For Penn State's Rushing Offense, 'Everything Is a Slog' This Season

Penn State lacks an identity in the run game, and the team knows it. The Nittany Lions are about to play their seventh game of the season while still searching for one.

Improving the run game is offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s “biggest focus” heading into Saturday’s game against Michigan, and Penn State is "desperate" to find an identity, he said. Penn State’s run game, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten and 90th nationally, has yet to average more than 3.3 yards per carry in a conference game this season.

“We're a run game without an identity, and that's the reality of the situation,” Mouser said. “For us, it's like, how can we get good at something to be able to hang our hat on what that looks like? There's been progress, and there's been flashes at times, but I'd be wrong to say there's a consistent element there in the run game.”

The Nittany Lions didn’t establish a run game during their 31-23 loss to USC last Saturday. Starting running back Carson Hansen took 14 carries for 28 yards, while backup James Peoples had seven attempts for 20 yards. They were the only two backs who played.

Penn State’s run game also isn’t explosive. The longest run by a back in Big Ten play is 9 yards. Penn State and Michigan are tied for last in the Big Ten in rushing plays of 10+ yards (three), and quarterback Rocco Becht is responsible for all of Penn State’s. And Michigan has played only two conference games to Penn State’s three.

Mouser said he wanted to get Hansen or Peoples into a rhythm to run the ball effectively, but neither accomplished that. With more carries for Hansen and Peoples, no other running backs were involved, but the staff still has faith in running backs Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace, head coach Matt Campbell said.

"We've mixed up who the running back's been and what the scheme has been, and we haven't been able to just find the the perfect match yet," Mouser said. "And it's something that we're desperate to to find."

With desperation to figure out the run game, Campbell is willing to try anything to jumpstart it.

“I think you're trying to figure out, especially up front, where can we settle this group of young men into?” Campbell said. “I think we've dabbled in a little bit of everything trying to find what these guys do best and give them the most confidence.”

'Inches rather than gaps'

Mouser said that Penn State has to “get good” at either an inside zone or duo run scheme. He said the offensive line lacks chemistry to communicate the run plays.

CBS analyst Charles Davis, who will be calling the Penn State-Michigan game, believes the lack of an effective run game is the No. 1 reason the Nittany Lions are 0-3 in Big Ten play. He said the way they’re running the ball doesn’t look like “Penn State ball,” and they’re not compensating with a “prolific passing offense.”

Davis also thinks that the inefficient run game is preventing Becht from reaching his potential at Penn State. He believes opposing defenses are more concerned about Becht than the Nittany Lions’ run game, putting him in more difficult passing situations.

“They're not in a position yet running the football where they can just control things,” Davis said in an interview. “Everything is a slog on every run for them right now, and the contrast between them running it and Northwestern running it was stark.”

Northwestern ran for 413 yards, averaging 7.5 per carry, in a 34-13 win over Penn State earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions could muster only 48 rushing yards against the Wildcats, a season-low.

The closest Penn State came to that much success on the ground was against Buffalo on Sept. 19, when it rushed for 304 yards. Martin led the Nittany Lions with 100 yards, the only time a Penn State running back has reached the century mark this season.

Mouser said Martin, who had a 61-yard rush versus the Bulls, is one of Penn State’s more explosive players and had one of the most explosive runs this season. Martin executed well at Tuesday’s practice, according to Mouser.

With Campbell and the Nittany Lions looking to try new things in the run game, Martin could see more playing time against Michigan. The staff could make personnel changes on the offensive line as well, but Hansen feels it’s on the players to execute.

“We’ve just got to keep improving day by day, and it's frustrating because we've got to see growth, and it's got to happen,” Hansen said after the USC loss. “It's frustrating that it's not. We can't single out anyone. It's gotta be a whole unit, and we gotta take accountability for it and keep moving forward in practice.”

Added Campbell, "I know I sound like a broken record, but I will tell you this: I think it's inches rather than gaps. We've got to continue to pound away at it."

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