[ad_1]
The stars lined up for the Penn State coach James franklin earlier this month, when the much-loved Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich hit the open market after the Longhorns hired a genius from the play call Steve Sargsyan as head coach. Six days later Franklin announced that he had fired PSU OC freshmen Kirk ciarrocca and replaced him with Yurcich.
The move was bold and unexpected for many, even after the Nittany Lions’ disappointing 4-5 2020 season. Franklin spoke to the media on Monday for the first time since removing the stunner, and explained that things were falling into place.
“The way it went, it obviously happened pretty quickly,” Franklin said. “You know, Yurcich is a guy I’ve been in contact with and communicated with for a long time. And I think in the end it was a very difficult decision, obviously. But philosophically I felt it was the right thing for us to do, to get to where we want to go and play an attacking style which I think will be important for us to play in different ways. You know, a lot of different ways.
“Whether that’s our team, and what we’re going to have to do to be successful on the pitch in terms of explosive games, (limiting) turnovers and scoring points, these are the three most important things you go do. to do on the offensive, ”he added. “How does that affect our locker room, how does it affect, recruiting – all of that.”
When Ciarrocca arrived at Penn State in December 2019 after a success Three years in Minnesota, there was a lot of talk about mixing the pro-style system he ran with the Golden Gophers with the spreading offense the Lions had been using since Joe Moorhead’s time as an OC. Moorhead left to become Mississippi State head coach after the 2017 season and was replaced by an internal hire Ricky rahne. So there was no change in the overall offensive approach at the time. When Rahne left to become a head coach at Old Dominion after the 2019 campaign, Franklin hired Ciarrocca.
Trying to mesh the two approaches without a spring practice due to COVID-19 and then a rambling preseason thanks to the Big Ten’s indecision on the game in 2020 has obviously hampered the transition. The offense, especially at the start of the season, was less about the net than the porridge. Starting 0-5, the Lions are averaging 24.6 points per game.
Even with a 56-21 blowout against Illinois at the end of the year, Penn State’s offense fell by nearly one touchdown per game as of 2019 (35.8 to 29.8). Rushing yards per game have dropped significantly and yards per catch have also declined. The average yards per game increased from 6.1 to 5.5. Meanwhile, in four fewer games in 2020, the Nittany Lions threw the same number of interceptions as in 2019 (nine) while losing three more fumbles (8-5). Strategist Sean clifford significantly regressed from the 2019 season and backup Will levis struggled for a brief stint as a starter.
Without ever mentioning Moorhead, who is now Oregon’s offensive coordinator, Franklin made it clear that he wanted to return to THIS style of attacking (Penn State averaged 41.1 points and 6.6 yards per play in 2017. , the last year of Moorhead). And Franklin believes Yurcich, whose Texas offense in 2020 averaged 42.7 points per game and 6.4 yards per game, can get the Lions where they need to be.
“A few years ago we were doing broadcast, we were mixing to the beat, we were doing a bunch of these things and we had a lot of success,” Franklin said. “And then, obviously, with the decision we made in the last recruiting round, it was a little different than (Ciarrocca). So that’s where we felt the mix had to happen so that we could balance those two things and make sure we were chasing a similar offense to what we’ve done in the past.
“So we’re hoping that will bring us a little closer to that – to who we want to be and our philosophy on offense,” he added. “It fits more with our situation.”
As for having to fire Ciarrocca after just one season – and one crazy one, too, thanks to the pandemic – Franklin said it was nothing personal.
“I have tremendous respect for Kirk, I really do,” Franklin said. “Obviously, (it was) a tough decision and a tough part of the business. It was a difficult conversation to have. Kirk handled it extremely well, like he was doing everything. He’s a total class number and I wish him all the best.
“But it has more to do with the philosophy, the way we want to play,” he added. “And I think what I said earlier, about the focus on explosive games, and the focus on (limiting) turnovers, and the focus on scoring points , these are the three most important things you need to do on offense. And specifically in college football today, the way this thing evolves, there are going to be games where you’re going to have to score 40 points – you know, 42-41 or 42-40, or whatever – and those. . things are probably more of a premium than ever. So that’s really the focus and, and these stats and things, to make sure that it fits the way we want to play and the exciting brand of football that we want to play on offense.
Here’s a look at the respective 2020 offensive exit numbers for Penn State and Texas, respectively.
[ad_2]
Source link