One particular stat looms over Penn State’s College Football Playoff 27-24 semifinal loss to Notre Dame: 0. As in zero catches by a wide receiver.
Tyler Warren was always going to be a factor in the Nittany Lions’ offensive plan for the Orange Bowl, and the Mackey Award-winning tight end had six catches for 75 yards and another 21 yards rushing. But the lack of consistent playmakers at wideout, particularly down the field, has been a wart for Penn State all season.
And now that stat puts the Nittany Lions in rare, if not unwanted, company: they’re the first non-service academy this season to play a game without at least one wide receiver catching a pass. Navy (four) and Air Force (one) are the others.
That unit was completely bottled up against the Fighting Irish. Wide receivers were targeted five times. Four fell incomplete, the other was Allar’s late interception to set up the Irish’s go-ahead field goal.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, had Jaden Greathouse and a game-changing 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. With one defender down and another one to beat, Greathouse quickly reversed field and broke PSU safety Jayden Reed’s ankles to bring the Irish to within an extra point of tying in the fourth quarter.
In three College Football Playoff games, Penn State’s top receiver, Harrison Wallace III, posted seven catches for 85 yards, good enough for 28 yards per game. Omari Evans caught a 38-yard touchdown bomb against Boise State but was held without a reception against SMU and Notre Dame. Every other wide receiver on the roster combined for one catch. That’s 10 total catches by wide receivers during the three most important games of Penn State’s season.
For good measure, toss in the Ohio State game (three catches for 49 yards from receivers). Wallace and Evans flashed a little in the Big Ten Championship Game, but it was still only five combined catches. Having a passing offense built completely around the tight end and running back passing game is an unacceptable state of affairs for the quality of program Franklin has built in State College.
It wasn’t always like this. For years, the Nittany Lions turned out high-caliber players, from Chris Godwin to Jahan Dotson, K.J. Hamler to Parker Washington. None have come in their place. KeAndre Lambert-Smith was a solid player, but he transferred after the 2023 season. Washington declared for the NFL Draft faster than expected. No wide receiver at Penn State has cleared 1,000 yards receiving since Dotson in 2021.
Penn State tried to address the shortcoming by adding former top national recruit Julian Fleming from Ohio State. Fleming never cleared 550 yards in a season and finished with only 14 catches for the Nittany Lions. They’re similarly underwhelming in the 2025 cycle, adding rotation contributor Kyron Hudson from USC and Troy transfer Devonte Ross. Both rank as mid-tier three-stars in the 247Sports Transfer Rankings – good players, not game changers.
If Penn State is serious about competing for titles, they need game changers. Auburn landed top-10 receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest) from the portal. Texas A&M landed KC Concepcion (NC State) and Micah Hudson (Texas Tech). Penn State is treating wide receivers like a luxury. In 2025, lacking them is a fatal flaw.
It’s bigger than Penn State. Georgia just took a whopping step back after Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers went to the NFL. Oregon elevated itself into the No. 1 seed behind Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has transformed the Buckeyes with his production.
In today’s game, elite wide receivers can change a season. Washington rode the trio of Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk to the title game last year. Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson combined with Joe Burrow for an unbeatable season in 2019 at LSU. DeVonta Smith won a Heisman at Alabama in 2020 and then helped lead the Tide to a title.
From his first recruiting class, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman made wide receiver a priority. Tobias Merriweather was a top-100 recruit. Braylon James, Greathouse and Rico Flores were talented playmakers in ’23. When the production dipped, Notre Dame switched wide receiver coaches. It was that important. When you watch Notre Dame’s team speed contend with the best in the sport, that’s the reason.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the failure is the strength that persists across the rest of the roster. Penn State’s offensive line dominated Notre Dame. The running backs played well. The defense played its hearts out, holding the Irish to 2.8 yards per carry. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was sensational.
Penn State had a championship roster. They just had one fatal flaw.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/penn-state-wrs-held-without-a-catch-in-orange-bowl-loss-as-fatal-flaw-costs-shot-at-national-championship/
