Fixing Penn State's Turnover Problem
After loss No. 5, in which Penn State turned over the football a season-high four times, coach James Franklin stated what he considered to be obvious.
"The story of the game, and the story of the season," Franklin said, "is turnovers."
Penn State has had plenty of stories to its season, from injuries to erratic defensive play to the inescapable idea that the overtime loss to Indiana festered for weeks afterward. But one tangible factor that has impacted the team significantly has been turnovers.
After committing four turnovers in a 41-21 loss to Iowa, Penn State fell to minus-9 in turnover margin this season, tied with Michigan State (which as played one fewer game) for last in the Big Ten. Penn State's opponents have scored 51 points via turnovers, with Iowa producing an astonishing 24.
Worse, Penn State's 13 turnovers all have been attributed to the quarterbacks. Sean Clifford has been intercepted eight times and fumbled twice, while Will Levis has fumbled three times.
Certainly, the quarterbacks aren't solely responsible for the turnovers, but they have been lax in protection at inopportune times. Penn State's turnovers have thwarted rallies and comebacks, occurred in both red zones and led directly to three defensive touchdowns. Maryland returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Iowa's defense scored directly on a fumble and an interception.
In the points-off-turnovers metric, Penn State is being outscored 51-13 this season. The Lions, who made forcing turnovers an offseason mission, have generated just four. They forced 22 over a 13-game season in 2019.
"I think the reality is the turnovers have been our issue, or probably one of our bigger issues," Franklin said. "The reality is, we've had it with both of [the quarterbacks]."
In part because of the turnover issue, Penn State has been forced to play from behind in second halves, leading to desperate plays and more turnovers. Meanwhile, young quarterbacks like Maryland's Tualia Tagovaiola, Nebraska's Luke McCaffrey and Iowa's Spencer Petras played within protective comfort zones because of their double-digit leads.
Penn State could see another first-time starting quarterback Saturday in Michigan sophomore Cade McNamara. Though McNamara went 27 for 36 against Rutgers last week, he hasn't played a full game in his career.
That will make Penn State's quarterback situation even more vital. Franklin said that the quarterbacks conduct ball-security drills daily, even though they don't get hit.
No-contact drills are common for quarterbacks, though that might have contributed to Penn State's fumbling issues, particularly since their offensive workouts were so limited during the preseason. As a result, Franklin said the staff does turnover film work so the quarterbacks have a "realistic understanding" of ball security.
"Obviously, the other thing is making sure the guys understand these things where, [if] you don't get hit in practice, that you think you can get away with something in the pocket that you can't when it's live," Franklin said.
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