Transfer John Lovett shows speed, power out of backfield for Penn State

Penn State utilized one of its running backs for the first time Saturday against Auburn, and he could become a bigger part of the team moving forward.

Senior running back John Lovett, who transferred to Penn State after playing four seasons at Baylor, took the field for the first time this season and quickly showed he has the talent to make an impact for the Nittany Lions. He had only three touches in the game but gained 27 yards on those opportunities, showing off his speed and power in the process.

During his weekly news conference, coach James Franklin said the senior running back could have the chance to expand his role as the season continues.

“You gotta remember, he’s played a lot of football,” Franklin said. “We’ve been excited about him since we got him. … He’s an intelligent guy. He’s been able to learn the system and the protections and all those types of things. We have felt that way all the time. It was just finding the right time and place to use him. Hopefully, that role will continue to grow as the season goes on.”

Lovett brings a skill set that was not entirely present in the Nittany Lions running back room before his arrival. The 6-foot, 209-pound back has enough size and strength to run between the tackles but adds breakaway speed the team’s other power rushers don’t possess.

He could bring an added dynamic to an offense that has improved each week under coordinator Mike Yurcich. The high point of that appeared to come Saturday when the Nittany Lions scored 28 points against a good Auburn defense and did it with a passing attack that hadn’t been a known quantity through the team’s first two games.

“I think we just continue to take steps,” Franklin said. “I think Week 1 we took a step on the road at Wisconsin. … I thought we took a step in Week 2, and I think we took a step in Week 3 and we’re just going to need to continue to do that.”

Part of the reason for that forward progress is the continued improvement of starting quarterback Sean Clifford. Clifford played arguably the best game of his career Saturday night, completing 28 of 32 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, with only one interception.

More importantly, Clifford took no sacks, staying poised and composed in the pocket.

“There’s ups and downs and twists and turns in everybody’s career,” Franklin said. “But this is the Sean Clifford that I’ve always expected and anticipated.”

Clifford’s progress will be important for the Nittany Lions as they navigate what looks like an increasingly difficult schedule the rest of the season. However, the addition of Lovett to the running back rotation could help mitigate what’s required of the passing game for the offense to succeed.

Lovett did not play for two games for what the ABC broadcast termed a two-game suspension, but Franklin said he was unaware the broadcast made that declaration.

“I didn’t know there was an announcement on TV like that,” Franklin said. “And I don’t know where they would have got that from.”

Regardless of the reason he didn’t play, Lovett is now in position to make a big impact alongside Clifford the rest of the season.

Guarding against an upset

Franklin took the time during his opening statement Tuesday to list out all of the FBS teams who have lost to FCS opponents this year, including Montana defeating a ranked Washington team during Week 1.

The Penn State coach also cited several difficult games Villanova has given FBS opponents in recent years and its standing in the FCS to illustrate the need for his program to take the Wildcats seriously this week.

“This is a team that’s played these type of opponents tough,” Franklin said. “So we have to be prepared. … Got a lot of respect for this club. We gotta have a great practice today. We gotta have a great week of preparation and make sure that we are preparing consistently, week in and week out, up to our standards.”

Franklin said the Wildcats, who are 3-0 and are ranked No. 11 in FCS, bring back 20 returning starters and have a staff that puts them in position to succeed.

“They’ve made it to the playoffs 13 times; they’ve won a national championship,” Franklin said. “… I’ve got a ton of respect for them. … On offense, I really like what they do schematically. We’ve been very impressed with them.”

Quick hitters

• Franklin listed Jaquan Brisker, Ellis Brooks, PJ Mustipher, Jesse Luketa and Arnold Ebiketie as players who are standing out on defense.

• He added Clifford, Jahan Dotson, the offensive line and the tight end room as groups and players standing out on offense, saying he thought Clifford should have been the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

• Derrick Tangelo has been a good fit on and off the field for Penn State, per Franklin, who added that he thought the defensive tackle played his best football against Auburn.

• Penn State still has 1,500 tickets available for the game against Villanova. Franklin wants the game to sell out and start a sellout streak at Penn State.