Penn State Opened Practice Ahead of Villanova's Visit. Here's What We Learned

Penn State’s linebacker room statistically took a big step from Week 1 to Week 2. The three top linebackers — Tony Rojas, Amare Campbell and Dom DeLuca — combined for 14 more tackles against FIU than they did vs. Nevada. And DeLuca made an impact on special teams, blocking a punt in the first half on Saturday.

The progression between weeks makes sense, as Franklin said Monday that the tweaks and changes to the defense via the addition of coordinator Jim Knowles are “showing up at the linebacker position.”

During Wednesday’s segment of practice open to the media, Knowles focused on the linebackers, following them through every drill. He even got vocal with redshirt junior Keon Wylie. With the defensive line playing well to begin the season and the cornerbacks going untested so far, Knowles seems to have zeroed in on the linebackers, specifically the depth players. 

“We need to get some more guys in the game to develop depth, because there’s not enough of that right now,” Franklin said Monday of the linebackers. “But those two positions [safeties and linebackers] are challenged the most with the tweaks of what we’re doing with the system with Jim. We’ve got to get those guys playing fast and confident.”

Updates on competitons at quarterback, running back

Ethan Grunkemeyer was the No. 2 quarterback again last week vs. FIU, though he played just one snap in the game. That was quite different from the opener, when he played 22 snaps and led a 94-yard scoring drive.

Franklin said on Aug. 27 the QB2 duel between Grunkemeyer and Jaxon Smolik will continue through the season, but Grunkemeyer is working with the second unit during practice while Smolik remains on the scout team. It seems that the redshirt freshman’s performance against Nevada has earned him the spot for the foreseeable future.

At running back, the third spot remains fluid. Cam Wallace, Corey Smith and Quinton Martin Jr. worked with the scout team Wednesday. Unlike in the season opener, only Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton carried the ball against FIU, which contradicted Franklin’s preseason statement that he wants to work in a third back this season. 

“Yeah, you’d like for somebody to take the job, right? But if not, we’ll just keep rotating until somebody does,” Franklin said of the competition on Wednesday. 

Allar emphasizes ball placement

Quarterback Drew Allar went to work Wednesday as he attempts to rebound from an uneven performance against FIU. Allar threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns but struggled with ball placement on some throws. 

During the open portion of practice, Allar focused on hitting tight ends on their outside shoulder and his wide receivers in stride. Allar impressed with his ball placement Wednesday, which will be pivotal in the coming weeks.  

Franklin seems to think the issue was more mental than mechanical. The coach said Monday that he thought Allar got frustrated with himself a few times, which lingered throughout the game. 

“Yeah I didn’t think he was in his normal rhythm,” Franklin said of Allar on Saturday. “We had some drops. He had some throws that he normally makes that he didn't. Obviously that was a major factor for us on third down as well. But we couldn’t seem to get into the rhythm on offense, and that's part of it.”

Wide receivers emphasize blocking

Franklin said Monday that Penn State’s wide receivers have demonstrated a skill for run blocking. He noticed a real change in the group this year in terms of effort, calling their blocking performance a “real positive.”

The Nittany Lions got bigger and stronger at the position through the portal, but everyone has chipped in. Liam Clifford (6-1, 205 pounds) and Trebor Peña (5-10, 187 pounds) both pancaked a safety against FIU and have been getting physical with their blocks. 

The receivers’ willingness in the blocking game goes beyond them. It fires up the team and gives players up front more confidence.

“You know, they definitely got some ‘ish’ to them,” tight end Khalil Dinkins said Wednesday of the wide receivers. “... I think this year we are probably one of the most physical receiver groups that we've had in a long time. So it's good to see that. I love to see my receivers out there making blocks.”

Here is Franklin's post-practice media availability, courtesy of Blue-White Illustrated.