Penn State’s trip to Michigan comes with more than just the pressure of ending a three-game Big Ten skid. The Nittany Lions are walking into Ann Arbor with a handful of real questions hanging over them, and the biggest ones all circle back to how this offense and defense hold together on Saturday.
One of the clearest issues is getting tight end Ben Brahmer back into the center of the game plan. After Penn State’s loss to USC, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser made it plain that Brahmer’s involvement was nowhere near where it needs to be.
Brahmer finished with only one catch for 4 yards, and he was targeted just three times, with his first look coming at 8:36 left in the game. Mouser said he told Brahmer after the game that it was “unacceptable.”
“On my sheet, like my targets to get Ben the ball, we called all the plays that I had starred to get him the ball, and for whatever reason, [USC] took it away,” Mouser said. “They were going to make somebody else catch the ball, and it was good to see [Andrew Rappleyea] and Gabe [Burkle] step up and make some plays, but I certainly have a checklist on my call sheet of like, ‘These are the best ways to get Ben the ball,’ and obviously it doesn't guarantee anything, but for him to have one catch isn't right in my mind.”
That’s a sharp turn from the way Brahmer opened the season. He caught three touchdowns in the first two games, including a five-catch, 79-yard, two-touchdown outing against Temple.
Through the non-conference schedule, he was Penn State’s second-leading receiver behind Koby Howard. Then Howard went down with an injury in Week 3 against Buffalo, and the setup seemed obvious: Brahmer should have been in line for a much bigger workload.
Instead, he has not topped 50 receiving yards in the last three games and hasn’t caught a touchdown since Week 2.
Mouser made it clear that has to change.
“I need to make sure that we get him the ball more because he is one of our best players, and that's a focal point for me every week, and has been for the last couple years,” Mouser said.
Penn State’s problems don’t stop on offense. The linebacker group took another hit this week when Alex Tatsch was ruled out for the season. Tatsch was injured in practice last week, missed the USC game and was one of only four linebackers to see the field in Big Ten play.
"Obviously right now we are stressed a little bit at that linebacker room," Penn State coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday night on the Penn State Coaches Show. "With losing Alex here, really tough blow for Alex first and foremost and tough blow for us because of the type of player he's becoming."
That leaves Penn State in a tight spot with Tony Rojas, who has already needed careful management so he can stay fresh for key downs. Tatsch had been Rojas’ top backup, and without him, the rotation gets even thinner. Penn State used only three linebackers at USC, and there may not be another healthy outside linebacker behind Rojas ready to go at Michigan.
There is at least a possible boost on the way. Campbell said Cam Smith, who has not played since the opener against Marshall, could return Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Another possibility would be moving 6-1, 220-pound safety Marcus Neal Jr. into a linebacker role. Neal sat out the USC game as Penn State leaned harder into coverage, but he is viewed as a reliable tackler who helps in run support.
“Making sure we've got the right depth there is going to be really critical,” Campbell said. “Do we have it, are guys available, what does that look like? I think all those things certainly matter right now for us.”
The other big issue is what Penn State does once it gets into scoring range. The Nittany Lions are putting points on the board on 84.6 percent of their red-zone trips, which ranks 13th in the Big Ten. But they are turning only 53.8 percent of those possessions into touchdowns, and that puts them 17th in the conference and 78th nationally in red-zone touchdowns.
It was a costly problem against USC. Penn State settled for two field goals inside the red zone in the third quarter of a 31-23 loss, leaving eight points on the table. The Nittany Lions have also turned it over on downs twice in the red zone.
The fix starts with the run game, but it may also mean leaning harder on Brahmer near the goal line or designing more runs for quarterback Rocco Becht. However it happens, Penn State needs a cleaner answer inside the 20-yard line.
“There's going to be tight windows in the red zone,” Mouser said. “We got to be able to throw and catch and go up when it's not perfect and make plays and be able to run the ball in the red zone.
Can't run the ball for no yards on second-and-10. So from my standpoint, it’s being able to call stuff that you can execute well and put our guys in places to be successful and throw stuff that we're good at.”
Penn State and Michigan are scheduled to kick off at 3:36 p.m. ET Saturday at Michigan Stadium. CBS Sports will televise.
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