I’ll get this out of the way because while it is a gift that keeps on giving, there’s no time for it. Just something to file away until next September. James Franklin, the coach of Penn State, is now revising his comments on Pitt’s defense clapping. First, while admitting it messed up his team’s attempted clap cadence in the first quarter, he conceded it was legal. Now, he’s claiming otherwise.

Pitt’s defense is perfectly allowed to use clapping to signal their own defensive plays. The dispute — shockingly enough — poorly articulated by Franklin, is that Pitt was doing it to disrupt Penn St. The PSU QB Trace McSorley actually gives the reason why PSU is jumping on this excuse.

And while Narduzzi had said after the game Saturday that his defense used the clapping to signal each other in Week 1 against Villanova, McSorley wasn’t too sure about that.

“I hadn’t seen them clapping on the film the prior week,” McSorley said. “But I mean, if that’s what Coach Narduzzi said, I don’t know what they were talking about on their side. So I guess that is what it is.”

The counter-point is that PSU didn’t use much in the way of clapping as signals to each other at home against Kent St. the previous week. Citing previous week’s game tape isn’t conclusive of much.

At the end of the day, those were Big Ten refs on the field and they didn’t have a problem with it, so Franklin can go with “just another excuse.”

Okay, back to the present and future.

Through two games, Pitt’s offense has struggled with the passing game. The Villanova game at least broke the century mark, but Pitt was inefficient passing. Peterman was only 19-33 and really looked uncomfortable for long stretches.

On Saturday, Peterman was a lot more efficient and comfortable, with 11-15 passing, but there was nothing there to stretch the field. Pitt didn’t even crack 100 yards, and the only WR with a reception was Qadree Henderson.

Dontez Ford is not officially out for the game. Given the secretive nature of Head Coach Pat Narduzzi and injuries, I am not expecting him to play.

I realize that Pitt stuck to the run, a lot, against Penn State simply because the Nits couldn’t stop the run. That is fine to a point. The game on Saturday just screams of the need to score lots of points.

Against Oklahoma St., I expect Qadree Henderson to have  a very good game in the slot receiver spot. He has become smooth with his routes. It’s not just speed and instinct — as it sometimes appears in his kick returns.

Henderson said he worked diligently with quarterback Nate Peterman in the offseason to perfect his timing and chemistry.

“It was really crucial. Our timing is impeccable as you see Saturday. I think I was the only receiver to catch a pass. Practicing routes all summer was very good,” Henderson said.

Wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman believes Henderson’s confidence is a product of being able to play last year as a freshman. He now knows what it takes to be successful in the college game.

“It’s just about being consistent. That’s a word you’ve heard me say over and over and over,” Sherman said. “He’s a guy that’s learning the game. It’s starting to slow down for him, and that’s why he’s stepping up and making plays.”

What’s left to work on? Everything, according to Sherman, when it comes to Henderson’s contribution to the offense.

“I don’t want him to relax. He’s had two pretty good games. It’s a long season,” Sherman said. “I think we’ve got to get better at route running, I think we’ve got to clean little things up with the details of that. There’s a lot of things we’ve got to see coverage’s better and win our individual battles. We’re going to get challenged every week.”

It’s only two games, and we’ve seen so little from the passing game that I just don’t know what to expect.

Then there is the other side of the field. The secondary looked horrible for much of the second half. Oklahoma State isn’t even making it a secret that they will go after Pitt’s secondary.

When McSorley hit DeAndre Thompkins for 34 yards on fourth-and-16 in the fourth quarter, it gave [DB Coach Renaldo] Hill and all of his defensive backs pause. The completion involved a concept that was not unfamiliar to them.

Just the night before at dinner, freshman cornerback Therran Coleman mentioned it, Hill said.

“We talked about it as a group,” he said. “Sure enough, it showed up. We just had not all been listening hard enough.

“I put that on me. It means the understanding wasn’t completely there. Oklahoma State might try to capitalize on that.”

Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, bigger and more experienced than McSorley, said he’s watching what hasn’t worked for Pitt and looking to exploit it.

“We are going to zero in on what they give up,” he said.

Rudolph, 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, has been accurate and productive. He has completed 45 of 68 passes for 477 yards and four touchdowns in two games.
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Hill said there is a long list of items that need cleaned up. “I don’t think I can list all of it,” he said.

They include double moves against free safety Terrish Webb and trying to aggressively press wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and getting beat deep because of it.

“We have to understand people are going to take shots on us,” Hill said.

“This guy is more of a pocket passer (than McSorley),” Hill said. “We know we are going to be challenged down the field vertically.”

It will also be incumbent on the Pitt D-line to win a lot more battles up front. The defensive scheme relies on generating pressure up front to force the QB to throw sooner than he wants or get sacked. That Rudolph is more of a pocket passer might help, but in OSU’s system he still moves around enough that he is not a statue back there.