Penn State hires Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator to replace Kirk Ciarrocca

 

11:23 AM ET

Tom VanHaaren

ESPN Staff Writer

 

Penn State coach James Franklin has hired Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, replacing Kirk Ciarrocca after only one season with the Nittany Lions.

 Yurcich had been the offensive coordinator at Texas in 2020 after one season at Ohio State in 2019 and six seasons as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.

 "First, I would like to thank Kirk for his contributions to our program last year," Franklin said in a statement. "This was a difficult decision, but felt it was best for our program to make a change. We wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.

 "We are excited to have Mike join our staff. He is an impressive offensive mind and talented play caller who has set records everywhere he has been as an offensive coordinator. I look forward to seeing what he can do with all of the offensive weapons we have here at Penn State."

Ciarrocca had been hired to replace Ricky Rahne in December 2019, when Rahne was hired as head coach at Old Dominion. Ciarrocca had been an assistant coach under P.J. Fleck at Western Michigan and then Minnesota when Fleck was hired by the Gophers in 2017.

Penn State went 4-5 in 2020 while averaging 430.3 yards per game on offense, which was second in the Big Ten to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions' offense had 32 total touchdowns in nine games, which was also second in the conference.

Under Yurcich this season, Texas averaged 475.4 yards per game and scored 52 offensive touchdowns in 10 games.

Scherff Wins WFT Ed Block Courage Award

 

Brandon Scherff Wins The Ed Block Courage Award, Representing The Washington Football Team

 

CHRIS RUSSELL

JAN 7, 2021

 

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Football Team starting right guard Brandon Scherff officially won the 2020 Ed Block Courage award for Washington, one of 32 winning players around the NFL 

Coach Ron Rivera had mentioned the news last week, and there's no doubt that Scherff has overcome a beat-up body to be one of the better guards in the NFL

 Scherff missed the last five games last year and three-plus games this year but since returning for a week six game against the Giants -- Scherff has been in the starting lineup for every game. 

The Ed Block Courage Award is given annually to a player from each National Football League team who displays extraordinary courage in the face of adversity. Quarterback Alex Smith was the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award winner.

Scherff has appeared in 77 career regular-season games and has been a starter in all of them. This year's performance earned him another Pro Bowl nod, his fourth, allowing him to join Trent Williams, Chris Samuels, Len Hauss, Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm as the only Washington offensive linemen in history to be selected to the Pro Bowl four-plus times.

This year, Scherff has been a key part of an offensive unit that ranks No. 8 in the NFL in rushing touchdowns. And he will of course be a key to what happens Saturday night when the Washington Football Team plays host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the NFL Playoffs.

Three highest-graded Lions in 2020 season

 

By Will Burchfield

 

19 hours ago (January 6, 2021)

 

It's hard to find positives for a team coming off its third straight last place finish in a season in which it fired its general manager and head coach. The next general manager and next head coach have their work cut out for them.

But it wasn't all bad for the Lions in 2020.

Romeo Okwara had a breakout year, finishing 10th in the NFL in sacks. Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow played at a Pro Bowl level on the offensive line. T.J. Hockenson took the second-year step the Lions were hoping for. D'Andre Swift was a difference-maker when healthy. Matthew Stafford did Matthew Stafford things.

Oh, and Jack Fox! Jack Fox punted the hell out of the ball.

And that's about it.

The advanced stats generally agree. Stafford and Decker were Detroit's two best players on offense, according to Pro Football Focus. Stafford ranked 12th among quarterbacks and Decker ranked 12th among offensive tackles.

Decker lived up to the $60 million extension he signed before the start of the season. He played every single snap on offense and kept Stafford clean almost every single time.

"Personally, I think I had really good year," Decker said Monday. "I think I was one of the best tackles in football. I wasn’t going to say that during the season, but the season’s over now and hopefully that’s something I can build on and improve upon."

While Stafford started slow, he finished with a flourish. His passer rating in 11 games under Matt Patricia: 92.7. In five games under Darrell Bevell: 106.2. He wasn't quite as good as he was last season prior to his back injury, but he posted 26 touchdowns versus 10 picks.

Stafford's 99.8 rating over the past two seasons in Bevell's offense is the best two-year stretch of his career. And now the big unknown: will Stafford be back?

On defense, Detroit's best player according to PFF was Trey Flowers. He was also the team's highest-graded player overall for the second straight season and the ninth highest-graded edge defender in the NFL.

Unfortunately for the Lions, Flowers played just seven games due to a fractured forearm he suffered in the team's Week 8 loss to the Colts. He finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He said Monday he expects to be a "full-go" for the start of the offseason program.

"As far as personally, it's just motivation to come back next year better, stronger, faster, healthier and be able to finish the season so I can help my team out," Flowers said.