Cornerback Stephon Morris heard the statistic and, before the question was even finished, said in disgust, "man."
"Seventy-six percent. That's terrible," Morris said.
Yes, it is.
Through two games, teams have completed 76 percent of their passes against Penn State.
"I didn't know that number," Morris said on a conference call this week, "and if you could see my face right now it's not good."
Youngstown State's Kurt Hess hit 21-of-25 passes in the opener, and Alabama's Greg McElroy connected on 16-of-24. That's 37-of-49, which again, as Morris said, is terrible.
It's also a big concern heading into this week's game against Kent State, which has a quality quarterback with a fascinating story in Spencer Keith. He is 47-of-61 (66.2 percent) for an average of 238 yards through two games, throwing four touchdowns and three interceptions.
The sophomore from Arkansas had an unbelievable high school career playing at a school, Pulaski Academy, that passed on just about every play.
Keith threw for 5,310 yards and an incredible 70 touchdowns as a senior, and his team never punted the ball, going for it no matter what the down and distance. It worked, too, as Keith's team won a state title. He also had 4,768 yards passing and 51 TDs as a junior.
Keith doesn't have the kind of weapons around him that would scare a lot of major programs. But put his skills against a struggling pass defense, and it at least gives the Golden Flashes an outside shot at an upset.
"This week you're going to see a totally different secondary and defense," Morris said.
The problems against the pass have not been entirely the secondary's fault. The defensive line hasn't gotten pressure on the quarterback, and the inexperienced linebackers are still figuring out their responsibilities in pass coverage.
Penn State also plays a soft zone almost all the time, giving teams the underneath stuff. This has worked, for the most part, for years, but it's maddening on occasion several times a game when, on third-and-4, the cornerbacks will give receivers a 5-yard cushion.
The defensive backs don't get off the hook just because the front seven isn't performing up to expectations.
Despite what Joe Paterno said Tuesday, safety Nick Sukay continues to be a question mark. He has not shown much progress after struggling a good bit last year.
"I thought Sukay played well," JoePa said of the Alabama game. "He must have had five, six tackles early in the game. Our problem is tackles after 6-, 7-, 8-yard gains. We're not being aggressive enough around the football."
Morris played the entire second half against Alabama with a foot injury - which he didn't tell the coaches about until Sunday - and it kept him out of practice Monday. He is expected to be OK and to start this week.
Still, Morris apparently had been beaten out by Chaz Powell in preseason camp, at least according to the final depth chart, before Powell was moved back to offense. So one has to wonder where the sophomore is in his development.
D'Anton Lynn is solid at the other corner spot, and safety Drew Astorino holds his own. But add up all the issues, and there's plenty of reason to be concerned about opponents moving the chains consistently through the air.
"We know we can play better football," Morris said, "and we want to show the world what we can do."
This week would be a good time to start.
Cory Giger is the host of "Sports Central" from 4 to 6 p.m. daily on ESPN Radio 1430 WVAM. He can be reached at 949-7031 or cgsports12@aol.com.
