Position Report Card for PSU in Win Over UCF

By Quintus McDonald

The following is my game summary of positional grades following Penn State’s (PSU) 26-24 win over University of Central Florida (UCF) this past weekend in Ireland.

QUARTERBACK: A

I was thoroughly impressed with the team’s young  leader Christian Hackenberg.  I do believe he holds the ball too long at times and will have to accept throwing a pass out of bounds and moving to the next play at some point.  The two interceptions were obvious attempts to force the ball.  This is a sign of a very confident young man.  The greatest thing about the interceptions was his return to the field the following series with the same supreme confidence.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B-

The best thing I noticed about PSU’s inexperienced offensive line was their cohesiveness.  Playing in a high pressure situation with the world watching, this group played as a unit all day, with minimal penalties.  Yes, their zone and man run blocking needs work, but they protected Hackenberg versus a very experienced and highly skilled UCF defensive front exceptionally well.

RUNNING BACKS: C

I expect more from both of Penn State’s running backs each time they touch the ball than they showed in this game.  I look forward to each one using their individual gifts at a high level consistently.  Without much space with which to work, they have to find a way to average at least 3.3 yards per carry as a unit.  That game’s average — 2.03 yds. per carry — just won’t do.

RECEIVERS: A

This group of receivers has the talent to become a special part of history for both Penn State and the Big Ten as a whole.  There were missed opportunities with dropped balls and poor pass routes that could have kept this game from being a nail bitter.  With those cleaned up, fans will be in for high scoring excitement in HAPPY VALLEY.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A

The defensive line played extremely well as a unit.  There were outstanding plays made by individuals at very timely moments. I was impressed by the aggressiveness and determination to fight on every play.  I can’t say that I ever saw any of these young men “take a play off.”  I am excited to watch them mature and really gel as a unit.

LINEBACKERS: B

These young men played a very solid game.  They are a very intelligent group that never seemed to be out of place.  There were a couple of flashes of greatness.  I am excited to see who steps up as the leader of this defense.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: B+

I struggled with this grade because of the very basic mistakes the young corners made inside the red zone.  As a unit, they played an exceptional game.  I was truly impressed.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+

The kick-off unit needs work in the area of coverage… they can’t afford 60+ yard returns.  I would like to see a higher number of touch backs. The kick return squad showed some flashes, but needs to hit it hard consistently. Punt coverage and the punt returns were non-factors.  The unit must cut down on the penalties in the kicking game.

COACHING: A+

I think we got the right coach in James Franklin and he has surrounded himself with a group of young coaches who get the job done.

WE ARE.