Johnson makes mark on Lions' win

For all the noise and excitement surrounding Juwan Johnson in the months leading up to the season, the wide receiver had been muffled by opposing defenses in recent weeks.

That changed on Saturday.

Penn State’s biggest target on the outside, Johnson hauled in five passes for a game-high 78 yards in the Nittany Lions’ 35-6 victory over Rutgers at Beaver Stadium.

The outburst of production came on the heels of three games in which Johnson failed to surpass 30 receiving yards.

“I got more balls targeted my way, which just made me make plays,” Johnson said. “We were just playing fast. Not a lot of plays went in this week. We were just playing fast and just having fun.”

While Johnson attributed some of his production to circumstance, he certainly played a factor in his big day as well by making the most of his opportunities. The wideout was targeted six times against Rutgers and came down with five receptions.

It was a great improvement on his performance from last week, when Johnson caught just two of his seven targets as Penn State struggled to deal with a wet playing surface in a road loss at Michigan State.

Throughout Johnson’s first season getting the bulk of the first string reps, he’s worked to establish a connection with quarterback Trace McSorley.

Postgame, Johnson said he can see that effort beginning to pay dividends on Saturdays.

“It’s grown more during the season,” Johnson said of his chemistry with McSorley. “We just try to look at things and try to see what we can exploit, see what their weaknesses are, see if the give us access. We’ll see what we have to exploit it.”

Penn State’s veterans have noted the growth they’ve seen in Johnson, too. The 6-foot-4 physical specimen has shown flashes of brilliance this season -- the most notable of which coming in the form of a last-second, game-winning touchdown reception against Iowa.

Fellow wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, who has experienced numerous peaks and valleys throughout his career, knows the path to consistency well, and can see Johnson making strides to get there.

“Juwan, he’s really been working ever since he was a redshirt freshman and he’s finally starting to get his shot, things like that,” Hamilton said. “For him, just developing, becoming a better player, his confidence growing. That’s really what you see in him.

“He’s always just willing to get better every single day and that’s what you see. He’s been able to turn it into successful Saturdays.”

Johnson’s best stretch of his young career came when he totaled 27 receptions and 198 yards over three games against the Hawkeyes, Indiana and Northwestern.

Now with two regular season games remaining on the year against Nebraska and Maryland -- two teams with a combined 5-9 record in conference play -- Johnson has a chance to sustain momentum as he closes out his redshirt sophomore campaign.

“I’m getting more comfortable every game,” he said. “It’s still young in my career. Just going in there and actually getting reps and seeing different looks, I’m starting to learn every game what to do and what not to do.”