Penn St has mediocre defensive statistics in most areas except points against; which they are 2nd in the B1G. Here is a rundown of their stats.
Offensive PPG - 27.0 (7th in B1G)
Defensive PPG - 16.0 (2nd in B1G)
Total offense - 390.2 (6th in B1G)
Total Defense - 341.7 (6th in B1G)
Rushing Offense - 138.3 (11th in B1G)
Rushing Defense - 128.5 (6th in B1G)
Pass Offense - 251.8 (2nd in B1G)
Pass Defense - 213.2 (8th in B1G)
Net Punting - 29.9 (12thh in B1G)
FG Kicking - 3 for 9 33.3% (12th in B1G)
Sacks By - 15 (4th in B1G)
Sacks Against - 8 (3rd in B1G)
3rd Down Conversions 45.5% (5th in B1G)
Opponents 3rd Down - 40.0% (10th in B1G)
Turnover Margin +1.17/game (T1st w/ Iowa in B1G)
Red Zone Offense - 19-27 70.4% (11th in B1G)
Red Zone Defense - 11-16 68.8% (1st in B1G)
Basically they are a passing team. McGloin is an efficient passer and a solid player. He is not athletic, and does not run well at all, but he has managed 5 TD runs this year anyway. He is the type that is short on talent, but big on heart, and he will always give it his all. I don't think PSU will run the ball well, as they lack speed and playmakers in the backfield. So look for McGloin to pass a lot. He has only thrown 2 picks all year and PSU doesn't give up many sacks, so it will be interesting to see if we can get any pass rush or not. Defensively PSU is just ok. We should be able to run the ball. The problem is they really buckle down in the red zone, so the key could be finishing off drives. PSU has an awful place kicker, so they opt to go for it on 4th down a lot. They are 13-20 on 4th down this year, which is a great conversion % and is by far the most 4th down attempts in the B1G (next closest is 12; Nebraska has just 2 attempts and Iowa 7). It appears these two teams are pretty even. Hopefully home field gives us the advantage.
Offensive PPG - 27.0 (7th in B1G)
Defensive PPG - 16.0 (2nd in B1G)
Total offense - 390.2 (6th in B1G)
Total Defense - 341.7 (6th in B1G)
Rushing Offense - 138.3 (11th in B1G)
Rushing Defense - 128.5 (6th in B1G)
Pass Offense - 251.8 (2nd in B1G)
Pass Defense - 213.2 (8th in B1G)
Net Punting - 29.9 (12thh in B1G)
FG Kicking - 3 for 9 33.3% (12th in B1G)
Sacks By - 15 (4th in B1G)
Sacks Against - 8 (3rd in B1G)
3rd Down Conversions 45.5% (5th in B1G)
Opponents 3rd Down - 40.0% (10th in B1G)
Turnover Margin +1.17/game (T1st w/ Iowa in B1G)
Red Zone Offense - 19-27 70.4% (11th in B1G)
Red Zone Defense - 11-16 68.8% (1st in B1G)
Basically they are a passing team. McGloin is an efficient passer and a solid player. He is not athletic, and does not run well at all, but he has managed 5 TD runs this year anyway. He is the type that is short on talent, but big on heart, and he will always give it his all. I don't think PSU will run the ball well, as they lack speed and playmakers in the backfield. So look for McGloin to pass a lot. He has only thrown 2 picks all year and PSU doesn't give up many sacks, so it will be interesting to see if we can get any pass rush or not. Defensively PSU is just ok. We should be able to run the ball. The problem is they really buckle down in the red zone, so the key could be finishing off drives. PSU has an awful place kicker, so they opt to go for it on 4th down a lot. They are 13-20 on 4th down this year, which is a great conversion % and is by far the most 4th down attempts in the B1G (next closest is 12; Nebraska has just 2 attempts and Iowa 7). It appears these two teams are pretty even. Hopefully home field gives us the advantage.