QB: Hack's problems are not just due to the OL. He got worse last year and was even worse yesterday. There's really not much reason for optimism at this point. PSU and Hack both need a change.
RB: Lynch is OK but he's a senior. Some good prospects but they might need a year to develop. I don't think the RB position is our problem this year or going forward.
OL: I gave Nelson & Mahon a break last year because they were young. Unfortunately Mahon got beat repeatedly yesterday. Mangiro has not lived up to expectations. Palmer needed a redshirt but that ship has sailed. It appears that RS freshman Sorrell is his only backup.Gaia keeps making mistakes. Did Reihner play? This unit is still 2 years away IMO. By then Mahon & Nelson will be seniors and the young kids will have had time to grow.
WR: We have so many 4* WRs that I can't believe they're all that bad at creating separation. The scheme has to be bad or these guys just can't get on the same page as Hack. I think we have adequate talent.
DE: We didn't get enough pressure on Temple yesterday. Some of that was because Temple's pass plays developed quickly and some was because our guys wore down in the heat. Nassib looked pretty good but he's a senior. I didn't see much from Sickels. I think we have average DEs this year. I'm not sure about next year once Nassib leaves. It's time for Torrence Brown to make his move.
DT: Not much from this group yesterday. We know that A. Johnson & Sickels are good players. I assume they wore down in the heat. Next year could be a big problem at DT, especially if Johnson leaves early. That's why I wanted Barney to RS but no such luck.
LB: Wartman's injury was devastating. Our defense fall apart as soon as he went down. Bell looked awesome before he got hurt so we're set at one spot. Cabinda looked OK for a true sophomore but had some problems in pass coverage. But you can't play with just 2 LBs. Wooten is a senior but was lightly recruited. He's not the answer. Reeder & Bowen are not ready. Should we move Farmer back to LB? Will Kline return or is he done? PSU could be good at LB next year if Wartman recovers but it's a complete unknown 2 years from now.
DB: This is a good group of DBs. Lucas & Williams are seniors but Allen, Reid, Farmer, and Campbell are young. I think we're in good shape at DB for the foreseeable future.
ST: Julius looked good but we didn't get to see much. Pasquariello looked good in the first half but was back to his old self in the second half. Farmer looked good returning KOs and Allen looked confident on punt returns. I think we'll be OK this year of Julius holds up and we've got top level recruits coming next year.
For this year we desperately need another LB but we don't have one. That could mean the difference between a very good defense and a marginal defense. On offense the entire scheme needs to change. Maybe we need Jay's spread HD or O'Brien's NASCAR. We definitely need a QB that can move. I don't see that happening because Franklin doesn't seem willing to change things up. The OL is what it is. Working on fundamentals isn't enough.
Going forward we should be good at WR, RB, DB, and ST. DT is a huge concern next year but LB s/b OK if Wartman returns healthy. QB can't be much worse regardless of what happens.
RB: Lynch is OK but he's a senior. Some good prospects but they might need a year to develop. I don't think the RB position is our problem this year or going forward.
OL: I gave Nelson & Mahon a break last year because they were young. Unfortunately Mahon got beat repeatedly yesterday. Mangiro has not lived up to expectations. Palmer needed a redshirt but that ship has sailed. It appears that RS freshman Sorrell is his only backup.Gaia keeps making mistakes. Did Reihner play? This unit is still 2 years away IMO. By then Mahon & Nelson will be seniors and the young kids will have had time to grow.
WR: We have so many 4* WRs that I can't believe they're all that bad at creating separation. The scheme has to be bad or these guys just can't get on the same page as Hack. I think we have adequate talent.
DE: We didn't get enough pressure on Temple yesterday. Some of that was because Temple's pass plays developed quickly and some was because our guys wore down in the heat. Nassib looked pretty good but he's a senior. I didn't see much from Sickels. I think we have average DEs this year. I'm not sure about next year once Nassib leaves. It's time for Torrence Brown to make his move.
DT: Not much from this group yesterday. We know that A. Johnson & Sickels are good players. I assume they wore down in the heat. Next year could be a big problem at DT, especially if Johnson leaves early. That's why I wanted Barney to RS but no such luck.
LB: Wartman's injury was devastating. Our defense fall apart as soon as he went down. Bell looked awesome before he got hurt so we're set at one spot. Cabinda looked OK for a true sophomore but had some problems in pass coverage. But you can't play with just 2 LBs. Wooten is a senior but was lightly recruited. He's not the answer. Reeder & Bowen are not ready. Should we move Farmer back to LB? Will Kline return or is he done? PSU could be good at LB next year if Wartman recovers but it's a complete unknown 2 years from now.
DB: This is a good group of DBs. Lucas & Williams are seniors but Allen, Reid, Farmer, and Campbell are young. I think we're in good shape at DB for the foreseeable future.
ST: Julius looked good but we didn't get to see much. Pasquariello looked good in the first half but was back to his old self in the second half. Farmer looked good returning KOs and Allen looked confident on punt returns. I think we'll be OK this year of Julius holds up and we've got top level recruits coming next year.
For this year we desperately need another LB but we don't have one. That could mean the difference between a very good defense and a marginal defense. On offense the entire scheme needs to change. Maybe we need Jay's spread HD or O'Brien's NASCAR. We definitely need a QB that can move. I don't see that happening because Franklin doesn't seem willing to change things up. The OL is what it is. Working on fundamentals isn't enough.
Going forward we should be good at WR, RB, DB, and ST. DT is a huge concern next year but LB s/b OK if Wartman returns healthy. QB can't be much worse regardless of what happens.
