ALTOONA, Pa. -- It was a season unlike any other in a multitude of different ways for Penn State in 2020, but with a fresh outlook plus some new faces leading the way, 2021 is set up to get the Nittany Lions back to the top of the Big Ten.
Out is offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and in is his replacement Mike Yurcich fresh off a season at Texas. Yurcich was a guy head coach James Franklin had his eye on for quite some time and in the end landed him when he needed him the most.
"Yurcich is a guy that I've been in contact and communicating with for a long time," Franklin said at his season-ending press conference Monday. "Philosophically, I felt like it was the right thing for us to do to get where we want to go and play a style on offense that will be important for us."
Under Ciarrocca, it just didn't feel quite like the Penn State offense many were used to under Franklin. There were abysmal fades in the end zone and there was a significant lack of tempo. It also felt as though the blend between Franklin's offenses under former offensive coordinators Ricky Rahne and Joe Moorhead and Ciarrocca's were like oil and water.
"A few years ago, we were running the spread, we were mixing in tempo, we were doing a bunch of those things and had a lot of success," Franklin said. And then obviously with the decision that we made in the last hiring cycle, that was a bit different than (Ciarrocca's) background. So that's where we felt like the blend had to happen, so that we could balance those two things and making sure that we were still running a similar offense that we had to run in the past."
With Yurcich now leading the offense it seems as though the Nittany Lions will be getting back to the up-tempo days of old which is exactly what's necessary for Penn State to return to its successful ways in the Big Ten.
"We're on the same page in what we want to do and how we want to do it," Franklin said. "You better be able to protect the ball and create explosive plays...His yards per play, his scoring. There hasn't been too many offensive coordinators that have been able to average 40 points (per game)."
There are three points of emphasis for Franklin and the offense this season: explosive plays, turnovers and scoring points. All of which were an issue for Penn State in the fall.
"They are the three most important things you have to do on offense, and specifically in current college football. The way this thing is trending, there's going to be games where you're going to have to score 40 points," Franklin said.
For what it's worth the Nittany Lions averaged 29.8 points per game in 2020 which is a far cry from the 40 or so points Yurcich's offenses have averaged historically.
Winning the explosive play battle is at the top of the to-do list every game for Franklin and with the way the offensive scheme was set up under Ciarrocca it never seemed like explosive plays were there by design. With play makers like Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington, it's an integral part of the offense to design plays to get them open down field.
"I want to get more guys involved. I want to get more guys touches," Franklin said. "I think it makes you more difficult to defend when the ball can go to a number of different people."
Franklin is right, getting guys more touches can only help as it puts defenses in conflict of who to cover and how to cover them. Dotson's break away speed and elusiveness was on display multiple times this fall but under Yurcich it seems as though that will be greatly expanded on and down the field as well.
With an up-tempo approach it also keeps opponents on their toes as they can't get off the field and want to limit getting beat deep. The approach does put pressure on the offense and the quarterback especially to protect the football as turning the ball over puts the defense in a huge bind if they can't get off the field.
The quarterback position for Penn State regressed in 2020 under Ciarrocca despite the success Sean Clifford had in 2019 under Rahne. Clifford and backup Will Levis struggled early in the season with turnovers and it cost the Nittany Lions dearly. Those turnovers weren't the sole reason Penn State started 0-5, but they were a big factor.
"I wouldn't say that we took a step in the right direction or built on the year before," Franklin said. "That's another big part of this, getting back to that position and playing at a high level."
The good news for Penn State and Franklin is Yurcich has a pretty solid track record with quarterbacks over the course of his career working with Mason Rudolph at Oklahoma State as well as Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Sam Ehlinger (Texas) both of whom will be entering the NFL Draft.
If the Nittany Lions can get Clifford to pick up where he left off in 2020, there will be no issue in maximizing what the Penn State offense can do with an up-tempo approach.