Penn State once again fell short in a close game against a Top 10 opponent. The Nittany Lions had their chances, taking the lead late in the game, but a Michigan drive gave Penn State nothing but heartbreak and a 21-17 loss on a cold afternoon in State College. Here are the grades.
Offense: C-
All things considered this wasn’t a horrible afternoon for Penn State’s offense when you figure in the fact the Nittany Lions managed over 100 yards rushing, got 88 of those from an actual running back [Keyvonne Lee] and found a way to take the lead late in regulation.
Sean Clifford was the most mobile he has seemed in weeks but drops, a few missed throws and general inconsistency plagued the passing game all afternoon. Clifford gets some credit here for getting absolutely plastered on a few occasions and getting back up. He was sacked seven different times on Saturday and took more than his fair share of hits after the throw. He was hobbled but he didn’t miss a snap.
In spite of the fact Lee ran the ball well, Penn State really loses marks here for an offensive line that has struggled all season long and did so again on Saturday. Michigan gets a lot of credit for having really good defensive ends, and that’s not Penn State’s fault, but Clifford getting sacked seven times and the Nittany Lions have a hit-and-miss running game doesn’t help the grade any. Michigan would end the day with 12 tackles for a loss and force three fumbles – albeit recovering just one.
Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington were both solid but multiple drops by running back John Lovett hurt as well.
In the greater context of the season and the opponent, Penn State didn’t play as well as it can on Saturday, but it played well enough to almost win against a Top 10 team after spending most of the game struggling to find consistency on offense. Playing well enough to take a late lead counts for something but so do the other 56 minutes.
Defense: B+
This grade probably should be higher by virtue of the fact holding a team to 21 points is usually enough to win, but a few miscues over the course of the game hurt the cause a bit.
This was mostly the kind of performance you’ve come to expect from Penn State this season on defense. The Nittany Lions forced turnovers, got stops and kept their opponent out of the end zone. It doesn’t matter what Top 10 team you’re facing, if they never score more than seven points in a quarter you’re doing something right. Michigan was 6-for-15 on third down and twice converted on third-and-10+ which were backbreaker conversions for a Penn State defense that was making plays to get Michigan into long yardage situations.
Similarly the Wolverines’ long game-winning score as a great play, but Penn State had no chance stopping it which is killer in a moment like that. Linebacker Brandon Smith also missed a tackle on third down on an eventual scoring drive.
Gold star as per usual for Arnold Ebiketie who was outstanding all game long including forcing a late fourth quarter fumble that Penn State recovered. Ellis Brooks also gets a nod with a team-high 15 tackles. The Nittany Lions probably made enough plays on defense that a better offensive effort would have sealed them the victory, but they also had just enough mistakes that they hurt themselves a bit more than usual. Overall I tend to shy away from the belief that giving up late scores – in a game when you give up just 21 points – is a black mark on a grade, but it is what it is when it comes to Penn State finally getting the lead, only to give it right back.
A fine performance – Michigan punted or fumbled on four-straight possessions in the second half – but could have been just a tad better.
Special Teams: A/C-
Well, that was quite the day. Jordan Stout’s do-it-all afternoon saw him once agin do a bit of everything on Saturday. He was outstanding punting the ball with all four of his kicks downed inside the 20 with two of them traveling 50+ yards. He also completed a pass, was part of a failed fake field goal and missed a field goal of his own. Stout’s punt that was downed at the one was a thing of beauty and would eventually lead to Penn State having a short field and tying the game.
Penn State’s return game was non existent but Michigan also punted the ball very well so that simply is what it is. It’s hard to give Stout too much flack for the fake field goal because he doesn’t call the plays, but that play wasn’t very well executed by anyone involved in it. Too many things went badly for this grade to be good, but Stout was also too good in other areas to get hit with a bad grade. The guy does everything.
Coaching: C
The defense was good, the offense did enough and half of the fakes worked. I think Mike Yurcich called a solid game, especially on Penn State’s drive to tie the game and somebody gets credit for giving Lee the ball and keeping him in the game. Going for it on fourth-and-goal was the right decision and the call was perfect, so too was the two-point conversion.
For a lot of people this game is going to come down to the fake field goal in the first half, and while that’s not unfair considering how close the game turned out be, Penn State played a close, hard fought game against a good team and lost. It didn’t give up the lead because of a coaching decision so coaching can only take so much of a hit. The fake didn’t go well and was a bad call, but it’s also just one call in a game full of a few really nice ones.
All in all Franklin’s biggest decision didn’t go his way, but I don’t think it was a poorly coached game overall. Go right down the middle with a C.
Overall: B
At the end of the day Penn State probably should have won this game, and yes it lost, but compared to where this team was a few weeks ago against Illinois the Nittany Lions looked far more complete against a much better team. No Penn State is not very good, but they also aren’t awful. If they were awful they would nearly be beating three different Top 10 teams.
Read more:
Penn State Falls Short in 21-17 Loss to No. 6 Michigan
