There is only one way to describe what took place at Lincoln Financial Field to Penn State in yesterday's debacle, 27-10, loss to Temple. This was a complete system wide failure at every level of Penn State's football program. The cancer didn't just affect the performance of the offensive line, but permeated throughout the entire team on both offense and defense.
When faced with its first instance of adversity on the first play of Penn State's offensive series after Akeel Lynch's 42-yard TD run to give Penn State a 10-0 lead over Temple, the Nittany Lions offensive line allowed it's first sack of the game and that changed the whole complexion of the game for both the team and Penn State's coaching staff.
Penn State took possession of the ball on it's own 15-yard line, after an impressive 60-yard punt by Temple. At that point in the game Penn State was in complete control on both offense and defense. In it's first two offensive series of the game, Penn State had jumped out to a 10-0 lead and had totaled 126 yards of offense on 12 plays leading to a 34-yard field goal by Joey Julius and a 42-yard TD run by Lynch.
It was at this point all the nightmares that existed on offense for the offensive line the entire 2014 season reared it's ugly head. Hackenberg on one of his few play-action pass attempts ended up being dropped by Temple's MLB Jarred Alwan for a 6-yard loss. Incredibly that was the first of five sacks Hackenberg had to endure in nine plays over three offensive series.
Temple ended up sacking Hackenberg 10 times and Penn State's offense ended up totaling just 54 yards of total offense on 39 plays producing just four of its nine first downs for the game after Penn State's first two offensive series. For the game against the Owls, Penn State produced just 180 yards of total offense. Its worst offensive performance since its homecoming, 6-4, loss to Iowa on Oct. 23, 2004, when the Nittany Lions' offense could muster just 147 yards of total offense.
That's enough of an historical evaluation of Penn State's putrid performance in yesterday's game against Temple. What our Lions Den members now what to know is there any solution to the problems that exist with Penn State's offense or are Nittany Lion' fans destined to watch Penn State's offense under Hackenberg's leadership flounder through all the same problems that strangled the Lions' offense throughout the entire 2014 season.
Realistically, I don't know the answer to that question. After what happened to Penn State's offensive line yesterday against Temple giving up 10 sacks for 67 yards in losses, everyone is fully aware of the fact that improvement from its 44-sack total of Hackenberg last fall is all but non-existent. That despite all of the reports of improvement during preseason practice challenged now by a report, if accurate, that indicates Hackenberg was sacked 7 times in the final scrimmage of preseason practice 11 days ago. If true I would have had a lack of confidence going into yesterday's game against Temple if I was standing in Hackenberg's shoes.
That's why James Franklin's comment about Penn State's performance by the offensive line after Alwan's sack of Hackenberg makes sense to me now, when it seemed like an excuse to me on Franklin's part when I read the quote early this morning in several Sunday sports sections.
'My gut tells you we gave up our first sack, and from that point on we continued to have some issues," Franklin said. "That sack I think kind of changed things for us."
If that quote by Franklin is indeed truly accurate, I have to say it is an indictment of almost every aspect of what Penn State's players and coaches are trying to accomplish with the team's present offensive philosophy. Either the players aren't capable of performing what needs to be done for Penn State's offense to be successful or the players have failed to buy into the coaches' offensive strategy.
I can fully understand mistakes being made by Penn State's offensive line when an opponent comes with a delayed blitz up the middle or a defensive overload coupled with a blitz to the wide side of the field, but it is unbelievably unexplainable when Temple made the decision to rush just two players and drop nine players into coverage, Penn State's five offensive linemen couldn't block two Temple rushers. The only answer I have for that is Penn State's players haven't bought into what Franklin and Penn State's offensive coordinator, John Donovan, thinks what the solution to the problem is.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't just a problem for Penn State's players along the offensive line and more than likely Hackenberg. It is a problem the coaching staff has to find the right solution. What Penn State is presently doing when Penn State's offensive goes into a funk and all but becomes non-existent isn't working. They say if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, you are doing nothing more than fooling yourself.
Right now I'm not sure if Penn State is running an offense that provides Hackenberg with the tools to take advantage of his best assets that make him what NFL scouts believe is a future first round NFL draft selection. Not once did Hackenberg get up under center and throw a play-action pass. His longest completion was just 18 yards until a last minute 30-yard fourth quarter reception by Chris Godwin. I think there was only three times during the game when Hackenberg tried to vertically stretch the field with the passing game. He seems to have lost all confidence in himself and with what Penn State is trying to accomplish with its offense.
Right now to me Penn State seems to be running a read-option offense with a premier pro-style QB. That won't work. Even if that is the case Hackenberg still has to bear some of the blame with the offense's anemic performance. There seems to be no consistency with his performance on the field. That's unacceptable. It is the reason I believe Hackenberg lacks confidence in Penn State's offensive gameplans.
Defensively with the injuries to Nyeem Wartman-White, Gary Wooten and Brandon Bell, who was dynamic with his play during the first half of yesterday's game, I can understand the problems Penn State's defense experienced in the second half, giving up 27 unanswered points and 273 yards of total offense to Temple. But it is unacceptable that Temple dominated at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball the physical aspect of the game. Wartman-White's season ending knee injury could prove to be devastating. Wooten isn't the player Wartman-White is and Wartman-White was the captain of the ship on defense, just like Mike Hull was last year.
I'll admit what people were telling me about Penn State's offensive line wasn't accurate and right now I believe there are lot of things that have to change with Penn State's offense before Rutgers arrives in Happy Valley on Saturday, Sept. 19. I'm not sure 14 days are enough to address all the problems that exist.
Franklin and his coaching staff seem to understand the position they face and that there isn't much time to find the solutions that exist on Penn State's offense. Franklin and his staff now have more critics then they ever wanted.
"I would be disappointed as well," Franklin said. When you played the way we did today, I would be disappointed. People can question. It is our job to silence the questions. It is our job to get out on the field and produce and play well.
"So, there's going to be criticism. I get that But I am as committed and determined today as I've been since the day I got the job. And it's our job to silence the critics." Franklin and his staff have a big job that needs to be accomplished in a very short period of time.
When faced with its first instance of adversity on the first play of Penn State's offensive series after Akeel Lynch's 42-yard TD run to give Penn State a 10-0 lead over Temple, the Nittany Lions offensive line allowed it's first sack of the game and that changed the whole complexion of the game for both the team and Penn State's coaching staff.
Penn State took possession of the ball on it's own 15-yard line, after an impressive 60-yard punt by Temple. At that point in the game Penn State was in complete control on both offense and defense. In it's first two offensive series of the game, Penn State had jumped out to a 10-0 lead and had totaled 126 yards of offense on 12 plays leading to a 34-yard field goal by Joey Julius and a 42-yard TD run by Lynch.
It was at this point all the nightmares that existed on offense for the offensive line the entire 2014 season reared it's ugly head. Hackenberg on one of his few play-action pass attempts ended up being dropped by Temple's MLB Jarred Alwan for a 6-yard loss. Incredibly that was the first of five sacks Hackenberg had to endure in nine plays over three offensive series.
Temple ended up sacking Hackenberg 10 times and Penn State's offense ended up totaling just 54 yards of total offense on 39 plays producing just four of its nine first downs for the game after Penn State's first two offensive series. For the game against the Owls, Penn State produced just 180 yards of total offense. Its worst offensive performance since its homecoming, 6-4, loss to Iowa on Oct. 23, 2004, when the Nittany Lions' offense could muster just 147 yards of total offense.
That's enough of an historical evaluation of Penn State's putrid performance in yesterday's game against Temple. What our Lions Den members now what to know is there any solution to the problems that exist with Penn State's offense or are Nittany Lion' fans destined to watch Penn State's offense under Hackenberg's leadership flounder through all the same problems that strangled the Lions' offense throughout the entire 2014 season.
Realistically, I don't know the answer to that question. After what happened to Penn State's offensive line yesterday against Temple giving up 10 sacks for 67 yards in losses, everyone is fully aware of the fact that improvement from its 44-sack total of Hackenberg last fall is all but non-existent. That despite all of the reports of improvement during preseason practice challenged now by a report, if accurate, that indicates Hackenberg was sacked 7 times in the final scrimmage of preseason practice 11 days ago. If true I would have had a lack of confidence going into yesterday's game against Temple if I was standing in Hackenberg's shoes.
That's why James Franklin's comment about Penn State's performance by the offensive line after Alwan's sack of Hackenberg makes sense to me now, when it seemed like an excuse to me on Franklin's part when I read the quote early this morning in several Sunday sports sections.
'My gut tells you we gave up our first sack, and from that point on we continued to have some issues," Franklin said. "That sack I think kind of changed things for us."
If that quote by Franklin is indeed truly accurate, I have to say it is an indictment of almost every aspect of what Penn State's players and coaches are trying to accomplish with the team's present offensive philosophy. Either the players aren't capable of performing what needs to be done for Penn State's offense to be successful or the players have failed to buy into the coaches' offensive strategy.
I can fully understand mistakes being made by Penn State's offensive line when an opponent comes with a delayed blitz up the middle or a defensive overload coupled with a blitz to the wide side of the field, but it is unbelievably unexplainable when Temple made the decision to rush just two players and drop nine players into coverage, Penn State's five offensive linemen couldn't block two Temple rushers. The only answer I have for that is Penn State's players haven't bought into what Franklin and Penn State's offensive coordinator, John Donovan, thinks what the solution to the problem is.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't just a problem for Penn State's players along the offensive line and more than likely Hackenberg. It is a problem the coaching staff has to find the right solution. What Penn State is presently doing when Penn State's offensive goes into a funk and all but becomes non-existent isn't working. They say if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, you are doing nothing more than fooling yourself.
Right now I'm not sure if Penn State is running an offense that provides Hackenberg with the tools to take advantage of his best assets that make him what NFL scouts believe is a future first round NFL draft selection. Not once did Hackenberg get up under center and throw a play-action pass. His longest completion was just 18 yards until a last minute 30-yard fourth quarter reception by Chris Godwin. I think there was only three times during the game when Hackenberg tried to vertically stretch the field with the passing game. He seems to have lost all confidence in himself and with what Penn State is trying to accomplish with its offense.
Right now to me Penn State seems to be running a read-option offense with a premier pro-style QB. That won't work. Even if that is the case Hackenberg still has to bear some of the blame with the offense's anemic performance. There seems to be no consistency with his performance on the field. That's unacceptable. It is the reason I believe Hackenberg lacks confidence in Penn State's offensive gameplans.
Defensively with the injuries to Nyeem Wartman-White, Gary Wooten and Brandon Bell, who was dynamic with his play during the first half of yesterday's game, I can understand the problems Penn State's defense experienced in the second half, giving up 27 unanswered points and 273 yards of total offense to Temple. But it is unacceptable that Temple dominated at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball the physical aspect of the game. Wartman-White's season ending knee injury could prove to be devastating. Wooten isn't the player Wartman-White is and Wartman-White was the captain of the ship on defense, just like Mike Hull was last year.
I'll admit what people were telling me about Penn State's offensive line wasn't accurate and right now I believe there are lot of things that have to change with Penn State's offense before Rutgers arrives in Happy Valley on Saturday, Sept. 19. I'm not sure 14 days are enough to address all the problems that exist.
Franklin and his coaching staff seem to understand the position they face and that there isn't much time to find the solutions that exist on Penn State's offense. Franklin and his staff now have more critics then they ever wanted.
"I would be disappointed as well," Franklin said. When you played the way we did today, I would be disappointed. People can question. It is our job to silence the questions. It is our job to get out on the field and produce and play well.
"So, there's going to be criticism. I get that But I am as committed and determined today as I've been since the day I got the job. And it's our job to silence the critics." Franklin and his staff have a big job that needs to be accomplished in a very short period of time.
