Penn State takes care of business vs. Northwestern, shows need for growth heading into bye
Penn State trotted onto the field following its 41-13 win over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, carrying what seemed like a sense of relief, but also a belief in itself.
Talk of overcoming adversity and taking care of business could be heard as the Nittany Lions made their way to the corner of the field where their fans awaited their arrival.
The final scoreline made it seem as if this was a game that was never in doubt, but those on-field proclamations point to a different conclusion — Penn State will head into its bye week in need of improvement to achieve its aspirations this season.
The Nittany Lions started the game with a whimper, giving up a field goal thanks to a turnover on the opening kickoff and eventually falling behind 10-3 in the second quarter — the first time they’ve trailed this season. The offense was rudderless, scoring on only two of its first five drives and failing to connect in the passing game.
Starting quarterback Drew Allar was off the mark on his pass attempts and had a couple of passes miss the mark because of other issues. On one play wide receiver Dante Cephas missed a signal, where he blocked on a play when the quarterback threw him the ball. On another, Allar said he didn’t feel he gave wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith enough of a chance to make a play on a comeback route.
“That just comes down to me because I’ve gotta recognize man coverage on that type of route,” Allar said. “It’s not gonna be a timing throw like it is versus zone coverage. That’s just on me. I’ve got to hitch one more time and then see him out of the break, and then I think he would make that play.”
Those issues are more correctable because, as Allar said, they’re just about communication. The other problems began to take care of themselves in the second half after the team made adjustments at halftime.
Allar began to stretch the field with more deep shots over the top of the defense, allowing the team’s running game to prosper as Northwestern backed its back-seven farther and farther away from the ball.
Not many of those attempts connected, but the fear of them was enough to help as Penn State expanded its lead and ran the clock down.
Penn State head coach James Franklin didn’t point to specific differences between the first and second halves of the Nittany Lions’ passing offense, but said there is more that goes into it than just quarterback play.
“I think there’s some things that we’ve got to do at the top of our routes or also being able to run past people,” Franklin said. “We took some shots that had a chance. I think we dropped one of them that would have been a huge play.”
It’s difficult to disperse exact blame for why those plays weren’t taking place in the first half, with plenty of possibilities on the table. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich might not have called for many downfield chances. Franklin might have emphasized running the ball and controlling possession. Allar could have missed open players deep. The wide receivers might have struggled to create space.
There are myriad factors as to why the offense couldn’t open things up, but when it mattered most, changes were made.
“We just weren’t clicking at a high level that we usually are used to doing,” Lambert-Smith said. “Went into halftime, got it corrected, went to the drawing board, coaches made adjustments and came out firing. ... We definitely got things together at halftime.”
It is, obviously, a positive that the team saw something was wrong and was able to correct it. Against a team like Northwestern, which is now 2-3 and will likely not factor into the Big Ten title picture, Penn State can be a little sloppy and still earn a blowout victory.
But against Ohio State and Michigan, that won’t fly. The offense does not have to be perfect, and it does not even have to be great. But it has to be able create scoring opportunities. That 10-3 Northwestern lead in Evanston could be a 21-3 Ohio State lead in Columbus in the blink of an eye.
Halftime adjustments always help, but it’s even better when those adjustments carry over and form a more synchronized unit. That will be the goal for the Nittany Lions as they head into the bye week, one where Franklin said the team will work to get better but also begin to prepare for the road ahead.
“We’re also going to get ahead,” Franklin said. “The coaches will get ahead on the schedule as well, during this bye week.”
The team will then pivot to UMass the following week, but the glimpse ahead proves that Franklin and his staff know where the season could be made or broken. And no, doing that advanced scouting is not overlooking the next opponent. It’s simply assessing the reality of the situation — the Buckeyes are a far greater threat to beat Penn State than the Minutemen are.
Maybe that extra week allows Penn State to make improvements ahead of time rather than in the middle of the game and maybe it leads to the program’s second win over Ohio State in Franklin’s tenure.
After what unfolded on Ryan Field on Saturday afternoon, it’s clear that the Nittany Lions will only benefit from more time to open up their offense in the weeks ahead.
