Penn State-Kent State takeaway: the emergence of the offensive line, the effectiveness of Sean Clifford, more

UNIVERSITY OF STATE – Penn State 63-10 beating Kent State at Beaver Stadium could have been even worse for Golden Flashes, if not for all those expensive PSU penalties. But can you really find fault with James Franklin's program for a 53-point win? Here are my points to remember from the Nittany Lions' third win of the season …

Lions defense was almost as impressive as Penn State's. The Lions' deep 'D' limited the Kent State tempo to 221 total yards on 77 games, averaging only 2.9 yards per game. The visitors were detained at 72 seconds and a half meters. The tackles were better and the PSU defensive line was everywhere as the Lions finished with 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Sean Clifford will become an actor at Penn State … eventually. The freshman redshirt completed his one-game loss to Pittsburgh in favor of Brandon Polk for a 34-yard touchdown. He played the fourth quarter against Kent State and was 3-for-3 for 141 yards and another score, 95 meters ahead of real first-year player Daniel George. The 95-yarder is the longest log passage in the history of PSU and it was made possible, in part, by a great fake pump by Clifford from the Lions' End Zone. Clifford, an opportunity, tends to make the most of it.

This Penn State offense could give the legendary 1994 offense a financial challenge if it continues to grow. The Lions have amassed a total of 667 yards, most of them by a PSU offense since 1994 (Minnesota) and PSU has produced games of 95, 69, 41, 40, 39, 23 and 22 yards. The Lions scored 159 points in three games.

The young Lions offensive line players gained valuable experience and looked good on a limited number of shots. Specifically, PSU has turned to freshman redshirt Mike Miranda at the left guard for a stretch and first-year freshman C. J. Thorpe has captivated for Connor McGovern at one point.

Even when Kent State scored a touchdown, he had to work there. I thought the only score from the Golden Flashes, a 47-yard throw from quarterback Woody Barrett to Mike Carrigan, was a little lucky for the visitors. The PSU was offside in the first quarter and Barrett knew he had a free kick, and the Lions veteran, Amani Oruwariye, was well placed to play a game and did not miss it.