A Quick Check-In On How Jim Knowles Has Done At Penn State Before He Returns To Columbus This Saturday
So as we all know, Judas Jim Knowles aka Benedict Arnold left Ohio State this offseason, fresh off a National Championship, because he thought the grass was going to be greener at Penn State. Don't tell me it was about the money, either. Don't get me wrong, Penn State is paying him more than any coordinator in the history of the sport has made, but Ohio State had an offer on the table to do the very same. No, Jim had his feelings hurt when Ryan Day, to say it kindly, started participating more in the Defensive meetings following the Buckeyes midseason loss at Oregon. Seemed like it worked out as the defense became rock solid on the path to the most impressive run in College Football history? But Jimmy didn't like not feeling like he had complete and total control, so he started looking elsewhere. And on the day that the rest of the team and coaches were celebrating the title in front of thousands of fans in The Shoe, Jim Knowles was nowhere to be found, only to resurface just minutes later in reports that he had accepted the same exact job title he already had, except at a much less prestigious school, in the same conference, at Penn State.
This move was supposed to signify a few things, the most being that Penn State was all-in on the Natty or Bust type season that both Ohio State and Michigan* had pulled off the years before. They had gone into Columbus, and while they hadn't stolen more than 1 game in the last 100 years, they stole what was thought of to be the best coordinator in the entire sport. And oh how wrong they were....
Let's check in on how Jim Knowles defense has done thus far this year, just days ahead of Judas' return to Columbus as Penn State travels to Ohio State on Saturday. (For a reference point, I will include the lousy Ohio State defense and our lackluster defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's stats in this post as well. Wish we could've kept Explosive Play Knowles, but we I guess Matty P will have to do)
Points:
Ohio State has given up 41 points. Penn State has given up 42 points. Oh wait, that was just in one game to at the time unbeaten UCLA. Ohio State is 1st in the country by a mile, giving up just 5.9 ppg. Penn State, having played quite literally nobody, is giving up 20.
Yards:
Ohio State leads the country in yards given up as well, allowing just 216 per game. Penn State isn't terrible, averaging having given up 303 per game, which is 20th in the country. One thing to note though is that Ohio State has only given up more than Penn State's average just one time this entire season, which was game #1 in what was supposed to be the #1 team in the country, Texas.
Red Zone Defense:
Ohio State is only giving up touchdowns on 16% of the drives that make the red zone, which is far and away the best in the country. They only give up points 50% of the time! Penn State, unfortunately, lets the opponent score 83% of the time, which includes 58% touchdowns. That's just outside the Top 60 in the country.
3rd Down %:
Ohio State leads the country with a 21% conversion rate for the offense. Penn State is double that at 40%, which is good for 81st.
Wins:
Ohio State is the #1 team in the country, sitting at 7-0. Penn State is unfortunately just outside the Top 25, sitting at 3-4.
Head Coaches Fired:
Here is where Penn State actually beats Ohio State in a stat. Matt Patricia has made Ryan Day look like the smartest guy in the world for hiring him, but Jim Knowles leads the country (1) in getting coaches fired that made the College Football Semifinals just 5 games before and held preseason Top 3 rankings.
Okay well I guess by all accounts, Jim Knowles has been an utter failure in State College. He's on a 3 year deal, but I'm assuming whichever Head Coach comes in next will want to bring his own guys? So while I was looking forward to beating up on Jimmy for years, I guess this one week will have to serve a lifetime of memories. Looking forward to getting back to Columbus on Saturday to welcome Coach Knowles back to The Shoe.
