Penn State football mailbag: QB situation, possible starter changes, more

It might be the bye week, but there is no time off for the Blue-White Illustrated Penn State football weekly mailbag presented by JFQ Lending.

This Wednesday, Nate Bauer, David Eckert, and Greg Pickel field MANY questions about the Nittany Lions' quarterback situation and offense in general but also dive into other queries submitted this week about head coach James Franklin's program.

Let's get to your questions, and remember: You can submit them weekly to us on Twittere (@BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @DavidEckert98, and @GregPickel) or through the Lions Den premium message board.

Before the questions and answers begin, we'd like to send out a thank you to our sponsor for the BWI weekly mailbag, JFQ Lending. For all of your lending needs, including great refinancing rates, make sure you visit our mailbag sponsor, JFQ Lending, and see how they can best serve you.

"What is your outlook on the offense for the game in the second half of the season?"

Eckert: If there was ever a time to use the shrugging emoji in an article I would use it here. So many variables. Who is the quarterback? If it's Ta'Quan Roberson, was what we saw from him on Saturday a reasonable reflection of who he is going to be, or was he just a bit overtaken by the moment? If it's Clifford, is he physically limited? I don't know what it's going to look like. If Penn State does have to roll with Roberson, it's crucial that it gets the running game going. I'll be interested to see how the Nittany Lions go about that in the weeks ahead.

Pickel: We're obviously all going to pull at a similar thread here and say that it depends on whether you get all Clifford, all Roberson, or a combination of both. To try and not have us repeat each other to kick this thing off, I'll just say this: I expect to see Penn State perform in the running game better no matter who is under center. And, no, I don't have a crystal ball and certainly don't think it's like flipping a light switch, but I refuse to believe the talent on the field and on the sideline and box with headsets can't figure out some way to make that part of the offense work better after an entire week to study it.

Bauer: I'm going to just repeat myself from Saturday night, but I told Greg in the postgame that walking into Kinnick Stadium that afternoon, I saw multiple Iowa fans wearing t-shirts that declared "PUNTING IS WINNING." A reference to the Hawkeyes' excellent Australian punter, Tory Taylor, the message is one that Penn State fans might want to start to embrace.

Bottom line, if Clifford is out for any extended period of time, the approach is going to have to change for Mike Yurcich and this Penn State offense. And I think that this is a program that, with a strong offense and strong special teams units, is suited to handle that adjustment. Already emphasizing not turning over the ball, the change is going to have to take the form of being satisfied with swinging field position at times, hitting on explosive plays when they're available, and re-committing to getting the running game going with Roberson's legs, the short passing game, and Penn State's traditional running game.

Related: Penn State football offense roundtable: Best and worst

"In terms of the running back rotation, what is going on with Caziah Holmes? He's one that has the size and apparent breakaway speed and isn't playing thus far? Possible redshirt or transfer?"

Eckert: If John Lovett and Devyn Ford miss time — both were injured during the Iowa game, according to Franklin — then I would guess we'll see some more of Caziah Holmes. That said, there's probably a reason that he hasn't been getting carries. He's still young and he's still learning, so I don't necessarily think there should be alarm bells going off about his future.

Pickel: We haven't heard much about him, but the one thing we did said it all. Ja'Juan Seider speaking about a month ago said that Holmes was "a young kid, one the strongest running backs in the room, one of the fastest guys in the room, and he's still learning what it takes to be a running back." He's talented, but the same answer to previous week's questions about Keyvone Lee can apply here to Holmes: Don't overthink it. If he was performing the way you think he can or should in practice, then we'd see him more in games. He's not, and so we're not. That doesn't mean he won't, but it's the case right now.

Bauer: Penn State wants to play three but is willing to play four if it has to. Five doesn't work. So, while Holmes might have immediately shown himself to be an intriguing prospect when he first arrived on campus as an early enrollee in January 2020, if he's comfortable with getting a year of development - which I have mentioned wasn't truly an option last season for just about everyone in the program given the restrictions and sheer lunacy of the circumstances - then all the better for him to progress into someone even more prepared to contribute when his opportunity arrives.

I have little doubt that Penn State believes he can be a contributor, and probably could have contributed this year, but at some point, decisions have to be made and figuring out a primary rotation of three, with a fourth warranting some attention, landed Holmes as the fifth wheel.

"We might get a small amount of insight on the status of Clifford after CJF’s practice media session, but if Clifford is able to return in the next few weeks, is Illinois weak enough to hold him out of the game comfortably?"

Eckert: Illinois is 13th in the Big Ten in yards per game while giving up the second-most yards per game on defense. That's not great! With that in mind, I assume they wouldn't risk Clifford if there was a reasonable chance of re-injury and he's not 100 percent. That said, if he can go, he's going to go. This is a program that focuses on what is directly in front of it to the point of obsession. They will not casually decide to sit Sean Clifford if they would otherwise play him just because it's Illinois.

Pickel: Is it? Probably. Is Penn State going to operate that way? Probably not. Actually, certainly not. T-Frank said it best on the BWI Live postgame show: If you start holding guys out for games they could play in because it's not as important as or easier than another game, then what does that do for the 1-0 mantra, and the entire foundation of the culture James Franklin has painstakingly built here? I'll answer it: That helps crack it. So, no.

Bauer: As Greg mentioned, that's just not Franklin's MO, and given the nature of the season to this point, getting Clifford back up and operating to help continue the development of the offense would seem to be paramount.

That said, I don't think Clifford's participation is going to be anyone's decision but team doctors and, possibly to a much lesser extent, Clifford himself.

If and when the quarterback is able to return, my guess is you'll see Penn State eager to have him back and won't hold him out based on the quality of the opponent.

"On a scale of 1-10, how nonsensical are Iowa fans (and apparently Head Coach too) being with this "fake injuries" nonsense?!"

Eckert: Look, from the fans' perspective, maybe I can understand it. Do I think it's the right thing to do? Absolutely not. But, there's certainly alcohol involved for a considerable percentage of people, emotions are boiling over — maybe you're not thinking about what the right thing to do is in that moment. Sure, whatever. I still think it's a lousy thing to do but I at least understand where your head is at. With Kirk Ferentz I've just got no clue. You just won a huge game, there's a billion other things to talk about. It's so easy to brush off the question politely and just move on. What does he gain by throwing verbal elbows at injured college kids? I just found it very weird. I'll go 8.5/10.

Pickel: I was somewhat surprised Franklin went out of his way to make the postgame comments he did about it, but that indicated that he was VERY annoyed and displeased by what was going on. I imagine he'll be even more so when he talks later Wednesday after Kirk Ferentz's comments during his Monday news conference. It's a 100 on a scale of 1-10. I will never be able to wrap my head around why the Hawkeyes program is picking this particular hill to die on.

Bauer: I know the train has already left the station, but I think a couple of things stand out to me about this particular subject. The first is that Iowa fans were jacked up for that game and were booing the ball blowing off the tee at the start of the game. So that's the foundation from which we are working on this.

As for Kirk Ferentz and his approach to addressing the theory, the fact that he specifically mentioned "two people" in the Hawkeyes' football building who "have been places" where the words "scuba" or "dive" were used is his ammunition in this instance. He is very unsubtly saying that his son-in-law, Tyler Barnes, who was a Vanderbilt staffer under James Franklin during the 2013 season before the head coach came to Penn State, has claimed that this is something Franklin-coached teams do.

Now, what knowledge a co-recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt would have about a defensive strategy for players to take a dive after big plays is another conversation altogether.

But I just think that it's curious that so many of the players who needed medical attention Saturday came out of the game and didn't return, but also even the few who were able to get back in the game have all been dealing with something previously. Granted, this might be an instance where a more forthcoming approach from Penn State as a program, acknowledging the very obvious upper body stuff that Jaquan Brisker has been dealing with since needing three injury timeouts at Wisconsin, or Arnold Ebiketie, who appeared to have cramped up and has done so before this season, might be helpful in clearing up the issue.

I'm not sure any of it matters, really, other than to cement Penn State's perception that Iowa football and its fans have changed the complexion of what is clearly becoming a rivalry.

More: Ferentz doubles down on injury narrative, says Iowa fans 'smelled a rat'

"Other than QB2, anyone in the mix to take over if QB1 is out?"

Eckert: Nope. If Roberson is injured, we'll see Christian Veilleux, but I don't think there is any chance of him taking over in any other circumstance.

Pickel: No. Christian Veilleux is obviously the break glass in case of emergency quarterback, but it cannot be overstated or said enough that he hasn't played in a football game at any level since 2019. Beyond that, he came to the U.S. from Canada, so he has plenty to learn beyond just the normal gap for high school to college guys. The only other quarterback on the roster is a walk-on, and before anyone asks, throwing Tyler Warren back there just because he played the position in high school is not an option, and if it is, then things are in worse shape than even the most pessimistic person could have predicted.

Bauer: Tyler Warren played quarterback in high school, so I'd expect him to get a serious look. No. I'm kidding. But obviously if it isn't Roberson, Christian Veilleux would be Penn State's only other option before dipping into the walk-ons. Now, one of the preseason rumblings out of camp was that Veilleux at times had shown himself to have the tools to be able to play and, in one instance it was suggested to me that he was pushing Roberson to have a legitimate chance to be the No. 2. With Roberson having won out that battle, and having not seen any movement there in the time since, I don't really consider Veilleux to be a legitimate option in terms of being something that Penn State's coaching staff would willingly choose.

"Do you expect any of the backup OL, specifically who might be behind Scruggs and Wallace, to get some play? Any chance Tengwall could get in? This starting five needs a major uptick in physicality and ruggedness which they clearly don't have."

Eckert: It's tough to see them moving away from Wallace and Scruggs when they really haven't shown any willingness to do so in games that matter to this point. In games against Power-5 opposition, they've combined to miss exactly two snaps according to PFF. I suspect that if Penn State felt like it had options that might perform better then we'd be seeing them, but maybe I'm wrong.

Bryce Effner is the guy who seems to be picking up a little bit of steam. He's drawn some praise recently and played eight snaps on offense against Iowa. I don't think we're going to see meaningful minutes for Tengwall at this point.

Pickel: I think there are seven offensive linemen who Penn State feels comfortable with in a game, and Anthony Whigan has kind of played himself out of the non-special teams rotation. The only guy you might see more of is Effner, assuming he's healthy (he didn't play much against Indiana) but it's hard for me to envision a wholesale offensive line shuffle while you also might be replacing your quarterback for at least some period of time. Tengwall didn't play against Ball State or Villanova, so it's hard to envision him getting in now that full-on Big Ten play has arrived.

Bauer: The allure of the backup who doesn't play is always a compelling thought exercise, but the reality is that Penn State is going to play its most physical, rugged options on the offensive line as it is. Playing as a true freshman up front is already incredibly difficult, but Tengwall seems to be a guy who could potentially work himself into the conversation by the end of the season if injuries occur - after all, Penn State does have four games to work with - so if he's ready maybe he comes in. But we know Sal Wormley is out for the year. Maybe Olu Fashanu? We know Whigan was given a try and didn't meet expectations. Bryce Effner started to get some play for a few weeks in a row, and Franklin has brought his name up unprompted more than a few times this season, so if it's going to come from anywhere, he'd be the guy.

"Why not play Roberson most of the Villanova game so that he has real game snaps, not final minutes handing off which does nothing to prepare him?"

Eckert: Because the first priority is winning the Villanova game. We talked about it earlier in the article, but the "1-0 this week" stuff isn't lip service. You're not going to see them taking out their first string quarterback in a game that isn't totally over.

Pickel: Penn State only led that game 17-3 at halftime, and while it was never in any doubt of losing, that also marked a great chance to keep pounding the specifics of Mike Yurcich's offense in the final "easy" game of the year. Again, I know in hindsight there are a lot of could haves, should haves, and would haves, but let's not forget they wanted to get Roberson in earlier but the reverse defense couldn't get off the field. I'm also not sure how much it would have helped as he probably would have just handed it off a ton anyway. It's an easy thing to point to but I'm not sure how meaningful it really would have been.

Bauer: I get it, I do, but the number of programs that have backups at quarterback who can step in, on the road, backed up against their own end zone, in one of the most hostile environments in college football, against an unbeaten program currently ranked No. 2, is few and far between.

No one is asking the real question, which is how would Penn State have looked if Sean Clifford *was* healthy but put into those circumstances?

Better, sure, but by how much is probably more in doubt than people are currently willing to acknowledge.

The proposition this season, having lost the natural No. 2 and most prepared backup in Will Levis to the transfer portal in January, has always been that Penn State was going to be in a really tough spot if Sean Clifford either played poorly or got hurt. In this instance, he got hurt. For how long, we don't know yet, but the reality is that no amount of late-game work could have changed the dynamic of this now being a very uphill climb for Penn State's offense.

"Do you think Sean Clifford might return next season? I believe he is eligible for a 6th year based on him playing during the COVID season last year and a Red Shirt year early on."

Eckert: I'm not sure about this one. I feel like Penn State would probably at least give him the option, and I'm not sure that's the case with other guys who aren't as critical to the team. But if he wants to give the NFL a shot I lean towards no. He's 23. At some point his age is going to start to count against him with NFL teams who want to develop their prospects. But, again, that's just a very, very loose guess. Anything can happen here.

Pickel: This is a really fascinating question, because I don't think Penn State is going to want to bring a lot of guys back for the extra COVID-related year, but if there is one guy who would make sense, Clifford fits the bill. But, will he want to? He's played a lot of football here, and he might raise his NFL Draft stock, but I'm not sure. Gut says no, head says that maybe it'll happen. It's actually somewhat incredible to even be answering this in October considering how many wanted him to be anything but the starter in April.

Bauer: I don't. If he's hurt so badly that he doesn't return this season and it tanks his possibility of being drafted, that would be the only real hypothetical that would open that possibility. He's going to be 24 next football season. That means he would be 25 for his first NFL season if he was to utilize the NCAA bonus year. And while Penn State would surely welcome him back if that was his decision, that just doesn't feel like a likely scenario to me from his perspective. We always forget this, but the trend is for guys to want to get through college football in three years and start the process of a pro career to start the earnings clock. So six years, barring extreme circumstances, just doesn't align.

"I am wondering if the bye week preparation has to change to get Roberson the necessary reps to be ready for Illinois?

Eckert: I'm sure it will be somewhat different, but I'm not sure to what extent they'll go. This is a team that has played three very difficult games in six games and has what looks like three more very difficult games remaining on the schedule. They've got to rest up as much as they can while also ensuring that Roberson is prepared if he is the guy to go next Saturday.

Pickel: It's a very delicate balance. Obviously, you want to get Roberson as many reps with the ones as is humanly possible if he's going to have to play (and while info won't be shared publicly, it's known in Lasch, of course), but at the same time, the starters and key reserves have played a ton of physical snaps and need this week to rest, recover, and recharge for the second half. So, I think maybe the early part of the week could change a little, but generally speaking, no, I don't think it'll change a ton even with this unique circumstance facing the team two weeks before Illinois.

Bauer: I would think so. Penn State still needs to get its high rep guys some rest, but it also now (presumably) needs to get a plan and cohesion together for its offense between now and when it next takes the field against Illinois in about 10 days. That's not a huge window to work with, so I'll be interested to see what Franklin says of any potential adjustments made this week.

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