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Penn State

Franklin explains two-point conversion attempts in Michigan loss

Screen Shot 2021-11-15 at 6.02.01 PMby:BWI Staff•11/11/23
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Penn State head coach James Franklin walks on the sideline during the second quarter against Michigan at Beaver Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports)

By Greg Pickel

Penn State tried a pair of two-point conversion attempts in Saturday’s loss to Michigan. Both failed. That was relevant only in an academic sense, to some degree, as the Lions looked unlikely to score another touchdown by the time they tried and couldn’t convert late in the fourth quarter. But it’s also been a talking point following the Lions’ latest loss to a top-five opponent. This time, it was by a 25-14 final score.

The first two-point conversion try came in the first half. Penn State pulled within five, 14-9, in the second quarter when Drew Allar raced into the end zone from 11 yards out. According to the two-point conversion decision chart, teams should go for two when down five to make it a field goal game. The Lions did not convert, however, as Allar’s pass fell incomplete. That decision was defensible.

The decision to go for two once the Lions pulled within nine late in the fourth quarter, however, is harder to explain, even if the chart suggests going for it in that instance, too. It’s true that Penn State, by picking up the two-point try, would have only been down a touchdown. But by failing, it kept itself in a two-score deficit instead of kicking the extra point and turning it into a one-score game. Time was not on Penn State’s side. So, needing to score once instead of twice was a big deal, even if it ultimately did not matter in the long run.

“I felt like points were going to be at a premium,” Franklin said. “These are all the things that we talk about before the game. We use the analytics, as well as conversations as a staff. At same point you’re going to have to score enough points to get back in the game. But just trying to get the game back into a one-possession game [was a priority]. In that situation, we didn’t know how many opportunities we were going to get to try to maximize it.”

Penn State struggles on offense in latest loss

The two-point conversion failures are on a long list of issues Penn State had offensively on Saturday. They struggled on third down. Allar was inaccurate and ineffective. And when the Lions needed to make a play the most, they frequently did not.

“We did not play well enough in all three phases to get the win,” Franklin said. “Had a great environment, and a great crowd, which I think played a factor in the first half and helped us out. But after that, we’ve been really good in the third quarter all year long. Obviously, the turnover [by Allar] in the third quarter was a significant play in the game. Up to that point, obviously, we were in a heck of a game.”

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