Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/135208
OFFICIAL BUSINESS O'Brien wanted answers after Brandon MosebyFelder was ruled out of bounds in the end zone against Wisconsin. Steve Manuel as a rookie head coach during the 2012 season, and he insists that there is plenty of room for refinement. For starters, he said, the Nittany Lions' early-season struggles last season were directly related to how he began preseason practice. "I made a lot of mistakes last year," he said, reflecting on back-to-back season-opening losses to Ohio and Virginia. "I think in training camp, we probably peaked a little too soon. We were playing well midway through, but then we kind of went too far. I don't think that we were at our best obviously in the first two weeks of the season." The Nittany Lions finished the season ranked 54th nationally in overall offense, but the rationale behind O'Brien's concerns quickly comes into focus when considering the team's output – both offensively and defensively – during the 24-14 loss to Ohio and the stunning 17-16 loss at Virginia a week later. Two weeks into the season, Penn State was among the worst teams in the country statistically, ranking 100th in rushing, 101st in pass efficiency, 104th in scoring offense and 101st in pass defense. O'Brien focused on the team's weaknesses and changed course to correct them. By the time the Nittany Lions had reeled off five consecutive wins to follow the initial two-game letdown, those numbers had all improved significantly. The Nittany Lions will be striving to continue that improvement in the season ahead. The team has some key personnel matters to address, most notably the choice of a starting quarterback. But O'Brien, with his penchant for self-improvement, is looking to be an even more effective game manager in his second season on the sideline. That might mean Penn State takes fewer chances than it did a year ago. In 2012 the Nittany Lions finished tied for sixth in the country in fourth-down conversions attempted (34), trailing only Air Force (43), Army (40), Tulsa (37), Georgia Tech (37) and LouisianaMonroe (35). While their brinksmanship thrilled a lot of fans, it may turn out to