Halfway through the season for the Nittany Lions and it seems as if there are no signs of hope for the rest of the season. On both sides of the ball, the team has truly struggled to put out a good product after the excitement produced from the first three games of the season. The offense though, has been the worse of the two units as its transfer laden core has failed to adjust to Big Ten caliber play. As a result, it may not be a smooth ride the rest of the way for these units. Here are my midseason evaluations of each position group on offense.
Quarterback: C-
If this were being graded simply on the first three games of the season, it would be easy to say Rocco Becht would have gotten at least an A. He had completed 70 percent of his passes, thrown for 9 touchdowns and most importantly, did not turn the ball over. However, we have to grade him based on all seven games he has played and in the first four of Big Ten play, he has been horrific. His completion percentage has dropped from 70.3 to 59.8 and he has only thrown 3 touchdowns. Most worryingly though is that after throwing no picks in the first three games, he has thrown five in four Big Ten games. Right now, it looks as if Becht is closer to being benched than finding any of his early season form.
Running backs: F
You knew where this was headed. There has been nothing stellar about this Penn State rushing attack and it seems as if there's too many fingers to point. Still, when you bring in two transfers expected to elevate the ground game, it's disappointing that neither of them have gotten anything going. Carson Hansen only has 278 rushing yards through seven games as the team's leading rusher. James Peoples only has 246. On average, through four Big Ten games, the unit has averaged 2.2 yards per carry. They weren't even much better during the 3-0 start, averaging only 4.4. This unit simply has failed in every way possible.
Receivers and tight ends: B-
This group has also been a mixed bag, at least with some positives sprinkled throughout the season. However, the decline of the unit has stemmed from one specific event: the loss of Koby Howard to injury. During Penn State's start, Koby Howard looked like one of the best receivers in the country, amassing 344 yards in three games. Then, after he was injured against Buffalo, there was a bit of stagnation within the unit as Becht tried to find another go-to option. It took a while but Iowa State transfer Chase Sowell became that option and now leads the team with 510 receiving yards and has had several breakout performances over the past few weeks. As for the tight ends, Ben Brahmer's early season success has dwindled as Andrew Rappleyea has become the bigger target for Becht in Big Ten play.
Offensive Line: C
What was once considered to be one of Penn State's biggest strengths has turned into one of its biggest question marks. While people have been quick to point blame at both Becht and the run game for not creating explosive plays in the offense, many of those struggles can most likely be attributed to the O-line. The fact that Penn State has not averaged over 3.7 yards per carry in a conference game is worrying and speaks to the inability of the O-line to generate any type of push up front. In terms of pass blocking, they haven't been any better, ranking 93rd in the nation according to PFF. Chances are if Penn State fans want to see change, the offensive line had better play better.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Midseason evaluations of Penn State's offense