Is Penn State prepared for Michigan and beyond, and how far can Sean Clifford take the Lions?: What they're saying
Penn State did not dominate Northwestern as expected on Saturday. But, on a day that saw numerous top-25 teams either lose outright or survive close calls, the Lions controlled their fifth game of the season throughout en route to a 17-7 win over the Wildcats.
“I feel like small mistakes, we can minimize those, and that just comes with more practice,” receiver Parker Washington said. More communicating with everybody and having everybody on the same page. But at the same time, I would say we have played with great effort these last few weeks. I feel like that’s been key for us.
“Great focus on the run game has been helping us a lot. I’m excited for the next two weeks coming up.”
Here’s a sample of what the local and national media is saying about the Lions as they start their bye week as a 5-0 team.
Penn State is set for a jump in the polls
That’s how Chip Patterson sees it at CBS Sports. However, the move might have as much to do with what others did Saturday than the Lions themselves.
“Somewhere between the undefeated teams that notched “prove it” wins and the ones that took their first loss you’ll find Penn State, which turned the ball over enough to get knocked off,” Chip Patterson writes.
“Luckily, it was facing a Northwestern team that could not turn those opportunities into enough points. The Nittany Lions will get moved around in the shuffle at the top of the rankings, but they’re not a team voters will identify for a big jump after the 17-7 win against the Wildcats.”
Are the Lions ready for Michigan?
Let’s face it: The three-game stretch in October that sees Penn State travel to Michigan before back-to-back home dates opposite Ohio State and Minnesota was always going to define this Lions’ season. It’s why PennLive’s David Jones found himself asking if what we’ve seen over the last five weeks means this team is ready to take on the top-10 Wolverines in the Big House.
“What we’ve seen the past two weeks is not cutting at Michigan,” Jones writes. “That is simple.
“Considering the great escape at Purdue and the impressive domination at Auburn, I’d guess more was expected of this team against a Mid-American conference side and one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. So, if the past two weeks felt to you less like a launching pad to greatness than a boat ramp to submergence, you’re not alone.”
Ben Jones of Statecollege.com struck a similar tone.
“That’s how Penn State feels 5-0 and yet somewhat helpless, not good enough in the eyes of many fans. Everything Penn State does this time of year is pushed through the lens of the games that really matter. Long gone are the days when Penn State winning seemed noteworthy and here are the moments when the sentence is uttered “if they do this against Ohio State or Michigan they will win/lose.” Nothing is about the moment in front of anyone but simply about the eight quarters lying in wait.
“Bluntly, Penn State has not done much over the first five weeks of the season beyond survive Purdue and thump the daylights out of Auburn to give fans any sort of reason to believe this is the team to buck the trends against the Big Ten East’s best.”
Penn State offense in need of urgency
It’s how Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times summed things up. It comes following a second consecutive week of iffy play from Mike Yurcich’s side of the ball.
“Unlike years that have gone by, this Penn State team has an answer if Clifford doesn’t continue improving. Drew Allar is lurking as the future of the program. The former five-star recruit has impressed in limited action this season, but Franklin said neither he nor Yurcich mentioned the possibility of bringing him into the game. Which raises the question — is it even possible for him to overtake Clifford this season? It seems the answer right now is a clear “no.”
“That means the redshirt senior must be better. He and his offensive coordinator have to do whatever it takes to have a positive impact on games rather than biding time while the defense dominates”
Fitz’s first impressions: How much higher can Clifford take the LIons?
We end here. Sean Fitz posted his first impressions from the win at BWI. You can sign up for $1 for one year of access to read them all by clicking here. Find a sampling below::
“How much higher can Clifford take this team? With Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State lurking it’s a question that Franklin and the staff can’t afford to wait much longer to find out. Experience is invaluable, yes, but the execution remains flawed. Add to that four fumbles from three running backs and more inconsistent play from the receivers and this offense is still closer to its floor than its ceiling. The probabilities will take over and that defense, which has been spectacular in spurts this season under Manny Diaz, won’t always be there to bail them out.
“But while we draw that conclusion, I will caution not to take away too much from Saturday. Penn State played this game last fall and walked out with a loss. Looking across college football, not everyone has been so lucky. Penn State has avoided a true letdown in the first full month of the season, so the Nittany Lions need to keep chipping away at the small things and get healthy for Michigan.”
