Blue White Illustrated

move in 2014, those numbers will have to improve. Nobody knows that better than O'Brien. "Turnovers have been an issue this year," he said at his Nov. 12 news conference. "We fumbled on the first play of the game [at Minnesota], and we fumbled on the last play of the game offensively, and that's not very good." Zwinak had some ball-security issues last season, and they have continued this year. He had fumbled in eight of his previous 12 games before donning gloves in the game against Minnesota. O'Brien hopes that solves Zwinak's problems. "That was something he asked me about," O'Brien said. "I think one of the things with Zach is that the ball has been in his left hand [when he's fumbled], so we've looked at that. " The Lions' other fumble-related problem has involved the exchange between Hackenberg and center Ty Howle. It's happened several times this season, and against Minnesota it cost Penn State a chance to rally in the fourth quarter. Hackenberg fumbled the snap at the goal line with just over six minutes left and Penn State only 2 yards away from cutting Minnesota's 14-point lead in half. O'Brien said he and Hackenberg talk frequently about making sure the exchange goes smoothly. "When you are on the goal line and the center has to make a hard reach block to the right or the left, it's like the golden rule of quarterbacking – you always have to stay with the center a little bit longer, " O'Brien said. "That is the first thing you learn when you teach quarterbacks or you play quarterback. We just have to execute better and emphasize that in coaching. " The other problem that has contributed to Penn State's inconsistency on offense is its lack of production in the red zone. Through nine games, the Lions were scoring on only 80.6 percent of their trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line. That was the ninth-best percentage in the Big Ten. The red zone issues came to a head against Illinois and Minnesota. The Nittany Lions converted on only three of six opportunities against the Illini and two of four against the Gophers. If you eliminate Kyle Carter's 15-yard touchdown reception against Illinois in overtime, Penn State had a red zone conversion rate of only 44.4 percent in those two games, and scored only 27 points. Red zone offense is the one area where Hackenberg has struggled so far this season. Against Illinois, he went 0 for 4 on pass attempts inside the 20-yard line before his touchdown pass to Carter. Against the Gophers, he completed only 1 of 5 attempts. That's not totally surprising. As O'Brien has made clear throughout the season, red zone offense is a challenge for young quarterbacks. "There are tighter windows down there, he said. "Things happen faster. " You have to make faster decisions. The blitz shows up faster. "I think he has improved. At the end there [against Illinois] when he had a chance to make that play with Kyle, he stepped up in the pocket and made a great throw. It was right on the body of Kyle. " Don't get the impression that O'Brien is unhappy with Hackenberg's overall performance this season. "Christian has in many ways improved every week. I've got a lot of belief in this kid, and I think he's going to get better and better, he said. " "There's been a lot of good, and then there have been some things that we just need to take from this stage to that stage and get it all the way to the next level. That's what we're trying to do. " One of the things that has impressed me about O'Brien has been his refusal to use the sanctions as an excuse for… well… anything. And there are definitely some problems that can be attributed to the penalties that were levied against Penn State last year. For evidence of that, look no further than the defense, which has been dealing with the fallout all year. But for Penn State to end its season on a high note at Wisconsin, it will need to score points. And to do that, it will need to improve its turnover margin and capitalize on its red zone opportunities. Not all of Penn State's problems are sancI tion-related.

• Cover