Crazy stats that Defined Penn State Football's Win Over Villanova

3 Crazy stats that defined Penn State Football’s win over Villanova

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 25: Parker Washington #3 of the Penn State Nittany Lions scores a touchdown against Kshawn Schulters #32 of the Villanova Wildcats during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 25, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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Penn State Nittany Lions running back John Lovett (Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports) /

Penn State Football’s rushing yards … or lack thereof

Penn State Football’s rushing yards (or lack of), is what allowed the Wildcats to hang around for awhile on Saturday. The Nittany Lions only managed to rush for 80 yards as a team against FCS Villanova, so their offense was quite one dimensional.

Baylor transfer John Lovett was the leading rusher, accumulating 45 yards on 11 carries. We also only saw one carry for Noah Cain, who has been Penn State Football’s number one back so far.

Much of the issues seemed to come from the offensive line not being able to get a push up front to create running lanes, but it is certainly fair to put a small amount of blame on the backs and also formations/schemes.

The running game has been the one glaring issue for the Nittany Lions so far this season, and it will need to be corrected moving forward. Had Penn State been able to run the ball more effectively, the margin of victory would have been much larger.

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