Penn State erases turnovers and chalks up wins
After weeks of dissecting Penn State's new no-huddle offense, this can be revealed: The fact that quarterback Trace McSorley hasn't turned the ball over in his last four games, and that the Nittany Lions are 4-0 during that time, is no coincidence.
After weeks of dissecting Penn State's new no-huddle offense, this can be revealed: The fact that quarterback Trace McSorley hasn't turned the ball over in his last four games, and that the Nittany Lions are 4-0 during that time, is no coincidence.
McSorley, a redshirt sophomore, hasn't thrown an interception since his final pass in the blowout loss at Michigan, a run of 106 consecutive throws. He has not lost the ball on a fumble over the same stretch; in fact, he hasn't fumbled at all.
The Nittany Lions have just two turnovers - one fumble on offense, one fumble on special teams - in those four wins. At the same time, they are plus-6 in turnovers counting a plus-4 mark last week at Purdue.
McSorley said Tuesday that he is more comfortable with the offense, getting a better feel for it and becoming increasingly confident. That also has helped his preparation.
"That's a big part, the preparation we're taking into practice, really emphasizing ball security, not turning the ball over in practice, not putting the ball in jeopardy," McSorley said. "What we're doing in the film room, knowing [the opponent's] looks and seeing things pre-snap that can help you post-snap, being able to recognize it, diagnose coverages and stuff like that."
Penn State coach James Franklin had been asked a lot about turnovers early in the season, when the Nittany Lions coughed the ball up 10 times in the first four games while posting a 2-2 mark. He was asked about them against Tuesday at his weekly teleconference, but this time it was about the lack of them.
"I've told you guys before, I think we work ball security more than any program that I've been a part of," Franklin said. "We do it every single day in a drill, that's the entire focus. I think that's something that's very, very important for us, no different than tackling drills every single day because those two things are just so important to your success."
Franklin said that with a younger McSorley, who backed up Christian Hackenberg in his first two years with the team, he saw someone who could take care of the football.
"He's done a much better job of protecting the ball when it comes to ball security, in terms of carrying the ball in the pocket, which I think has been really important for us," he said.
McSorley also has been given a chance by offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to take deep shots, and the Lions have flourished. Through eight games, McSorley has completed 33 passes for gains of 20 yards or more, including six last Saturday, and averages 14.78 yards per completion, sixth in the nation.
He said the chunk plays were important for their ability to swing momentum in Penn State's favor, and were even more effective when followed by increasing the tempo against the defense.
"They're recovering off a big chunk play and kind of trying to refocus their bearings," McSorley said, "and before you know it we're snapping the ball and running another play. So I think that's a big thing for us, utilizing the chunk plays and our tempo effectively together."
Franklin said there still are areas where McSorley can improve. One is completion percentage - the quarterback is at 55.2 percent. Franklin said that being able to protect long enough and dropped passes figure into the rate, which he'd like to see "in the mid 60s or higher."
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