Just when I thought this team was done breaking my heart for the season…Perhaps some of these grades may seem generous, but I also had to factor in that this was the most spirited effort from the players
and coaches in the Terry Smith era. With that being said, let’s see how this grades out:
Quarterback: B
Ethan Grunkemeyer continues to improve with each game, and that was no given considering his first three games were against teams boasting some the toughest defenses in college football. Good things happened when he was actually allowed to take some shots downfield (the 43-yard pass to Trebor Peña), as well as bad (the interception on PSU’s opening drive of the second half that Indiana ultimately cashed in for a field goal). He still has issues with ball placement, which hurt the Nittany Lions’ chances on their final drive, when he had Devonte Ross wide open down the sideline for a catch that would’ve set them up easily for a game-tying field goal to force overtime. With the schedule easing up some these last three games, here’s to seeing Grunk take a huge leap forward.
Running Back: B+
We finally got the Nicholas Singleton we expected to see all season long: Ripping off explosive runs and making the most out of receiving the ball in space, en route to scoring a hat trick of TD’s. Kaytron Allen got the majority of carries, but wasn’t quite as effective as he had been in the past couple of weeks and also had a very costly fumble late in the first half that led to an Indiana TD to make it 17-7 Hoosiers at halftime. Still, Singleton’s solid performance gives this grade a boost.
Wide Receiver: B
Peña led the way with his best result of the season, catching six balls for 99 yards, including a 43-yarder. We also got to see Koby Howard see more run, and he made the most of it with a pair of catches for 28 yards.
Tight End: B
Khalil Dinkins led the way with four catches for 40 yards and provided a target for Grunk to fire away at.
Offensive Line: B
It was a much tighter rotation than we’ve become accustomed to seeing with the offensive line, with the starters playing virtually every single snap. Perhaps it was for the better, as the unit did a good job making sure Grunk wasn’t constantly running for his life and opening up some running lanes.
Defensive Line: B+
A common theme we saw yesterday were guys who we expected to be studs all season long finally emerge after a lengthy slump, as Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant garnered a sack each and brought their share of pressure from the front four. Such pressure had been severely lacking in the last several games and was a big part of how PSU was *thisclose* to exorcising the demons yesterday.
Linebacker: B
Even if the D-line play was improved, it was still refreshing to see some more blitzes dialed up for linebackers, which gave Mendoza a tougher-than-expected afternoon. Amare Campbell had himself a game with eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss, which makes it all the more painful seeing him slip and fall instead of being in position to make a game-sealing interception on the floating duck pass from Mendoza getting hit on the play before Indiana’s game-winning TD.
Secondary: B+
Daryus Dixson had a sack and King Mack’s zipping interception set PSU up in Hooiser territory and led to Singleton’s go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to ding this group too much for Indiana coming up with some 1-in-100, circus-level, and physics-defying catches that comprised of their soul-crushing final drive, especially when considering Indiana had less than 150 yards passing before said final drive.
Special Teams: A
Ryan Barker nailed his lone field goal attempt, while Gabe Nwosu was solid on kickoffs and punts. Peña and Singleton even had a nice little punt and kickoff returns of their own.
Coaching: B
This may be the most controversial grade I throw out on here, given the conservative play calling on PSU’s second-to-last offensive possession (the play-action pass to Andrew Rappleyea should’ve been the second down call instead of on third down) and the decision to go into a prevent defense a little too soon on Indiana’s final drive. I do have to give credit where it’s due though, as the defense overall looked vastly improved from the past several weeks and looked more like the defense that we expected in the preseason while Andy Kotelnicki finally green-lighted downfield passing which surprise, not only led to good things for the passing game, but also opened up the running game, as well! I feel awful for Terry Smith, as he absolutely deserved to get his signature win as interim head coach, but the Nittany Lions wouldn’t have even found themselves in the position they were in yesterday without an improved coaching effort.
(BONUS CATEGORY) Home Crowd: A+
Kudos to all the Nittany Lion faithful who showed up yesterday to support a team that to put it mildly, was having quite the disappointing season. You don’t see too many 3-5 teams draw 90,000+ people to watch them, and it’s a testament to the program’s history and appeal. Hopefully, those of you who attend the Senior Day game against Nebraska in a couple of weeks get to witness a dub.
