By Quintus McDonald
For Nittany Lions fans, this PSU football report card on the team’s play versus the Akron Zips should be exciting. It will be structured to get the consistently bad grades out of the way before moving on to the consistently average, the consistently good and lastly, the consistently improved. While it may seem strange that a report card with a bad grade is labeled “exciting,” it is actually the consistent improvement which comes later that makes this so. After all, consistency is only bad when you are consistently bad.
Penn State’s special teams unit certainly remains consistent… consistently bad. Too much yardage was allowed on Akron’s kick returns. Every time place kicker Sam Ficken doesn’t place the ball deep into the end zone, it is an issue. This will hurt the team severely if not corrected. I understand that athletes make big plays, but the big plays on special teams need to happen from a player wearing the PSU blue and white if they are giong to improve their group grade.
Special Teams: C-
The consistently average grade goes to the Lions’ offensive line. These young men have done an outstanding job so far of consistently protecting the Big Ten’s passing yardage leader. Quarterback Christian Hackenberg has been protected so well that, at times his sense of urgency seems to be missing in action. When this group’s run-blocking finally gels, it will happen because these young men believe in themselves. There is a nation of Penn State football-supporters who believe this as well.
Offensive Line: C+
One of the consistently good grades goes to the aforementioned quarterback. His poise and grasp of his second offensive system in as many years is a very special thing, in and of itself. It was common knowledge that Hackenberg was a very special high school player, with physical gifts that placed him in an elite space. This level of prowess does not always translate into collegiate greatness however, much less a winning record for a program which has been robbed of multiple scholarships and Bowl game opportunities; the likes of which have sent several veteran members packing in search of other programs. This young man hasn’t even played his best game of the season yet, but it will be exciting to see the statistics when he does. Hackenberg’s character will carry him far beyond the playing field.
Quarterback: A-
The other consistently good grade goes to the defensive unit. The Nittany Lions handled the Akron Zips’ exposed weak corner position by bringing in and rotating a committee of players and this got the job done. The number four national ranking for PSU’s run defense is a great place to start. This squad will surely be tested during conference play but the experience and confidence these young men are gaining is invaluable.
Defense: B+
The Penn State receivers start the list of areas that showed consistent improvement from week one to week two. They ran crisp routes, getting in and out of breaks with explosion. The blitz reads by inside receivers were accurate and there were fewer dropped balls. My week one grade was criticial of the running backs, maintaining that the ones returning from last season needed to use their individual gifts to get themselves to at least a 3.3 yard-per-carry average. It was a long time coming, but RB Zack Zwinack got the stadium rocking when he carried several of the Akron defenders for an eight-yard gain from scrimmage, by brute power and determination. The coaching staff has done a great job of implementing ways to use Akeel Lynch who ran for 45 yards on seven carries. I must say that I was happy to see Bill Belton have a productive day from scrimmage with 36 yards on nine carries, most of which were gained by making a tackler miss and after first contact. Belton’s elusiveness will prove big down the road for the Nittany Lions.
Offensive Skill Positions: B
Additional consistent improvement was shown by the men leading the team. A stronger run-based game plan was expected this week and the coaching staff delivered. There were nearly 30 carries from the line of scrimmage versus the Zips. The coaches did a great job of mixing things up.
Game Plan/Coaching Staff: A+
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