Taylor Mouser wants more from Penn State’s run game: ‘There’s a lot of growth to be had’
Penn State is averaging 3.9 yards per carry this season. Mouser said the run game struggles “starts with me,” and Quinton Martin Jr. could see more attempts after not having any against Temple.
Just seconds after taking the podium in Beaver Stadium on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser was asked about No. 14 Penn State’s struggling run game.
“Yeah, I knew that would be a question today,” Mouser said.
The ground game has been the weakest aspect of the Nittany Lions’ offense so far. They’re averaging 3.9 yards per carry through two games this season, and their starting running back Carson Hansen is at 4.4 yards per attempt.
“To say that I wasn’t thrilled with where the run game’s at would be an understatement,” Mouser said. “Feel like there’s a lot of growth to be had there.”
Mouser and head coach Matt Campbell are comfortable playing all four of Penn State’s top running backs — Hansen, James Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr., and Cam Wallace — but Hansen has double the carries as the next closest running back in Peoples, who has 15.
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Hansen, an Iowa State transfer, had 952 yards and six touchdowns as the Cyclones’ bell cow last year. Mouser noted there is a sense of familiarity with Hansen, which is partly why he has handled the bulk of the carries.
The senior was sidelined with an injury for most of fall camp, perhaps contributing to his early struggles, but Mouser said, “that’s not an excuse.”
“Carson’s a great football player, and I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job as the offensive coordinator, showcasing him,” Mouser said. “He was an all-conference running back for us last year. Does that mean he’s an all-Big Ten running back? No, it doesn’t. But I just know the level of work that guy brings and the physicality and how important it is to him. And for whatever reason, we’ve been a hair off.”
Mouser said they’ve struggled with the small details, including Hansen missing a lane, the offensive line missing a block or a variety of other missed assignment.
But there isn’t an individual or position group to blame.
“We’re all frustrated with the level of mediocrity that I would call the run game, and that starts with me,” Mouser said.
Campbell said he’s encouraged by none of Hansen’s runs being negative. Even though he’s not picking up 10 or 20 yards, he’s at least gaining field position when he gets the ball.
It’s the explosiveness and “finality of finishes,” where Campbell feels Hansen is lacking, but he echoed Mouser’s claim that the Nittany Lions are “inches off.”
The offensive line especially isn’t satisfied with how the run game has looked, according to Mouser, who said Penn State’s front five “are the most hungry to be dominant” on the ground.
“We want to be a team that prides itself on being the most physical football team and running the football,” Mouser said. “We have to figure out a way that we can be dominant on the ground.”
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One adjustment to the ground game could be Martin, who had a breakout performance in the Nittany Lions’ Pinstripe Bowl victory with 103 yards, seeing more carries. The redshirt sophomore didn’t record a snap in Penn State’s 27-9 win over Temple, despite three other running backs getting at least a carry.
Mouser said Martin has “earned the right to get touches in our offense,” and added his absence from last weekend’s matchup wasn’t a reflection of his trust in the running back. But whether the Penn State returnee will see the field on Saturday against Buffalo (12 p.m., Big Ten Network) remains unclear.
“Quinton is certainly one of those guys we all have great belief in,” Campbell said. “I think the reality of that, even that running back room, I just think there’s still some gray, and that room is going to continue to work itself out as we work through the weeks and work through these games.”
