With the Michigan State game in the books there are still plenty of difficult Big Ten contests down the road for Penn State. This week we will continue to track some of the same stats as two weeks ago as Penn State headed into the thick of Big Ten play coming off of a win over Illinois and headed into Ohio State. Of note, a bye week since Penn State last played will impact a lot of these rankings, but it does even out in the end.
As Saturday was evidence of, winning in the Big Ten is hard, it requires discipline, execution and an ability to make the most of your opportunities when they arise. So these sets of stats represent that challenge. We will also continue to track Trace McSorley’s overall offensive yardage as he looks to finish in the Top 15 nationally for the third straight season.
So here we go.
Third down conversion: 37.5% success rate is 83rd worst nationally. Ranked 60th nationally two weeks ago.
It comes with zero surprise that Penn State has seen this ranking plummet over the past two weeks as the Nittany Lions were once again dismal on third down converting just three times. In total Penn State has converted on third down six times in the last 31 attempts. That spans two games between Ohio State and Michigan State, both losses in somewhat similar fashions.
When it comes to just the bulk total of conversions Penn State’s 30 on the year is tied for 106th worst in the nation. Of course avoiding third down in the first place helps/hurts this a little bit, but simply put Penn State isn’t converting, and otherwise promising drives are dying in the process.
Converting on third down isn’t easy, but it makes winning a lot easier.
Total defense: 365 yards per game is 53rd in the nation, ranked 49th nationally two weeks ago.
There are a handful of things between tackling and dropped interceptions that will haunt Penn State’s defense when it looks back at the past two games, but all in all this group is playing pretty well more often than not. Those late-game drives have cost Penn State, but there is something to be said for the relationship between Penn State’s offense having short drives and Penn State’s defense getting increasingly worn down as the game goes along.
Last season Penn State ranked 17th in the nation in total defense allowing just 329 yards of offense per game. 36 yards isn’t a huge difference, but whatever the case might be, this group isn’t living up to the standard set over the past few seasons. Perhaps because so many of the players that set that standard are now gone.
Red zone offense: 27 of 28 now 9th nationally at 96.43 percent. Ranked first two weeks ago.
Only four teams have scored more touchdowns in the red zone than Penn State but a Jake Pinegar missed field goal took Penn State off the list of perfect teams inside the 20. Penn State is still ranked second in the nation when it comes to the percentage of red zone trips resulting in touchdowns, so the Nittany Lions are still making the most of those good drives. This holds true in Big Ten play as well where Penn State has scored a touchdown on nine of its 11 red zone drives.
Of note, over the past 10 years no team that has led the nation in red zone success has done it with a rate lower than the North Texas rate of 94.29% in 2014.
Sacks: 19 sacks, ranked 10th best nationally previously now 22nd.
It stands to reason this number will go up and down depending on the team and the week as different offenses lend to more or less opportunities for sacks. Either way Penn State put three more on the board this past weekend and dropped a few spots in the process. Considering that Penn State’s defense has a bye week working against it in the numbers department it stands to reason they will climb back up as the year goes along, but that’s not a guarantee.
Penn State has had at least 40 sacks each of the past three seasons which has seen the Nittany Lions ranked anywhere from first in 2015 to 19th in 2016. The 2017 figure of 42 sacks, seventh best in the nation, seems like a reasonable goal to aim for.
Total individual offense: Trace McSorley is 33rd in the nation, two weeks ago ranked 15th best in the nation.
With 1688 yards of offense this season McSorley is still chugging along on the ground and with his arm. Saturday wasn’t one of McSorley’s best performances in either department so it’s not a huge surprise between that and a bye week that he has been passed by. I wouldn’t imagine it’ll stay that way for long though with plenty of games left on the schedule and plenty of chances for McSorley to bounce back from his slightly out of character performance.
