Run game issues, letdown factor evident in Penn State victory

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Why can't Penn State run the ball? It's baffling.

Even against Villanova, the Nittany Lions didn't get any push up front. Their offensive line was, in fact, pushed around at times by the FCS opponent.

Which is really, really troubling.

This isn't just nitpicking. This is a real concern.

Yes, No. 6 Penn State beat Villanova, 38-17, and Sean Clifford became just the second Lion quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards in a game, finishing with 401 and four touchdowns.

This was a win. And any win is a good win.

But this was by no means an impressive win. Had Villanova's fumble return for a TD in the closing seconds stood, it would have been a 38-24 final. That probably would have cost Penn State some votes in the top 25 rankings, given that the expectation had to be the Lions would destroy Villanova by a much bigger margin.

Here are my takeaways from the victory:

1. There are major problems in the running game

James Franklin had to answer numerous questions after the win about the Lions' running game, spending about five minutes addressing various aspects of the topic. Actually in some ways, if you listened to Franklin's entire presser, you'd think Penn State may have lost the game, because there were so many issues that had to be addressed.

By far the biggest issue was this: The Lions finished with 80 yards rushing on 34 carries, an average of 2.4 per attempt.

At halftime, Penn State had 18 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Again, I cannot stress this enough: AGAINST AN FCS TEAM!

"Obviously, we got to get the running game going," Franklin said. "That's going to be something we're going to have to continue to emphasize and get better in that area."

We can debate who is Penn State's best running back: Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee or John Lovett.

My view is that it really doesn't matter.

The offensive line isn't giving these guys anywhere to run. The tailbacks are getting met at or near the line of scrimmage far too often, with defenses blowing up the play before it even gets started.

It reminds me a little of 2017, when Saquon Barkley was back there and yet got hit repeatedly in the backfield. Even Saquon Barkley can't do a heck of a lot when that happens, and it's the kind of thing that's been happening far too often this season.

"We just got to get better as a team," Lovett said. "Just keep getting better as a team, as a unit, as an offense and get more explosive. That's what we're going to do. We're just going to keep working. Put the work in, and outcomes are going to come."

2. OK, so who is PSU's best running back?

For the record, I believe Cain is the Lions' best running back. Others may disagree and say Lee or even Lovett. We'll have more on that debate in the coming weeks.

But Cain wasn't able to do very much against Villanova, Franklin said, after getting dinged up last week against Auburn.

Cain had only one carry for 2 yards and barely saw the field Saturday.

Lovett carried 11 times for 45 yards, while Lee had 21 yards on seven carries.

Lovett was asked about trying to fit into the running back rotation.

"It's definitely a challenge," he said. "Everybody in that running back room is great. They all have different attributes. Everyone has a different skill set. There are bigger backs, smaller backs, and faster backs. Everyone just has something different, so it's definitely a challenge. Every day we go compete with each other and work."

3. Clifford erupts with several big plays

I feel like I'm disrespecting Clifford by only having him as my No. 3 takeaway, in a game where he had 401 yards passing. But that should reinforce just how big the running issues continue to be with this team.

Clifford completed 19-of-26 passes and threw four TDs with one interception that wasn't his fault (missed catch tipped to defender). Christian Hackenberg threw for a PSU-record 454 yards in the win over UCF in Ireland in 2014, and Clifford's total now ranks second in program history for a single game.

Penn State's first play of the day was a 52-yard TD pass from Clifford to Jahan Dotson. Clifford also had a 52-yard catch and run TD to Parker Washington and a 67-yard pass to Washington, again with the receiver getting lots of yards after the catch.

Clifford gave a good answer after the game comparing this year's start to last year.

"This time last year we were 0-4, 0-5 sitting in the locker room sad," he said. "We're 4-0, and we're one of, if not, I still think the best team in the country. Like that's what our mentality is right now. So yeah, we're going to keep the underdog mentality and all that."

Let's give Clifford credit for keeping plays alive, keeping his eyes downfield and finding open targets while scrambling. At the same time, Villanova's coverage on some of those plays fell apart, as the Wildcats lost receivers, left them wide open and then in position to run for big yardage after the catch.

Clifford, as we keep saying, looks like a different quarterback this season. He looks much more poised in the pocket, is going through his progressions and is throwing the ball accurately.

Here's the concern with Clifford having to do everything, or feeling like he has to do everything.

While Clifford has looked very good, the big question is how will he handle the better competition that's coming up if the running game doesn't get things figured out.

Clifford felt like he had to do everything early last season after the running back depth issues popped up, and it led to the quarterback making a lot of mistakes. He has played much more under control so far this season. But will that still be the case if he's in a tight game against, say, Iowa or Ohio State and the Lions can't run the ball?

It is absolutely imperative, and everybody knows it, that the offense finds some better balance.

4. The Lions were a little too full of themselves after 3-0 start

Franklin made it clear that he wasn't happy with how the team practiced this week and prepared for Villanova.

It was probably inevitable. The Lions picked up a huge win over Auburn in front of a packed whiteout crowd last week, and rose to their No, 6 national ranking. Most teams would have some kind of letdown the following week, because we are talking about 18-22 year old kids here.

But we're not really used to seeing that sort of thing from Penn State so much, because Franklin insists on the 1-0 mentality and treating every game like a big game. The players have bought into that mentality for years, helping them avoid letdowns in most situations.

But not this time.

"I feel like our guys, a little bit, were enjoying people patting them on the back," Franklin said. "We talked about it all week long, and I don't know if we had the same edge today that we've had the previous three weeks, but we found a way to win.

"I thought Wednesday we did not have a good practice, so I think they're getting patted on the back," the coach later added. "I think they are reading articles, and we'll make sure that there's no leftovers of that come Sunday. I'll make sure that we clear all those things out of the fridge."

Clifford added this: "You guys talk about it, but we know the confidence we have in the room and on the team, so it's all about getting better every single day and days like Wednesday can't can't happen again. We got to make sure that we are maximizing all the potential that we have every single day."

Penn State did win the game, though, so Franklin wasn't going to rip into the team after the game -- even if some part of him may have felt like it was warranted.

"What I would never want to do is go in a locker room after a win, and it doesn't feel like a win," he said. "I think you have to be very careful of that as a coach."

5. Big game for Parker Washington

He was terrific, catching five passes for 148 yards, including a 52-yard TD and 67-yarder where he just missed scoring.

Dotson is an exceptional receiver and will always be the No. 1 focus of opposing defenses when it comes to slowing down Penn State's passing game. He had seven catches for 117 yards and a score.

But if Washington can put up these kinds of numbers and give the Lions that kind of 1-2 punch, it will only make Clifford and the offense even more dangerous. Both topped 100 yards receiving in this one.

"I would just say with the way our offense operates, it has so many opportunities," Washington said. "So many different guys can make plays, and I just say that will be big for us in the future."

6. Good news on injured Villanova player

There was a scary situation involving Villanova's Tyler Will on the second-half kickoff. He got hit and lay on the ground for more than 10 minutes receiving medical attention, as players and coaches from both teams knelt in support.

Will was carted off the field, and about an hour later, an announcement was made in the press box that he had suffered a concussion but was alert and had full movement before he left the stadium for the hospital.

That was wonderful news.

7. That's how you start a game!

Mike Yurcich had a great call for the Lions' first play of the day. Clifford aired out a 52-yard TD pass to Dotson, who had a step on his man and caught the perfect pass in stride.

Penn State probably could have done that with deep passes all day and scored 60 points. But what good would that have done if it came at the expense of working on the running game?

What we do know, though, is that the Lions can score from anywhere on the field, and that's something defenses will always have to be ready for.

8. Another dropped pick-6

Cornerback Johnny Dixon perfectly timed a pass and would have had an easy pick-6 in the second quarter, but he dropped the ball. That's the second dropped pick-6 in as many weeks, with Brandon Smith dropping a potential INT against Auburn.

These defenders have to catch those balls. No, it doesn't matter against Villanova, and it didn't cost Penn State against Auburn. But at some point, when you've got an interception in your hands and drop it, there will be consequences.

9. Mega recommits to Penn State

Tight end Mathias "Mega" Barnwell, a 4-star from Virginia, committted to PSU for a second time Saturday morning. He's in the class of 2023.

Barnwell (6-5, 270) committed to the Lions in the summer of 2020 but decommitted in January. 

10. Looking head

Penn State hosts Indiana next week at 7:30 p.m. for a stripeout game.

It was announced Saturday that the Lions' game at Iowa in two weeks will kick off at 4 p.m. at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa is No. 5 and Penn State No. 6 this week, so that game could be a battle between two top five teams.

It's a little surprising, honestly, that it won't be a night game at Kinnick, since the Hawkeyes like playing at night when Penn State visits.