Ask the Expert: Penn State expert Nate Bauer of BWI on the Nittany Lions
Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated.com
@RowlandRIVALS
Cats Illustrated is helping you get ready for Kentucky's Citrus Bowl appearance against Penn State, the same program that the Cats faced in the Outback Bowl back in 1998.
These two teams are very different but there's plenty at stake. Both teams are looking for a 10th win.
To help our efforts, we've enlisted the help of Penn State expert and insider Nate Bauer of BWI (BlueWhiteIllustrated.com) here on the Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports network.
Trace McSorley (PSU Athletics)
Cats Illustrated: Who are some players on Penn State's offense that Kentucky fans should be familiar with?
Nate Bauer, BWI: Quarterback Trace McSorley is the name you’re going to hear first and most frequently from now until New Year’s Day. He’s a fifth-year senior that in many ways has been the catalyst for Penn State’s success the past three seasons, and is the bridge from the program’s success this season into whatever the future might hold given the relative youth of the team he is surrounded by this season. His most veteran and reliable playmaker has been junior running back Miles Sanders, who backed up Saquon Barkley for the past two seasons but has been impressive in his own right given his chance to shine alone this year. He leads the team in rushing with 1,223 yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 207 carries to go along with 22 receptions for 132 yards. Penn State’s receiving corps has been hit or miss this season, in spite of a trio of relatively veteran wideouts in Juwan Johnson, DeAndre Thompkins, and Brandon Polk. Having to play without DaeSean Hamilton, Mike Gesicki, and Barkley has all had a substantial impact on McSorley and the passing game, though true freshman Pat Freiermuth has been a pleasant surprise for the Nittany Lions at tight end.
Cats Illustrated: Same for the defense - who should we expect to see making plays?
Bauer: Penn State’s leading tackler this season is former five-star defensive end and true freshman Micah Parsons, despite seeing limited reps at the start of the season and an even split as the season has progressed.
But really, the defense is all about the front four and the back end of the unit. Yetur Gross-Matos has exploded in his second season at end, helped tremendously by the consistent presence of both Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor on the interior of the line. In the secondary, Penn State had to replace all four starters from a season ago but hasn’t really dropped off in the time since. Fifth-year senior Amani Oruwariye is tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) along with safeties Garrett Taylor and Nick Scott. Redshirt junior John Reid has also made a nice return at corner after missing last year with a knee injury.
Cats Illustrated: What would you say were the highs and lows of Penn State's 2018 regular season?
Bauer: The challenging part for most Penn State fans and frankly even the players and the coaches themselves is that the season’s high point was really the first 52 minutes of the Nittany Lions’ game against Ohio State the fifth week of the season. Everything in the previous four weeks was really a tune-up for that game and though some cracks were showing, Penn State led the country in scoring at 55.5 points per game to this point and seemed to be on the verge of riding that momentum to a win against the Buckeyes.
Up 26-14, with eight minutes left to play anyway, that seemed to be the case. Unable to extend possessions or get the Buckeyes off the field in successive series, though, Penn State ultimately crashed en route to a 27-26 loss in front of its home crowd, and for the second time in as many years against the Buckeyes by a single point.
Whether or not that would simultaneously qualify as the season low, however, would probably be up for debate. Penn State had a bye week following the Ohio State game but really, messed around and appeared disinterested for four quarters against an overmatched Michigan State team and, like had also happened a year prior, it ended up costing them. Michigan State scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the game to win, 21-17, and the deja vu that upended the 2017 season did the same for 2018.
Afterward, Penn State regained some composure with wins at Indiana and against Iowa, but a trip to Michigan turned into a virtual massacre with McSorley clearly hampered by injury from the week prior. To the Lions’ credit, though, they managed to fight through their shortcomings and injuries to top Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Maryland to close out the season on a three-game winning streak.
No matter the preseason predictions, though, that Penn State seemed to have that Ohio State game in control, but lost it, and the Michigan State game turned into a seemingly disinterested performance, will ultimately leave many within the program and outside of it lamenting those missed opportunities for a better outcome.
Cats Illustrated: If you were an opposing coach how would you go about attacking the Nittany Lions on both sides of the ball?
Bauer: Offensively, teams that are balanced tend to have the most success against this Penn State defense. Or, maybe more appropriately, Penn State’s defense tends to have the most success against offenses that are clearly one-dimensional.
Against primarily running teams, Penn State has had a couple of one-off long touchdowns in the first half of games that have led to bigger numbers on the day than maybe the performance would otherwise indicate. And passing teams, of which Penn State only faced two in the top 50 nationally this season, were two of the biggest point totals surrendered on the season (27 to Ohio State and 28 at Indiana), though the game against the Hoosiers was largely a symptom of late-game letdowns than anything else.
In terms of keeping Penn State’s offense under control, teams that have had success have gotten into the backfield against an offensive line that probably hasn’t lived up to its own expectations this season. A healthier McSorley probably can mitigate that a bit by the time the Citrus Bowl rolls around, but his discomfort or inability to scramble effectively can lead to three-and-outs, which seem to create a bit of a mental hurdle for this offense. 5.
Cats Illustrated: Any preliminary thoughts on the matchup?
Bauer: I’m mostly interested in the matchup between Kentucky’s defense and Penn State’s offense as wholes. Penn State just has not had the same type of success offensively as it’d had in either 2016 or 2017, for a number of different reasons, but one of the results has been this adjustment period of learning how to win as a team when 35 points offensively just aren’t in the cards.
For either of the previous two seasons, and even through the first four games of this season, Penn State could predictably rely on that type of scoring output or more, and teams that couldn’t keep up on the scoreboard rarely had a chance to change the complexion of the game.
That changed completely following the Ohio State game. Michigan State dictated the type of game it would be, the offense lost its mojo, McSorley eventually got hurt, and it took until the last game of the season for everything to come back together in the form of a 38-3 win for Penn State against Maryland. If Kentucky, with its scoring defense, ranked eighth nationally giving up just 16.3 points per game, can dictate that type of game by keeping Penn State out of the end zone, then I think even with the one-dimensionality of the Wildcat offense, it can still very much be a competitive game.
Certainly, the coming days and weeks will provide more opportunity to learn about how these teams are likely to match up with each other, but that’s what immediately stands out to me.
Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated.com
@RowlandRIVALS
Cats Illustrated is helping you get ready for Kentucky's Citrus Bowl appearance against Penn State, the same program that the Cats faced in the Outback Bowl back in 1998.
These two teams are very different but there's plenty at stake. Both teams are looking for a 10th win.
To help our efforts, we've enlisted the help of Penn State expert and insider Nate Bauer of BWI (BlueWhiteIllustrated.com) here on the Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports network.
Trace McSorley (PSU Athletics)
Cats Illustrated: Who are some players on Penn State's offense that Kentucky fans should be familiar with?
Nate Bauer, BWI: Quarterback Trace McSorley is the name you’re going to hear first and most frequently from now until New Year’s Day. He’s a fifth-year senior that in many ways has been the catalyst for Penn State’s success the past three seasons, and is the bridge from the program’s success this season into whatever the future might hold given the relative youth of the team he is surrounded by this season. His most veteran and reliable playmaker has been junior running back Miles Sanders, who backed up Saquon Barkley for the past two seasons but has been impressive in his own right given his chance to shine alone this year. He leads the team in rushing with 1,223 yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 207 carries to go along with 22 receptions for 132 yards. Penn State’s receiving corps has been hit or miss this season, in spite of a trio of relatively veteran wideouts in Juwan Johnson, DeAndre Thompkins, and Brandon Polk. Having to play without DaeSean Hamilton, Mike Gesicki, and Barkley has all had a substantial impact on McSorley and the passing game, though true freshman Pat Freiermuth has been a pleasant surprise for the Nittany Lions at tight end.
Cats Illustrated: Same for the defense - who should we expect to see making plays?
Bauer: Penn State’s leading tackler this season is former five-star defensive end and true freshman Micah Parsons, despite seeing limited reps at the start of the season and an even split as the season has progressed.
But really, the defense is all about the front four and the back end of the unit. Yetur Gross-Matos has exploded in his second season at end, helped tremendously by the consistent presence of both Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor on the interior of the line. In the secondary, Penn State had to replace all four starters from a season ago but hasn’t really dropped off in the time since. Fifth-year senior Amani Oruwariye is tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) along with safeties Garrett Taylor and Nick Scott. Redshirt junior John Reid has also made a nice return at corner after missing last year with a knee injury.
Cats Illustrated: What would you say were the highs and lows of Penn State's 2018 regular season?
Bauer: The challenging part for most Penn State fans and frankly even the players and the coaches themselves is that the season’s high point was really the first 52 minutes of the Nittany Lions’ game against Ohio State the fifth week of the season. Everything in the previous four weeks was really a tune-up for that game and though some cracks were showing, Penn State led the country in scoring at 55.5 points per game to this point and seemed to be on the verge of riding that momentum to a win against the Buckeyes.
Up 26-14, with eight minutes left to play anyway, that seemed to be the case. Unable to extend possessions or get the Buckeyes off the field in successive series, though, Penn State ultimately crashed en route to a 27-26 loss in front of its home crowd, and for the second time in as many years against the Buckeyes by a single point.
Whether or not that would simultaneously qualify as the season low, however, would probably be up for debate. Penn State had a bye week following the Ohio State game but really, messed around and appeared disinterested for four quarters against an overmatched Michigan State team and, like had also happened a year prior, it ended up costing them. Michigan State scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the game to win, 21-17, and the deja vu that upended the 2017 season did the same for 2018.
Afterward, Penn State regained some composure with wins at Indiana and against Iowa, but a trip to Michigan turned into a virtual massacre with McSorley clearly hampered by injury from the week prior. To the Lions’ credit, though, they managed to fight through their shortcomings and injuries to top Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Maryland to close out the season on a three-game winning streak.
No matter the preseason predictions, though, that Penn State seemed to have that Ohio State game in control, but lost it, and the Michigan State game turned into a seemingly disinterested performance, will ultimately leave many within the program and outside of it lamenting those missed opportunities for a better outcome.
Cats Illustrated: If you were an opposing coach how would you go about attacking the Nittany Lions on both sides of the ball?
Bauer: Offensively, teams that are balanced tend to have the most success against this Penn State defense. Or, maybe more appropriately, Penn State’s defense tends to have the most success against offenses that are clearly one-dimensional.
Against primarily running teams, Penn State has had a couple of one-off long touchdowns in the first half of games that have led to bigger numbers on the day than maybe the performance would otherwise indicate. And passing teams, of which Penn State only faced two in the top 50 nationally this season, were two of the biggest point totals surrendered on the season (27 to Ohio State and 28 at Indiana), though the game against the Hoosiers was largely a symptom of late-game letdowns than anything else.
In terms of keeping Penn State’s offense under control, teams that have had success have gotten into the backfield against an offensive line that probably hasn’t lived up to its own expectations this season. A healthier McSorley probably can mitigate that a bit by the time the Citrus Bowl rolls around, but his discomfort or inability to scramble effectively can lead to three-and-outs, which seem to create a bit of a mental hurdle for this offense. 5.
Cats Illustrated: Any preliminary thoughts on the matchup?
Bauer: I’m mostly interested in the matchup between Kentucky’s defense and Penn State’s offense as wholes. Penn State just has not had the same type of success offensively as it’d had in either 2016 or 2017, for a number of different reasons, but one of the results has been this adjustment period of learning how to win as a team when 35 points offensively just aren’t in the cards.
For either of the previous two seasons, and even through the first four games of this season, Penn State could predictably rely on that type of scoring output or more, and teams that couldn’t keep up on the scoreboard rarely had a chance to change the complexion of the game.
That changed completely following the Ohio State game. Michigan State dictated the type of game it would be, the offense lost its mojo, McSorley eventually got hurt, and it took until the last game of the season for everything to come back together in the form of a 38-3 win for Penn State against Maryland. If Kentucky, with its scoring defense, ranked eighth nationally giving up just 16.3 points per game, can dictate that type of game by keeping Penn State out of the end zone, then I think even with the one-dimensionality of the Wildcat offense, it can still very much be a competitive game.
Certainly, the coming days and weeks will provide more opportunity to learn about how these teams are likely to match up with each other, but that’s what immediately stands out to me.
