UNIVERSITY PARK– No. 2 Penn State is in control against Villanova, as we all knew it would be.
But there’s one issue that plagued Penn State through its first two wins against Nevada and FIU that has persisted into Week 3: Scoring touchdowns.
Now, Penn State can beat the Nevadas, FIUs, and Villanovas of the world by solely kicking field goals.
With that said, coach James Franklin knows that, to beat the Ohio States and Oregons of the world, the team must get into the end zone and not settle for three.
Against Nevada, Penn State drove into the red zone four times without scoring a touchdown.
Against FIU, Penn State drove into the red zone on six of its seven first-half possessions and only scored one touchdown.
Against Villanova, Penn State twice had the ball in the red zone during the first half and had to settle for a field goal. On the first such possession, a shanked punt set Penn State up at the Villanova 32.
On the second such possession, Penn State drove all the way to the ‘Nova 11 before having to call upon Ryan Barker once more.
Penn State redeemed itself in a big way late in the first half by putting together a touchdown drive in 36 seconds, going 70 yards on seven plays.
Then, in the second half, a Drew Allar pick ended another red zone drive.
The three drives in which Penn State had to settle for field goals or worse are something Franklin will be thinking about over the bye week.































