SI.com · Dec 26, 2018
The Legend and the Myth of the Halftime Adjustment
As last year's title game proved, halftime can change everything. But what actually goes on inside the locker room may not be what you expect.
Penn State needed a spark. Midway through the 2016 Big Ten championship game, the Nittany Lions trailed Wisconsin 28–14. They had lost two first-half fumbles, were stuffed on a pair of fourth-down attempts and had gained three yards rushing. Not only that, but the Badgers were using a secondary alignment, Cover 3, that then offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead and his staff did not expect. Passing plays attacking such a coverage weren’t even on Moorhead’s play call sheet that week. That all changed during halftime.
