Introduction

Before we turn the page to 2021, let’s take one last look back on the 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions. What trended well? What were the consistent strong/weak points? And, finally, what needs to be fixed in the offseason. Today, it’s the offense’s turn under the microscope. As we always do, this season-ending summary will be a thorough mix of basic and advanced stats within the broader context of the James Franklin era at PSU. 

Basic Statistics Summary

Our first graph shows the yards generated in each game. Passing yards (blue), rush yards (orange), and total yards (red) .

With the exceptions of Indiana and Nebraska, Penn State really struggled to run the ball early in the season and relied heavily on the pass game to generate yards against Ohio State, Maryland, and Iowa which were (probably not) coincidentally the three biggest losses. Penn State’s lack of a rushing attack against good defenses like the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes –two teams that typically have strong, opportunistic defensive lines – left the Lions offense vulnerable to sacks and turnovers. If we look at passing yards as the % of total yards generated (Pass Share) in the graph below, you can see how much the offense skewed towards passing, especially early on.

Continue reading