James Franklin laments Penn State's 3rd down woes with 20-6 halftime deficit to USC

Penn State struggled to get much of anything going offensively in the first half on the road at USC. And heading into the locker room for halftime, head coach James Franklin already had one area he wanted his team to be better: Third downs.

The Nittany Lions offense was 3-for-8 converting third down tries and had a fourth down touchdown on a goal-to-go set called back for a penalty. While things were a bit better defensive — USC was 0-for-4 on third down — the Trojans didn’t face many thirds downs, especially later in the half.

“We just haven’t been consistent, specifically on third down,” Franklin said to CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell. “We knew coming into this game that they were a really good third down on offense and defense. We’ve gotta be more consistent on third down and stay on the field.”

One bright spot for the Penn State offense has been the play of tight end Tyler Warren.

He’s been the conduit for basically all of the Nittany Lions attack. He finished the first half with one carry for four yards, a pass completion for nine, and nine catches for 98 yards. He caught the touchdown pass that was called back on a penalty, as well.

The other big blemish of the half for the Nittany Lions was a Drew Allar interception that set up a USC field goal.

But no matter the cause, the offense will need to get something sparked in the second half for a comeback to be on. And Franklin said the key there will be getting some explosive plays, either via Warren or elsewhere in the offense. But one way or another, Franklin knows it’s imperative for the Nittany Lions to string some offensive success together.

“We need a few explosive plays as well, there’s no doubt about it. We’ve gotta get our defense off the field and create some momentum but we’ll do that in the second half.”