Lions looking to end the year on high note

College football bowl season is already well underway, but today is the day all college football fans have been waiting for. High profile and national brand teams Notre Dame (Camping World Bowl) and Penn State (Cotton Bowl) will kickoff at noon with the College Football Playoff semifinals to follow later in the day.

Before we get into Penn State’s matchup with Memphis today in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (Noon ET, ESPN), let’s first talk about the big news that hit on Thursday morning. Head coach James Franklin found his new offensive coordinator in former Minnesota OC Kirk Ciarrocca. Nittany Lions’ fans should be familiar with his work, as he helped the Gophers take down Penn State this season, 31-26. In that game, Minnesota racked up 460 yards of total offense, including 339 yards passing and three touchdowns from quarterback Tanner Morgan.

Ciarrocca’s offense had a big season with a career year from the quarterback position for Minnesota, with Morgan passing for 2,975 yards and 28 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Minnesota also had two 1,000-yard receivers in Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, and a 1,000-yard rusher in Rod Smith.

Minnesota’s offensive scheme is similar to Penn State, with everything heavily based on the run/pass option. The Gophers averaged 426 yards per game, which is about 20 more yards per game on the season than Penn State. The big knock on the Nittany Lions’ offense this season was its inability to string together consistent drives. While the offense was solid on the season, it depended heavily on the big play, and at times became stagnant. Ciarrocca’s experienced play-calling pedigree could help alleviate that issue next season and turn the Penn State offense, which returns most of its playmakers for 2020, into not only an explosive unit, but also a consistent one.

One of the more underrated aspects of the Ciarrocca hire is his Pennsylvania roots. Ciarrocca graduated from Red Land High School in Lewisberry, Pa., and grew up a Penn State fan.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring in someone of Kirk’s caliber to our Penn State football family,” Franklin said. “He is a veteran coordinator who also has deep Pennsylvania roots and ties. His most recent successes as an offensive coordinator caught our eye. What impressed me most about Kirk in the hiring process was his humility and his willingness to make this an easy transition for our players. We are thrilled to welcome Kirk and his family home to Pennsylvania and to Happy Valley!”

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Now, onto Penn State’s third New Year’s Six Bowl appearance in the last four years, as the Nittany Lions (10-2) take on American Athletic Conference champion Memphis (12-1) in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

This game comes down to the matchup between Memphis’ high octane offense and Penn State’s big, strong and fast defensive line.

At times this season, the Nittany Lions defensive front has been very disruptive with edge rushers Yetur Gross-Matos and Shaka Toney, who have helped them collect 39 sacks (3.25 sacks per game), which is good enough for 10th in the country. Also leading the defense has been consensus first team All-American linebacker Micah Parsons, who has collected 95 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss and three sacks. The Memphis offense has not seen a defensive front with this type of speed and athleticism this season, and it will be a huge test for its offensive front.

The Penn State defense will need to get pressure on Memphis quarterback Brady White, especially with its issues in the secondary this season. There have been many times where coverage breakdowns and just simple miscommunication problems in the secondary resulted in big plays, most notably in the Minnesota loss. That can’t happen against White, who has thrown for 3,560 yards and 33 touchdowns. The Nittany Lions will need to key on White’s top target Damonte Coxie, who has caught 68 balls for 1,144 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Penn State run game will need to live up to its billing as well. Running back Kenneth Gainwell has rushed for 1,425 yards and 12 scores, while also catching 44 passes for 532 yards and two scores.

However, the Memphis offense will have some things going against it with former head coach Mike Norvell now at Florida State. Norvell called the offense for Memphis. Also, starting right tackle Scottie Dill is no longer with the team and starting tight end Joey Magnifico will miss the game with a knee infection.

On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State will need to take advantage of a Memphis defense that is giving up over 170 yards rushing per game. Journey Brown has been running the football with a ton of confidence and success as of late, and freshman standout Noah Cain should be 100 percent. Starting quarterback Sean Clifford will also be back after getting banged up against Ohio State and missing the Rutgers game. With Clifford back, and the addition of Cain to the backfield to pair with Brown, the Penn State offense should have success.

Las Vegas has Penn State as a seven-point favorite.

Once again, the Nittany Lions’ defense is the key in this one. Penn State is giving up just 14.1 points per game, but it’s going against a legit passing threat in White. The defensive line will need to get constant pressure and force White into some tough throws, and the secondary will need to have its best game of the year. I think they will.

Offensively, I think PSU will be too much for Memphis. I think interim OC Tyler Bowen will ease Clifford into the game by establishing the run, which will then setup some big plays between Clifford and wide receiver KJ Hamler in the second half.

My Pick is Penn State 38, Memphis 21.