Report Card: Penn State Nittany Lions 37, Huskers 10

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

I think your perspective on Nebraska’s 37-10 loss to Penn State depends on what you think Penn State is. Is a rudderless team that went into the game 4-6 with losses to UCLA and Northwestern?

Or were they the preseason #2 team in the country that lost to Oregon on the road in double overtime and that Indiana needed a five-alarm Gus-gasm to get past?

Granted, a 37-10 loss to a conference foe is bad no matter which version of Penn State you thought Nebraska faced Saturday night. But I suspect much of the outrage is centered on the belief that Penn State was truly a mediocre 5-6 team. That’s your choice; I circle back the former, and that this was a bad matchup for Nebraska defensively going in, with Penn State’s rushing attack. We knew that going into the season, and frankly, I’m not sure why anyone expected different.

The tone for the game was set early in the game. Emmett Johnson busted a 52 yard gain on the opening possession, but was then denied on two straight runs from the Penn State three yard line, turning the ball over on downs. But the Blackshirts wilted, giving up a seven play 98 yard drive, 81 of which came on two plays.

The storyline was pretty much cast at that point. Nebraska went ONE for six on fourth downs, including two in the red zone. Convert those red zone failures into points, and you’ve got a competitive game.

Well, maybe. Nebraska hasn’t been able to stop the run all season, and Penn State would have continued to maul the Blackshirts in the fourth quarter, if it were necessary. It’s the glaring flaw on this defense, and after Michigan, Penn State was probably the most likely team to exploit that. (Hell, even MINNESOTA did it.)

It’s not something that’s going to be fixed in six days; that’s something that gets addressed in the offseason in the weight room and via the portal. (Same note applies to the offensive line, for that matter.)

With that, it’s onto the report card, and as always, your feedback is welcome in the comments.

QB: TJ Lateef couldn’t repeat his heroics from two weeks prior against a far superior defense, but I’ll stand with this point: Lateef is playing better than Dylan Raiola has been in recent weeks. Part of that is better mobility, as demonstrated by his scramble for a touchdown. But it’s also his arm, where Lateef completes passes that Raiola, for whatever reason, rarely even attempts.

In the first half, it seems Dana Holgorsen elected to play it safe with Lateef, resurrecting the short horizontal passing game with the same ineffectiveness that the scheme produced under Dylan Raiola. Second half, they opened things up a bit and that gave Nebraska some chances to score some points. I hope that, against Iowa, the Huskers try to stretch the field more – and earlier – than they did early on against Penn State. One concern, and this goes more on Holgorsen than Lateef, is making sure that the quarterback has protection options other than Emmett Johnson (when he’s probably the intended receiver) when the defense shows unblocked pressure, like Penn State did with their defensive linemen. Allowing Yvan Kemajou to be unblocked and sack Lateef shouldn’t happen. Grade: C-

I-Back: Emmett Johnson tried to carry the team, but there’s only so much the guy can do. The moves that allowed Johnson to gain five or six yards with moves after contact only gained two or three yards against Penn State. That’s not on Johnson; that’s up front. Grade: B+

Receivers: Jacory Barney saw the ball a lot more in this game, which is a good thing. Nyziah Hunter had a couple of drops, though they were difficult off-target throws. Hopefully, the receivers will become more comfortable with Lateef, especially in scramble time to give him options to throw when TJ extends the play. Grade: C

Offensive Line: Three sacks allowed, but no penalties. Not much running room, outside of the opening drive. Grade: C-

Defensive Line: No push, and lost edge contain. The loss of Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher Grade: D-

Linebackers: Vincent Shavers did have seven tackles, but otherwise, it was a mostly meh performance. Grade: D-

Secondary: Had to come up on run support, which worked at times…but then that lead to big plays in the passing game. Grade: D

Special Teams: The lone highlight was Jacory Barney’s kickoff returns; that might be something to keep up. But Mekhi Nelson had an ill-advised decision to return a kick out of the endzone, though under Matt Rhule, that’s something that’s encourage. Cost Nebraska 15 yards and led to Penn State’s last touchdown of the first half when Nebraska couldn’t cover the ensuing punt. Archie Wilson was fine punting, but looked like a kid playing his first year of American football when he realized he might have to tackle the punt returner, resulting in an unnecessary roughness penalty. Giving up the fake punt is also concerning. (Memo to Terry Smith: Seriously, up 20 in the fourth quarter? Duly noted, if we meet again.) Grade: D+

Overall: D+ Simply not what we wanted to see. Penn State exploited Nebraska’s weaknesses, making this an ugly performance on national television. The only possible brightside is that perhaps lineman considering the portal might have caught this game and see an opportunity at Nebraska.

NBC: C- I’ve really liked NBC’s productions, but in this one, both Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge were a little off. It seemed Eagle grew disinterested in the game as it progress, switching his focus to Penn State’s pursuit of career records. But even on an off night, the Eagle/Blackledge team is still far preferable to enduring Fox’s Gus Johnson.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos