ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State's running game last year was, in a word, terrible. Everybody knows it, including offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
So, what is Yurcich to do when asked about the program's running game? Is there any real benefit in talking about last year ... at all?
Yurcich doesn't seem to think so.
He met the media Wednesday evening following the Nittany Lions' fifth spring practice and was asked right off the bat about comments from James Franklin about staying committed to the running game.
"I think it's right on. I think it's very accurate," Yurcich said, via this video from BlueWhite Illustrated. "We have to run the football better. We're committed to it. And we will."
OK ... so why didn't it happen last year?
Why didn't the Lions stay more committed to running the ball during Yurcich's first season as coordinator?
We all want answers to that question. And the media only gets to speak to Yurcich a handful of times each year to be able to find out reasons for such things.
Maybe at some point Yurcich will open up more about exactly what happened last season. But Wednesday he was in no mood to do so.
Asked specifically why they got away from the run last year, Yurcich said:
"If I go back to last year, I think it's a distraction. And I don't think it really is pertinent to our mission to improve this spring. That's our goal, and that's what we're gonna do this spring.
"So, I think you guys had your chance to reflect on last year and ask me questions, and you've been given that opportunity. But for right now, it's about this spring and moving forward.
Asked then about what will be different this year, he said:
"We're gonna execute better. We're gonna coach it better. We're gonna play better."
Yurcich is right. It absolutely is time to move forward. And whether he wants to explain last year in great detail to the media and fans is, frankly, irrelevant at this stage.
Sure, we'd all like to know what went wrong. But the important thing -- the ONLY thing that matters -- is that Yurcich himself figures out exactly what went wrong.
And how to fix it.
Penn State finished with the second-worst rushing attack in program history last year, averaging just 107.8 yards per game to rank 118th in the country. Only the 2014 team (101.9 yards per game with a thin O-line coming off the scandal) has been worse, going back to 1950 when season stats are available.
The offensive line was poor and rarely opened up holes for the running backs. There's simply no denying that.
But was that it? Was the O-line play the entire problem?
Or could Yurcich's offensive system and/or playcalling be a big part of the problems we saw last year?
If we want specifics on those questions, we're probably not going to get them from Yurcich. I asked him last year if his system can work in the Big Ten.
"Yeah, I think there's no question it can work in the Big Ten," he said. "It can work in any conference that we play."
Better offensive linemen and good running backs certainly will help. The Nittany Lions will have Keyvone Lee back this season, plus Devyn Ford. But everyone cannot wait to see if true freshman Nick Singleton, the nation's No. 1 running back recruit, can step in and be a big factor right away.
Personnel aside, the two big questions, are:
1. Can Yurcich find a way in his scheme to put the entire running game in a better position?
2. Can he improve in his playcalling to maximize the ground game? For instance, he chose to run a ton against Michigan State's awful pass defense, which made no sense, and then abandoned the run in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas even though it was somewhat effective.
Franklin was asked last week during his spring press conference to evaluate Yurcich heading into year two.
"So, obviously based on Mike's credentials coming in and how the season played out, I think Mike would be the first one to tell you that he had greater and higher expectations than the way things played out," Franklin said. "Obviously, there were a lot of factors that went into that, but moving forward, I am comfortable and I am confident and I know he is, as well, that I think we can make significant strides this year.
"I think the run game is a big part of that. We have to get the run game going, and that's my job as the head coach is to make sure that we do the things necessary in the offseason and during spring ball so that it can be. Everybody's kind of taking responsibility there.
"I think if we can get the run game going, which we will, I think that's going to make us much more explosive in our play-action pass and our RPO game. I also think it's going to help our offensive line and take the pressure off them as well as our quarterback, and take the pressure off of him, that people feel like they have to defend our entire offense.
"I think we're heading in the right direction. There's no doubt about it. Obviously, we've had great discussions in the offseason in terms of our personnel and how to play to our strengths, things that we have to develop and improve on. But I think everybody is aligned in the offensive meeting room and what we need to do and where we need to go."