The next matchup on the schedule is significant, as it marks the first time in the history of the Associated Press top-25 that four teams in it will be 8-0 and match up on the same day. LSU plays Alabama at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday following the Noon clash between the Golden Gophers and PSU.
We'll get to that chatter eventually, though. Let's first take this early November day to look back and briefly ahead with eight takes from the 8-0 start.
1. Clifford has been a revelation in 2019
It’s easy to take for granted that redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford has a 20-to-3 interception ratio and is either the Big Ten leader or among them in almost every significant statistical category, but let’s not forget that this former four-star recruit seemed destined for backup duty even as recently as last February.
Clifford flashed the required confidence from the moment spring practice began, and that mindset only accelerated once Tommy Stevens left for Mississippi State. The production has matched the preparation, and the Lions are a top-five team because of it.
2. Rasheed Walker has held his own
It is maybe not a total shock that Walker has been solid, considering the left tackle was once a four-star recruit, but how many times has Penn State landed a big-time lineman in the last 10 years only for it to either not work out or take too long to matter?
Walker was a right tackle throughout high school but made the switch to the other side flawlessly. Think about it: How many times have you heard his name called during a broadcast? The answer is few and far between, and he's held his own against some very talented ends in Big Ten play.
The line as a whole has improved this season, and Walker is one of its stars.
3. The back rotation did not kill the season
James Franklin is about done talking about his running back rotation. And, even if it often doesn’t make much sense, guess what? It hasn’t killed the season.
Noah Cain finally did start in the win over Michigan State but left the game after two series due to injury. He's due back for the Minnesota contest after totaling 350 yards and six touchdowns thus far. Journey Brown has 297 and three, respectively, Devyn Ford 242 and two, and Ricky Slade 119 and two.
Expect Penn State to be smarter about when it deploys each back moving forward, but do not expect it to stop using the quartet in every game.
4. Shorter’s production still limited
A former five-star recruit, Justin Shorter came to Penn State in the Class of 2018 with expectations of being an immediate contributor, but it hasn't worked out that way, mainly due to injury.
Shorter still looks the part of a big, talented, game-changing receiver, but the proof has yet to be found in the pudding. He’s totaled nine catches for 109 yards and missed a couple of games. Perhaps he gets it going in the season’s final month, but there’s been little so far to suggest that it will be a guarantee.
5. Yes, this is one of the nation’s top defenses
Local pundits and national observers predicted that coordinator Brent Pry's unit would be one of the best in the country before the season began, and coaches and players alike pointed to the fact that this group was long, fast, and physical as a reason why.
After seeing it in action, all the projections were true.
Pry has been the steward of many top units since taking over for Bob Shoop a few years ago, but this one might give him more versatility than any previous one did. They are aggressive, willing to tackle, opportunistic (let’s ignore those dropped interceptions at MSU for a moment), and smart, which allows for a mixture of zone coverages, man-to-man, exotic blitzes, and more at Pry’s command.
The most significant tests might still be yet to come, but few have run with success against this group, and the bend but don't break mentality against the pass has held up.
6. Robert Windsor is making some money this year
The stat log says defensive tackle Robert Windsor has just 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season, but he's been so much better than that.
A senior from Wisconsin, Windsor is a disruptive force inside who opens things up for his teammates by frequently taking on more than just one blocker. Even when he’s double-teamed, he tends to find a way to disrupt the play. Longtime NFL talent evaluator Gil Brandt was high on Windsor before the season began, and here’s betting many others are believers now, too.
7. Joe Lorig edges Gerad Parker for top hire of the offseason, but it’s close
Penn State’s receivers drop fewer passes than they did a year ago, have as big of an impact in the run game as any group has in the Franklin era, and change a game at a moment’s notice with their speed. Gerad Parker, the first-year coach of the position, can be credited for a lot of that, and he was a tremendous get from Duke after David Corley was fired.
In a photo finish, the nod of top off season addition goes to Lorig, though.
The first-year coordinator turned the Lions’ special teams into a threat after a year in which they were a consistent liability. He worked to lure Jordan Stout from Virginia Tech, and the long-range kicker and kickoff specialist was one of the top gets on the player front this year.
Beyond that, punter Blake Gillikin is exceptionally reliable, Drew Hartlaub and Dan Chisena might be two of the best gunners in the country, and the coverage teams are consistently in their lanes while the return game can pop a touchdown at a moment’s notice, if there aren’t penalties, of course.
8. Eight is great, but what happens next matters most
We’ll admit it, so you can too: No, an unbeaten start was not found in our preseason predictions. A slip up at Iowa, or an inability to stop Michigan’s new-look offense (funny how that turned out), and even another stunning loss to Michigan State were all predicted before the season began.
Over the last three months though, Penn State has beaten back all comers in a variety of ways. They’ve won close contests with a lead, come from behind to secure a triumph, and even blew out a few foes along the way.
All of those facts will be mere footnotes, however, no matter what happens in November. A spot in the Big Ten East title game would mean a headline-stealing win at Ohio State on Nov. 23, while landing in the Rose Bowl or somewhere else will lead to questions about what could have been.
It’s been an excellent start for the 2019 version of the Nittany Lions, but as the old saying goes, the best must be yet to come.
Written by Greg Pickel and PennLIVE.
We'll get to that chatter eventually, though. Let's first take this early November day to look back and briefly ahead with eight takes from the 8-0 start.
1. Clifford has been a revelation in 2019
It’s easy to take for granted that redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford has a 20-to-3 interception ratio and is either the Big Ten leader or among them in almost every significant statistical category, but let’s not forget that this former four-star recruit seemed destined for backup duty even as recently as last February.
Clifford flashed the required confidence from the moment spring practice began, and that mindset only accelerated once Tommy Stevens left for Mississippi State. The production has matched the preparation, and the Lions are a top-five team because of it.
2. Rasheed Walker has held his own
It is maybe not a total shock that Walker has been solid, considering the left tackle was once a four-star recruit, but how many times has Penn State landed a big-time lineman in the last 10 years only for it to either not work out or take too long to matter?
Walker was a right tackle throughout high school but made the switch to the other side flawlessly. Think about it: How many times have you heard his name called during a broadcast? The answer is few and far between, and he's held his own against some very talented ends in Big Ten play.
The line as a whole has improved this season, and Walker is one of its stars.
3. The back rotation did not kill the season
James Franklin is about done talking about his running back rotation. And, even if it often doesn’t make much sense, guess what? It hasn’t killed the season.
Noah Cain finally did start in the win over Michigan State but left the game after two series due to injury. He's due back for the Minnesota contest after totaling 350 yards and six touchdowns thus far. Journey Brown has 297 and three, respectively, Devyn Ford 242 and two, and Ricky Slade 119 and two.
Expect Penn State to be smarter about when it deploys each back moving forward, but do not expect it to stop using the quartet in every game.
4. Shorter’s production still limited
A former five-star recruit, Justin Shorter came to Penn State in the Class of 2018 with expectations of being an immediate contributor, but it hasn't worked out that way, mainly due to injury.
Shorter still looks the part of a big, talented, game-changing receiver, but the proof has yet to be found in the pudding. He’s totaled nine catches for 109 yards and missed a couple of games. Perhaps he gets it going in the season’s final month, but there’s been little so far to suggest that it will be a guarantee.
5. Yes, this is one of the nation’s top defenses
Local pundits and national observers predicted that coordinator Brent Pry's unit would be one of the best in the country before the season began, and coaches and players alike pointed to the fact that this group was long, fast, and physical as a reason why.
After seeing it in action, all the projections were true.
Pry has been the steward of many top units since taking over for Bob Shoop a few years ago, but this one might give him more versatility than any previous one did. They are aggressive, willing to tackle, opportunistic (let’s ignore those dropped interceptions at MSU for a moment), and smart, which allows for a mixture of zone coverages, man-to-man, exotic blitzes, and more at Pry’s command.
The most significant tests might still be yet to come, but few have run with success against this group, and the bend but don't break mentality against the pass has held up.
6. Robert Windsor is making some money this year
The stat log says defensive tackle Robert Windsor has just 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season, but he's been so much better than that.
A senior from Wisconsin, Windsor is a disruptive force inside who opens things up for his teammates by frequently taking on more than just one blocker. Even when he’s double-teamed, he tends to find a way to disrupt the play. Longtime NFL talent evaluator Gil Brandt was high on Windsor before the season began, and here’s betting many others are believers now, too.
7. Joe Lorig edges Gerad Parker for top hire of the offseason, but it’s close
Penn State’s receivers drop fewer passes than they did a year ago, have as big of an impact in the run game as any group has in the Franklin era, and change a game at a moment’s notice with their speed. Gerad Parker, the first-year coach of the position, can be credited for a lot of that, and he was a tremendous get from Duke after David Corley was fired.
In a photo finish, the nod of top off season addition goes to Lorig, though.
The first-year coordinator turned the Lions’ special teams into a threat after a year in which they were a consistent liability. He worked to lure Jordan Stout from Virginia Tech, and the long-range kicker and kickoff specialist was one of the top gets on the player front this year.
Beyond that, punter Blake Gillikin is exceptionally reliable, Drew Hartlaub and Dan Chisena might be two of the best gunners in the country, and the coverage teams are consistently in their lanes while the return game can pop a touchdown at a moment’s notice, if there aren’t penalties, of course.
8. Eight is great, but what happens next matters most
We’ll admit it, so you can too: No, an unbeaten start was not found in our preseason predictions. A slip up at Iowa, or an inability to stop Michigan’s new-look offense (funny how that turned out), and even another stunning loss to Michigan State were all predicted before the season began.
Over the last three months though, Penn State has beaten back all comers in a variety of ways. They’ve won close contests with a lead, come from behind to secure a triumph, and even blew out a few foes along the way.
All of those facts will be mere footnotes, however, no matter what happens in November. A spot in the Big Ten East title game would mean a headline-stealing win at Ohio State on Nov. 23, while landing in the Rose Bowl or somewhere else will lead to questions about what could have been.
It’s been an excellent start for the 2019 version of the Nittany Lions, but as the old saying goes, the best must be yet to come.
Written by Greg Pickel and PennLIVE.
