COLUMBUS, Ohio – A few weeks ago, Penn State defensive coordinator said he wasn’t ready to talk about Ohio State but he did have some thoughts about the Buckeyes.
It was a clear allusion to the fact he was looking ahead, building a game plan for the Nittany Lions’ first real test of the season – even in a week that wasn’t focused on “Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State.”
Meanwhile, I’m not sure what Mike Yurcich was doing.
On a day when Diaz’s defense kept Penn State hopes alive, Yurcich failed to provide an effective game plan – or plan that supported his sophomore quarterback when he needed it most.
And that’s why Penn State once again fell to Ohio State, this time suffering a 20-12 defeat inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
For as sharp as Penn State’s defense has looked this year, and even for as good as Penn State’s special teams has looked lately, the Lions’ offense was missing like a ship in the Bermuda triangle on Saturday.
Throughout this season, Penn State has won with two things. The first is a strong defense and it got that on Saturday.
The second is by using what’s working for the offense in the moment. In the West Virginia game, it relied on Drew Allar’s arm to get it done. When it didn’t work as well early on against Delaware, Penn State went to the running game and punched the Blue Hens left and right with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The group did it again when it ran up and down the field against Iowa, particularly in the third quarter. At other points in the season, it used tight ends over wide receivers to get things going and vice versa.
All season long, it’s been about supporting the quarterback, finding the game plan that helps him slow down the game. He may very well be talented but he’s still young. He’s still going to need that help.
On Saturday, Yurcich did Allar no favors.
When the running game was working, Penn State inexplicably decided to throw the ball.
When the tight end passing game was working, it decided to run the football.
It was a confusing offensive game management that made no sense and led to problems littered across the box score.
The most noticeable was Penn State’s pitiful third down conversion rate, going 1-for-16 on the afternoon.
For much of the season, the offense has used the T formation in third and short situations. It was non-existent on Saturday. There were bizarre trick play calls, including a reverse flea flicker to targeting a receiver on the short side of the field – with no one open.
The scheme made everything complicated when it didn’t need to be and now it leaves the rest of this season even more complicated.
Meanwhile, Penn State’s defense was doing everything it could to fix the situation. It held the Buckeyes to just 10 points in the first half and offered up a momentum changing goal line stand in final moments of the third quarter that looked like it would be the turning point on the afternoon.
Yurcich’s offense, backed up in Penn State territory, took the ball with energy and picked up nine yards on the first two plays after the stop. Needing just one yard more to pick up the first and instead of handing off Nicholas Singleton who averaged 5.9 yards per carry on Saturday, Yurcich had Allar throw to the running back. Singleton dropped it and the energy was zapped.
It was a frustrating moment that was quickly forgotten on the ensuing punt that hit a Buckeye, leading to a recovery at the mid-field.
This time, it was special teams giving Yurcich’s group a gift – one that lasted for three more plays and zero yards.
Had Penn State’s offense been even semi-functioning and scored off that momentum swing, we’re likely watching that fourth down stop on the goal line stand for the next 100 years. We’re also likely talking about a Penn State win.
Yet Penn State’s offense didn’t function. Only KeAndre Lambert-Smith had more than two catches at six. Theo Johnson had just two catches on eight targets and Tyler Warren was targeted just twice with one catch.
If Penn State is weak at the wide receiver position —which struggled to get open all day – it falls on Yurcich to help his quarterback get the ball moving elsewhere.
And every time Penn State did move the ball without the wide outs, it went away from what was working.
It was hair-pullingly frustrating to watch in a game that Penn State could have won. The defense allowed 20 points, a usually surmountable total, for any Lions’ offense in the last 11 games where it scored 30 or more points every time.
Yet a pathetic offensive game plan let the defense down, let Penn State fans down and most of all, the quarterback down.
On Saturday, it was evident that Allar was antsy and anxious, probably overly excited to play in his home state against the team that took little interest in him, a five star quarterback.
Yet, the man he talks to the most, Yurcich did nothing to calm him. The coach did zero to get the quarterback rhythm that has been the medicine he’s always needed this year.
That failure falls on Yurcich but he doesn’t deserve all of the blame as James Franklin has to also wear some of it as well. He’s a coach from an offensive background. He knows better and instead, he let Yurcich get too cute or too big-brained to make things work on Saturday.
Franklin seemingly made sure his defense was ready but didn’t double check if his offense was ready.
Now, that leaves him 1-9 against Ohio State. It also leaves the Lions to face an uphill battle to the College Football Playoff, which should still be a goal for a team with a defense like this one.
But, Franklin can’t let Yurcich get in the way of that again. Otherwise, it’s a defense wasted and more importantly, a year of Allar’s college career out the window.
If you’ve enjoyed this content, please consider supporting StuffSomersSays.com.
