Penn State fans, welcome to my weekly mailbag. Johnny McGonigal is here to answer your questions about Penn State recruiting, the Nittany Lions’ first five games of the season and the bye week.
A reminder that you can have your voice heard in my mailbags moving forward. You can tweet at me, message me or join our text subscriber service — the best way to connect with our PennLive team — to have me answer your questions this season.
Let’s get to it.
Penn State had a lot of visitors this weekend. Which one or two stands out most to you? — Brett D.
Despite the rainy conditions the Nittany Lions hosted a crop of prospects, including 2023 commits and Pennsylvania natives Jven Williams (Wyomissing), Jameial Lyons (Roman Catholic) and Joey Schlaffer (Exeter). But as far as recruits with offers, it was a bigger weekend for regional targets in the 2024 class.
A few three-star prospects in particular to keep an eye on are defensive end Caden Brown, safety Eric Lee and offensive lineman Juan Minaya. Brown is from Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn. Lee is at IMG Academy but is from New Jersey originally. And Minaya is a 6-foot-6 blocker from Paramus Catholic in Jersey.
All three have offers from Pitt and interest from programs inside and out of the tri-state area. Brown is being pursued by Michigan State and Nebraska. Minaya has offers from Miami and Ole Miss. Lee also has an early offer from Ole Miss.
Clifford seems to be regressing. We need the good Sean Clifford this month. Any thoughts on what could be done to make that happen? — Jim from Ohio
There were several questions along these lines, and I totally get it. Clifford hasn’t played to the standard that’s required over the next three games. An interception here, a missed throw there might go unpunished against Central Michigan. But Michigan at the Big House and CJ Stroud’s Ohio State will make him pay for those. Coming off two shaky-at-best performances, he has to turn it on.
Clifford has thrived in two-minute drills this season. Perhaps more tempo would help him get in a groove. Leaning on the ground game and dialing up more play-action passes would benefit Clifford, too. Especially against Michigan, get him some easy throws early and let him build from there.
I do think the weather on Saturday limited Penn State’s play-calling. But sometimes it’s just a matter of looking in the mirror and doing better. A few of Clifford’s decisions — the interception, the dropped INT and missing a wide-open Parker Washington in the fourth quarter — were the kind of unacceptable mistakes that make you wonder if he can get it done when the Nittany Lions enter this October gauntlet.
Hey, Johnny! Some say that a bye week can give a team some time to clean up issues and heal bumps and bruises while others say a bye week can disrupt a team’s rhythm and routine and be more of a detriment than a benefit. Where do you stand on this? — Jeff H.
It depends on the team and the season. In the Nittany Lions’ case right now, the bye week comes at a good time. Even though they’re undefeated, they’re not riding high off that Northwestern win (or the Central Michigan game the week before). Now, if they were playing Michigan after that Auburn performance, I’d say get them to Ann Arbor ASAP. But following a couple meh performances, they have plenty to self-scout.
Turnovers left a ton of points on the field against Northwestern. One more touchdown and field goal covers the spread? — David C.
I saw the spread at around 25 points, so the Nittany Lions would have needed more than a touchdown and field goal. But you’re right, they left a lot of points out there.
Here’s where Penn State’s offense was for its four lost fumbles:
— Nick Singleton, first quarter, Northwestern 40-yard line
— Nick Singleton, second quarter, Penn State 32-yard line
— Keyvone Lee, third quarter, Northwestern 32-yard line
— Kaytron Allen, fourth quarter, Penn State 47-yard line
At least two of those drives should have ended in points.
I’m not seeing much from offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. His game was play not to lose. Am I missing something? — Ira S.
The weather prompted more conservative play-calling against Northwestern. The run game was working well enough to ride out a win, and in general, it’s been good enough to lean on over the last few weeks. But one aspect of the offense that isn’t clicking and needs work is the downfield passing game.
According to Pro Football Focus, Clifford has attempted 17 “deep passes” (throws that go 20-plus yards downfield in the air). Clifford has completed only three of those deep passes for a 17.6% completion rate, the worst among quarterbacks with at least 15 attempts. And on 137 total passes, his deep pass attempt rate is 12.4% — which ranks 81st in the country.
Looking at that completion rate, I get why Yurcich might be hesitant to call those deep shots. But in these high-profile games, the Nittany Lions are going to have to open it up more — which means Yurcich has to give Clifford more of a chance, and the sixth-year senior has to repay the faith.
Would Penn State ever be receptive to receiving ideas to replace the sacrosanct Nittany Lion mascot costume/outfit? It’s looking pretty rough. — John D.
Hmm, I don’t know about that one. I might be in the minority, but I don’t have any issue with the mascot costume.
However, I appreciate the question because it taught me a new word. Going to do my best to fit “sacrosanct” in a story one of these days.
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