BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Time of possession is a complicated stat. It doesn’t really matter how long you have the ball; it simply matters what you do with it. Good teams can score quick, good teams can score after long grinding drives. There’s no correct answer as long as you’re efficient.
And while Penn State may keep many things the same under new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, it appears that time of possession will be one thing that changes.
Of course this isn’t a shock, anyone who watched Penn State and Minnesota go toe-to-toe last season in Minneapolis know that the Nittany Lions spent what felt like two-thirds of that game on defense as the Gophers milked the clock and worked down the field. When it was all said and done Minnesota had the ball for 11 more minutes than Penn State, almost an entire quarter of possession more than their opponent.
This worked for Ciarrocca and Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck. The Gophers went three-and-out on just nine percent of their drives, the lowest rate of any FBS team. Minnesota also had the seventh lowest number of offensive possession per game among FBS schools. When it was all said and done the Gophers got their points, but a slower time consuming attack rendered possession far more valuable. It’s one thing to sit on the ball for seven minutes and score, another to do it and end up with nothing.
That was the issue Penn State ran into on Saturday night as the Nittany Lions fell in overtime to Indiana. The Nittany Lions had the ball for just over 40 minutes of the game but had five different drives that lasted three or more minutes that resulted in no points. A nearly eight minute drive in the third quarter took 15 plays to cover just over 50 yards of field and resulted in a missed field goal.
All of this after a textbook drive that showcased what Ciarrocca wants: a 13 play, 64 yard, 7:01 touchdown drive to open the night.
Obviously interceptions by Sean Clifford and various miscues along the way are not the direct result of a scheme or of an approach to play, but it does amplify the importance that possessions become when the clock is on your side but efficiency isn’t. On the other side of the same coin is Penn State’s modest 9-for-17 rate on third down, a hair above a 50% success rate. Nothing special, but the Nittany Lions have won with far worse.
In reality a Penn State offense that is struggling to pass the ball consistently and finds itself down several running backs might be well served to sit on the ball against the likes of Ohio State and others, but James Franklin and Ciarrocca don’t want that approach to be delaying the inevitable.
Whatever the case might be, a Penn State team that runs the same scheme but takes twice as long to do it could very well win with just as much success as it has in years prior, but it will quite literally be a change of pace.
Although considering Penn State’s occasionally tired defense late in big games, giving that unit extra time on the sideline might not be the worst thing.
For reference: Penn State’s time of possession rank the past seven seasons. The Nittany Lions topping out back in 2009 at 7th in the nation, averaging 32 minutes and 36 seconds per game.
- 2019: 102nd (28:22)
- 2018: 113th (27:41)
- 2017: 58th (30:20)
- 2016: 104th (27:44)
- 2015: 71st (29:29)
- 2014: 39th (31:15)
- 2013: 59th (29:59)
