The Penn State Football Show

That is what Penn State has and what will ultimately carry them through hard times. They know what they are capable of, and no matter who is on the other side of the ball, the only ones preventing them from executing are themselves. Drew is right about Jim "I dont know where you got that vest but it wasn't the men's department" Tressel...he is sly. He's one of those guys you don't have babysit or even pet your dog. But whatever he has in store for his defensive unit, Penn State and Daryll Clark will dictate this game. This is not to say that they will 100% win, but if they play their game, no matter what OSU does, victory will come to the Lions.

The team is so complete from offense to defense to leadership, character, mindset...everything just seems very constant. OSU on the other hand is riding a big wave coming off a blowout at East Lansing, but they have faced adversity this year and dealt with it by replacing their quarterback. Thus far that move has paid off, and Terrelle Pryor has done an admiral job while showing flashes of his elite athletic ability. Unfortunately for the layman, who sees Pryor juking, running, slinging, and doing all his video game moves, they do not realize that he is 18 years old and is good simply because he is athletic. His throwing motion is terrible, he floats the ball, he stops looking downfield as soon as someone gets close to him, he stops moving his feet as soon as someone makes contact with him, and he talks smack on the field like he has actually earned the right to do that. I despise him. After the Wisconsin game everyone just bowed down to him. Wow he "led" a drive down the field and won a game by scoring a touchdown where the Wisconsin linebackers had no idea what was going on. Does anyone realize that he had 14 carries for 9 yards before his 11 yard scamper at the end of the game? He threw a pick, missed some wide open receivers, and at time made poor decisions. As much as I dislike this guy, these things are expected. He's young, inexperienced, and has been playing weak sauce high school football the past 4 years. Why did he struggle so much against Wisconsin's defense? They have fast linebackers.

The Penn State defense has speed and it will be crucial to get Mauti in the game. As for Bani, he is quick, but he's not a middle linebacker. I like him in there for the 4-4 with Bowman, Mauti and Hull/Sales, and I give credit to Hull who looked horrible in the first quarter against Michigan, but when he got his second chance in the third, he played better than he had all year. I expect him to start as well as Sales; that's just the Penn State way...these guys will have a short leash, but they will be given their chance. Look for a heavy dose of 4-4 defense to stop the run and force Pryor to pass. Anthony Scirrotto will be a big key in this game and should have plenty of time to close in on receivers while Terrelle floats it to them.

There were games in the past when I predicted that Penn State would win just because that's what I wanted to happen, and how could I pick against my team? That's what I did last year when we played OSU. This year I make my pick with confidence, the same thing that Penn State players will have in one another throughout the game Saturday. No doubts, no telling the coach that you should be benched if you don't perform well (give me a break Pryor), no cracking under pressure. This team is for real. Daryll Clark could get 3 limbs cut off and he'd still get under center. He's not going to tell anyone to take him out if he's not doing well because he believes in himself and knows that he's the man. The whole world is about to learn that. This team is downright determined, mean, and destined for great things. Let's hope their ready to bring the party to Columbus.

Penn State 35 Ohio State 21