Speaking of the Wildcat and Ohio State:
Senior running back Bill Belton had his first carry for Penn State against the Buckeyes in 2011.
As a faux quarterback. Successfully running the Wildcat.
Alternating with wide receiver Curtis Drake, Belton’s appearance in that game — Penn State’s 11th of the season — was his first as a true freshman. Belton was a wide receiver, wore No. 5 and had spent the two weeks before Ohio State on the scout team, emulating Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez.
That was a position switch to running back, three head coaches, 1,070 days, 293 carries, 1,389 yards and 33 games ago (seven of which he was injured or did not play).
Today, Belton has only six regular season contests and a likely bowl game remaining at Penn State. It’s been a largely unsuccessful stint as James Franklin’s Wildcatter in 2014.
USHERING IN DRAKE AND BB
But three years ago — on Nov. 19, 2011 in The Horseshoe – it was a different story. With interim head coach Tom Bradley calling the shots, Belton played on four different drives for Penn State that game, taking the Wildcat snap and running for two yards on his very first carry as a Nittany Lion. Then 12 yards, then minus one and then two on his next three carries.
Drake appeared in six drives, rushing three times for 50 yards (with a long of 38) and handing off once to Silas Redd and twice to Stephfon Green, who ran for a 39-yard touchdown. Together, Belton and Drake rushed seven times for 65 yards. Overall against Ohio State, Penn State had 57 plays from scrimmage and ran the Wildcat 10 times, for 112 yards. (The other 47 plays, Penn State’s offense gained 177 yards.)
All that trickery, combined with a stout defense that at the time was ranked No. 3 in the country in fewest points, helped Penn State defeat Ohio State, 20-14. (Watch the highlights here: Green’s TD comes at the 26-second mark and Belton’s first appearance is at 2:48.)
And while that game is well-known for its stealthful and effective use of the Wildcat, it is most celebrated for Penn State’s overall victory, coming just two weeks after the Sandusky scandal broke and one week after an emotional 17-14 loss to Nebraska.
THEN AND NOW
The Wildcat then was meant as a diversion, as a surprise, and was run just enough to have a chance to work, but not too much to give the Buckeyes any comfort level with it.
The Wildcat now is meant as a diversion, a change-of-pace away from the opposing defense’s 77.6% focus on Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg. That percentage? Well, Hackenberg has accounted for 112 yards running and 1,637 passing yards through six games – that’s 77.6% of Penn State’s overall offensive output. (In contrast, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook has 44% of his team’s offensive yardage, and Ohio State QB J.T. Barnett has 62%.)
For Penn State now, the Wildcat has been … well, mild.
In 2014, Belton’s three most memorable plays as the shotgun QB have been an overthrown pass to a leaping Hackenberg on an option pass; overthrowing a short dump pass in the end zone to tight end Kyle Carter against Northwestern; and a hand-off to Akeel Lynch, who ran for a 15-yard touchdown against UMass.
To test the Wildcat’s true effectiveness, the Nittany Lions may be better served to run the 10 or so times they did against Ohio State in 2011. Sans Wildcat in 2012 and 2013, Penn State lost by a combined 98-37 to Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes.
NEW AND IMPROVED?
But to try something totally new, for Penn State’s offense to dig deep into the playbook, retool on the fly and overhaul its attack to the degree that the Wildcat was sprung in 2011? Unlikely.
So while you may say to hell with it, let’s run the Hail Mary and hit ’em with both testaments, Penn State has not reinvented itself during its second bye week. Rather than develop plenty of new wrinkles, the pragmatic side of Franklin is content to iron out what problems there are on a team that will have gone 34 days without a win when it hosts Ohio State next Saturday in a Beaver Stadium Whiteout.
Penn State is likely to concentrate mostly on what it knows. And what it does best.
“We’ve been taking the approach the last couple weeks that less is more,” Franklin said. “Going back and watching the film and studying things, we want to make sure that we start getting good at some things and that’s in really all three phases.“
Penn State’s offense is aching the most, with just one touchdown in the past nine quarters. But the punt game may be even worse – an average of 32.8 yards per kick for its 23 punts over the past four games. New ideas aren’t necessarily better ideas, although it would not be surprising to see punter Chris Gulla — who’s always bluntly said he’s a place-kicker, not a punter — replaced by Australian Danny Pasquariello. (The punt game is sinking, so why not go Down Under?) Otherwise, we’re unlikely to see the 2011 version of the Wildcat Surprise.
“That’s one of the things that you have to watch as a coach,” Franklin said prior to the Michigan game, a grotesque18-13 loss. “The more time you have, you watch tape and you come up with all these great ideas. They are great ideas, but you have to have the time to be able to practice them so they can go out and execute.
“That’s what it’s about. It’s about execution. We are really kind of taking the approach, less is more and let’s get really good at some things and once we do that, then we can grow and expand.”
GERRY DINARDO AND DR. SEUSS
Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo was a college football head coach for a total of 12 seasons at LSU, Indiana and Franklin’s previous institution (Vanderbilt). Overall, he had a desultory 59-76-1 record, with just three winning seasons out of a dozen.
So DiNardo knows a thing or nine about losing skids. He sounded a bit like Dr. Seuss, though, the other day on BTN when he was asked about what teams facing problems at midseason can do.
“Know what you can and can’t do,” DiNardo said. “Then do what you can. It’s too late to add things.”
Gerry, apparently, never met Tom Bradley.
Popular Stories:
Penn State Football: James Franklin Radio Show Highlights
Penn State Football: As Season Moves Along, Franklin Navigates Company Policy And Fan Expectations
Penn State Football: Dieffenbach’s Return Closes In As Senior Practices
Penn State Hockey: Nittany Lions Set For Alaskan Weekend
Get Out Your Arctic Survival Gear: Long-Range Winter Forecast Calls For Above Average Cold and Snow
Minor Charged as Adult Waives Preliminary Hearing for Alleged Felony Robbery
Judge Denies Requests for Documents from Spanier, Curley, Schultz
Explosion Sends Penn State Student to Hospital
Clem’s Roadside Bar and Grill Sued for Trademark Infringement
Penn State Student Facing Felony Charges After Allegedly Trespassing, Assaulting Female Students
