Penn State vs. Kent State Position Grades

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Garrett Sickels (90) attempts to sack Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Mylik Mitchell (17) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

It’s time to grade out the Nittany Lion victory over Kent State on Saturday. 

Penn State opened up its 2016 season with a non-conference battle against Kent State. Expected to run away from the Golden Flashes, the Nittany Lions really struggled early and even trailed in the first half.

Still, Penn State came out with a 33-13 victory.

Making his first start, quarterback Trace McSorley rebounded from a slow start and threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He showed a good sense in the pocket and was able to use his legs to scramble out of trouble.

The new offense took several deep shots down the field, but just missed converting on most of them.

On defense, the Nittany Lions had a tough time stopping the running quarterbacks of Kent State. It was sort of a bend, don’t break mentality, as the Golden Flashes drove down the field often before sputtering close to or in the red zone.

Week 1 is often a time when coaches truly find out what they have on their team. It’s also a time to try some different players out of the game gets away. Unfortunately, head coach James Franklin  had to keep his starters in for the majority of the contest.

There were both positives and negatives for Penn State, but in the end, the Nittany Lions were able to start the year with a win.

Now that the game’s over it’s time to look at position grades for this week.

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley (9) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

This week’s grade for the quarterbacks comes solely from the performance of Trace McSorley. Because the game was closer than Penn State would have liked, backup Tommy Stevens wasn’t able to get any meaningful snaps.

McSorley had an up-and-down day in his first collegiate start. He was clearly nervous at the beginning of the game and missed some throws that should have been made.

However, as the game went on, he did show better composure and made some good decisions both throwing and running the ball. In the end, he finished with over 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Most importantly, McSorley was smart with the football. He did have a fumble that resulted in a return for a touchdown, but there wasn’t really much he could do on that play.

There’s definitely room for improvement. He seemed to tire a bit near the end of the game and missed a few throws, including a would-be touchdown to Mike Gesicki.

Overall, McSorley had a successful debut as the starting quarterback in Happy Valley.

Grade: B

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Outside of a run for a loss of two yards by redshirt freshman Andre Robinson, sophomore Saquon Barkley was the only Penn State running back to see any action against Kent State. His numbers won’t jump off the page at you, but he quietly put together a 100-yard game with a touchdown.

Kent State was clearly keying on Barkley, staying the box and making it tough for him to find running room. Still, he had a few moments where he showed off his elusiveness.

Barkley is clearly a big part of Penn State’s offense, even if he’s not putting up huge numbers. With defenses paying so much attention to him, other players will be able to make some big plays.

It wasn’t a huge day from the star runner, but overall, it was a very solid opening performance.

Grade: B+

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin (12) makes a catch during the first quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends 

This grade was a bit tough to come up with. Penn State didn’t put up huge passing numbers, but the unit did just enough to be effective. There were some drops, especially early, but overall it was a decent day from the guys catching passes.

Chris Godwin led the way with seven catches for 67 yards. His 12 targets led the team. Although he didn’t get into the end zone, he showed a clear connection with quarterback Trace McSorley.

The only wide receiver to score Saturday was DaeSean Hamilton. However, he finished with just two catches for nine yards. Saeed Blacknall had two receptions for 24 yards, while DeAndre Thompkins had a pretty 43-yard reception.

Junior Mike Gesicki was the only tight end to record a catch. He finished the game with three receptions for 49 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown catch. It was a very impressive day for the junior who struggled catching the ball last season.

The Penn State pass catchers are better than they showed against Kent State, but overall it was a decent performance. As the season goes on, they’ll have to step up and make some big catches when needed.

Grade: B

Apr 16, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive line coach Matt Limegrove looks on from the sideline during the fourth quarter of the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team defeated the White team 37-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line

It’s no secret that this unit struggled over the past two seasons. It was refreshing on Saturday to not see the Penn State quarterback lying on his back the entire game.

Having a mobile quarterback and an offensive scheme that works from the shotgun clearly helped the guys up front. Trace McSorley was sacked just one time on Saturday. He was given plenty of time to throw the ball or make the decision to run.

The line also did a decent job in the run game, allowing Barkley to rush for over 100 yards.

There were some penalties, including a big holding call on Andrew Nelson, but all-in-all it was a very solid performance from the maligned unit. If Penn State hopes to have success this year the offensive line is going to have to play much better than in years past.

Grade: B

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Antoine White (93) reacts after sacking Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Mylik Mitchell (17) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line:

The defense as a whole struggled in this one. The Nittany Lions did not have a good answer for the running quarterbacks used by Kent State. There were some issues on the new defensive line, but six of the seven team sacks came from the line.

There were problems with staying in lanes when the play broke down, but for the most part the young line did a decent job.

Garrett Sickels, the de facto leader of the unit this year, played a strong game, making six total tackles and a sack. Fellow senior defensive end Evan Schwan made four tackles before leaving with an injury.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot for the line was the play of Shareef Miller and Antoine White. They accounted together for three sacks and 10 total tackles.

The amount of times that Kent State was able to break a big play through the line is a bit concerning, but this group’s grade is helped by all of the sacks.

Grade: B-

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Brandon Bell (11) intercepts the ball during the third quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Linebackers

Despite producing the two leading tacklers in the game, the linebackers had a tough time for the most part Saturday. There were a lot of missed tackles and players being out of position. While some of the individual stats are good, it was an average overall performance from the group.

Jason Cabinda led the team with 11 total tackles. Brandon Bell added eight tackles and an interception. Nyeem Wartman-White looked strong in his return and made five total tackles.

As the year goes on, defensive coordinator Brent Pry will need to find some more depth behind the three starters. Because of the way Saturday’s game went he really wasn’t able to get some of the younger guys a lot of playing time.

There’s room for improvement for the linebackers coming out of Week 1. The unit won’t have to worry much about a mobile quarterback in Week 2 against Pitt but will face a very tough running back in James Conner.

Grade: C+

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback John Reid (29) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O;Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Secondary

The Kent State passing attack was kept in check for most of the game and managed just 129 yards through the air. The secondary played good as a group and forced two turnovers.

Cornerback Amani Oruwariye came up with a huge play early in the third quarter when he intercepted a pass and took it 30 yards to the house. That score separated the Nittany Lions from the pesky Golden Flashes for good.

Safety Marcus Allen missed some tackles, but still made five and had a forced fumble. Senior safety Malik Golden had two pass breakups while cornerback John Reid made four total tackles and played a key role in the punt return game.

Grade: A

Oct 31, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions place kicker Tyler Davis (95) kicks a field goal against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams

It was such a welcome site to see Penn State have an excellent day on special teams. After really struggling the last few years, head coach James Franklin finally seems to have found the right combination of players to make the unit successful.

The most obvious observation was the fact that freshman punter Blake Gillikin is going to be a key player. He averaged 47 yards on his six punts and received a standing ovation after booming his first one of the game.

Having a punter who can flip filed position with a great kick is a very valuable asset.

Palce kicker Tyler Davis looked strong converting both of his field goal attempts. Joey “Big Toe” Julius, who has been relegated to kickoff duties, made the most of his role. Aside from booming kicks, he made perhaps the best tackle of the game and ignited the crowd.

The amazing tackle can be seen in the Tweet below by Brent Yarina of the Big Ten Network.

The return game still needs some work, as the only good return of the game got called back due to a holding call.

In the end, the Penn State special teams did about as well as the coaching staff could have imagined for the first game of the season.

Grade: A

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