Penn State running back Keyvone Lee scored his first touchdown of the season last week against Ohio State. The Lions are hoping to get things on track today against a struggling Maryland run defense.
Jay LaPrete | AP photo
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A stable of former four-star recruits. A highly regarded position coach. And just the nation’s No. 114 rushing offense.
Penn State owns all of these things heading into the final third of the schedule, starting with today’s game at Maryland. And it hasn’t been easy for the Nittany Lions to reconcile them all.
“I think you just look for improvements, because it’s something that’s new for all of us,” said that position coach, Ja’Juan Seider, who has led the Lions’ running backs since 2018. “I mean, let’s not sit here and kid ourselves. It’s new for me. I’ve never been part of something like this. I know Penn State faithful, when you’re talking about being a program that prides itself on running the ball, it’s something new.
“So I look at it like this — we’ve got really good talented players that have rushed for over 100 yards that are still in the backfield. Those guys haven’t forgotten how to run the ball. I know I haven’t forgotten how to coach.”
But the results haven’t been there this season for Penn State, which is averaging 108.1 yards per game on the ground, better than just two other teams in the Big Ten and 16 teams in all of FBS.
Usual starter Noah Cain (83 carries, 258 yards, 3.1 ypc) hasn’t found his footing after returning from last year’s serious injury while fighting through more minor ailments this fall. He has still been a fairly reliable goal line back.
“What I challenge him on is, you’ve got to get out of this fog of thinking of other things and trying to be the reason why everything has gotta click for us,” Seider said. “We don’t need you to be a superhero. We just need you to be Noah, and being that guy who was one of the most efficient runners his freshman year because he always went forward.
“And if you get back to playing that way, it’s going to lead us to more positive yards and it’s gonna give us more positive outcomes, and then we can get the ball to hum even more.”
Keyvone Lee (48 carries, 237 yards, 4.9 ypc) has shown a few bursts but also missed out on some reps in September because of ball security issues. He started against Illinois before getting “nicked up,” according to Seider. Lee scored his first touchdown of the season last week.
Baylor transfer John Lovett (41 carries, 136 yards, 3.3 ypc) was unavailable for the first two weeks of the season and was also knocked out of the Iowa game with an injury. He has the best speed in the group but, like his counterparts, hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm.
“The thing about these guys is nobody has really separated,” Seider said. “We missed John for two games, he’s in the mix, and then he get nicked up at Iowa, and (Devyn Ford) gets nicked up. There’s moments when Noah looks like the Noah Cain we all remember from ’19. There’s moments where you can see him frustrated and fighting through some things.
“We just continue to try to get healthy and be the best backs we can, because I know when we’re healthy we can be a pretty special room.”
THREE AND OUT
Timing vs. Terps
As with any problem, it’s not all on the running backs. The offensive line has been inconsistent, and the Lions haven’t hit enough big plays in the passing game this year to force defenses to back off against the run.
It also happens to be the team’s third different offensive coordinator in as many years. And while there are some similarities that have carried over, there are still kinks to work out.
“I know it’s week eight, but there’s still some nuance that’s different than the previous two coordinators we had before,” Seider said. “So we’re figuring this thing out together and we’re all committed. Every coach on the staff is committed the same way.
“There’s moments I wish we could run the ball better because, to me, if we run the ball better, we’re in a better situation than we are right now instead of 5-3. We should have been able to put the Iowa game away, especially with how good our defense was playing. A couple first downs makes a difference in that game. Those are things that I talked to our guys about.”
Facing the Terrapins may be the best chance to get well for the stretch run. Maryland is 13th in the Big Ten against the run and managed to give up 204 yards rushing last week against an Indiana team that was starting its third-string quarterback.
“I’ve probably invested more this year than I ever have because we have more time with COVID,” Seider said. “I’m not losing sight of that, and I tell my guys the same thing. Keep pressing forward, man.
“This thing is gonna turn, and when it turns we’re gonna really take off.”
Corners staying cautious
Penn State’s last game against Maryland got out of hand pretty quickly with the Terps carving up the secondary with Taulia Tagovailoa connecting with Rakim Jarrett.
The quarterback-receiver combo were both originally prized recruits for Alabama and LSU, respectively, before coach Mike Locksley helped sell them on Maryland when they hit the transfer portal.
That talent infusion has given the offense a major boost the past two seasons, even with the Terps missing another talented wideout in Dontay Demus to a season-ending injury.
Tagovailoa has a shot at breaking some school records after topping 400 yards last week to beat Indiana and end a three-game losing skid.
“He’s a really talented guy,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “He can make plays with his arm. Makes some of big time throws and he can extend plays and make plays with his feet. Does a really nice job with that as well. I think their scheme does a good job of taking advantage of both of those things, too.”
Franklin said his secondary remembers what happened in last season’s 35-19 loss, and they’ve gone over what went wrong again this week.
“It’s going to be a real challenge,” Franklin said. “I know our coaches and players are excited about the opportunity, but it’ll be a real challenge.”
Eye on the future
Franklin gave perhaps his most telling answer on his uncertain future this week when he took a fan’s question during his weekly radio show.
Asked why coaches in general don’t immediately shut down speculation when their name gets linked to other jobs — like Franklin with the openings at USC and LSU this fall — Franklin talked about the importance of “competing every other day of the week so we have the best chance to compete on Saturdays.”
In other words, using interest from other schools to secure commitments from Penn State to improve facilities and the program at large to help with attracting top players and staffers.
Penn State has recently begun a major construction project at the team’s Lasch’s Building headquarters, a product of some of Franklin’s negotiations in previous years. But there is still work to be done dating back to when Bill O’Brien took over the program back in 2012.
“College football has changed dramatically,” Franklin said. “And we have to be willing to change with it in every experience there is. I understand your question and I get it, but I think I’ve proven my loyalty over time.
“I would love to get to a point where I can come out and make a strong statement sooner rather than later. Some of those things are out of my hand.”