Penn State made a coaching change following a difficult and dispiriting performance against Michigan on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. The coaching change comes after a poor offensive showing against the Wolverines on Saturday. While the Nittany Lions are nationally ranked, their offense has been a significant problem this season against elite teams. They could barely muster anything against Ohio State and then history repeated itself against Michigan.
That, of course, is a microcosm of an issue emerging at Penn State.
Jon Sauber reported on the news Sunday, which has been a busy day in the college football world.
“Sources: Penn State has fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich,” Sauber posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
Sources: Penn State has fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.https://t.co/8fy7B5UH3O
— Jon Sauber (@JonSauber) November 12, 2023
Penn State ranks 96th in the nation in Yards/Play at 4.9, which puts them in the company of Bowling Green, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and Virginia. It’s not elite company, to say the very least. Penn State also ranks 77th in Yards Per Rush Attempt (4.0) and 113th in Yards Per Pass Attempt )6.1). For a team that wants to compete in the Big Ten and a program that’s paying James Franklin that much money to coach, those results aren’t what you want.
Now, is it indicative of a larger problem that Penn State is dealing with? Perhaps.
Nonetheless, it’s a tough world out there, so Yurcich’s time in State College has come to an end.
