RSS
Home
Penn State Mid Term Grade: Wide Receivers
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
What kind of grade will Chaz Powell receive? (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Mid-Term grades continue to come in and after the quarterbacks and running backs received their grades in the past two days, the time has come to assess the wide receivers.
Going into the 2009 season there was a question to how effective the new crop of wide receivers will fill in the big shoes of the departed receiving trio of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood. Derek Moye, Chaz Powell, and Graham Zug have done a nice job of getting the job done and splitting up the duties evenly. It seems as though each game sees a different leading receiver making the big plays. The offense may not be as explosive as it was last year but the passing game has still put up good numbers in leading the way to a 5-1 record.
Read what I have to say and feel free to provide your mid-term grades below.
Derek Moye
352 yards, 3 touchdowns, 21 receptions
Moye is the leading receiver on the team at the halfway point. Tied for the lead in touchdowns with Powell Moye has separated himself from the rest of the bunch slightly with more catches and yards. Moye is the only Penn State receiver to have a 100+ yard game, which came in the season opener against Akron.
Mid-Term Grade: B+
Comments: Stats aside, Moye has been the most entertaining wide receiver this season too. Moye is not exactly a Biletnikoff type receiver, but he is getting the job done for the Nittany Lions.
Chaz Powell
292 yards, 3 touchdowns, 19 receptions
Powell may be tied for the team lead in touchdowns but his ability to run the ball adds a new dimension to the offense. His five rushing attempts have gone for 48 yards but most of those yards came on two carries. In theory it is nice to have, but it may rely on a steady offensive line before any thing really develops in that regard.
Powell's most important touchdown of the season came on the first offensive play against Iowa, where he hauled in a deep pass from Daryll Clark to quickly give Penn State a 7-0 lead, but we know how that turned out at this point. Powell is a talented athlete and by the end of the season he may record a 100 yard game.
Mid-Term Grade: B-
Comments: With this kind of talent I sort of expect a little more from Powell at this point in the season.
Graham Zug
205 yards, 2 touchdowns, 16 receptions
As much as I am impressed with the receivers mid-way through the season, I find myself being a little down on Zug. The fan favorite made a name for himself with some big plays last season, but so far in 2009 Zug has yet to really hit a high gear. He has just a little over 50 yards receiving in the past two games and has not scored a touchdown since the second week of the season against Syracuse. Zug did not play against Iowa due to an injury and maybe it is lingering in the past couple weeks to reduce his production (although Penn State won with a strong running game against Illinois and did not really need their best effort against Eastern Illinois) but Zug has seen a bit of a dry spell lately.
Mid-Term Grade: C
Comments: Many thought Zug could be the leading receiver on this team. Has not turned out that way.
Andrew Quarless
189 yards, 0 touchdowns, 18 receptions
If you remember at the beginning of the season I said that it would be imperative for Quarless to have a big year at tight end. I believed that if he could be successful he could be a big help for quarterback Daryll Clark. For the most part I would say Quarless has done well. So why does he only get a B-? Zero touchdowns.
Penn State has a somewhat rich history of tight ends so it is always surprising to me to see a Nittany Lion tight end with out a touchdown. Quarless has made some fine plays and catches this season, but he has also made a number of mistakes. Getting in the end-zone will happen for Quarless, but when?
Mid-Term Grade: B-
Comments: "God's Gift" has performed better than he has any previous season, but he still can improve.
Overall Grade: B
While the individual grades may not be the highest grades, as a unit the receivers have done pretty well. Together they form an offense that leaves opposing defenses guessing where the ball is going. And with as much talent at receiver, tight end and running back (and quarterback) that can be tough to defend. I did not believe the passing game was going to be destroyed by the loss of Williams, Norwood and Butler as many experts predicted. I always believed that Penn State was not lining up a bunch of scrub walk-ons and these kids would be able to play, and they have, except for maybe one game (Iowa).
Look for the receivers to continue their level of play for the rest of the season, but anticipate some struggles before the year is out (Ohio state?).
That is my take. What is your's?
______________________________________________________________
Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter or connect with him via Facebook.
You can contact Kevin via e-mail.
Read more from Kevin at his personal blog, Ramblings.
For more Penn State coverage head to Nittany White Out.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
