COLUMBUS, Ohio – Where can we find a rocket scientist or a mentalist?
Where can we find a sleuth like Hercule Poirot or Robert Langdon?
Can someone, anyone, explain why in the world the Penn State football program has fallen off a cliff?
“We’re in the middle of a storm,” interim head coach Terry Smith said, “and we just can’t figure out how to get out of it.”
The case of the 2025 Nittany Lions would have been fodder for Unsolved Mysteries.
Many mysteries surround this team, which was widely predicted to be a contender for the national championship. They’re now 0-5 in the Big Ten and 3-5 overall after a 38-14 drubbing Saturday at the hands of No. 1 Ohio State.
Have the great expectations weighed too heavily on their shoulders?
Were the coaches too easy on the veteran players in the offseason after reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals and playing 16 games last season?
Did the double overtime loss to Oregon suck the air out of them?
The greatest mystery of all, though, is why so many returning players have regressed.
Kaytron Allen has improved at running back and so has Zakee Wheatley at safety.
But that’s it.
Drew Allar (before his season-ending injury), Nick Singleton, Drew Shelton, Nick Dawkins, Nolan Rucci, Anthony Donkoh, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant and A.J. Harris are not playing as well as they did last season.
It would have been understandable if a few of those guys had taken a step back just because of the percentages.
But all of them? It makes no sense.
The defense under heralded coordinator Jim Knowles allowed Ohio State to roll up 480 total yards, 316 through the air and 164 on the ground.
The secondary, which had been a strength, watched Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate run behind them to make catches for long gains.
“It was the lack of a pass rush and a lack of the DBs covering,” Terry Smith said. “There were times when we were in man and there were times when we were in cover three. It was a point of emphasis. It was a key to victory. You cannot let them behind you.”
The offense under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who was praised last season for his creativity, gained a meager 200 yards against the Buckeyes, only 60 in the second half.
Penn State again threw just a few vertical passes. Wide receivers had only two catches longer than 13 yards.
“Sometimes when you throw the ball down the field, you need better protection,” Smith said. “Protection broke down a few times. It’s also play calling. We have to be able to call the plays that push the ball down the field.”
It’s hard to believe the same team that came within one drive of reaching the national championship game in January is the same team that’s in the midst of a five-game losing streak and winless in the Big Ten.
Something is out of whack inside the Lasch Building.
The defense has 14 sacks in eight games, compared to 44 in 16 games last season. Opponents have rushed for an average of 194.6 yards during the losing streak after running for 101.9 per game last season.
The offense lacks an identity. Singleton was the force behind a 75-yard drive in the second quarter, accounting for 42 yards and a touchdown. He had three touches the rest of the game.
The easy access throws that were missing from the offense in 2023 and that prompted James Franklin to fire Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator are still absent.
And now Franklin is out of a job, too, fired three weeks ago after three straight losses.
Are the coaches or the players to blame?
“That was a big emphasis all week,” Wheatley said about failing to keep Ohio State’s receivers in front of the secondary. “It just comes down to playing the game plan and what we were taught to do all week.”
The team also lacks strong leadership. When Ohio State safety Caleb Downs made a helmet-to-helmet hit on defenseless tight end Khalil Dinkins in the fourth quarter with the game already decided, not one of Dinkins’ teammates got in Downs’ face.
That’s the least one, two or three of them could have done.
If they don’t beat No. 2 Indiana Saturday at noon at Beaver Stadium, they’ll have their first six-game losing streak since 2004.
That possibility never crossed anyone’s mind in August. But here we are, trying to find the root cause of one of the most puzzling Penn State seasons in memory.
“The seniors are hurting,” Smith said. “I feel awful for those guys to end their careers this way. It’s very challenging. It’s challenging for all of us.”
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment