Zips Offense a Mystery to Penn State

[Guest Zip88]

Posted on Fri, Sep. 03, 2004

Zips' offense is mystery to Penn State

By Jeff Rice

jrice@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK - The bad news: Penn State surrendered 209.1 rushing yards per game in 2003, the highest average ever under coach Joe Paterno.

The good news: Charlie Frye is coming to town.

The Nittany Lions couldn't stop the run last season, but in their season-opener against Akron and its Heisman-hopeful senior quarterback, they shouldn't have to.

The Zips graduated 981-yard rusher Bobby Hendry, but their offense begins and ends with Frye, a four-year starter who threw for 3,549 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.

"He gets the ball in his receivers' hands and allows them to make plays," said Penn State safety Andrew Guman. "He definitely looks like the leader out there and a big-time player."

Akron, however, has a new coach in J.D. Brookhart, and a new offense, which made it a difficult week of preparation for the Nittany Lion defense.

They know Frye is going to put it up, but when and where is anyone's guess.

"We don't know how the offense is going to come out this year, what they're going to show us," said Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali. "We're still watching films and learning their old plays, but we're expecting anything right now."

Brookhart was the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh for seven seasons, and brought the Panthers' West Coast, multiple-wideout style to Akron. Any film Penn State has watched this week could hurt them as much as help them.

"You have to play a guessing game of preparing for this more than this, and hope this is what they do," said middle linebacker Tim Shaw. "You've got to have a well-rounded game plan, so when they come out with something, we've got to be able to adjust."

Many of the adjustments the Nittany Lions made during an urgent offseason probably won't be seen Saturday.

Last season, the Lions gave up 337 rushing yards to Nebraska. Boston College picked up 238. Northwestern and Indiana got 253 apiece. Even Temple mustered 162 in a 23-10 loss. And it ate at them.

"The coaches knew about it and we knew about it," said linebacker Derek Wake. "That's what we concentrated on in spring ball."

Conversely, Penn State allowed just 153.3 passing yards per game, tops in the Big Ten and its best mark since 1980. A talented but rarely tested secondary lost starters Rich Gardner and Yaacov Yisrael to graduation, then safety Chris Harrell to an offseason neck injury, but corners Anwar Phillips and Alan Zemaitis and safeties Guman and Calvin Lowry should still form one of the strongest units Penn State has had.

It will be tested early and often by Frye, a career 64 percent passer who is dangerous in or out of the pocket, which is where the Nittany Lions want to keep him.

"He's moving around," said Phillips, "and the minute you take a glance at a quarterback to see if he's going to run it or throw it, you might lose vision of a receiver."

Akron lost its top four receivers to graduation but returns four offensive linemen. The Nittany Lions, 10th in the conference in sacks last season, know they will have to get in Frye's face. Their veteran secondary should help.

"If they can give us a little bit of time, we can get to the quarterbacks," Hali said. "Just like if we can get to the quarterback we can save them some time too."

Who will rush the passer is important, but once again won't matter if Penn State isn't better against the run. That question should be put off for at least another week, but the Lions know they'll have to answer it eventually.

"If anything should be on our mind right now, it's to stop the run," Hali said. "We've got to prove that we are able as a defensive line to stop the run this year."

[Captain Kangaroo]

The pass defense numbers would be really scary...if their run defense weren't so bad. Obviously, if your opponents can run at will...they'll pass less...and you'll surrender deceivingly low passing yards.