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Penn St. Nittany Lions (0-3 Big Ten East) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-2 Big Ten West)
12:00 p.m. ET, November 14, 2020--FS1
Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 90,000** / Lincoln, NE)
| Penn State | Value (Nat'l Rank) | Value (Nat'l Rank) | Nebraska | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Offense (ypg) | 129.3 (94) | 181.5 (78) | Rushing Defense (ypg) | Push |
| Passing Offense (ypg) | 286.3 (29) | 222.5 (50) | Passing Defense (ypg) | Push |
| Pass Efficiency | 131.85 (71) | 172.04 (114) | Pass Efficiency Defense |
 |
| Total Offense (ypg) | 415.7 (53) | 404.0 (61) | Total Defense (ypg) | Push |
| Scoring Offense (ppg) | 26.3 (82) | 36.5 (95) | Scoring Defense (ppg) | Push |
| Rushing Defense (ypg) | 124.0 (30) | 217.0 (22) | Rushing Offense (ypg) | Push |
| Passing Defense (ypg) | 256.7 (87) | 189.0 (98) | Passing Offense (ypg) | Push |
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 160.5 (105) | 104.23 (116) | Pass Efficiency | Push |
| Total Defense (ypg) | 380.7 (46) | 406.0 (63) | Total Offense (ypg) | Push |
| Scoring Defense (ppg) | 36.3 (94) | 15.0 (116) | Scoring Offense (ppg) | Push |
| Punt Return Defense (ypr) | 21.00 (120) | -1.50 (123) | Punt Return Yds | Push |
| Punt Return Yds | 11.00 (27) | 16.75 (116) | Punt Return Defense (ypr) |
|
| Net Punting Yds | 39.64 (51) | 33.80 (111) | Net Punting Yds |
|
| Kickoff Return Yds | 16.43 (100) | 16.67 (21) | Kickoff Return Defense |
 |
| Kickoff Return Defense | 0.00 (T - 1) | 16.25 (101) | Kickoff Return Yds |
|
| Turnover Margin | -1.67 (118) | -0.50 (88) | Turnover Margin | |
| Passes Had Intercepted | 5 (T - 75) | 2 (T - 70) | Passes Intercepted | Push |
| Passes Intercepted | 1 (T - 91) | 2 (T - 32) | Passes Had Intercepted |
|
| Penalty Yds/Game | 52.00 (50) | 72.50 (104) | Penalty Yds/Game |
|
| Sacks | 2.67 (38) | 2.00 (47) | Sacks Allowed | Push |
| Sacks Allowed | 4.33 (119) | 2.00 (64) | Sacks |
|
| Tackles for Loss (tpg) | 6.00 (T - 61) | 6.50 (71) | Tackles for Loss Allowed (tpg) | Push |
| Tackles for Loss Allowed (tpg) | 7.33 (94) | 6.00 (T - 61) | Tackles for Loss (tpg) | |
| Redzone Offense (%) | 61.5% (120) | 88.9% (T - 88) | Redzone Defense (%) | |
| Redzone Defense (%) | 81.8% (50) | 66.7% (T - 110) | Redzone Offense (%) |
|
| Redzone TD % | 53.85% | 77.78% | Redzone TD % Defense | Push |
| Redzone TD % Defense | 63.64% | 33.33% | Redzone TD % | Push |
| 3rd Down Conv. % | 45.7% (36) | 51.7% (111) | 3rd Down Defense % |
|
| 3rd Down Defense % | 50.0% (T - 107) | 30.8% (T - 110) | 3rd Down Conv. % | Push |
| 4th Down Conv. % | 42.9% (T - 97) | 100.0% (T - 116) | 4th Down Defense % | Push |
| 4th Down Defense % | 50.0% (T - 38) | 66.7% (T - 34) | 4th Down Conv. % | Push |
| 1st Downs | 77 (74) | 42 (21) | 1st Downs Allowed |
|
| 1st Downs Allowed | 56 (32) | 45 (99) | 1st Downs |
|
| Time of Possession | 32:19 (30) | 29:36 (69) | Time of Possession |
|
| Strength of Schedule | 7 | 1 | Strength of Schedule | Push |
Difference >25 in National Rank =
Difference >50 in National Rank =
Difference >75 in National Rank =
Difference >100 in National Rank =
Note:
All of the above rankings are taken directly from the NCAA except for strength of schedule, which is not ranked by the NCAA and instead taken from team rankings.
The Redzone TD% and Redzone TD% Defense are calculated by me and not ranked by the NCAA. Determining who has the advantage in these categories is strictly my arbitrary judgment.
Quick thoughts:
To give you all an idea of how I pull together these statistics: first, I go through all of Penn State’s stats, updating as I go down the list, then our opponent’s stats, then I compare. And this week, I have to tell you, I started getting (even more) dejected while going through the Nittany Lions’ statistics, which were pretty ok before last week’s shitshow but plummeted this week.
And then I started going over Nebraska’s stats, and I started laughing. Woof, this is going to be a race to the bottom sort of game, isn’t it?
And the one area that’s subjective, and where it looks like PSU might have the edge - in the redzone (wait, stop laughing!!) - I decided to go with pushes instead of giving PSU the edge. Why, might you ask? Well, they’ve got to show me that they can actually put the ball throught he uprights, rather than taking two sacks and missing a field goal. It’s just that kind of year.