Penn State Football: Studs and duds from the 2019 season

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 28: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with Cam Brown #6 of the Penn State Nittany Lions after the Nittany Lions beat the Memphis Tigers 53-39 at AT&T Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

Duds

Ricky Slade

Ricky Slade started the season as the starter, but quickly found himself sliding down the depth chart. During several games, Slade was the fourth back making an appearance and it usually was only for one or two series. His stats reflected the lack of playing time, finishing with only 214 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the only Penn State running back to put the ball on the turf this season, losing one of his two fumbles.

Justin Shorter

The former five star recruit, Justin Shorter was certainly a disappointment this year. He was fifth on the team in receiving yards, catching 12 balls for 137 yards. He dropped two key passes in the loss at Minnesota and entered the transfer portal before the regular season concluded.

The secondary

While Penn State started the season winning their first eight games, a lot of the issues in the secondary were masked in victory. It all came unraveled in the trip to Minnesota where Tanner Morgan threw for 339 yards and three scores. The unit finished next to last in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed.

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