Short yardage fixes?

[royboy]

Or where have you gone, Will Levis, now that we need you?

So many areas of improvement for the 2021 team vs the 2020 team, but we haven't figured out how best to succeed on 3rd and short or 4th and short.

What looks promising?

• QB sneak -- at best, needs some work
• Give Keyvone Lee more of a shot in these situations?
• Tyler Warren in the Wildcat -- keep working on that?
• Spread the field to give the QB option more space, or just more space for the Running Back?
• Quick out passes?
• More gimmicks in general, or back to basics?
• Other ideas?

 

[paddoce]

Back to basics - buckle their chin straps and stay low.

 

[BBrown]

Or where have you gone, Will Levis, now that we need you?

So many areas of improvement for the 2021 team vs the 2020 team, but we haven't figured out how best to succeed on 3rd and short or 4th and short.

What looks promising?

• QB sneak -- at best, needs some work
• Give Keyvone Lee more of a shot in these situations?
• Tyler Warren in the Wildcat -- keep working on that?
• Spread the field to give the QB option more space, or just more space for the Running Back?
• Quick out passes?
• More gimmicks in general, or back to basics?
• Other ideas?

I think the first 5 are good. And yea they need to improve on the QB sneak. I'd like to see them run some more plays out of being under center. So it wouldn't be so obvious and we need to be more aggressive in our pushing the guy forward. JMO.
I don't really want any more gimmicks.
I think Lovett getting back will help fix some of it plus defenses are finally going to have to pull so many guys from the LOS to cover our TE's. This should help in opening some lanes up.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Clifford under center and Mustipher as FB…

 

[ram2020]

I think this team is playing so well and I want to be very complementary of the O-Line, especially pass blocking. They have gone up against 2 really well regarded D-Lines in AUburn and WIsconsin. That said, I think this is less about strategy and more about guys winning their one on ones at the point of attack. The idea that during the wisconsin game it was just universally understood that we should not even attempt to run the ball inside the tackles is sort of staggering to me. I mean, we are penn state, we have big guys that are highly recruited, developed, and strong in the trenches. SHould penn state ever just not be able to run the ball for a yard in the middle, is that acceptable? We aren't texas tech or some air raid team with undersized linemen? We have big, tough backs. I honestly just think at some point it has to be a mentality. Teams are able to get a yard against our D-Line, we should be able to fire out and do the same.

 

[lazydave841]

Somebody said that Yurcich isn't afraid to take plays others use and mimic them in his play book.

NYG. Thursday night game. Offset I. Barkley at TB, Penny at FB. FB Dive.

Got 2 first downs.

Also, that Trips Tight formation Auburn used where the WRs go back towards the line and they pitch to the RB. All the motion of the play screams it's going weak side, but the tight formation causes enough of a wall to get your RB the corner. Let's borrow that.

Biggest thing people need to remember: these guys have not been under center since HS. It's one thing to incorporate it. It's another to be proficient with it. Give it time.

 

[lein]

I wonder if Keyvone Lee didn't fumble, he would have been a bigger part of the 3rd and shorts. He seems perfect so long as he doesn't do a Saquon and bounce around the backfield like he did at Wisconsin. Put a tight end in the backfield to push him from behind.

 

[bdgan]

Or where have you gone, Will Levis, now that we need you?

So many areas of improvement for the 2021 team vs the 2020 team, but we haven't figured out how best to succeed on 3rd and short or 4th and short.

What looks promising?

• QB sneak -- at best, needs some work
• Give Keyvone Lee more of a shot in these situations?
• Tyler Warren in the Wildcat -- keep working on that?
• Spread the field to give the QB option more space, or just more space for the Running Back?
• Quick out passes?
• More gimmicks in general, or back to basics?
• Other ideas?

The running game is PSU's biggest problem. We only had 50 yards rushing against Wisconsin and 34 of those came on one run by Cain. Aside from that we had 16 yds on 17 carries.

We only had 84 yds rushing vs Auburn and 20 of those came on QB scramble. Cain averaged 2.5 ypc.

I don't know the solution but PSU has been ineffective running between the tackles.

On 4th and 1 maybe we should have Clifford keep it and have Mustipher push from behind. But 4th and 1 is only part of the problem.

 

[AWS1022]

Or where have you gone, Will Levis, now that we need you?

So many areas of improvement for the 2021 team vs the 2020 team, but we haven't figured out how best to succeed on 3rd and short or 4th and short.

What looks promising?

• QB sneak -- at best, needs some work
• Give Keyvone Lee more of a shot in these situations?
• Tyler Warren in the Wildcat -- keep working on that?
• Spread the field to give the QB option more space, or just more space for the Running Back?
• Quick out passes?
• More gimmicks in general, or back to basics?
• Other ideas?

Give it to Lee (or Lovett in the future).

 

[bdgan]

Give it to Lee (or Lovett in the future).

Do you think Cain isn't strong enough to get a yard? Or could it be the OL?

 

[RickinDayton]

I think this team is playing so well and I want to be very complementary of the O-Line, especially pass blocking. They have gone up against 2 really well regarded D-Lines in AUburn and WIsconsin. That said, I think this is less about strategy and more about guys winning their one on ones at the point of attack. The idea that during the wisconsin game it was just universally understood that we should not even attempt to run the ball inside the tackles is sort of staggering to me. I mean, we are penn state, we have big guys that are highly recruited, developed, and strong in the trenches. SHould penn state ever just not be able to run the ball for a yard in the middle, is that acceptable? We aren't texas tech or some air raid team with undersized linemen? We have big, tough backs. I honestly just think at some point it has to be a mentality. Teams are able to get a yard against our D-Line, we should be able to fire out and do the same.

I think it is mentality. You have to be determined to win the one on one in those short yardage situations.

 

[BBrown]

Do you think Cain isn't strong enough to get a yard? Or could it be the OL?

JMO but something isn't quite right with Cain yet. Maybe he doesn't fully trust himself or he's still not completely back from his injury. But he does not seem to have the same power or quicks that he had in 2019.

 

[AWS1022]

Do you think Cain isn't strong enough to get a yard? Or could it be the OL?

I don’t think he cuts as well so he ends up bulling forward. I think the other two are a little more shifty.

 

[ItsAllGoodMan]

I liked what I saw from Lee outside of the fumble. He is a bull running inside.