Penn State makes major change after ugly loss to Michigan
Oct 31, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; General view of the Penn State Nittany Lions logo inside Beaver Stadium
prior to the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State won 39-0.
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Penn State Nittany Lions were hugely disappointing in their big game against Michigan on Saturday, and the
performance has led to a big change.
Penn State fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich a day after their 24-15 defeat, as first reported by Jon Sauber of
the Centre Daily Times. Yurcich was in his third season with the program.
Saturday’s performance was bad enough that something had to be done. Penn State has struggled to generate big
plays all year even against lesser opposition, a trend that continued against Michigan. On Saturday, they managed
just 238 total yards and 74 passing yards, averaging just 3.2 yards per pass. The team also made some bizarre
strategic choices that got coach James Franklin roasted on social media.
Yurcich joined the Penn State staff in 2021. Previously, he had served as an offensive coordinator at Texas and
Oklahoma State, as well as a stint as Ohio State’s passing game coordinator.
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C.J. STROUD LEADS GAME-WINNING DRIVE IN FINAL SECONDS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK AS HOUSTON TEXANS DEFEAT CINCINNATI BENGALS
C.J. Stroud did it again.
For the second week in a row, Stroud led a game-winning drive in the final seconds to lead the Houston Texans to a victory. This time, he propelled the Texans past the Bengals for a 30-27 upset win in Cincinnati.
Getting the ball back with 1:33 left to play, Stroud led the Texans 55 yards down the field to set up a game-winning field goal by Houston kicker Matt Ammendola. A 22-yard connection between Stroud and fellow Ohio State product Noah Brown put the Texans in field goal range with less than 15 seconds to play.
One week after breaking the NFL rookie record with 470 passing yards and throwing a rookie record-tying five touchdown passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stroud’s performance was more imperfect against the Bengals. The Texans wouldn’t have even needed Stroud to lead a game-winning drive if he hadn’t made a rookie mistake by throwing a costly interception with a 10-point lead and under five minutes remaining on the clock.
But when the game was on the line, Stroud responded yet again, showing rare mettle for a rookie quarterback and not only cementing his status as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner but thrusting him into the league MVP conversation as well.
Stroud finished the game with 23 completions on 39 attempts for 356 yards and one passing touchdown as well as an 8-yard touchdown run, after which he celebrated with an O-H-I-O to the Cincinnati crowd.
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