Trending
The most distinctive characteristic about the 2022 Penn State football team is it's extremely deep.
Just look at the number of players -- standout players -- the Nittany Lions have been without, and yet here they are, sitting at 9-2 after outclassing Rutgers, 55-10, on Saturday at SHI Stadium.
Parker Washington is the latest casualty. The team's top receiver and punt returner was apparently injured during the week, and his status for this Saturday vs. Michigan State and beyond is in question.
Joey Porter Jr., the Lions' star cornerback, missed his second-straight game after an appendicitis.
Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, another projected first-round draft pick, missed his third straight game and, like Porter, because of his draft status, we may not see him again.
Opposite starting tackle Caeden Wallace remains out due to injury.
Keyvone Lee, who had been displaced at running back but nonetheless is experienced and has had his moments, hasn't played in a month.
Devon Ford, a valuable returner, left the team at midseason.
"If I released all our medical information, it would blow people's minds," James Franklin said afterward. "The coaches and players have done a really great job of not letting it become an issue. Next man up, no excuses."
Now, when you've recruited like Franklin and his staff, the "next-man up" mentality is easier to implement.
Consider:
n When linebacker Curtis Jacobs was injured, Abdul Carter was plugged in. Carter is already the Lions' most athletic linebacker and a must starter on the unit next season, if not sooner.
n With Porter out, Johnny Dixon's role has expanded, and the South Carolina transfer continued to play like a lockdown corner.
n Lee and Ford had already lost playing time to Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the best two freshmen backs Penn State has recruited for the same backfield, maybe ever. They've been alternated smartly, and on Saturday, both surpassed the 700-yard mark for the season -- the first pair of freshmen backs to ever achieve that in the Big Ten.
n With Fashanu still out, the Lions burned a redshirt for tackle Drew Shelton and although he struggled early Saturday, this guy looks like he could be a young Keith Dorney.
n And with the sudden injury to Washington, Franklin and his staff could practically play a game of eeneemeeneemyneemo in selecting speedy replacements.
"We're in a good place," Franklin said.
Saturday, the Lions overcame a slow start -- Rutgers led 10-7 late in the first quarter -- before their defense pitched a shutout for the last 50 minutes.
The defense scored twice after recovering fumbles -- a 14-yarder by Kobe King to give the Lions the lead for keeps at 14-10 and a 70-yard return by Ji'Ayir Brown to make it 35-10 early in the third quarter.
Singleton's 100-yard kickoff return, which temporarily gave the Lions a 7-3 lead, made for three non-offensive touchdown, the first time that's happened at Penn State since 1998 vs. Bowling Green.
"Awesome," Franklin said. "It was a complete game -- complementary football, offense, defense and special teams."
For the third-straight game, the Lions' defense registered double-digits in tackles for loss. The staggering total against Rutgers was 15 as State defenders took up residence in the Knights' backfield.
That makes 41 tackles for loss in the last three games -- all routs, over Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers -- and showcases the Lions' tremendous speed and athleticism.
Franklin likes to use the word "disruptive."
"We've got athletic guys who are playing fast right now and with instincts," he said. "(Coordinator) Manny (Diaz) has done a good job. They have a good understanding of what we're trying to do, and that's been a huge factor in our success."
He appreciated the pre-game conversation with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano -- "who I have a ton of respect for" -- when the Knights' coach noted the team's improvement.
"One of the best compliments as a coach you can get is that you're team is getting better," Franklin said, "and he (Schiano) said we've done that."
The win was Franklin's 100th over his now 12-year coaching career -- 76 in nine years at Penn State and 24 in three seasons at Vanderbilt.
He thanked his support staff -- "a core group that has been with me the whole time, men and women, and that's a credit to all of them" -- but quickly went back to simplifying the mission to be 1-0.
This year -- especially in the games the Nittany Lions have been expected to win -- it has served them well.
Thanks to their depth.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.