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Penn State’s horrific 3rd-down performance carries historical distinction
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Penn State entered Saturday’s game with huge expectations for the top-10 matchup for Ohio State. Despite recent losses to the Buckeyes, some analysts felt this year’s Nittany Lion team was built to match up well with Ohio State.
Unfortunately, that did not materialize in Saturday’s game. While Penn State limited the Buckeyes to 20 points, the Nittany Lion offense fared even worse against Ohio State’s defense.
When it was all said and done, the Nittany Lions managed just 12 points and did not have a touchdown until a minute left in the game. Penn State finished the game with an unimaginable 1-for-16 performance on 3rd downs.
According to ESPN, that 3rd-down performance is among the worst percentages for any AP Top 25 team in the past 10 seasons with at least 15 attempts. Penn State also went 1-for-3 on 4th-down tries, leading to Ohio State dominating the overall time of possession in the game.
Penn State went 1-16 (6.3%) on 3rd down in the loss vs Ohio State.
With a minimum of 15 third down attempts, that’s the worst 3rd down conversion pct by any AP-ranked team in a game over the last 10 seasons. pic.twitter.com/v08lvUkv5d— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 21, 2023
We’ll see how Penn State rebounds, but that is a tough performance to stomach in a big-game environment. The only good news is that Ohio State also has one of the best defenses in the country.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.