Penn State coach James Franklin watches during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game against Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 30-27.
AP photo
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Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford scrambles during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game against Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 30-27.
AP photo
Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson scores a touchdown against Michigan State’s Xavier Henderson, bottom right, and Darius Snow (23) during the first half of an NCAA football game Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.
AP photo
Five losses by a total of 21 points.
Regardless of what happens in Penn State’s bowl game, those are the numbers that will stick with the Nittany Lions for the next nine months. Take out a 33-24 road loss to Ohio State, and it’s four losses by 12 points. In all four of those losses, Penn State held a lead in the second half and couldn’t close any of them out.
It’s been a rough two months for the Lions, who opened 2021 with a 5-0 record, reaching as high as No. 4 in the polls.
While its hard to tell exactly how much the roster will change between now and next season’s opener at Purdue, each position will be under the microscope.
QUARTERBACK
Sean Clifford deserves plenty of credit for rebounding from a disastrous 2020 season as he seemed to mesh well with new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
Clifford went from turnover-prone liability to becoming Penn State’s most important — not best, but most important — player, as evidenced by the season getting derailed by his injury in the second quarter against Iowa.
James Franklin and Penn State’s coaching staff have to bear the responsibility of not having a serviceable backup ready to go when Clifford went down, whether it be through development, conventional recruiting or the transfer portal. Though true freshman Christian Veilleux led the Lions to a win over Rutgers, the coaches didn’t feel he was ready to face the hostile environment at Iowa seven weeks earlier when they used an ineffective Ta’Quan Roberson to replace Clifford.
Clifford took a beating for much of the season thanks to some shoddy pass protection, and the issues were magnified in the second half of the season as Clifford’s injury affected his mobility.
Given that, it’s fair to question whether Clifford would sign up for a sixth year with the program, using the extra season of eligibility provided by the NCAA because of the pandemic.
The Lions are set to sign two promising quarterbacks next month in Drew Allar and Beau Pribula, but they could use an experienced arm to challenge them and Veilleux in camp, whether that’s via a transfer or Clifford keeping the job. Penn State’s early schedule won’t be friendly at all to a teenage quarterback, with road games at Purdue, Auburn and Michigan along with a home matchup vs. Ohio State.
RUNNING BACK
Penn State still has one try left, but the Lions are in danger of going an entire season without a 100-yard rusher in a game since 1978.
Saturday’s loss at Michigan State was a rare instance of Penn State sticking largely with one back as Keyvone Lee got the bulk of the carries. All four of the Lions’ scholarship backs played through various injuries during the season and none of them truly took the reins.
Noah Cain started the most games but was unable to regain his freshman form after his sophomore season was ruined by a serious foot injury. Lee had issues with fumbles. Baylor transfer John Lovett was held out at the start of the season and didn’t showed much of the burst that he had with the Bears. And every back was hurt by inconsistent play by the offensive line.
Joining the group next year will be Governor Mifflin star Nick Singleton, the all-time rushing leader in Berks County history, and IMG Academy bruiser Kaytron Allen. At this point, it looks like the path to playing time will be open for everyone.
WIDE RECEIVER
Even if he were to miss the bowl game for any reason, Jahan Dotson has turned in one of the greatest statistical seasons by a wideout in school history. He is in striking distance of both of Allen Robinson’s single-season records for catches and receiving yards and is also in second place for touchdown catches in a season and career touchdown catches behind Bobby Engram.
Indeed, without Dotson it’s possible Penn State doesn’t even make a bowl game and finishes with a second straight losing record. He is all but certain to head to the NFL.
It was Dotson who stepped up when KJ Hamler entered the draft after the 2019 season, becoming Penn State’s best player at any position for two straight years.
Repeating that feat is a very tough ask for 2022, but Parker Washington is a consistent threat and KeAndre Lambert-Smith will need to take that next step to be a true threat. The group will be bolstered by the arrival of top-100 overall recruit Kaden Saunders, who has the talent to step right into the lineup as Washington and Lambert-Smith did in 2020.
TIGHT END
Between Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren, the Lions have talent, versatility and now experience at the position moving forward.
The key now is getting one of them to step up as a major threat, especially if it ends up being one of the underclassmen at quarterback next season. A security blanket at tight end is a big help in that regard.
Regardless, there will be plenty of options, and the competition could boost the production from the unit.
OFFENSIVE LINE
It might not matter who the next quarterback is if Penn State can’t protect him better.
Arguably the biggest shortcoming in Franklin’s tenure has been the development of offensive linemen, particularly tackles. It was one thing when the staff inherited a roster handicapped by sanctions that needed to move two defensive tackles over to offense just to fill out a two-deep.
There was reason for optimism this year with Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace, but Walker’s play fell off combined with an injury in November. Wallace is perhaps better suited for guard rather than tackle.
It didn’t help that Sal Wormley, who was pushing for a starting job at guard, was lost to an injury before the season started. Mike Miranda struggled for much of the season at center.
Can the Lions cobble something together better for 2022? Perhaps. Landon Tengwall was Franklin’s highest-rated offensive line recruit and he got his first action these last two weeks at tackle. Some combination of him, Wallace and the reliable Juice Scruggs could be a starting point with Wormley in the mix along with incoming Harvard transfer Spencer Rolland.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The importance of keeping scholarships available to use on transfers was underscored by the play of Arnold Ebiketie and Derrick Tangelo, who anchored a depleted unit all season long.
It will be tough to replicate that success every year in the portal, but the Lions might have to try for it again this offseason. Plenty hinges on the future of PJ Mustipher, whose 2022 plans were put into question by a season-ending injury in October.
Mustipher, a strong presence in the middle of the line and a valuable leader, said this past week he hadn’t decided whether to enter the draft or return for a fifth and final season by using his pandemic exemption.
Penn State got plenty of looks at Coziah Izzard and Dvon Ellies in Mustipher’s absence. Hakeem Beamon could possibly factor back in after being held out for all of 2021.
But the biggest key will be finding consistent pass-rushers. Could incoming freshman Dani Dennis-Sutton, a top-100 overall recruit, find his way into the rotation right away?
LINEBACKER
Ellis Brooks emerged as the team’s leading tackler and took a big step forward from last year. Curtis Jacobs showed flashes of his potential in his first year as a starter. Brandon Smith was good, not great, given his five-star pedigree.
It’s uncertain how the unit will shake out for 2022. Smith has the size and athleticism that the NFL will drool over, but he hasn’t put the full package together to become Penn State’s next All-American at the position.
His aggressiveness sometimes led to overpursuit and missed tackles were costly. He missed making plays on key third downs against both Michigan and Michigan State, allowing them to extend drives that eventually turned into touchdowns. It’s entirely possible the Lions win both games if Smith makes those tackles.
Depth at all three spots is also a concern moving forward.
SECONDARY
Early indications are that safety Ji’Ayir Brown plans to return for a sixth season of college football, as the Lackawanna College product was not a part of Penn State’s senior day celebration. That would be a boost to a group that will be losing Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields.
The Lions look to be solid moving forward at cornerback. Joey Porter Jr. has the makings of an NFL player because of his size at the position, though he will have to refine his technique after becoming a magnet for flags in the second half of the season.
Though Kalen King had some freshman mistakes — he got caught up in traffic on Michigan’s winning touchdown a few weeks ago — coaches remain very high on his future. Daequan Hardy had a strong season as the slot corner, highlighted by his pick-six on Saturday.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The unit came up short on Saturday as Jordan Stout botched an extra point and a short field goal in the snow — four missing points in a three-point loss — and one of the team’s rare kickoff returns of the season turned into a John Lovett fumble.
Penn State will certainly miss Stout as a punter and kickoff man, as he was one of the very best in the country at both jobs. The Lions could probably benefit from having a separate field goal kicker, though, next season.
Penn State actually was able to redshirt two scholarship kickers this season, meaning veteran Jake Pinegar would be in line to compete with freshman Sander Sahaydak for the job next year.
Replacing a Ray Guy Award finalist at punter will be trickier. The Lions are set to sign Alex Bacchetta next month out of the same school that produced four-year starter Blake Gillikin.