Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Football: A Closer Look at the Numbers on Offense in 2016

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:14 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Barry Leonard Jr./FanSided via Victory Bell Rings

Penn State made some giants strides on offense during the 2016 season. 

It was clear after last season that changes needed to be made on offense for Penn State. After failing to produce, despite having a lot of talent on the roster, head coach James Franklin fired offensive coordinator John Donovan and hired Joe Moorhead. That move has been a brilliant one. The Nittany Lions made one of the biggest improvements on offense this season.

Penn State finished the 2015 season ranked 105th in total offense, averaging 348.6 yards a game. The Nittany Lions had a tough time putting points on the board, having averaged just 23 points a game.

Those numbers have risen dramatically this season. Heading into the bowl game Penn State is ranked 56th in the nation with 430 yards of offense per game. Not surprisingly, points have come with the additional yards. The Nittany Lions are ranked 25th in the country with 37 points a game.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the increase in points and yards has been the emergence of the passing attack. Quarterback Trace McSorley burst onto the scene this year and should garner plenty of attention heading into next year. His five 300-yard games, 25 touchdowns, and just five interceptions show the potential that he has.

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With Christian Hackenberg at the helm in 2015 the Nittany Lions averaged 214.5 passing yards a game. This year, Penn State threw for 261 yards a game. A closer look at that number shows the impact of Moorhead’s big-play offense. Penn State is fifth in the nation with an average of 16.33 passing yards per play.

Helping in the passing attack this season was the play of the offensive line. The much-maligned unit allowed 39 sacks in 2015, compared to just 21 through 13 games in 2016.

Run blocking was still a bit of an issue for the offensive line, but having a talented playmaker like Saquon Barkley in the backfield helped things. With opposing defenses focusing on Barkley, he often found some tough sledding. Still, Penn State improved to 76th in rushing with 169 yards a game this season, up from 134 yards a game last year.

When entering the red zone this season, the Nittany Lions converted 55 of 64 attempts. 34 of those trips resulted in touchdowns, with 25 coming on the ground and nine through the air.

There’s no question that Penn State’s success on the field this season has a direct correlation to the major improvement on offense. More points and more yards eventually add up to more wins, as has ben the case this year.

While there are a lot of good numbers associated with the Penn State offense this season, one number jumps off the page as being an area of need. The NIttany Lions really struggled on third down this year, converting just 32 percent of the time. That ranks 121st out of 128 in FBS.

Converting on third down is a number that’s going to have to improve if the Nittany Lions want to have even more success in the future.

Things were better when gambling on fourth down. Penn State converted on 10 of its 20 fourth-down attempts this year.

Overall, it’s been a fantastic season for the Penn State offense. The numbers are impressive and the Nittany Lions have quickly become one of the most potent offenses in all of FBS.

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