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By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions attempt to keep the season at disappointing, rather than disastrous, today:
n Penn State's lack of a run game is reaching historic proportions. The Lions have currently rushed for 1,067 yards -- an average of 106.7 per game-- and are on pace to finish with about 1,400 The school record for fewest rushing yards in a season is 1,317 in 2001. The Lions have not had a back rush for 100 yards in a game this year. Keyvone Lee leads the team with 375 yards. There have been occasions when a revolving-door rotation produced lower numbers. Larry Johnson's 337 led the team in 2001 and Austin Scott was the 2003 leader with 436. Both those teams finished with losing records.
n Just two years ago, led by Journey Brown, the Lions rushed for 2,478 and 34 touchdowns. This year's team has rushed for 10 TDs -- with the longest being five yards.
n The team that rushed for the most yards in school history was 1971 -- 3,347 in 11 games (bowl statistics didn't count then.)
n The Lions rushed the ball in the second half against Michigan better than they have all year with Lee gaining 74 yards on 14 carries. Expect that trend to continue against Rutgers (noon, BTN). Veteran center Mike Miranda was replaced against UM by Juice Scruggs, which elevated Bryce Effner to guard, but several O-linemen missed practice time this week due to injuries and illness.
n Offensive tackle has been a trouble spot with Rasheed Walker not living up to preseason billing and Caeden Wallace struggling. It was surprising that the Lions' coaching staff -- which James Franklin (cough, cough) has called the nation's best -- didn't have auxiliary help on Michigan's outstanding pair of defensive ends.
n This is Senior Day, but that tradition has changed with some of the seniors introduced who aren't leaving and others not introduced who may be. It will be surprising, to me, if Sean Clifford returns for the 2022 season. For one, he's taken a serious beating behind a line that can't adequately protect him, and he'll be 24 years old next season.
n Greg Schiano, now in his second stint at Rutgers, has a career record of 76-78. That is truly impressive considering the Knights have generally been a second-tier team in whatever league they've played -- the Big East and now the Big Ten. He's also 5-1 in bowl games.
n I wonder if anybody brought up the following questions when the Lions' coaching staff gathered around their conference table last Sunday morning: "Whose idea was the fake field goal? With Jahan Dotson hurt, why wasn't Parker Washington or one of the tight ends targeted with the game on the line?"
n When Franklin self-analyzes why his team can't finish off Top 10 wins after playing even -- or even leading -- in the second half, he needs to consider the kind of playcalling done when it matters most. Trying to get the ball to Cam Sullivan-Brown with the game on the line against Michigan is actually worse than when they handed it off to Miles Sanders on fourth-and-5 against Ohio State to close out the 2018 loss. The play that day, of course, should have gone to Trace McSorley, but at least Sanders was one of the Lions' best players. (Never mind that he ran into Chase Young.)
n Between Clifford, Dotson and all the players who can come out early or enter the transfer portal, you get the sense there will be a whole lot of roster shuffling during this offseason.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.