Week 2 Grades

Florida’s stadium is affectionately known as “the swamp.”  But it was Beaver Stadium that looked like the swamp on Saturday.  The Nittany Lions pulled out a 27-14 win over the Buffalo Bulls in monsoon-like conditions to reach .500 on this still very young season.  It was the prettiest game, but we got the W.  Let’s get right to it and roll out some grades!

Offense

QB: (C+) Hackenberg went 14-27 for 128 yds and a TD.  Not the best numbers, not the worst.  However, his grade goes up because he went interception free!  Either way we can’t really fault him too much as the rain made throwing difficult and the WRs/TEs were to blame for many of the drops.  Even more importantly…

OL: (C-) The offensive line didn’t give up a single sack!  Paris Palmer’s benching shuffled the line until Andrew Nelson went down with a knee injury at the end of the first half.  Palmer returned to action at LT in the second half and performed admirably protecting Hack’s blind side.  The line as a whole also woke up as the game wore on, which allowed…

RB: (A) Who are we kidding?  This grade is all about just 1 of the 4 backs used in the game.  Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Saquon Barkley!  The former blue-chip recruit out of Whitehall, PA burst on the scene in a big way with spins, jukes, cuts, and even hurdles.  He finished the day as the leading rusher with 115 yds and a TD on only 12 carries.  Now that was against Buffalo, but the future looks bright for this kid.

WR: (B-) Chris Godwin led the way again with 5 catches for 75 yds, but it was Daesean Hamilton who got the TD.  They get a little slack due to the rain, which meant fewer targets and a greater chance for drops.  With the news this week that three of Rutgers’ defensive backs have been dismissed from the team, Saturday presents Penn State's WRs with their best chance so far to show just how much they’ve grown in hopefully more ideal conditions.

TE: (F) Normally 5 catches for 27 yds wouldn’t be that bad for this group… but if you actually watched them play you’ll know what this grade is all about.  Drops in key moments or for guaranteed TDs, getting onto the field late, poor blocking, they were simply a mess.  Try again this week guys.

Defense

DL: (A+) Holy Carl Nassib, Batman!  The former walk-on played like anything but against Buffalo, compiling a staggering stat line that includes 5 tackles, 3 for a loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and even an interception!  Nassib was the defensive star of this game, and per usual, Austin Johnson’s outstanding play was overshadowed by a line mate.  Johnson actually led the team with 9 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks.  The rest of the line combined for 14 more tackles as they held the Bulls rushing attack to nearly half the yardage accrued by Penn State's RBs.

LB: (B+) Taking into account the fact that the unquestioned leader of this unit is out for the season, the second in command was out for this game, and the resulting starting three consisted of a walk-on, a redshirt freshman, and a true sophomore at middle… they actually weren’t too shabby.  Troy Reeder was second on the team in tackles with 7, and Jason Cabinda was tied for third with 6.  Freshman Jake Cooper also contributed with 3 tackles and a sack.  Reeder and Cooper look and play like classic LinebackU guys, while Cabinda’s vocal personality lends itself well to commanding the middle.  Maybe this can work?

DB: (B-) Marcus Allen tied for 3^rd on the team in tackles with 6, despite injuring his shoulder and briefly being taken out of the action.  Veterans Jordan Lucas and Trevor Williams each added 5 tackles.  It will be interesting to see when Grant Haley comes back and what kind of impact he can have on this group.  Thankfully freshman John Reid has filled in nicely in his place.  Moving forward, the defensive backs will need to work on generating turnovers.  Last year DT Anthony Zettel led the team in INTs, and against Buffalo the only INT was by DE Carl Nassib.  Those should be unacceptable stats for the unit that actually covers the opponent's WRs.

Special Teams

K: (A+) The lovefest for Joey Julius continues.  He made 2/3 FGs (there was a botched snap on a 4^th), all of his extra points, and boomed it an average of 63 yds on kick offs!  Keep it up Big Toe!

P: (D) There isn't as much love for the punting game where Danny Pasquariello continues his barrage of shanks.  I think the staff needs to give the Punter From Down Under one more try this week.  If things don’t improve, though, Chris Gulla probably deserves a shot.

Bonus grade: (F) This grade goes out to injuries.  Seeing some of your best players go down when you already have a depleted roster really sucks.  It’s especially hard to take when you know the backups are good but extremely inexperienced.  It’s time for James Franklin to act like a real head coach, manage his roster, and make it work.  This is why he gets paid the big bucks!

Alright, that will do it for Buffalo week.  This Saturday is when things really get interesting as the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers come to town for a prime time clash in the first ever full-stadium Stripe Out (more on that in the Prediction post)!  In the meantime, head on over to my Facebook page and maybe give it a like.  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!