STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State is off to a 2-0 start. The offense has looked crisp, the defense stingy and there are still some cushy home games left before Big Ten season arrives.
Indeed, it's a good time for the Nittany Lions.
But there's work ahead. Coach Bill O'Brien sees quite a few areas for improvement, and he can start with third-down conversions.
Batting a perfect 1.000 in wins and losses, Penn State is far from that with its 2-for-26 third-down conversion rate (.077). That ranks last among 123 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Only Memphis and Pittsburgh join Penn State in converting just two third downs this season. But the Tigers and Panthers have played just one game each.
Penn State plays again Saturday against Central Florida (2-0) at home, and will try to work on that percentage.
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