It’s just about time!
Penn State kicks off its 2023 season versus old rival West Virginia on Saturday night primetime television. The anticipation is high for this season’s Nittany Lions. We’ll start to get answers to lingering questions from camp and a lot of the foundation for the season will be laid out depending on the game's outcome. Can Drew Allar live up to the hype? Can the wide receiver core break out in a big way? And will the new special teams lineup produce in crunch time?
The stakes are always high in college football, where one bad game can ruin a season’s worth of work, but they seem exceptionally high this season in Happy Valley. Personally, I am thrilled about the hype train but have done my best to keep myself in check, knowing the volatility of the sport can change everything in an instant.
Regardless, the 2023 season promises to be a lot of fun. I’m going to outline below what to expect on Let’s Go State and I sincerely hope you decide to join us on the journey 😊 🏈
Before we get to the juicy stuff, and we have so much today, a bit of housekeeping:
The usual enthusiasm for game week has been dampened a bit by a household Covid outbreak. Simply getting this preview out was a challenge!
Today’s column and tomorrow’s game chat (more below) are FREE to everyone.
Moving forward, most of the Let’s Go State content and chats will be for paid subscribers only. So hit that subscribe button below and let’s kick this baby off!
Lastly, I want to give a big shoutout to Landon Tengwall. I don’t know Tengwall, but I’ve heard for years how his teammates, coaches, and the media talk about him. My evaluation is that he is a good and honest dude. So it has to be gutting for the team that Tengwall is taking a medical retirement from football. In Wednesday’s post-practice media scrum, James Franklin said he hopes Tengwall can find a way to stay with the program. Whatever Tengwall’s future holds, it seems to be bright, and I wish him nothing but the very best!
Depth, depth, depth
At this stage, a lot of people have focused on the lingering questions I posed above. That’s for good reason — they are important and the answers will likely tell us a lot more about what we can expect this season.
But my focus has been on the depth of the Penn State program. This is easily the deepest football squad James Franklin has had during his ten years at the helm. After the depletion of the early sanction years, the numbers are back to full strength, and high-quality talent is spread wider than ever before.
So what does having good depth actually mean? Well, there are a number of important factors. Depth can help teams withstand injuries and make the practice environment more competitive. Plus, having the numbers and quality talent sure as hell beats playing a dummy or an over-the-hill coach during practice.
I’m interested in how their depth helps the team stay fresh throughout a game. We’ve seen rotational depth play out in a positive way with specific position groups in the past, most notably the running back room, tight ends, secondary, and last season on the offensive line. Those groups were able to rotate in a cohesive manner throughout gameplay while allowing teammates to take a breather and also filling in when more serious injuries occurred.
Franklin has always lamented about his desire for more overall depth in the program. This is not something new. Now, several terrific recruiting classes have positioned him and the team to reap the rewards from their hard work on the trail.
In fact, the topic of depth came up during Tuesday’s presser when Franklin was asked about the new rule change regarding the clock not stopping after a first down. I’m paraphrasing, but he essentially came to the point that it doesn’t affect how they prepare. He’s more focused on keeping the players fresh for the fourth quarter of a game and over the course of a long season.
In theory, more depth will allow the Nittany Lions to stay fresher and more competitive with the B1G big boys like Ohio State and Michigan. But don’t overlook how depth could play a hand more immediately. College football players don’t get a preseason to get game reps and work out any kinks. They’ve been competing against themselves for the past month. Saturday is the first opportunity to see how that preparation will play out on the field. If it gets messy, and the game is close, it’s reasonable to think the team that is fresher will ultimately prevail.
If you don’t think depth is important, consider the following. Two games from the Franklin era stand out where Penn State’s lack of depth ultimately derailed their highest aspirations: 2017 at Ohio State and 2018 versus Ohio State. You could even throw last year’s loss against Ohio State into the mix. In all three games, Penn State had a late lead that they were unable to preserve. Sure, there were other issues, especially in the trenches on the offensive line, but I can’t help but wonder what fresher legs on both sides of the ball, late in the game, would have done to help the Nittany Lions hold on for wins. The fact that they weren’t able to hold the lead in ANY of these games highlights the importance of having quality depth on the team.
We’ll find out, beginning on Saturday, how legit the depth is for this season’s squad, and if that can help them overcome late-game hurdles where they’ve failed in the past.
Interview with Ben Jones, StateCollege.com PSU beat writer
Ben Jones is one of the most excellent guys I’ve ever met. Twice now, he has given little nobody me a chance to interview him on the Nittany Lions, a team he has covered now for several seasons. And then this season he helped get me uncredentialed media access to Penn State football. What a guy! Give him a follow on the ol’ bird site (I won’t call it by its new name) right now and check out his work.
Recently, Ben answered some of my burning questions about this upcoming season. I decided to post the interview in its entirety because I think it’s most impactful this way. Enjoy!
Colin Cerniglia (CC): We know the big names on offense, especially at the skill positions, but who are we overlooking that you think is poised to make an impact in 2023?
Ben Jones (BJ): If you're straying away from the more obvious names to pick from on offense I think there's a decent chance someone like Trey Wallace ends up being a surprise star on that side of the ball. I think there are plenty of question marks in the receiving game which means pretty much everyone is going to have to prove their worth. From the established contributors’ standpoint, I do think people overlook Tyler Warren a bit and he could make a bigger impact on every down situation than people are thinking.
CC: Has James Franklin proven to you that he can be a national-title-level coach?
BJ: The answer to this question depends a bit on what role you think a coach has in getting to that level. If it's simply about Xs and Os then I think the argument so far is that James Franklin is close to that level but hasn't quite gotten over the hump. If you think it's about knocking on the door on a regular basis and being prepared when it opens, then I think James Franklin has done a good job for the most part keeping Penn State at that level. Like him or not, Penn State has been one of the most consistent programs in the nation for the last 7-8 years, that's half the battle. The rest is probably a bit of luck. Overall Franklin still has to prove he can do it at the highest, highest level, but when it comes to collecting talent and coaching, he's doing that better than most.
CC: What position coach has the opportunity to make the biggest imprint on the season?
BJ: The running game, and by association the offensive line. Drew Allar might end up being the second coming but it seems more likely than not that this team will go as Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen go. That's not a bad thing for Penn State but it does mean that the program will have to rely on its offensive line, which has been the boogeyman of this offense for the better part of forever.
CC: What is the toughest stretch for the team to overcome this upcoming season?
BJ: Aside from the obvious parts of the schedule like Ohio State and Michigan, I actually think the opening five weeks are maybe the biggest stretch of challenges. A night game to open the year, a road contest against a good Illinois defense, against Iowa and the emotions that might come with that, and then at an always strange Northwestern. This schedule is really pretty favorable all things considered but getting off on the right foot is as important as winning the bigger games down the road.
CC: Who is the most fun player personality on this team?
BJ: That's honestly a bit to be determined after so many guys left this offseason. There are a lot of nice guys but a lot of them are actually pretty subdued. That might change more as they get comfortable with the media but there's not a super obvious answer here. That being said, Nick Singleton is a thoughtful quote and will be fun to chat with all year long.
CC: Do you think the ability to stop the longer spiral last season (only losing to UM & OSU) will do anything to help this team in 2023?
BJ: Nobody has ever complained about ending their season on a high note so I don't think it hurts. In some respects, it was more of a swan song for Sean Clifford than anything else but momentum and good vibes are always what you want to have over the summer so I'm sure Franklin and Company are more than happy to have them after a few seasons of meh.
CC: What must Drew Allar do better than Sean Clifford and Trace McSorley to get Penn State over the playoff hump?
BJ: It's really about the 3 to 4 throws per game that you need to make. Trace McSorley did a lot of things well but probably his best skill with his arm was simply living to see another down and finding his talent around the field. Clifford for his part was a big game manager - which isn't a bad thing - but there were probably 2-3 throws in every big game he'd like back. To be fair you could say the same about most quarterbacks, McSorley included. The thing for Allar really is turning the 3-4 bad throws in big games to 1-2 bad throws, he doesn't have to be perfect he just has to get closer to it than the last two guys did. Penn State has scored plenty of points over the last few years so it's not about reinventing the wheel as much as it is avoiding the potholes.
CC: Has any player leadership, outside of Allar, begun to emerge? I know that was a bit of a question mark going into Spring ball.
BJ: Kalen King is someone I think is going to have a big year in every area. Abdul Carter is an obvious answer there as well and Keaton Ellis is starting his 15th season* at Penn State. Olu gets the nod on offense and the running backs speak for themselves. A big question mark will be how KeAndre Lambert-Smith responds to his bigger role - the more consistent KLS is, the better Penn State will be.
*In addition to being the world’s nicest guy, Ben has jokes too!
CC: What's the most fun matchup for Penn State this season?
BJ: I think the Iowa game is going to be interesting both because of all the injury accusations the last time these teams played coupled with an always pain-in-the-ass defense. It's not the most sexy game but I do think it has the potential to be the most fun of the non-obvious games on the schedule. You're going to need to see a lot from this team first to know what to expect from them in the biggest two games of the year.
CC: What's the thing that has you most excited about with Penn State this season?
BJ: I think everyone is interested in how the Drew Allar era begins. I don't think there's any question if the kid has skills, the big question is just how he handles the biggest moments of the year. Sean Clifford was fine, all things considered, but Allar has some tools that not many guys do. How that translates on the field remains to be seen but change is interesting if nothing else. The big challenge for James Franklin will be turning that potential into wins that matter. Check back later. Aside from that, watching Penn State's defense is never boring and Abdul Carter is that dude.
CC: Where are the blind spots? What makes 2023 a disaster while it's all "rosey" right now?
BJ: The 2018 season sticks out in mind as a good example of what could be. A team that can win the games it should but can't put it together often enough to do much else. I think there's a legitimate chance that the wideout room doesn't put it together, the offense line can't quite block well enough, or that Allar is about a year from where he needs to be. Not all three of those things but one of them could certainly pan out to be true and make for a bigger hiccup than people are expecting.
CC: What do you think is important that we should be talking about?
BJ: Just that Allar has to learn. I don't think he's going to be bad or fail to live up to expectations but I do think it isn't going to start out as him looking like Trevor Lawrence. If nothing else holding him to a slightly less lofty standard gives him a bit more room to surpass them. I guess it doesn't matter what anyone thinks in the long run, but a little patience has never hurt anyone. I don't envy the kid.
The Famous Stella Lion
Each week, my oldest daughter, Stella, will make time for the camera to offer up her thoughts on Penn State football! This week, Stella tested positive for Covid. But she has recovered enough to grace us all with her smiles and knowledge.
Game Chats
This is a component specific to Substack. If you’re unfamiliar with the platform, please check out this article which nicely outlines how to use Substack on your phone or computer.
One of their coolest features is the chat option. Each week, I will open the thread sometime before kickoff and keep it open throughout the game’s entirety. Select games, such as this upcoming Saturday, will be open to everyone. But most weeks, this feature, like with the rest of the Let’s Go State content, will be only for paid subscribers.
I want this space, like the rest of CERNIG, to be a place where we can have smart, nuanced, and respectful dialogue. I will be monitoring all chats and will delete comments that are abusive in any form. If you are an offender, I will give you one warning, and then you will be banned. If you want toxicity, go to social media.
Of note: being a subscriber, free or paid, will allow you to receive a push notification any time a chat is started. Just like whenever a column drops. I’ll drop the handy subscribe button again in case this puts any of you who were on the fence over it 😊
Expect Saturday’s game chat to open around 7 p.m. ET. I’m looking forward to interacting with you!
Rituals
Game day rituals are a big part of my Penn State fandom. I’ve done everything from sitting in one place on the couch, wearing my “lucky” uniform, pregame tequila shots, and playing the Fight Song as soon as my alarm goes off on game days.
This season, I’m interested in developing new rituals. For game one, coming off a Covid week, I am going to start light with a nice platter of snacks — the ‘za (pizza), Twizzlers, spicy sweet chili Doritos (they are the BEST Doritos), sunflower seeds, and a few beers.
What rituals do you or your family and friends partake in? Drop a comment below and let’s hear about it. Maybe I’ll feature your ritual in an upcoming column. Or even better, adopt it for myself!
Weekly Recaps
Finally, we’ll cap this with what to expect column-wise in the weeks ahead.
I am not a hot-take guy, and I don’t have the time to put together comprehensive previews every week.
What I’m planning, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, is to post a game recap diary after every game. I’ll go through specific moments and reactions, talk about the game in general, and note anything fun that happens with my watch parties or in the group chats. I’ll probably tie up each post with a quick primer about the upcoming week, but that’ll be it.
You can expect your weekly Let’s Go State columns to drop the day after a Penn State game!
This community is for me AND you. There are endless things we can do within the Let’s Go State platform. Please drop suggestions and ideas that you have, or send me a note if you want to talk offline. I’d love to hear from you and appreciate everyone who has already signed up for this experience.
Cheers to the 2023 Penn State football season!