First-half woes worry Penn State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – In its three losses this year, Penn State didn’t score before halftime. Penalties, turnovers and dropped passes all have slowed Penn State’s offense, particularly in the first half. The Nittany Lions (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) even fell behind 3-0 in a 37-13 victory over Central Florida, failing to score until well into the second quarter.
“We have been starting off pretty slow,” tailback Tony Hunt said. “I’m not sure exactly why that is, why we’re starting off sluggish, why everyone is not jumping out on people, but that’s something we’re going to have to get going on early.”
To turn things around, the Nittany Lions are going to have to get a handle on their offense – especially this week against No. 9 Purdue (4-0, 1-0), a team that hasn’t trailed yet this year and has outscored its opponents 109-23 in the first half.
“It just seems as though we’re just coming out flat, that we’re not mentally ready to go,” guard Scott Davis said. “Maybe in the second half, we’re a little more used to what they’re doing and we make some adjustments to it, but we’ve got to correct that and come out strong.”
It was no surprise when Penn State started slow at Wisconsin.
Starting quarterback Zack Mills and backup Michael Robinson both left the game with injuries. Robinson also is a starting wide receiver.
after just two plays with a partially dislocated shoulder. Michael Robinson, who starts at receiver and is the backup quarterback, left the game on a stretcher after suffering a concussion late in the first quarter. The Badgers jumped out to a 16-0 lead, winning 16-3.
But it wasn’t just the Wisconsin game. The Nittany Lions fell behind 14-0 in a 21-7 loss at Boston College in September. And last week, Penn State trailed 16-0 at Minnesota before scoring its only touchdown in a 16-7 loss.
“Against Boston College, you are right – we are down 7-0 and we gave them two first downs because we roughed the kicker twice,” coach Joe Paterno said. “Again, when you talk about Minnesota, you have to understand that the problems that we had against Wisconsin carry over because of Michael Robinson. Michael is the best football player we have and one of the best football players in the country.”
Robinson is still being evaluated day to day, and it’s not clear whether he’ll be back for the Purdue game. But center E.Z. Smith said that, Robinson or not, the Penn State offense knows what it needs to do to turn things around.
“We have to want to make plays. We can’t sit around and wait for someone else to make a play, we have to do something as an offensive line,” Smith said. “If Zack needs a few more seconds to throw the ball, we have to give him those seconds. We can’t wait around and wait for someone to hit us, we have to go after people and take the fight to them.”
Despite Penn State’s struggles, Purdue safety Bernard Pollard said the Boilermakers weren’t taking Penn State lightly.
“I’ve watched a little film on them and I think they’re a very good team,” Pollard said. “They can run the ball very well and they can also pass the ball pretty well. They have a very balanced offense, and they’re doing a great job keeping everything going. So we’ve got to do a great job in our run defense and our pass coverage.”