Rushing Woes : What's Wrong with the Penn State Ground Attack?

(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Things are not as they seem in Happy Valley.  Yes, the No.5 ranked Nittany Lions are 2-0, winning by comfortable margins against teams they should indeed be beating comfortably. The defense is stout, special teams are solid, and the passing game is explosive.  But there is an underlying problem, a problem that Penn State is not used to having under Joe Paterno.  That problem is the running game.

Coming into the season, the ground game seemed to be the strength of the Penn State offense. After all, they lost Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood, three of the best receivers in school history, to graduation. Add that to the fact that running back Evan Royster returned after a stellar season along with his explosive backup Stephon Green.  Even returning quarterback Daryll Clark rushed for ten touchdowns last year.  Option plays and wildcat formations were sure to be at the forefront of the Nits attack.  

The reality is though that Penn State averaged only 2.2 yards per carry versus Syracuse and has only averaged 3.3 on the season.  It’s true, both Akron and Syracuse put eight men in the box in an effort to shut down the run. And for that matter, Darryl Clark has excelled in the passing game, essentially taking what the defense has given. But the fact is that even with eight men in the box on every play, those rushing numbers should be higher for a top team playing weak opponents.

Let’s take a look at rushing stats for the four teams ahead of Penn State in both the AP and Coaches Poll.  Florida ranks number three on the ground with 660 yards, 8 touchdowns with averages of 8.4 ypc and 330 ypg.  Alabama ranks tenth on the ground with 542 yards, six touchdowns with averages of 6.0 ypc and 271 ypg.  USC ranks twenty-first with 460 yards, eight touchdowns with averages of 5.4 ypc and 230 ypg.  And finally Texas ranks thirty-fifth with 390 yards, seven touchdowns with averages of 4.6 ypc and 195 ypg.

And how does Penn State, the team directly behind these four in the polls, stack up?

85th in the nation in rushing.  214 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3.3 ypc, 107 ypg. A lot of numbers that could get muddled in the last two paragraphs so lets simplify it.

Florida = 3rd in rushing

Texas = 35th in rushing

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