Warning lights buzzing for Lions' red-zone play

As it (finally) enters the Big Ten phase of its schedule, Penn State must find a way to stop making its play in the red zone an uphill struggle.

The Nittany Lions' troubles inside the opponent's 20-yard line were vividly on display Saturday in their hard-fought win over Temple. They advanced inside the red zone five times, scoring just one touchdown - albeit an important one.

Yes, the 22d-ranked Lions kicked three field goals after advancing into scoring position. But field goals won't cut it, especially when compared with other teams in the Big Ten.

Entering Saturday night's conference opener at No. 17 Iowa, Penn State has scored on 11 of its 15 trips in the red zone, but its 73.3 percentage is last in the Big Ten and tied for 100th among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The Lions have six touchdowns in those 15 trips, or 40 percent, again the worst figure in the conference.

Lions coach Joe Paterno said that although he wants his team to do a better job in the red zone, he does not "want to go berserk" worrying about it.

"I'm reluctant to be critical of our team when the other guys are playing as well and doing as well as they have," Paterno said Tuesday in a teleconference with the media. "Temple was a good red-zone football team against the three teams that we had seen them against this year" on film.

"When we got down in the red zone, we may have made one or two mistakes that would have helped us. But obviously you can always do a little better. Maybe the play selection has to be a little better - throw a little earlier on some downs and things of that sort."

A related issue with the Nittany Lions is not having freshman quarterback Rob Bolden do too much given his limited experience. Then again, he excelled Saturday at crunch time, leading a 12-play, 96-yard, six-minute drive to the clinching touchdown, including a pair of completions on third and long.

"There's an old saying, 'There's nothing that succeeds like success,' " Paterno said. "I think the fact he was able to do that should be good experience for him. It will help him in other situations. I thought it was good that we could do that, [but] I think that is offset by the question: Can we improve in the red zone?

"I was disappointed that we didn't do a little bit more in the red zone. We didn't have great field position all day. We had some; I shouldn't say none. And I think we moved the ball pretty good. Again, I think there was a tendency to underestimate just how good a football team Temple is."

The leadership shown by Bolden, who threw a red-zone interception in the game at Alabama, will help the Lions' drives. So will the sudden awakening of Penn State's running game, which accounted for 216 yards against the Owls, including a career-high 187 yards on 26 carries by Evan Royster.

"I think we'll work in a couple of different things this week," said Royster, a fifth-year senior. "It's definitely been a problem for us in the past. We need to get better at it. I think we'll open up the offense a little more in the red zone, spread it out a little more."

Iowa (3-1), meanwhile, is tops in the Big Ten, and tied for second in the nation, in red-zone defense. The Hawkeyes, who are No. 1 in overall defense, have allowed just five scores (four touchdowns) in nine trips by opponents.

So the Lions are going to have to work harder for every yard as they get deeper into Iowa territory. To make matters more complicated, they'll be playing in front of a frenetic crowd against a team that has defeated them each of the last two years and seven of the last eight.

"They're a big-time football team," Paterno said. "And we've got to play better than we've played all year to stay even with them."

Penn State has converted just 73.3 percent of its chances in the red zone this season, 11 for 15, including six touchdowns. The 3-1 Lions are tied for 100th nationally and last in the Big Ten.

Youngstown State (3 chances, 21 points): Three touchdowns.

Alabama (3 chances, 3 points): Interception, fumble, field goal.

Kent State (4 chances, 17 points): Touchdown, touchdown, field goal, missed field goal.

Temple (5 chances, 16 points): Field goal, field goal, field goal, missed field goal, touchdown.

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