Can you successfully fail? That’s a question more to heart of Penn State’s up and down offensive play than you might think. The Nittany Lions hit the field for eight scoreless drives against Michigan on Saturday, gaining 46 yards in the process.
This of course is not the objective of the game, but there is something to be said about how failed drives unfold. It’s one thing to go three-and-out, unable to move the ball at all and taking nearly no time off the clock. It’s something else to move the ball and eventually being forced to punt. Despite the failure, there is an inherent consistency found in always moving down the field but not always scoring.
Over the span of the entire season Penn State has averaged just over 15 yards per non-scoring drive. In Big Ten play that has lowered to 8.5 yards per scoreless drive. In essence, Penn State is either scoring or almost alway going three-and-out.
This changes a bit when you look to Ohio State, perhaps the best team in the nation. The Buckeyes average almost 15 yards per failed drive, almost two first downs, even when coming up short. Ohio State also fails to score any points during just 5.5 drives per game, nearly two whole drives fewer than Penn State.
‘With the style of defense that we’re playing right now, it’s a win if the drive ends with a kick,’ Penn State coach James Franklin said on Tuesday. ‘You want be kicking an extra point after a touchdown. You want to be kicking a field goal for points, or you want to be punting. Because if you don’t turn the ball over, which is one of the better things we’re doing right now and one of the better things we’ve done all year long, with the style of defense we’re playing, we still have a chance to win the game, which is the ultimate prize.’
‘I think the next step obviously that I think we are also doing a really good job of is being able to punt people back deep into their own end zone, into their own end of the field.’
‘So it’s not just kick a PAT, kick a field goal or punt. It’s being able to swing field position. So say we did start the ball on our own 10 and we’re able to drive that thing out, most people say: If you’re in a backed-up situation, if you can get two first downs and punt and swing field position, you’ve won that area, that situation of football.’
Penn State has in fact done a good job keeping its opponent pinned deep. Against Iowa, punter Blake Gillikin landed seven punts inside the Hawkeyes’ 20, a feat good enough for Big Ten Special Teams weekly honors. He also boomed a 60-yard punt against Michigan in a key situation, pinning the Wolverines deep in their own territory.
The other side of this coin is extending the length of drives Penn State has that eventually results in those punts. Time of possession can be an overrated statistic in today’s game, but the Nittany Lion defense spent over nine minutes on the field during each and every quarter Saturday. Those tired legs were not in fact overrated, and as much a product of quick offensive drives as they were their own mistakes and miscues.
The good news for Penn State, the Nittany Lions have done a better job moving the ball against every other opponent they have played and may not see a defense as good as Michigan’s until a November trip to Columbus.
Until then the Nittany Lions will continue to get better, even better at failing.
Failed drives: Penn State Overall: 4.6 plays for 15.4 yards
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Idaho: 3.6 plays for 12.6 yards
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Buffalo: 3.8 plays for 13 yards
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Pitt: 4.8 plays for 23.2 yards
Big Ten: 5.01 plays for 8.5 yards (7 drives per game)
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UMD: 5 plays for 15 yards
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Purdue: 5.8 plays for 21 yards
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Iowa: 6 plays for 17.8 yards
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Michigan: 3.25 plays for 5.75 yards
Ohio State Overall: 4.8 plays for 15.6 yards
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FIU: 5 plays for 13.1 yards
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Cincinnati: 6.75 plays for 35.5 yards
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Miami (OH): 3 plays for 3.25 yards
Big Ten: 4.8 plays for 14.3 yards (5.5 drives per game)
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Indiana: 5.4 plays for 15.4 yards
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Nebraska: 5 plays for 17 yards
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Michigan State: 5 plays for 14.5 yards
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Northwestern: 3.8 plays for 10.6 yards
