Ben Jones

In a lot of ways, now former Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was a pragmatic hire coming out of a brief but uninteresting stint with then offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. The two were almost polar opposites in style and demeanor, Yurcich fitting more to Penn State coach James Franklin’s personality as well as offensive…

Penn State coach James Franklin announced on Sunday afternoon that offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and tight end coach Ty Howle will share interim offensive coordinator responsibilities for the remainder of the season, according to a press release. “We thank Mike for…

Penn State lost to Michigan on Saturday in a game that felt like the Nittany Lions were within arms reach and also miles away at the same time. All told Penn State finds itself at a respectable 8-2 but without the kind of marquee regular season victory fans may have liked. All the same the…

The question is a tough one to answer – what is there to play for? In a functional sense the *point* of Penn State’s season came to an end on Saturday with the Nittany Lions falling to Michigan. There is probably a way that involves a great deal of mental gymnastics that Penn State could…

Penn State coach James Franklin is often fond of saying “it’s all of it,” a catch-all phrase for the idea that building a program comes down to a lot of little things on and off the field. It’s not just one thing; it’s the culmination of many different things coming together to draw a bigger…

It’s finally here. Penn State and Michigan will take the field on Saturday for a noon kick that will shape the College Football Playoff and Big Ten title race, as well as plenty of other smaller narratives within each program. Michigan enters a slight favorite while Penn State enters slightly desperate. A million different things…

As you might recall, or might be trying to forget, Penn State’s defense was gashed for 418 yards on the ground last year against Michigan. It was 34 yards of shying the program record of 452 yards given up against Michigan State in 1997. But it was more than that. It’s telling. A story of…

Attentive fans may have noticed a slight change to Drew Allar’s playing attire the last few weeks as the sophomore quarterback has been wearing a play sheet wristband on his left arm for the previous three games. Allar and then starting quarterback Sean Clifford had worn something similar in the late stages of last season,…

Penn State football moved up one spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, landing at No. 10 during Tuesday night’s weekly release. The Nittany Lions are one of five current or future Big Ten teams in the top 10. Ohio State remains at No. 1 while Michigan sits at No. 3 as the Wolverines…