By Quintus McDonald
The following is my game summary of positional grades following Penn State’s (PSU) 26-24 win over University of Central Florida (UCF) this past weekend in Ireland.
QUARTERBACK: A
I was thoroughly impressed with the team’s young leader Christian Hackenberg. I do believe he holds the ball too long at times and will have to accept throwing a pass out of bounds and moving to the next play at some point. The two interceptions were obvious attempts to force the ball. This is a sign of a very confident young man. The greatest thing about the interceptions was his return to the field the following series with the same supreme confidence.
OFFENSIVE LINE: B-
The best thing I noticed about PSU’s inexperienced offensive line was their cohesiveness. Playing in a high pressure situation with the world watching, this group played as a unit all day, with minimal penalties. Yes, their zone and man run blocking needs work, but they protected Hackenberg versus a very experienced and highly skilled UCF defensive front exceptionally well.
RUNNING BACKS: C
I expect more from both of Penn State’s running backs each time they touch the ball than they showed in this game. I look forward to each one using their individual gifts at a high level consistently. Without much space with which to work, they have to find a way to average at least 3.3 yards per carry as a unit. That game’s average — 2.03 yds. per carry — just won’t do.
RECEIVERS: A
This group of receivers has the talent to become a special part of history for both Penn State and the Big Ten as a whole. There were missed opportunities with dropped balls and poor pass routes that could have kept this game from being a nail bitter. With those cleaned up, fans will be in for high scoring excitement in HAPPY VALLEY.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A
The defensive line played extremely well as a unit. There were outstanding plays made by individuals at very timely moments. I was impressed by the aggressiveness and determination to fight on every play. I can’t say that I ever saw any of these young men “take a play off.” I am excited to watch them mature and really gel as a unit.
LINEBACKERS: B
These young men played a very solid game. They are a very intelligent group that never seemed to be out of place. There were a couple of flashes of greatness. I am excited to see who steps up as the leader of this defense.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: B+
I struggled with this grade because of the very basic mistakes the young corners made inside the red zone. As a unit, they played an exceptional game. I was truly impressed.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B+
The kick-off unit needs work in the area of coverage… they can’t afford 60+ yard returns. I would like to see a higher number of touch backs. The kick return squad showed some flashes, but needs to hit it hard consistently. Punt coverage and the punt returns were non-factors. The unit must cut down on the penalties in the kicking game.
COACHING: A+
I think we got the right coach in James Franklin and he has surrounded himself with a group of young coaches who get the job done.
WE ARE.