Penn State football’s offense was far from perfect on Saturday afternoon, but its ability to protect the football was all it needed to take care of the Spartans.

The Nittany Lions’ offense did look predictable and uninspired at times, especially during the first quarter. But, they kept themselves in the game for long enough to finally get things going by not committing any offensive turnovers. Penn State’s only “turnover” came when Jaquan Brisker fumbled his own interception.

Penn State seemed to flip a switch in the turnover battle when it played Michigan. After giving up 27 points off four turnovers against Iowa, the Nittany Lions have only suffered two in the past three games.

Quarterback Sean Clifford said after the game that limiting turnovers have been a big factor in Penn State’s hot streak.

“The last few weeks I finally felt like myself again being able to push the ball downfield,” Clifford said. “It’s crazy when you look at how much turnovers impact a team…I have the confidence in myself to pass…I’m not scared to turn the ball over.”

Clifford, who now has thrown nine interceptions this season, hasn’t thrown more than one in a game since week five against Iowa.

Yes, Penn State has been generally more reliant on its rushing attack amid these struggles. But this has served as a way to let Clifford reset and gain his confidence back. The Nittany Lions ran 30 passing plays and 40 rushing plays against Michigan State, compared to a 57-22 run-to-pass split against Rutgers.

Limiting turnovers was a big part of getting to this point, which Clifford said is due to both his confidence and extra practice.

He explained the team is always harping on winning the turnover battle. Some routes or play calls have riskier reads, which comes down to his game-time decision making. They don’t specifically work on it in practice, but it’s certainly been at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

“The ball is the program,” Clifford said.

Penn State was more reliant on its passing attack against the Spartans, and it worked. More and more pieces of the offense are starting to come together, making it much more balanced and powerful.

James Franklin agrees that Penn State has looked more like the good football team it once was against Michigan State. Despite having a double-digit deficit heading into the locker room, the Nittany Lions dug deep and eventually came out on top.

“The last three games we’ve really gotten back to our identity of finding ways to win,” Franklin said. “We won the field position battle, we had a push on the turnover battle, we won the penalty battle.”

Penn State was able to find a way to win by keeping itself in the game when things weren’t clicking offensively. Not only did the defense come up big in the second half, but the ball protection from Clifford and the rest of the offense kept the Nittany Lions in the driver’s seat.

By keeping the score relatively low through a lack of turnovers, Penn State’s deficit wasn’t that big when its offense finally kicked into second gear. The offense only managed 10 points in the first half, but it recorded 22 in the second. There was a 172-232 total yardage differential between the two hals as well.

Countless times earlier in the season, Penn State has shot itself in the foot with turnovers. Momentum was killed, scores were ran up, and games were eventually lost. But it looks like that’s changed, and it’s helping the Nittany Lions be a winning team again.

“We’re just back to playing Penn State football,” Clifford said.