The most important football team in University Park this year: the 2016 Nittany Lions


… not the 1966, the 1876, or the 1776 teams 


Coach James Franklin's 2016 version of the Nittany Lions will be unveiled at Beaver Stadium today, and excitement is in the air.

The PSU administration did its best to take the focus away from the 2016 Lions this week, but they failed.

The Nittany Lions will host Kent State in a 3:30 kick on the Big Ten Network, and fans are truly excited about the new offensive scheme that will finally be unveiled.

Coach Morehead

Franklin brought in one of the most creative offensive minds to direct the Nittany version of the spread. Joe Morehead had been the head coach at FCS Fordham where his offenses set new school records in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Morehead calls his offense the multiple spread, and the focus is on the running game. That will again be in the person of a back with the potential to be one of the best. Sophomore Saquon Barkley became the best rookie runner in the Big Ten last year, rushing for 1,076 yards to set a new freshman record for PSU.

Passing game

Directing the offense will be sophomore Trace McSorley, who played sparingly behind Christian Hackenberg last season.

McSorley has two top wideouts in junior Chris Godwin, who hauled in 69 passes for 1,101 yards and five touchdowns, and junior DaeSean Hamilton, who had 45 catches for 580 yards and six touchdowns.

Mike Gesicki, a junior, will be the tight end.

The key for the success of the offense is the offensive line, which has led the Lions into two problematic seasons in Franklin's first two seasons.

The line will finally be a veteran one, so that will be a major factor in the production of Morehead's offense.

Defense

The Lions defense performed well last year, so when Bob Shoop left to take a job at Tennessee, linebackers coach Brent Pry, an Altoona native, became the new defensive coordinator.

The defense lost some very productive players, three on the line who were drafted by NFL teams and one in the defensive backfield.

Pry will use the 4-3, and the one returner on the 4 will be Garrett Sickels, junior defensive end.

The biggest name on the defense is junior safety Marcus Allen, a son of the great RB of the same name.

Kent State

Kent State, which plays in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), has never beaten a Big Ten team, nor have they ever beaten the Nittany Lions. They expect to use three quarterbacks, so it might be an interesting game.

Keep those rosters handy.

Conclusion

So, while Penn State made a major error in announcing the recognition of the 1966 game two weeks from now against Temple, remember that this 2016 team is paramount in the minds and hearts of Penn State fans.

Even Coach Franklin could work his way into the hearts of PSU fans as his recruiting efforts are finally starting to take shape.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dr. Chet Beres, M.D., the quarterback who gave of himself to so many people: Some Lilly Raiders who will not be with us on Saturday

Image
Chet Beres was a special human being … The 1968 championship QB is calling audibles from heaven On a few nights in late October 2010, I slept overnight at the Conemaugh Hospital palliative care unit. My brother, Father Jim, was clinging to life at the end of a long battle with cancer, and this unit was designed to make life easier for those in the final stages of disease — and for the families who wanted to spend their last days with their loved ones. It was at that time that while wandering through the hall, I noticed a plaque on the wall that warmed my heart, albeit in a sad way.  The palliative care unit was dedicated to Dr. Chet Beres, M.D., an advocate for those in hospice care. My mind flashed back to the Lilly Raider quarterback on the 1968 championship team, a young man who was bright, exuberant, and so popular with his teammates.  Chet went on to college at Pitt and to medical school after graduating from Penn Cambria. We knew that he was bright, but we also knew that he had c
Read more

Why did Tennessee-Chattanooga hire trainer Tim Bream despite his role in the alcohol-induced death of Tim Piazza at a Penn State frat?

Image
… was a live-in advisor at the fraternity On paper, Tim Bream has an impressive resume. Actually, very impressive — up to a point. That seems to be when Bream’s life appears to careen out of control. Bream, who resigned as Penn State trainer in Feb.,  was a graduate of Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, specializing in athletic training. He then attended West Virginia as a grad assistant trainer, where he received a master’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis on Sports Science. All of this information is from his bio on the Penn State athletic site. He then worked his way up the ladder impressively, working at Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and finally at the University of Richmond, where he was the Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer. Then he received his big break, being name as Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Chicago Bears in 1993, and four years later, Head Athletic Trainer. He was with the Bears for 19 years when inexplicably, he
Read more

Remembering the toughest loss I ever experienced in approximately a quarter-century of coaching football. George Pasierb was a great coaching adversary.

Image
R.I.P. George Pasierb, 1946-2020 Shade-Central City High School football coach Photo: Tribune-Democrat No high school football fan could ask for anything better than this. On a beautiful sunny, warm afternoon on Saturday, October 30, 1982, in Nanty Glory, Pa., the battle featured a clash of two undefeated titans of the Appalachian Conference.  One was the preseason unanimous favorite to win the title, the other a veritable surprise that season, one that had built an 8-0 record entering that game.  This battle lived up to the pre-game hype, ending in a one-point decision that was not certain until the final play of the game.  I thought of this because the coach of the powerful Shade-Central City High School Panthers, George Pasierb, passed away earlier this week. He coached the Panthers for 20 years, but his best team was arguably that 1982 team that battled the Blacklick Valley Vikings on that Saturday afternoon before more than 3,000 ebullient fans.  And, the one-point loss was the to
Read more