dennis-Sutton shined with an interception and consistent pass rush. Abdul Carter swatted away an Indiana screen attempt and further demoralized a struggling offense.
Each freshman that took the field had some level of impact on the game. That says a lot about those players, especially someone like Shelton, who came in at left tackle, a position that is difficult to play as a true freshman. He was able to lean on the older players to make sure he felt comfortable on the field.
“We have that culture in the offensive line room where questions are good,” right tackle Bryce Effner said. “If you have a question, it’s super important to ask it before we run the play. Otherwise you can run into some problems. He’s a good offensive lineman. He’s just asking questions. He was asking me questions. ... They were good questions. He was locked in.”
He was one of the many highly touted recruits the team brought in this past recruiting cycle. Singleton, Allar and Allen have received plenty of the attention because of the positions they play, but it’s possible Shelton and Dennis-Sutton have just as big of an impact down the road. Both play at crucial spots, left tackle and defensive end, respectively, and both are making their mark before anyone would expect of most freshman.
Dennis-Sutton has continued to see his playing time increase week after week and has established himself as a potential dominating presence as a pass rusher.
Franklin said he stands out among a loaded group of young talent.
“It obviously helps when you’ve got a guy like Dani, who does not look like a freshman,” he said. “He’s 265 pounds, he’s also one of the fastest guys in our program. ... And he’s productive and he’s smart and he’s disciplined and he’s mature. We’ve got a bunch of guys like that.”
The impact on the team by Dennis-Sutton and the other young players is seemingly apparent to everyone involved.
It would be hard not to notice, given how widespread it is this deep in the year.
Even someone like Clifford, who is in his fourth year starting and sixth year as a Nittany Lion, said this season is different from that perspective.
“You see it today,” he said. “In maybe a week that we might have struggled a little bit (in the past) up front, for example, I thought they held their own and they dominated up front. I think that, with all of the moving parts, I thought our team is getting a lot of depth. I think that you see it across all positions, O-line, running back, wide receiver, quarterback, everywhere.”
The results should show how good the depth is as the season wraps up over the next month.
Penn State will play more opponents they should handle with relative ease and should be able to keep its best players fresh by rotating them out more. While the shadows of a disappointing loss against Ohio State may linger, it is clear the team has already turned the page.
It may not have turned it all the way to next season, but given the youth on the team and its influence this year, it’s hard not to believe that chapter may end up being the best one in quite some time.
