PSU picks: Biggest questions now, most important game, more

The Penn State Nittany Lions are preparing for the second half of the season, and BWI is too with the first of two second half roundtables.

In this edition, Dave Eckert, Greg Pickel, and Nate Bauer are making their picks on three topics: The biggest question facing the team, which game is most important, and what will be better over the final six games compared to the first.

It's time to dive in to the answers.

Dave: I think Sean Clifford's health is the obvious answer, but I'll go with something else for the sake of being different. Can Penn State still stop the run effectively with PJ Mustipher out for the season? Mustipher was second nationally among Power-5 DTs in STOPS -- defined as a run play which constitutes a failure for the offense -- according to Pro Football Focus. With him out, does that become an area of an otherwise stout Penn State defense that teams can exploit?

Greg: Is Penn State going to have any semblance of a reliable rushing attack? With or without Sean Clifford, it's vitally important because it's not going to matter who is under center if the Lions are very one-dimensional with no hope of turning 1st and 10 into 2nd and 4 or 4th and 1 into a first down via the ground game. That's the biggest question in my mind, aside from the obviously Sean Clifford one.

Nate: When will Sean Clifford be back?

That’s it. That’s the question.

Now, does his absence eliminate Penn State’s hopes for the second half of the season entirely? Absolutely not. There is enough strength in the Nittany Lion defense and special teams that winning ugly is an avenue that could end up being a very attractive option to Penn State fans given the alternative option of simply losing. But to play at the level that Penn State is going to need in Columbus, against Michigan, and at Michigan State (at least, who knows what Penn State might see against Illinois, Maryland and Rutgers if the Nittany Lions’ offense can’t function in Clifford’s absence?), it’s going to need the fifth-year senior quarterback to be calling the shots and making the plays from that position.

Dave: The next one. 1-0 this week, guys. But really, I think it's still Ohio State. That's the barometer for the rest of the season. Are you trying to win the Big Ten and maybe think about the College Football Playoff, are are you shooting for a New Years Six bowl game? If Penn State loses that game some of the loftier goals for its season come off the table. You can say the same for Michigan and maybe even Michigan State, but I think a road game in Columbus is the toughest of the three.

Greg: Let's go with the regular season finale: Michigan State. If you're like me and think that the Nittany Lions roll into that contest with just two losses on their resume (those being Iowa and Ohio State) then a New Year's Six bowl will be on the line in East Lansing, and we know how important those are from a recruiting and team morale perspective. Obviously there are many ways you could go here, but that's the direction I'm headed.

Nate: This is going to generate more eye-rolls than I intend, but honestly, it’s Illinois. If Penn State is without Clifford, with the potential of his return for Ohio State a hypothetical possibility, the reality is that the program is going to need to find a way to push past Illinois to keep any of its other goals in play for when Clifford ultimately does return. At Ohio State was always going to be a bear, and the fact that the Buckeyes have rebounded from their loss to Oregon with some impressive performances makes any early season talk of a possible letdown year for Ohio State now irrelevant. But for any of it to matter, especially if Roberson is needed for more than one game, Penn State has got to get a win against the Illini after the bye week and, preferably for the Nittany Lions, do so in a manner that can generate some positive mojo heading into Ohio State.

Dave: I'll go with the kicking game, specifically field goals. Penn State's special teams utility infielder Jordan Stout has done a great job in every other area, and he noted on a recent Zoom call with the media that he feels as though the field goal unit as sorted some things out lately. Right now, Stout is 8-11 on field goals and 20-21 on extra points. I would expect to see him connect at a high rate in Penn State's next six games.

Greg: How about an off-the-wall one here: The return game. It's hardly been anything to write home about after six weeks, but I could see it picking up during the second half of the season. Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer is terrific and the same goes for Rutgers' Adam Korsak, but outside of those two, there should be some room to run on both punt and kick returns, and that could flip a few fields for the Nittany Lions.

Nate: Penn State’s running game. I’d put a defensive area in here, like maybe takeaways that Penn State has done a nice job accumulating but probably could have taken advantage of even more with a little more opportunism, but I really do think that the Nittany Lions’ ground game is going to have to get off the… well… ground. And, again, not to belabor the point, but if Roberson and some of his strengths and weaknesses are in play for any stretch of time exceeding the Illinois game, here’s guessing that Mike Yurcich and James Franklin are going to be hellbent to figure out what needs figuring out for the offensive line, tight ends, and running backs to get going.

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook