Penn State: 2/3 Season Grades

This past week, we reached the two thirds mark of the season with the Nittany Lions at 6-2 and 3-1 in this third of the season.

Penn State survived an upset from Army, winning 20-14, grant it, without both Lynch and Barkley. It was followed by an impressive 29-7 victory over Indiana, again  without the top two running backs. Barkley and Lynch returned for the Ohio State game, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 38-10. The final game of this third was against Maryland, where Hackenberg led the offense down the field time after time to win 31-30.

Grades:

Offense 

Quaterbacks:

In the past four games, Christian Hackenberg has 7 touchdowns to zero interceptions which is a big reason for the team’s success. He’s also been more mobile and has asserted himself as a leader on this young team. He’s still been taking a beating and has missed a few snaps, but he’s hung in there for the most part.

2/3 grade: B

Running Backs:

This group has seemingly has had a different starter every week the past four week due to injury, but everyone knows who the star is. Freshman Saquon Barkley missed two games with injury, but put on a show against Ohio State rushing for 194 yards. He added 60 yards and a touchdown against Maryland. Nick Scott and Mark Allen held their own while Barkley and Akeel Lynch were out with injury.

2/3 grade: B+

Wide Receivers:

This group hadn’t done much in the first four games of the season, but that has changed since then. Chris Godwin has 345 yards and a touchdown in the last four games. Daesean Hamilton has 3 touchdown grabs over that stretch as well. Geno Lewis came up with a great catch against Maryland for his first score of the year and eventual game winner. Brandon Polk and Saeed Blacknall have also contributed.

2/3 grade: B-

Offensive Line:

The line has shown minimal improvement, albeit with a different line up almost every week. Over the past four games they’ve allowed Hackenberg to be sacked 15 times…! To their credit, they have done a good job in run blocking, although Barkley is a freak of nature, the line has done its part. This group this has a lot to learn and better start this Saturday.

2/3 grade: C-

Overall offensive grade:

The offense is averaging 22.5 points per game and 340 total yards per game over the last four games. Note Barkley did not play in two of these games. The offensive line still has work to do, but things seem to be coming together.

2/3 grade: B

Defense 

Defensive Line:

This group is one of the best in the country, led by senior DE Carl Nassib. Nassib has 5.5 sacks in the last four games to go along with 8 tackles for loss. Austin Johnson has 26 tackles and has been a force in the trenches over the past four weeks. Anthony Zettel continues to be a force although he hasn’t been showing up big in the box score.

2/3 grade:  A

Linebackers:

Jason Cabinda and Troy Reeder have been leading this group along with standout Brandon Bell. Cabinda has 36 tackles and 2 sacks during this stretch. Bell has missed some time, but has 15 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Reeder is quietly having a good year with 22 tackles over this third of the season. This group is young and holding their own even with all the injuries.

2/3 grade:  B

Secondary:

The secondary has been banged up all year, but Marcus Allen is back and making an impact. He has 21 tackles and 3 TFL in his last three games. Jordan Lucas had 31 tackles in his last four games. Reid, Haley, and Williams all have picks over this period.

2/3 grade: C+

Overall Defensive Grade:

The defense is giving up on average 22.25 PPG and 355 total yards per game. This is high for them, they did play Ohio State which inflates these numbers to an extent. They have come away with 9 turnovers though. Penn State’s defense has struggled against dual threat QBs, and they’ve faced one in all of the last four games.

2/3 grade:  C+

Special Teams:

Joey Julius struggled against Indiana as he missed two extra points. He was replaced by Tyler Davis in that game. He has only missed one field goal over this stretch. Chris Gulla and Dan Pasquariello continue to share punting duties and neither can average over 40 yards per punt. This group needs a lot of help.

2/3 grade: C-

Overall Team Grade:

Penn State went 3-1 in this third of the season. The only loss came to #1 Ohio State. The Maryland game and Army one haven’t been pretty, but they were wins. Hackenberg, Barkley and company are improving and the defense is full of studs who need to step up a little more. The special teams needs plenty of work and might not be solved this season.

2/3 grade: B-

The team has  four games left and hopefully they can show improvement in those contest.