Kirk Ciarrocca has had a bit of a wild ride the past few years. It started when he followed Gopher head coach P.J Fleck over from Western Michigan. There he was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota for three years including the 2019 historic Gopher season when they went 11-2. He was then hired as the offensive coordinator for Penn State in 2020. After a bad season in Happy Valley, Ciarrocca was fired. In 2021 he was hired by West Virginia as an offensive analyst before being hired back as the Gophers offensive coordinator for the 2022 season. So why did Kirk Ciarrocca find success at Minnesota while he struggled at Penn State? Well let’s look at what happened when he was with the Gophers and Nittany Lions.
What Happened at Minnesota
Ciarrocca was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 2017-2019. He was very successful in three years there working alongside head coach P.J Fleck. In the three years he was in Minnesota their points per game increased each season. The national rankings went from 110th to 65th to 22nd. The Gopher’s record also improved each year going 5-7, 7-6, and 11-2. The 2019 season was historic for Minnesota. The offense averaged 432 yards per game (178.7 rushing and 253. 3 passing) and averaged 3.3 touchdowns per game as well. Needless to say, there was a reason James Franklin wanted Ciarrocca as his offensive coordinator.
What Happened at Penn State
Penn State had a great season in 2019. The Nittany Lions went 11-2 finishing 9th in the AP poll. 2020 however was a very different story. First there was no spring practice due to Covid, followed up by the shortening of the Big 10 season. Once the season started, it couldn’t have gone any worse for the Nittany Lions. Penn State started the 2020 season going 0-5. They finally were able to right the ship and went on to win their last four games.
Recently Penn State head coach James Franklin came out and discussed why Kirk Ciarrocca was fired. During his explanation he said “Some of the things that Kirk had to deal with were outside of his control. When you are hiring a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, or special-teams coordinator and you really don’t have — we had no spring ball. He got none of that. I think that is the best way we could describe some of the challenges and issues that had nothing to do with Kirk.”
Implementing A New System And Injuries
It was also reported that Ciarrocca didn’t get to install his own system. He was told he had to combine his own system with the system that had been in place for the last four years. James Franklin didn’t want to blow up his whole offensive system. This was mainly in part because of returning quarterback Sean Clifford. Franklin didn’t want his quarterback to have to learn an entirely new system and thought that he could still succeed under the hybrid system. Unfortunately, Clifford struggled greatly during the season, throwing nine interceptions
To go along with issues with the offensive system, Penn State was also impacted by injuries. Running back Journey Brown retired due to a medical condition. Then week one backup running back Noah Cain was injured and missed the rest of the season.
Even with all of this, Penn State’s offense still ranked very high in a lot of categories. They ranked third in points per game (29.8), second in yards per game (430.3), fourth in passing yards per game (256.0), and fifth in rushing yards per game (174.3). So, while the overall outcome of the season was a letdown, the offense itself was still performing at a very high level.
So What Went Wrong
The biggest issue I see is the implementation of the new offensive system. If he could have implemented his system instead of having to blend it with the current one, things could have looked a bit different. Although not having spring practice and the injuries to their top two running backs, it was tough to see Kirk succeeding in his first year in Happy Valley. Personally, the fact that Franklin didn’t give him another year wasn’t fair.
Later in his discussion about Ciraccoa, Franklin says “I can understand why P.J (Fleck) brought him back. He obviously did a great job for them (from 2017-19). I’m going to be rooting for him and his family every game but one. I got nothing but great things to say about Kirk, and a lot of things that played out were out of his control.” For me I’m almost confused as to why Franklin didn’t keep him another season, with the respect and realization of that what happened wasn’t really his fault. Knowing this was mostly out of his control should have warranted another year with the team.
What To Expect in 2022
Kirk Ciarrocca returns to a team with a lot of familiar faces in key places. Quarterback Tanner Morgan and wide receiver Chris Autman Bell are both back for their sixth and final year with the Gophers. Running back Mohamed Ibrahim is also coming back after suffering a season ending Achilles injury in week one of last season. All three played on the team in 2019 with Ciarrocca. While there are definitely some things that need to be worked out with the offensive line losing four of its five starters from last season. The top three running backs on the depth chart are coming off of injuries as well.
There is definitely still some work to be done before the season starts. With Kirk back as offensive coordinator, expect the offense to improve again from 2021 and to be competing in the Big 10 west. Who knows maybe the Gophers can finally get to a Big 10 Championship game.