Oct. 8, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Nittany Lions return to Big Ten play on Saturday with matchup against Indiana at Beaver Stadium (12 p.m. on ESPN).
Leading up to the clash against the Hoosiers, quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne talked with the media on Thursday to preview the game. Take a look at a Q&A with Coach Rahne.
Q: Where do you think Christian has made the biggest strides since last year?
Rahne: "I think there are two things that he's done very well and made big strides with. He's made some great checks in the running game that have really helped us run the ball better, in terms of getting us into good plays and things like that. There have been a couple times where he's checked us into perfect gains and touchdowns and things of that nature. And then the other thing I think he's done very well; he's taking care of the football. That's been a huge point of emphasis and something he's done a great job of doing. It's helped win some games."
Q: Christian has talked about working on his footwork with shorter drops. How has he done with that and why is that important?
Rahne: "I think that is something quarterbacks work on forever. You see every time I watch an NFL game and a guy throws an incomplete pass, you see him look down at his feet, like, man I screwed that up. He's done a nice job with that in terms of working on that. The reason that it's important is because of the timing of some of those quick throws. You have to have your feet set in the right area. You have to have your weight set in the right place so that you can be accurate on those passes. If you are under center, it's one, two three and the ball is out. From the shotgun, you may be throwing it with or without the laces. The feet are the things that are going to make you be as accurate as possible on those passes."
Q: How would you evaluate the team's short passing game in the flat and over the middle? It looks like the timing isn't quite there yet.
Rahne: "It's something that we are continuing to work on. It goes back to the footwork that I discussed in the last question. We just have to make sure that the feet sync up with all of the routes and the consistency of that. I think Christian has done a really good job of working on that. It's just a matter of the wide receivers taking the exact right route, Christian taking the exact right drop and the guys up front that they are setting according to the route. It is a team game on that end of it. I think we have made some progress on some of those things, but we just have to continue working on it."
Q: How does an effective run game impact the way you are able to have a successful passing game?
Rahne: "It's very beneficial because it allows you to get in more manageable situations. I think if you look around the country, no one is really great in third-and-long. That's what defenses are striving to get into. You have all of these great pass rushers. We have Carl Nassib. He loves being in third-and-long. Being able to run the ball puts you in a position where you still have the defense in a run-pass conflict and that is when offenses are going to be most successful. You keep the defenses guessing. You make sure they are playing sound defense and not just teeing off and going after the quarterback. The run game is obviously critical. Christian's ability to read defenses and get us in and out of good plays has been a great asset for us this year and will continue to be so throughout the season."
Q: How important is that dialogue between series on the field to make adjustments and how has Christian grown in that area of making suggestions as he has gotten older?
Rahne: "I think when you get older you start to understand kind of what you are seeing a little better. Not only are you going to have more suggestions, but they are going to be more valid. You can actually think about things (based on what you have previously seen), as opposed to when you are younger and just throwing some stuff out there. His suggestions are great. We talk about a bunch of different stuff on the sideline. We are able to talk through the coverages; what he's seeing and what I'm seeing or what I thought he should have done. Sometimes I'm asking him tendencies of defenses and things like that because it may be hard for me to see that from the sideline. It's good dialogue. We trust each other enough where he can voice his opinion and I can voice mine. At the end, we are just trying to move the ball down the field, score points and win games. I think that process has gotten better this year and helped us make some adjustments."
Q: You guys have looked to throw the ball on the run, how would you evaluate Christian's ability to throw on the move this year?
Rahne: "I think he is throwing the ball fairly well on the move. There have been times where he threw the ball out of bounds on plays to avoid lost-yardage plays. He's done a nice job covering the play. Obviously all quarterbacks miss some passes, but I've been happy with his progress throwing on the move. I think he's done a nice job with that. In general, I've been happy with the way he has worked on his mechanics making sure he has a good athletic base and balance. I'm excited about this week for him to go out there and continue to improve; and our whole offense to go out there and improve and let our wide receivers and tight ends to make plays down the field."