PSU tops Villanova, but concerns remain

STATE COLLEGE — It was notable that Sean Clifford threw for more yards than any other Penn State quarterback in a game on American soil. It was just as notable that the Nittany Lions needed it to carry the offense.

As the Lions’ national stature rises with a No. 6 ranking, so does the scrutiny. Saturday’s 38-17 win over Villanova was never in doubt and not as close as the score indicated.

But as Penn State enters the full Big Ten slate — four games out of the last eight are against teams that were ranked this weekend — plenty of attention will be on getting the Lions’ ground game up near the level of the passing attack and defense.

Clifford threw for four touchdowns and a career-best 401 yards in a little over three quarters of action, becoming just the second quarterback in school history to hit 400 in a game. Only Christian Hackenberg’s 454 against UCF in Dublin, Ireland, to open the 2014 season surpassed it.

On the other side of the ledger, Penn State (4-0) finished with 34 carries for 80 yards. Even with sacks and a kneeldown factored out, the Lions’ top three tailbacks had 19 rushes for 68 yards.

Coach James Franklin struck his usual upbeat note after the game, repeating his maxim that he never wants a win to feel like a loss to players and staff in the locker room.

But Franklin was quick to acknowledge that the run game needs plenty of work and that he wasn’t thrilled with his team’s attitude this week, particularly after a sub-par practice on Wednesday.

“I feel like our guys a little bit were enjoying people patting them on the back,” Franklin said following last week’s well-received White Out win over Auburn. “We talked about it all week long. And I don’t know if we had the same edge today that we’ve had the previous three weeks.”

The Lions were essentially missing top rusher Noah Cain for the game. Cain started, gained 2 yards on one carry, then spent the rest of the day on the sideline.

Franklin said Cain had been “dinged up” against Auburn and missed practice time this week, leading to the decision to rest him against the Wildcats.

Keyvone Lee picked up 21 yards on seven attempts and Baylor transfer John Lovett showed the most life, going for 45 yards on 11 carries.

“We know we’re not where we want to be,” Lovett said. “We’ve got a lot of time (left in the season), but everyday we’ve gotta come in and get better.”

“We need to be more detail-oriented, we need to be more physical,” Franklin said of the run game, adding that he thought the tight ends weren’t as strong with their blocking as in previous weeks.

The overall numbers were impressive enough — 509 total yards and a commanding 38-3 lead in the fourth quarter before Villanova scored twice against backups on defense.

But the stats were slightly misleading, particularly in the first half. Penn State hit three big pass plays with Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington scoring 52-yard touchdowns and Washington going for 67 on another impressive catch-and-run.

But the Lions’ other 28 plays of the half produced just 73 yards with just 26 coming on the ground. Most telling — the Lions had 10 plays of zero or negative yards as the offense never got into the rhythm it found against Ball State and Auburn.

The trend continued in the third quarter when KeAndre Lambert-Smith shook loose for an 83-yard score. A few of those big gains likely wouldn’t have come against Big Ten defenses, as Penn State’s speed advantage over the FCS Wildcats was evident on the long scores.

”We have had to have setbacks in the past to really grow and learn,” Franklin said. “We shouldn’t have to do that. So we will emphasize that point as strong as you possibly can, and have aggressive meetings tomorrow going through these things.

“I think (players) are getting patted on the back. I think they’re reading articles. And we’ll make sure there’s no leftovers of that come Sunday. I’ll make sure of that.”

Barnwell back in the fold

Penn State now has four total commitments for its 2023 recruiting class from three players.

Two of those pledges have come from Virginia standout Mathias Barnwell, a very early commitment who had opted to reopen his recruitment over the winter. That changed when he was in town Saturday for the Villanova game as he chose the Lions for a second time.

Barnwell, a junior from Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg, announced his decision on social media. He joins a 2023 class with Virginia’s top prospect, offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier, and Pittsburgh-area defensive back Lamont Payne, who committed last Saturday during the White Out.

The question now is where Barnwell will play in college. Barnwell is rated as a tight end but — fitting for a kid who goes by the nickname “Mega” — offensive line could be in his future.

Barnwell checks in at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds and has solid athleticism for a big man. He is rated as the No. 16 tight end in the country and the No. 4 prospect in Virginia for his cycle in the 247Sports Composite.

He had originally committed to Penn State at the end of his freshman year back in June of 2020 before saying that he made his decision too quickly and reopening his recruitment this past January.

In these last eight months, he has landed scholarship offers from the likes of Notre Dame and Ohio State. But he has kept coming back around to the Lions, attending the last two games in person before Saturday’s re-commitment.