The Penn State Football Show

First of all, I can't believe you idiots actually think you can pull off the record the game and try to watch it later without hearing about the score. It's impossible. It's never been done. I've tried it many times, never with any sort of success. If you honestly think you can pull it off you are fooling yourselves. The very thought of it is so arrogant and ignorant of you. But good luck! I might text you guys score updates just to teach you a lesson.

This game really snuck up on me, and I haven't really put nearly as much thought into this bowl game as I normally do. This entire college football season has been pretty underwhelming in my opinion, and I just haven't had as much interest as usual. We have been spoiled the last few years with some incredible college football seasons though, so I can't complain.

Anyway, I don't really have a whole lot to say about the game. I agree with a lot of the things that Rudy and Drew said. I expect a defensive battle like Rudy said. I don't know a whole lot about this LSU team. I do know they aren't as good as some of the great LSU teams in recent years, but they definitely have a ton of talent on their roster. I am going to take LSU in this game for a pretty simple reason. Penn State's only two losses this year came at the hands of Iowa and Ohio State, and the reason they lost both games was because their o-line was completely dominated and overpowered by the defensive line of the opponenent. LSU always has an excellent defensive line, so I expect the same thing to happen. Penn State's offense will struggle to move the ball as the d-line gives them fits. It will be a low scoring game, but I see LSU coming out on top. Les Miles prepares his teams well for bowl games. But then again, so does Joepa...


Also, Drew, I like how you state that you are trying to "bring some legitimacy" to this blog under the post titled "Southern chicks are sluts."

Before I began to actually think about what I was going to say in this post, I had my mind made up that Penn State was going to lose. When you look at our losses compared to theirs, the scales just tip to LSU's favor. I think Ohio State is a good team and if we had shown up to play at all I would be proud to call it a loss. How Iowa beat us still baffles me. What discourages me more is that Iowa should have beaten OSU on their home turf. Astounding. But the closer I got to putting pen to paper all I could think was "Can Penn State really lose two bowl games in a row?"

Unfathomable, right? Penn State has far and above proven themselves to be the over-achiever of the Big Ten in bowl victories. I remember the days of my father preaching to me "Give Jerry Sandusky two weeks and he'll prepare a defense that could stop God." To a lesser extent I still find this true with the current coaching staff. They have done a tremendous job, by and large, preparing for an unfamiliar foe. And I don't know how many times we have to prove that we have speed at Penn State. Every year that's all the announcers talk about leading up to the game and we always hear of opposing coaches being amazed at our speed after the game. You would think they could find a new angle.

What honestly sat in my mind the most was last years bowl prediction. All three of us took Penn State over USC and although hindsight is 20/20 and you guys will think I'm full of it, I didn't really see how Penn State could beat the Trojans and was less than surprised at the outcome. I don't want to make that mistake again. Because to be completely honest, the fact that more and more people are reading what we have to say is maybe one of the coolest feelings in the world. And I'm trying to bring just a small piece of legitimacy to this site.

So after days of waffling one thought came to my head and my decision was made up. This is a big game, and Darryl Clark has proven he can't win them. I don't mean to throw losses on one guy's shoulders but he really has not come through when we needed him the most. I think the Bayou Bengals take this one based on a stagnant Penn State offense and a porous special teams.

Lions and Tigers and....Bears! Oh my! What Bears you ask? The Bruins! Unfortunately I will be unable to view the Capital One Bowl live since I will be attending the Winter Classic hockey game at Fenway Park, but Drew and I (and Fitz) will attempt to do the impossible....record the game and watch it from start to finish as if it were live. To do this, we will be incommunicado from 1pm until we have seen the final play of the Penn State - LSU matchup.

Now on to the game itself! I am really looking forward to this defensive duel, and the opportunity for Penn State to finally earn the evasive meaningful victory. So far this season Penn State has taken care of business in their wins and in their losses they have made mistakes and not been able to run the ball. LSU presents a stingy defense that held Florida to only 13 points, and we have come to expect a solid defensive unit out of the bayou on a yearly basis. This year however, the defense has been giving up more yards (both passing and rushing) than their own offense can produce. Their defense has 20 sacks (not a bad number) but they have allowed 35! In a game against lowly Louisiana Tech, LSU managed only 246 yards while giving up 322 after squeaking out an ugly 8 point victory. All season LSU has failed to live up to their billing.

All in all I have not been impressed with LSU all season. They, like Penn State, have not beaten a currently ranked team, and I feel that much of their legitimacy is due to the fact that they "hung in there" against Florida and Alabama. In both of those games, however, their yardage was doubled by their opponent. In addition, for the bowl game, LSU's top running back, Charles Scott, will not play due to an injury....too bad. Even without him in the lineup, all month I have heard about "Southern Speed" yada yada yada. Everyone's got their blazers, and Penn State is no different. What's so damn special about LSU? Oh my god they have someone on their team that runs a 10 second 100-meter! Terrifying! Too bad the chump only has 23 carries and 3 catches on the season. Yet all month that is all I heard. "LSU is too fast"...."this Holliday kid is going to outrun the Penn State defense". Horsehockey. I love Devon Smith, but the little guy has been a non-factor over the course of the season. Sure he's as fast as chihuahua falling down a manhole, but he isn't a great football player. Neither is Holliday...he's just fast. Put it back in your pants media types! He concerns me on kickoffs and that's about it. People don't realize the speed of Penn State's defense. AJ Wallace, Bowman, Lee, and Crawford are all guys that have above average speed for their positions. There are also rumors that we may see a fair amount of the fleet of foot Gerald Hodges at linebacker. LSU simply put has not been able to do much offensively all season while Penn State's defense has been smothering. Put that together and LSU is going to have a tough time moving the ball.

Their inability to sustain drives on offense has hurt their defense, and this is not the same kind of LSU defense we have seen in the past. Typically their defensive line is full of monsters, but this year the stars of the defense have probably been the secondary and LB's. Look for Penn State to really try to establish the running game and make a statement on the line. The Lions have a number of guys that can produce offensively, and with a whole month of focused practice, I fully expect guys like Curtis Drake to play a major role in the game. All in all, Penn State seems much more talented and they possess greater depth than the Tigers. Keep LaFell (LSU's star WR) double covered and stuff the run and LSU can't do much else.

With all this being said, you can't count out LSU. They are well coached and play well in bowl games. Only a few years ago they were national champions, and last year they diagnosed Georgia Tech's triple option and absolutely dominated the game, but in my opinion, it will be quite tough to prepare for Penn State. They are well balanced, disciplined, and perform well in bowl games. The coaches have proved in the past several years that they are not afraid to throw in some new wrinkles during bowl preparation, and even if they don't throw any gimmicks at LSU, the threat of one will constantly be on their mind when guys like Drake, Smith, and Newsome are in the game. Over the past four years, Penn State has performed at a high level offensively and they have execute well, even against some very stout defenses.

I am clearly biased, but LSU has underachieved all year and have been sloppy in most of their games. The same could be said of Penn State, but with the way they came out and executed against Michigan State, I tend to forget about their slop. Florida held LSU to 162 yards of offense. Penn State has a better defense, and as long as Clark can minimize errors, I see LSU gaining well under 300 yards and scoring at most one touchdown. The biggest danger for Penn State, and an area LSU will undoubtedly target, is special teams. With a whole month to get healthy and work on their kick coverage though, I expect PSU has addressed this. With how poorly LSU's offense has played, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just kick to an up-man every kickoff to get the ball out of Hollidays little mitts. This is a big test and a very meaningful game for the university and the Big Ten as a whole. I was very pleased with Wisconsin's win over Miami, and hopefully, with the exception of the damn Hawkeyes, the trend can continue.

Mufasa takes down Shere Khan.

Let's party

I would like to extend my congratulations to the Penn State women's volleyball team. 102 straight wins to accompany 3 straight national championships is easily one of the most astounding runs a team can assemble. And anyone who did not watch this game is an absolute idiot. I am usually the guy at the head of the line hating on women's sports, but these games are EXCITING! They are some of the most stressful events to watch. My only beef is it seems each team has 13 timeouts per set. Its too easy for momentum to die or get shifted.

For those who missed the event. Penn State lost the first two sets and rallied to win the last 3. Worm's boy Russ Rose has unparalleled composure and seems unfazed at all stages of the game. Admirable, but I prefer coaches with a Cowher like emotion. Another amazing stat is that Penn State is the only respectable volleyball program east of the Mississippi. Everything else is out west. This is comparable the the University of Maine being the best baseball program in the country. Think about it. So sound off if you watched the game and look for bowl prediction in the coming days.

Probably no one in the SEC, or most Big 12 members, but pretty much everyone else says hell yeah to this question. These talks are preliminary in every sense of the word, but make no mistake, it's a big deal. Joe Paterno's been stumping for another team in the Big Ten since PSU joined in the early 90's, just like he stumped for Eastern Elite athletic conference way back in the day. Will anyone ever listen to guy?

Colin Cowherd talked Big Ten the other day. A lot of people like him, a lot of people hate him, but damnit, the guy is interesting. I like him. He said the slam dunk no brainer to add to the Big Ten is Rutgers. He focused on size, academics, and location as primary factors. And they all make sense. Huge state school, great academics and research, and close to somehow still untouched New York market as it relates to college football.

The obvious downside to this that everyone would go on record as saying is, who the hell wants to make a road trip to New Jersey? Just think...Ann Arbor, Madison, State College, Piscataway? I don't think so. You don't need to be a huge school to match up academically with the rest of them (Northwestern). Athletically, I don't really see it either. For every Ray Rice and Kenny Britt there are 10 walk on guidos. Basketball, I can't even really comment because I know nothing about the program. Average across the board. Very good baseball program though, not surprising.

Time to turn to my buddy Ron Cook
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09351/1021570-87.stm

Would the Big Ten dare? I say yes for several reasons. We would be doing a great human service to all the Kenny Rayls and other shapes of Pitt fans by validating their existence. And if you had to add another stop on the Big Ten roadtrip map, why not the City of Champions? 70,000 seats, as good a tailgating as you'll get inside city limits, and a casino with table games right next door. Immeasurable improvement for Big Ten basketball as well. And while it's always enjoyable to make fun of Pitt, don't forget. Pitt's academic chops stack up against anyone and would fit right in with Big Ten standards.

It would also make Pitt/Penn State relevant again, and this time with the context of ever important conference implications at the heart of it. Outside of Notre Dame, Pitt makes the most sense to add from every standpoint, including location. Notre Dame will never happen. I don't think Pitt will happen either. Everyone loves Rutgers for some reason. Am I only one that notices that they still haven't ever done shit ever? A couple trips to the International Bowl and they are big timers? I don't get it. People are trying to get out of New Jersey, not stay there. That's why they come to Penn State. Let's make this happen. I hate to say it, but Hail to Pitt!

I'm sure when you read the title of this post you immediately had visions of Ryan Reynolds, Juan Guzman, and some of the ridiculous malformations you can sculpt out of certain parts of the male anatomy! But, since this is a football blog, I will save my Roger Ebert skills for another time.

Instead, I am concerned with the amount of time between the last Penn State regular season game and the upcoming Bowl game. I must admit, I am excited for the LSU-PSU matchup. An SEC opponent in a rather meaningful bowl game will give Penn State, and the Big Ten, a chance to see where they stand in relation to the almighty SEC. But, like a 6-year-old counting down the days on his advent calendar, I am really getting sick of waiting for Jan. 1.

Apparently, the NCAA and the Big Ten feel preparation for a bowl game deserves more practice time than preparation for the season opener. Penn State will have had more "official" practice time to prepare for LSU than they did for Akron, in terms of days. Either way, the time off between the end of the Big Ten regular season and the Bowl games is absolutely atrocious (Penn State will have 33 days off between games and this year the waiting time is relatively short). This is entirely too long to go without playing a football game. It's like starting over again. Teams lose their rhythm, players lose their competitiveness, and we have nothing to blog about! As a result, many of the teams have sluggish first quarters in the bowl games because the players are still waking up to game-type action. Two, maybe three weeks is PLENTY. Any coach or sportswriter who tells you that this is not a problem nor a disadvantage is simply giving the PC response...a response which is also BS! I have a feeling that this lay-off has been the reason Big Ten teams have underperformed in recent bowl games.

I am not positive about this, but I think much of this malarkey in scheduling revolves around the Ohio State-Michigan game (a game that nobody outside of Ohio or Michigan really cares about...but fans of the respective schools will tell you different). This game is always the last weekend of the Big Ten season and Jim Tressel does not want to play this game the weekend of Thanksgiving because it will interfere with Thanksgiving break for his players and his fans. Tressel wants this game played before Thanksgiving so his players can "go home for the Thanksgiving break." Tressel has also denied the long lay-off as being detrimental when it came to getting whacked in the '06 and '07 Title games. Why Jim Delany and staff entertain this idea, I dont know. And, if this game is such a huge rivalry like they claim, why isnt it played on the final college football "rivalry" weekend?

A few suggestions for the future...

• Push the start of the season back a week or two into September. Do we really need to be playing football in August, sometimes before school is even in session? As a result, the season would extend well into December.
• Build a bye week into the Big Ten schedule. We don't need 12 games squeezed into 12 weeks. Give everyone involved (players, coaches, media, fans) a breather half way through!
• All non-conference games must be played BEFORE Big Ten games start. That mid-season Eastern Illinois game was flat out stupid.
• Develop a Big Ten Championship game. Whether its 11 or 12 teams, lets determine the champion on the field like everyone else does. Enough of this co-champ nonsense. The Big Ten falls off the map in December while everyone else is playing Championship games.

I still think the whole college football season could be one week longer and extend into mid-December. I hear there is talk about making changes to the Big Ten schedule. Feel free to share some insight...

After reading some of the Capital One Bowl Media Day interview transcripts, I learned that Jerome Hayes is appealing to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligiblity. He did have two season-ending knee injuries, so I suppose he has a shot at getting a sixth year granted, although I don't know how good his chances are.

Personally I think it would be great for the team if we got him back next year. When he's healthy, he is a great player. He is also a veteran and a leader, and he has experience at both linebacker and stand-up defensive end.

It takes about two years to fully recover from a torn ACL. He's had one in each leg. But next fall he would be 2+ years removed from each one. He wasn't even close to being 100% this year, and you could tell. He really didn't make any plays in the first half of the season, but he did improve toward the end. I think he would be much better next year and could be a big help. This will be interesting to keep an eye on.

Gerhart is a stud. I won't argue that. His numbers are unreal, leading the FBS in rushing yards and adding 26 rushing touchdowns. However, this trophy isn't like the MVP in baseball, and stats aren't everything. When I look at this, I see five guys that are phenomenal players that all mean a lot to their team, but one that plays for an undefeated team that could not be replaced. Colt McCoy is a player that does whatever his team needs and although his season doesn't measure up with what he did last year (I thought he deserved the award last year instead of Bradford) he really defines a great football player. Last year for the majority of the season he led the team in rushing and this year is second on the team in rushing yards. Texas is a team that has lost one game in two years and had virtually no running game that whole time. Statistically I would pick Gerhart over everyone else. In terms of stepping up in the clutch you have to give it to Ingram for the way he played against Florida. In terms of the most valuable player though, McCoy really deserves this. He got snubbed last year and his team is undefeated while Stanford is 8-4. All are deserving and I find it funny that the least deserving is Tebow. Larry Johnson had over 2000 yards rushing in 2002 and didn't get the Heisman largely due to Penn State's record...wins matter more than yards. McCoy gives the stiff-arm

I am notching my Heisman vote for Toby Gerhart. If you look at this kids stats game in and game out, he never took a day off. Kid got his yards. Some would argue that because Stanford finished at 8-4 he is less legitimate than say Mark Ingram. I disagree because teams like Alabama, Florida, and Texas have lots of weapons to help other guys look good and also spread the defense in many areas. The Cardinal are not a power house and any coach who watches the tape knows where the ball is going yet he still gained ground.

Many are calling for Suh and saying if he doesn't win its because old sportswriters only want to give it to offensive players. For me, he doesn't get my vote because if he doesn't show up like that against Texas he's not even in talks. Beano Cooke used to say the two best ways to win the Heisman is to play for Notre Dame or Beat Notre Dame. I think the same is true for teams like Florida and Texas today. I'm hesitant to give the Heisman to a guy based on one game.

Also, my sincerest thanks go to Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs on his record breaking 24th rushing TD this season, breaking Lord Tebow's record for single season rushing TDs by a quarterback. Thank Jesus for that one crybaby.

As we all know, Charlie "the Chocolate Factory" Weis was axed a few days ago after an uninspiring tenure as Notre Dame's head football coach and adviser to the student group "IFL" (International FUPA League). Although he is now jobless, he received somewhere around $15 million due to his extensive contract that had him coaching until his Adidas wind breaker pants were the only thing he was capable of wearing. He is expected to make his next live appearance on ESPN on July 4, 2010 where he will attempt to dethrone Joey Chestnut and Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. But to get back to the focus of this jab at Notre Dame....they are coachless right now...but they are 6-6. They are bowl eligible. However, if they were going to play in a bowl game, it would either be the Little Ceasar's "I want to shoot myself in the head" Pizza Bowl played in lovely Detroit, or the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, AL (likely against a C-USA opponent). Not great options...but it's a bowl game, and you're team gets money for that. And in Notre Dame's case (since they are independent) they don't have to share that money with anyone. Reports indicate that the team is highly unlikely of accepting a bowl bid, however, and it seems as if their pride has gotten in the way of letting their players compete in another football game.

No, they won't be playing on New Year's Day, and not many people will probably go or watch, but what about those seniors that lost their last home game to Connecticut? Do they not get to play again (some for the rest of their lives) because the school doesn't want to "stoop" to the level of Conference USA? I am just flabbergasted at this possibility, and can't say that I have ever heard of a team saying "no" to a bowl game....except for the ones back in the day where the team got a bowl bid, but they weren't allowed to bring their black players so the team decided not to go...that's fine....but just not going? Where do they get off? This really bothers me because there are kids playing at schools like Temple and Buffalo that worked their tails off to even have the chance of going 6-6 and getting to a bowl. Getting an invite to the Little Ceasar's Pizza Bowl for these schools would be like Notre Dame hiring Jesus as head coach, yet here ND sits. Sometimes you've got to lower your standards and go after a fat chick, because something is better than nothing. Hopefully Notre Dame changes their mind because it isn't fair for their players, and even though I want them to lose every single game they ever play, it's just not right.

Keep an eye out for a new Klondike Bar commercial where the "What would you do for a Klondike Bar" slogan will be sung, and we will then see Charlie Weis decimate a pet store full of puppies with a blow torch.

Going into depth a little more on Bowden, I am starting to feel for the guy. I blame this solely on the media who tends to depict athletes and coaches as Saints when they retire/die when the full story is nothing but the opposite. Example: Steve McNair. People are calling this guy a great community leader and family man before he was so tragically slain. Not buyin it. Bowden is a less than perfect guy who has been maybe the biggest perpetrator of nepotism I have ever seen. His recruitment of certain players has had a lot of people raising their eyebrows and his players have criminal records only rivaled by their athletic prowess. Having said that, I thought he handled the academic scandal extremely well and gained a lot of points with me in that one.

His forced retirement at FSU reminds me of a few years ago when fans and faculty were calling for JoePa to step down. I will admit for the first time publicly that I was one of those fans. It is one of the most shameful behaviors of my life I wish I could take back but can't. I feel terrible every time I think about it. But I was a 18 year old kid tired of seeing his once mighty Lions lose to the same teams that we used to beat right off the field. I'm glad to see Penn State kept Joe around and made a solemn vowel to myself I would support him no matter how many losing seasons we might have. The problem with guys like Paterno and Bowden is, given the chance, they will never leave. Its just not in them. So when things go terribly afoul its up to someone else to make the tough decision.

I have to agree with Jason on a playoff system. Not so much for the same reasons as he stated but its just not feasible. I think that goes into the pageantry of college football that it often resembles a Greek tragedy. But as with most things in life, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you get screwed. But in the long run things seem to work out. If we think back a few years ago, the number one team most times didn't even play the number two team in their final game and it was left up to writers to determine the National Champion. Its an imperfect world, why should our bowl selections be any different? I am still holding strong on my opinion that Penn State does not deserve a BCS game this year though.

I don't know if anyone saw this from last weeks USC-UCLA game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVpyI6eWvwQ Its absolutely atrocious. You would think the media would have a field day with this but the fact that Tiger Woods dinged his Caddy coupled with the fact that Pete Carrol is a media darling and it all makes sense. I hate Pete Carrol. I have always hated Pete Carrol. I think he pays his recruits and I think he is a scumbag. And all the Behind the Lines stories where he gave an inner-city kid a chance to be their towel boy for a game won't change that. As for UCLA, either sprint across the field and start throwing fisticuffs or sit there and shut up. I totally agree that what USC did was the poorest showing of sportsmanship and they have every right to be mad. But either put up or shut up. All you've done is create a pre-game montage for next year.

Big ups to Big Ten hoops which brought home victory in the Big Ten/ACC challenge for the first time in 11 years.

Not sure how many of you got a chance to watch the "Bowl Game Promo" (click here for link) shown smack dab on the front of Penn State's athletic website Gopsusports.com. I read briefly about this in some articles, but not until this evening did I stumble upon it and actually watch the video.

How do I feel about this video? The fact that I have to make a stance on this video is what is wrong with the system. Go ahead and argue the x' and o's, head-to-head comparisons, etc. This is blatant proof that the selection process is absolutely ludicrous and that college football is simply a money-making MACHINE.

As a loyal fan, sure, I'm pulling for us to get a BCS bid and a chance to knock off a top-ranked and/or potentially undefeated team (Boise State). Contrarily, I have about as much interest in watching Iowa play in a BCS game (should they be selected) as some of the West Point Cadets had (caught snoozing) listening to Obama present his politically divided Afghanistan insurgent speech. However, do we deserve the bid? See previous posts and you decide.

I'd imagine Guido is behind this operation, as he should be because it's his job, to promote Penn State football (and basketball). But I guess I will go ahead and make my stance. I don't like it. If the Penn State brand is that good, do we need to sell it this much? Is the Fiesta Bowl committee really going to base their selection off some statistics they saw on a promo video? As much as it may seem like they are sometimes (see the BCS), these people are not idiots and they have access to this information at their fingertips at the touch of a button.

Maybe I'm totally off-base here, but I'm not buying into the whole Bowl Game Propaganda. Get your popcorn folks, December 6th is quickly approaching. WE ARE...(and if you don't know the rest, I'll throw together a promo video clearly describing the origins of this popular game-day chant.)

As the college football season progresses into the final month, the BCS puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. Like they say, "You remember what happens in November." As the season rolls on, we will hear fans ignorantly bitch, moan, and debate over the validity of the current BCS system. Everyone will give you their "perfect playoff" scenario: a 6-team playoff, an 8-team playoff, a 16-team playoff similar to D-IAA, II, and III. All of these are valid arguments and potentially could happen.

If you are a college football fan, you have probably shed your opinion on this matter at some point and you cant help but get caught up in the debate. And if you're like "Rulebook" Albright, you have gone as far as sending letters to Joe Paterno and the NCAA outlining your proposal. Say what you want about the business aspects and how the bureaucrats control the system, but in terms of football and the product on the field, the BCS might not be all that bad. Not too long ago, I too was one of those clamoring for a playoff system, but as my wisdom continues to expand at an exponential rate and i invest more time and interest into college football, my thoughts have slowly changed to the contrary. Here is why...

As Jim Mora would say, "PLAY-OFFS? PLAY-OFFS? PLAY-OFFS!?!?!?" I am beginning to agree with the notion that a playoff system will significantly de-emphasize the importance of many of the regular season games (I mean, PSU fans need some reason to get all jacked up for Eastern Illinois, right?). Case in point: Florida and Alabama will meet in the SEC championship game ranked #1 and #2. As the BCS system currently works, this game will essentially be a semi-final matchup for the National Championship...winner is in and loser is out. With an 8 or 16-team playoff system in place, this game would be far less important. Yes, they would be playing for an SEC Championship, but the loser would probably only drop to #6 or #7 and still be seeded in the playoff, taking the National Title implications off of this game. The only people with any vested interest in this game would be fans of the respective schools.

This late season matchup was also the case back in 2006 when #1 Ohio State played #2 Michigan, both undefeated, on the final weekend of the Big Ten season. Another semi-final to the National Championship. With so much riding on this game, it lead to one of the most exciting games in recent college football history. Again, if a playoff system were involved, this game would not have had as much of an impact nationally. It would have merely determined playoff seeding. Note: I understand the importance of a #1 or #2 seed in a playoff system, but that does not grant playoff immunity. In one game in football, anybody can win.

Take the 2008 Penn State season as another example. After the big win at Ohio State, Penn State would have had to win two out of the last three games to win the Big Ten and be placed in a playoff system. If this were the case, would we all have been hanging on the edge of our couches as Ricky Stanzi drove Iowa down the field in the 4th quarter? Probably not as much. The loss at Iowa would not have been as devastating and Penn State would not have been in a must-win scenario until after this loss. And to go one step further...would USC or Oklahoma fans have cared at all about our loss?

As a result of the situations described above coupled with a playoff system, teams will begin to employ strategies similar to the NFL, i.e. resting players for the playoff run and essentially throwing end of season games because they "don't matter." I do not want to see this in college football. This is why college football is so much more exciting than the NFL. There only are 11, sometimes 12 games. EVERY game should be meaningful. I don't really care about the NFL till about week 10 when the playoff picture begins to take shape and the games mean something.

Frankly, I think a playoff system promotes too much post-season parody...much like the NFL where Wild Card teams end up winning the Super Bowl and much like college basketball where the best teams going into the tourney often get knocked off before the final (it's not a coincidence that only once have four #1 seeds met in the Final Four). Should a college football team who goes 12-0 in the regular season be subject to a first round playoff loss? Or, do we really want to see a 9-3 West Virginia team playing a 10-2 Virginia Tech team in the title game while two 12-0 teams sit at home because they got bumped in the first round? The parody should arise throughout the regular season, not the post-season, which is evident in the current BCS system.

The current BCS system is not perfect by any means, but it's almost a playoff system in disguise. On any given year, there are probably three or four teams who, at the end of the year, truly deserve to play for a National Championship. Furthermore, every year there are always late season, intra-conference matchups between two highly ranked teams that can determine the seasons of the respective teams, ala Penn State-Ohio State, LSU-Alabama, Oregon-USC, Texas-Oklahoma and so on. Aren't these games kind of like playoff games...lose and you're out? At season's end, does the sixteenth, or even eighth ranked BCS team truly deserve an equal opportunity at a National Championship as the #1 or #2 teams? NO!

Ideally, I think a +1 system would be then next step and probably would be sufficient. Teams would be re-ranked following the four BCS games and #1 and #2 would then match-up for the Championship. Therefore, an undefeated non-BCS school such as Boise State/TCU/Utah (2008), who had not yet beaten anyone of respective quality, gets an opportunity to show they are for real and belong in a title game.

The bottom line is the BCS is good for college football. It is always a topic for discussion and the discussion brings college football to the forefront of the sports world. Only time will tell what happens, but I don't think the BCS is as big of a disaster as the average fan believes.

A couple thoughts on the Bowden retirement: It is clear that the University kind of forced him out, which is unfortunate. He said after his last game that he wanted to return next year, and then a few days later he announced he’s retiring. He’s done so much for the school, you don’t want to see him go out like this. Florida State was not a competitive football program before Bowden arrived. He turned them into a national powerhouse.

Drew’s post says “Paterno wins.” Personally, I think it’s Penn State that wins, because the school has allowed Joe to go out on his terms and is handling Joe Pa with the respect he deserves, which make the University look good, especially compared to Florida State. Granted they asked him to step down a few years ago, but when he refused, they listened to him and didn’t force him out. I’m not going to get into the whole conversation about whether or not Joe should go. I can quickly sum up my own thoughts on the matter by saying I think he should retire, but he has earned the right to stay as long as he would like.

The whole “Bowden vs. Paterno” race is something that gets way more attention than it deserves. First, you will hear a lot of people say that they think Joe will now retire because he knows he has the record over Bowden. The people that think Joe has been holding out until Bowden retired are completely clueless. There is no way that has ever, or ever will, factor into his decision to retire. I’m not saying Joe doesn’t care about having that honor. I went to nearly every press conference Joe had in my four years at Penn State and can tell you the man definitely has an ego. I’m just saying the race with Bowden has nothing to do with his decision to stay in football this long.

More importantly though, in my opinion, there never has been any race between the two. Bowden’s first 31 wins came at Howard, a Division IAA school. I’m not saying these wins don’t count. I have no problem counting these wins. But if we count these wins, then you have to count ALL of Eddie Robinson’s wins at Grambling (also DI-AA). Robinson had 408 wins in his career, which is more than both Paterno and Bowden.

So there are only two ways you can look at it. Either you count all NCAA wins, or you count only Division I wins. Either way works for me because they both make sense. Under the first scenario Robinson holds the record. Under the second scenario, Paterno holds the record and Bowden is pretty far back. Either way, there really is no significant race between Paterno and Bowden.

It just doesn’t make sense to count Bowden’s 31 IAA wins toward this “record” but disregard Robinson’s entire career. It’s all or nothing. I don’t know why more people don’t realize this.

What is the deal with the media reporting that things that are going “to be announced tomorrow?” What the hell is that? If the Bottom Line on ESPN says “Adam Schefter reports that Bobby Bowden will announce his retirement tomorrow,” didn’t Adam Schefter just announce Bowden’s retirement for him? Now what is there for Bowden to say?

In the specific case of Bowden, I feel sorry for him that it leaked out before he could announce it himself (assuming he does indeed go on to announce his retirement). The man has been coaching for a long time, and when he decides he wants to hang it up, it should be him telling it to the world, not Adam Schefter.

Drew/Albright: Does this qualify as an acceptable hate card?

The battle of crotcheny old S.O.B's for most career wins appears to all belong to Joe Paterno as sources say FSU coach Bobby Bowden will retire. Although Paterno claims this record means nothing to him, pride doesn't escape any of us. Although it would not suprise me to see Bowden try to coach again at a crappier D-1 school. With coaching turnover these days, I think this record will be up there with Joe D's 56 game hit streak as one that will not be broken. Congratulations to JoePa and Penn State fans everywhere.

After stuffing my face with mounds of turkey and taters and collecting my emotions in preparation for Tim Tebow's collegiate finale, I finally have some time to post about the Michigan State game, the BCS debate, and the upcoming Penn State bowl game.

It was great to see the Lions finally put it all together up in East Lansing and deliver the performance of the season with a pounding of Sparty. Lots of good things to take from this game as we head into the Bowl Season. I thought Penn State was finally clicking on all cylinders and, despite a few errant throws in the first quarter, Daryll Clark redeemed himself for some of his previous week's disappointments. Good way to end the season.

With the conclusion of the regular season, I feel it necessary to recognize some of the outstanding players and moments of the season. In other words, this is my Penn State Football Show version of the Dundies! Feel free to give them a unique name!

• Offensive MVP: Daryll Clark...A football team lives and dies with its QB and Penn State mostly lived and lived luxuriously with DC17 this season. Aside from a lousy 4th quarter against Iowa and the Ohio State game, Clark put up big numbers for this offense and the success of the offense was mostly on Clark's shoulders. The fact that he ranks, statistically, among PSU's best in only two seasons of play is a testament to his ability and leadership.
• Defensive MVP: Sean Lee-Navorro Bowman-Josh Hull...The nastiness of all three of these guys took a lot of pressure off the reconstructed secondary and was the place where opposing running games went to die. I think this is one of the few positions at PSU that re-loads rather than rebuilds so hopefully the loss of these three will not be as devastating, but you gotta give some props to the careers of these three.
• Top Newcomer: D'Anton Lynn...This kid stepped right into an athletically demanding position with almost no experience and proved to be on his way to being one of the better corners in recent PSU history. He likes to hit and he can tackle in the open field, something our corners are notorious for lacking. I envision a very successful career for DL8.
• Top Freshman: Curtis Drake and Stephon Morris...Correct me if I'm wrong, but this was the first year since 2005 that true freshmen have gotten significant playing time. Both of these kids are extremely athletic and played nothing like 18-year-olds in their first semester away from home. Drake brings versatility on offense and Morris is a tough corner who can go stride-for-stride with anybody and probably didn't get the recognition he deserved coming out of high school because of his size. Either way, I cant wait to watch these two develop and play over the next three years.
• Player who will be missed the most: Andrew Quarless...The obvious choice here would be Daryll Clark but its against PSFBS policy to win more than one award. I think Quarless' presences in the passing game as well as the run blocking often went undernoticed and will be greatly missed. LB's cant cover him and attention from DB's opened things up on the outside for the recievers. He finally shook his childish habits and was just coming into his own this season. I think he will get even better if given a shot in the NFL. I don't know if/when we will see another TE with the physical presence and abilities of AQ10.
• Mr. Hustle: Patrick Mauti...A career special teams player, PM84 seemed to always be around the ball on punts and kickoffs. A WR by trade, I don't know if he ever caught a pass as a Lion but his work ethic is unparalleled.
• Best Moment/Play...60-yard TD pass from Clark to Quarless at Michigan that started the romp of the Wolverines.
• Worst Moment/Play...TD pass from Terelle Pryor to DeVier Posey vs. Ohio State that basically put the game out of reach.

Drew and Pete, I understand that Iowa beat us, but they lost two games in November. They had the opportunity to take care of business, and they didn't do it. They most likely will still get the nod ahead of Penn State, but if not, they can only look at their November performance. Meanwhile, Penn State ended its season with its best played game of the year. Iowa beat Penn State early in the season and bowls look at who will provide a competitive game. Do you think that Penn State could hang with TCU or Oklahoma State? I think that's a no doubter. Alabama/Florida will be in the Sugar Bowl and will not play a Big Ten team. The next selection from the bowls will go to the Fiesta, and they will most likely select a Big Ten team with their first pick to ensure that they will get a team that travels well. That means that they won't get another pick until the Orange and Sugar select (my feeling is that Orange will select Big East champion if Big Ten is already claimed) and that leaves Oklahoma State, Boise and TCU to be selected by the Sugar and Fiesta.

So why does PSU deserve this? Its because they have won 10 games, because they have earned this standing over the past century, because people care about Penn State, and because their last game of the season was an impressive knockout of a legitimate opponent on the road. Meanwhile Iowa had the chance to crush an inferior Minnesota team, and what do they do? They compile 171 yards of total offense, convert 1 of 13 third downs, and get a PAT blocked. Sure they beat Penn State and Wisconsin on the road, and played Ohio State tough, but who provides a better game against TCU? Iowa's starting QB is injured and might return in time for the bowl game, and that's a tough break. Penn State has proven over the years that they play well in bowl games, and money is a consideration, but would you honestly want Penn State to decline the invitation? What kind of message does that send to your fan base, to you players who have worked hard all season for the opportunity to play in a BCS game? This isn't like Penn State was given a win because of a referee's error that gave them a fifth down. Penn State won 10 games. Iowa won 10 games.

If Penn State was in Iowa's position, I can see myself arguing your points, saying oh, we beat them, we should go over them. But my parents have told me since I was 3 years old that life isn't fair. Iowa could have made this decision easy by putting away Minnesota, but now they've left it in the hands of the bowl committees. Iowa has screwed us over in football the last two years, and even basketball last year. Now it's our turn....and we can do it without even playing them, but by using the tradition of excellence and coaching that has defined Penn State. It's a tough situation, and maybe Penn State doesn't deserve the BCS bowl, but hey, remember those undefeated seasons when we were not declared National Champions? You gotta catch a break sometime, and maybe this is it.

Plus everyone from Iowa lives like 10 hours from an airport that has planes with jet engines...how are they gonna get to Arizona/Florida?

I'm sure everyone remembers when Colorado got 5 downs against Missouri to score a touchdown that would later launch them to a National Championship. Then coach Gary DiNardo thought it would be unfair to his kids to forfeit the game because of how hard they worked. The same thing also happened in a game between Army and Susquehanna some 70 years back with Army winning on their fifth down. When Army discovered this the next day, they immediately forefeit the game. Why do I mention this? Penn State should not accept a BCS bowl bid. Its an invitation, and if facebook has taught us anything, you can either attend, not attend, or await to reply. Penn State should not attend and leave a wall post to explain why.

We don't have the most national championships at Penn State, but we do have our pride. We boast a clean program, low coaching turnover, sportsmanship, and graduation. I think it would go against everything we stand for to take this away from Iowa. On top of that, if we make it and play a second place SEC team, I don't think we stand a chance against Florida or Alabama.

If you're really hard up, go back about 10 pages and read everyones pre-season predictions. I tried to copy and past a link but not working for some reason. Good reading.

-Is forefeit the past tense of forefeit?

I, like most Penn State fans, will have my fingers crossed for the next week and half, hoping that Penn State will be selected for a BCS Bowl game. With that being said, however, I’m not one of the idiots who will even attempt to argue that they deserve such an honor, because they absolutely DO NOT.

There is no way, absolutely no way, anyone can justify selecting Penn State over Iowa for a BCS Bowl. It’s not hard to see this either. They finished with the same record in the Big Ten, so what do you look at next? Head to head: Iowa beat Penn State 21-10 in a night game AT BEAVER STADIUM. They manhandled Penn State’s offensive line all game long.

Secondly, you take a look at how each team did against the conference champion, Ohio State. PSU was embarrassed at home once again, putting together absolutely no offense, and giving up 24 points to a Buckeye offense that had been struggling. It wasn’t even a game. Iowa, on the other hand, went on the road, to Columbus, and took Ohio State to overtime with their freshman backup QB making his first career start!

Also, you must consider that Iowa’s schedule was tougher than Penn State’s. Their non-conference schedule included a 27-17 win over Arizona, who nearly defeated Oregon last week, which would have put them in the driver’s seat to win the Pac Ten. Penn State’s best non-conference win was against Temple. I know they have a good record this year, but they are still Temple. Also, within the Big Ten, Wisconsin is clearly the fourth best team after OSU, Iowa and Penn State. The Lions dodged Wisconsin this year on the schedule, but Iowa defeated them on the road.

The way the schedule was set up for Penn State this year, an undefeated season was well in reach. I think most Penn State fans would agree that a two-loss season this year was a disappointment. On the other side, Iowa had their best season in years, they were in the national spotlight for a large portion of the season. Their only two losses came after their starting quarterback was injured, and they still played well with their backup. If I was an Iowa fan, and the BCS selected Penn State over Iowa, I would be absolutely furious. Especially given Iowa’s recent domination over the Lions.

I’d like to hear someone try to argue Penn State’s case for a BCS bid. I’ve heard people say “Well, I think Penn State is the better team.” Based on what?! They are not the better team. Iowa is. Go back and read the paragraphs above and tell me that you honestly think Penn State is a better team! If Penn State was the better team, they would have beaten Iowa, and they would have put up a better fight against Ohio State. Just because they are the more well-known football program doesn’t mean they automaticallyl have a better team every year. And the fact that most of Iowa’s games were close does not indicate that they are a weak team. In fact, I would argue the opposite.

The truth of the matter is though, that Penn State has a very good shot at getting the BCS bid over Iowa. Why? Because of money. Penn State has a larger following than Iowa. In turn, this means more Penn State fans would travel to the host city for the bowl game, and more fans would tune in on television to watch the game. Both of these equate to more dollars for the BCS. And, fortunately or unfortunately, however way you want to look at it, that is the largest determining factor in who gets selected for the bowls.

As I said before, as a Penn State fan, I am definitely hoping Penn State gets selected for a BCS Bowl game. It’s a great opportunity for the program. More money, more exposure, better competition, good for recruiting, etc. As a college football fan though, I think it’s bad for the sport if the Lions get selected over the Hawkeyes. This would be such a blatant case of a team being picked for all the wrong reasons. It should come down to how the team plays on the field. If your performance on the field doesn’t matter, why even play the games? It is not good for college football to give preferential treatment to the traditional programs and continuously shaft the rest of the teams. This only lets the rich get richer.

Maybe, just maybe, such a clear case of favoritism will actually catch the attention of some people and provide another argument against the BCS and be another step toward a playoff system.

What I am thankful for (in terms of Penn State football of course):

-A 10-2 record....not bad
-The possibility of playing in a BCS bowl game
-Joe Paterno
-Joe Paterno's press conferences
-One of the best recruiting classes in Penn State history
-Notre Dame/Michigan/USC/Florida State having subpar/terrible seasons
-Tim Tebow will no longer be playing college football next year and we can have analysts talk about something other than His holiness
-Assistant coaches who have been a huge asset to the team. Thanks to Larry Johnson, Tom Bradley, Ron Vanderlinden, Jay Paterno, Galen Hall and Mike McQueary
-Temple. Who thought they would be a quality win!?
-Air/Food. I'm surprised mankind has survived this long. It could be any day now that Charlie Weis and Mark Mangino completely consume the world's supply of both.
-Rose Bowl. The Big Ten might finally win one...USC isn't in it
-Recession. Without it, Iowa would surely be going to the Fiesta or Orange.
-Michigan State. Beating them the past two years has smoothed over my ire from tough losses to Iowa and Ohio State.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I actually should be studying right now, but the tryptophan has kicked in and the couch is calling my name. Keep an eye out for the games this weekend since many could have an impact on Penn State's bowl fate. After the weekend, I will breakdown some scenarios and where I think Penn State will be playing in January.

Pass the butter

Penn State played a great game against Michigan State on Saturday, and I'm sure we will get into all of that later. But before we praise the Lions, how about we praise this blog for a second, becasue we had quite a weekend. First of all: Every single upset prediction on the blog was correct (even Drew's random boxing pick, which I'll take his word for it being an upset): UConn over Notre Dame, Ole Miss over LSU, Northwestern over Wisconsin. Additionally, my game score 41-13 was only two points off the real score 42-14, and mor impressively, Rudy actually predicted that true freshman wide receiver Curtis Drake would complete a pass AND HE DID for a touchdown!

In addition to all the great predictions, this was also a ground-breaking week for the blog for two more reasons: Our first ever video post - well done Rudolf; and the creation of the PSFBS Facebook Page - well done again Rudolf.

Alright, I felt like all of that had to be said, but that's enough. Now let's talk football. .

I was not able to watch last week's game due to work so I will not speculate much. But after trading texts with Pete and reading articles it seems Clark had himself another lack luster game. I agree with Rudy that a certain passion is lacking from this team. However, winning this game and winning a good bowl could easily place Penn State in the top ten of the final standings and if that doesn't get you fired up then you're in the wrong business. I don't think anyone worth his salt predicted a National Championship of the Lions this year but a top ten finish is definitely something to be proud of.

I do not condone the lack of leadership for any team ever. Leaders are not always seniors. Or even juniors or sophomores for that matter. A leader has always been a leader since the day they first picked sides for backyard football. All it takes is the courage to step up. You can certainly defer to guys who have been around longer, but its obvious when there is no one taking charge and an underclassmen should not be timid to step up and crack the whip.

I expect the same thing out of Michigan State that they always do, start off strong with an upset win over someone they shouldn't have beat, then a few arrests and missed opportunities later they would be lucky to beat a solid D-III team. They have fallen apart at the end of almost every season since I can remember with a few sparse exceptions. This year seems no different. After close games with Notre Dame and Sconsin a 1-3 Sparty seemed to rebound a little but recent losses to Iowa at home and a very suspect Minnesota team leads me to believe that a win over Purdue will do little to quell what lies beneath. Cousins is a solid qb putting up respectable numbers with a solid pair of wide receivers. However I think a lack of an old old wooden ship in their offense will allow Penn State to dictate where the ball goes.

It seems like they let Bradley let his rabid dog out of the cage for one game a year and let it all hang out with blitzes in bunches. They usually wait until late in the year and I would love to see it this game. I think this is going to be a big day for the secondary and I believe they'll rise to the challenge.

I'm not talking about the delicious energy drink/alcoholic beverage (greatest invention in last 10 years), I'm talking about someone or something to ignite this dormant Penn State football team. All season this team has yet to put together a complete well played, inspired football game. Things have been out of sync at some point in every game, and not just the execution, but the playcalling as well. Last year, coming off of a sluggish game against Indiana, Penn State responded with a full throttle hottel (where art thou?) of the Spartans. An absolute thrashing in a game that had both teams vying for the Big Ten crown. In snowy 20 degree weather, Daryll Clark played his best game as a Nittany Lion, and I lost my license after doing crowd pushups. This year's team has few leaders, with much of the burden of carrying the team resting on Clark. In 2008, Butler, Williams, Norwood, Shipley, and even guys like Maybin helped to lead the team. Many of you have probably seen the video of Butler pumping his teammates up before the Ohio State game, and we were all witness to the emotion and energy with which Maybin played. Now as the regular season comes to a close, the Nittany Lions still search for new faces to emerge and help lead this team.

With so many young players stepping into new roles, this deficit of leadership is not unexpected, and on Saturday we will see true freshman Curtis Drake make a start at wide receiver in place of the injured Chaz Powell. This young man has proven himself over the course of the season and has a chance to turn some heads. He is an electric player and more of a natural receiver than Powell, who was originally recruited as a defensive back (where in my opinion, he may be more useful in the coming seasons with all the WR depth on the team). Don't be surprised to see some wildcat out of the Lions this week, especially with Drake, who was playing quarterback for his high school team last year. In addition, I was also pleased to see that Newsome came into the Indiana game to run a QB draw. Although the play resulted in a loss of yards, it illustrates the coaching staff's desire to spark something. Newsome is a better running threat than Clark, and I'd like to see him used the way Clark was used in the Alamo bowl in 2007.

A few other notes:
The loss of Beachum stings. We were all big fans of his, and unfortunately a freak play injured him and he will be out for 9 months. If Royster goes pro, which I personally don't think he should (I don't see him being a very effective NFL back despite what the "experts" say), it leaves Penn State with Stephfon Green, a rehabbed Beachum, the mystery man Brent Carter, redshirt freshman Curtis Dukes, and incoming Connecticut native Silas Redd. Very inexperienced group with no "feature" back. I can see Dukes being a future starter with his size (supposedly runs around a 4.5 and weighs in at 230-240 pounds). This questionable depth may entice Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina to sign with Penn State. This would be a big pickup.

Seriously, just put Justin Brown back for punts. He can catch...but surprise surprise he can also run.

Hopefully Devon Smith has been going to class. I'd like to see him back in the kick return game or running some reverses. He can fly.

I will post another short pregame rant tomorrow with my official predictions, and ALSO look out for the first ever Penn State Football Show video post where I will breakdown my "What To Watch For" segment. I'm going Adam Rittenberg style except I'm way less creepy!

As Penn State games go, this was one where Penn State had absolutely nothing to gain. Coming off a huge emotional loss, in the grand scheme of things this game was irrelevant. They were expected to win and anything less than a lopsided victory would be significantly insignificant. Even a marginal 31-20 victory would leave the fan base questioning how good this team really is...all valid concerns. That being said, Indiana is not as bad as their record indicates or as bad as people might have suspected them to be. They are a team who has been a victim of some unfortunate circumstances and a number of bad bounces throughout the season. Their 4-7 record could very easily be 7-4. Unlike some of the Indiana teams of the past, they have been very competitive and have been in most of their games for all 60 minutes. I don’t know how Ben Chappell does not get any hype or credit for his play. From what I have seen, this kid might be the best passing QB in the Big Ten yet all we hear about is Clark-Pryor-Forcier. Glen Mason hinted at this notion throughout the broadcast. I think Indiana’s lack of a running game forces them to throw a lot, giving Chappell big numbers, but regardless, he throws the ball well and makes plays.

I am not a big believer in the idea of a "hangover" from a previous emotional win/loss and I don't really think Penn State came out "flat" in this game, but rather they simply played about 20 minutes of extremely bad football. They truly were just going through the motions. After the fourth turnover in the first half, I was shaking my head and thinking, 'how bad is this going to get?' It really couldn't get much worse. I figured the fumblitis would eventually wear off and once we settled down and the offense got things rolling, Indiana's defense was not going to stop us. At this point in the season, there isn't a whole lot you can take from a game like this so I will only mention a few specifics...

• It was good to see Daryll Clark FINALLY move his feet in the pocket, eluding some of the Indiana rushes, buying some time and even tucking and running for some yardage. I still don't know why he hasn't been coached to do this more often when things break down downfield. I think team's are starting to buy into the idea that Clark is NOT a running threat anymore and begin dropping some of the LB's into pass coverage (Ohio State did this later in the game). Hopefully DC17 can fool us all and employ more of this for the last two games.
• CURTIS DRAKE!!! This kid can play and Joe speaks highly of him. Made the early departure of Chaz Powell, who has been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, seem irrelevant. He really turned the corner on that end-around! The future for the WR's is bright...hopefully we can find a QB to get the ball to them.
• Not really sure what the point of running Newsome for one QB-read play in the first half. Are we going to see more of this? I understand you want to get him ready for next season, but at this point, he doesn't do anything that Clark cant do. Lets live and die with DC17.
• Very unfortunate news regarding Brandon Beachum (torn ACL). I was on the BB3 bandwagon like everyone else. But, thinking in optimistic hypotheticals...Royster comes back in 2010 and Beachum redshirts, giving him two full years as the feature back. From a fan standpoint, maybe its not all that bad.

I think one of the aspects we lose sight of with this team is the fact that, up to this point, they have beaten every team that they should have beaten. Gerry DiNardo talks about this all the time as one of the keys to success. True, they did not play well in the only two big games of the season, but many Penn State teams of the past have lost some games to inferior teams that they were expected to beat (’99 Minnesota, ’07 Illinois, ’07 Michigan State, ’08 Iowa just to name a few). As it turns out, Iowa and Ohio State are good teams and the losses, although disappointing, were not unexpected major upsets. So lets give credit to this PSU team for taking care of business against the teams who were less talented...one more to go.

Let's get pumped for the battle for the Land-Grant Trophy!

So Ohio State beats us at home again, although our series with them is fairly even it seems they always get the better of us. Which brings me back to something Jason said earlier in this season in regards to writers predicting Penn State's failure. This is not a time for I told you so but I think writers ultimately feel just like me, let down too many times. I think most PSU fans have been severely heart broken and a bit of a wall builds and its hard to have faith. Sounds a bit like a bad break up story but its true. Or as Rocky Balboa would say "It's a lot where you're almost guaranteed to end up a bum."

I think you guys hit most of the main points but I'd like to elaborate on a few. Any Lion fan who left early should be ashamed of themselves. It gives the visiting fans such a smug sense of accomplishment to see people head for the exits. It wasn't bad weather, keep your butt in the seat. I personally don't believe Beaver Stadium is a hostile place to play nine out of ten times. There is the rare game a la PSU-OSU 2005 where everyone just brings it. Most of the time it is the people behind me who yell louder for me to sit down on a crucial defensive stand than they do for the actual team. And lets sit during the game and stand up at halftime to watch they band. Is this bizarro world? At the Capitol One bowl in 2002 I saw an Auburn crowd one fourth our size absolutely put the mute button on us. I have trouble respecting people's opinions when they tell me Beaver Stadium is one of the toughest places to play. It tells me they haven't been to too many other stadiums.

This game was 100% lost in the trenches. Ohio State was collapsing on Clark with only 4 rushers and and I think all this negative talk getting thrown at DC-17 is not completely deserved. You can find gaps when 7 guys are dropping in coverage but not when you only have 3 seconds to throw. Our offensive line looked absolutely pitiful. I couldn't remember a first down in the second half. Looking at the drive charts later our most successful drive of the second half was our first which went for 12 yards on 6 plays. We wouldn't get another first down until the game was well in hand. That's despicable. Five punts, an interception, and a turnover on downs. I don't even know where to begin. And why in the world do you punt the ball away with the game still undecided at the 7 minutes mark then go for it on fourth down after its all over but the shouting? I'll tell you why, its a chickens*** cowardly move so someone in the media couldn't cram it down their throats for throwing in the towel. Well I saw right through as did most I think.

This is par for the course as PSU football goes, the defense did its job and the offense keeps putting them back on the field. I can't tell you how many games Penn State has lost over the years because the offense could not get one more first down. As much as I hate to pin this loss on Darryl Clarke, he has pretty much cemented his place as a pretty forgettable quarterback in PSU history. Not that he is a bad quarterback, but how much do you hear people talk about Kevin Thompson?

For this week, something scares me about Indiana. You kind of have to love a team with nothing to lose. They have played some close ones and I'm sure they are just as aware as anyone that they have never beaten the Lions after coming close a few times. This Penn State team has had notoriously slow starts and I fully expect Indiana to come out and smack us in the mouth before we begin to play. I would not be surprised to see Penn State behind in this game. But come back they shall. Penn State usually brings it on Senior Day and I think this will be no exception. I like the Lions in an ugly one.

I don't know where Penn State will end up for a bowl game but it will be pretty underwhelming. We have lost to two teams who are a shell of what they used to be. I don't buy into all the SEC hype but I certainly wouldn't be upset if we didn't have to prove it ourselves this year. So unless they are honoring the 86 national championship team at halftime, I'm watching it from the bar.
-DM3

I'm not really sure what to expect in this game. Penn State could come out angry after the loss and take it out on Indiana (a la 2005 when they destroyed Illinois the week after losing to Michigan). Or they could come out uninspired after last week's loss took the wind out of their sails. Neither one would really surprise me. What I do know is that, although their record is once again poor, Indiana is much improved this year and has been much more competitive. They have been in just about every game they have played. They just can't seem to finish teams off and they fall apart at the end. Maybe this is the week they finally get a hard-fought win over a strong opponent.

There is no doubt that Penn State is the physically superior team, but it will come down to which team comes out more inspired. I'll take the Lions at home on Senior Day, but no outcome would really surprise me.

And for those that have been waiting anxiously for my post about my biggest gripe from last week's game, you will have to wait a little bit longer. I haven't gotten to it yet, but should have it posted some time soon. Sorry Albright.

I've put off writing here for a while. The Ohio State game took a lot out of me, but I can't say that I was surprised by the way things turned out...it just makes me wonder how we won last year. I'm not going to talk about that game at all except to say that this team needs a cocky player that's got that walk. Stephon Morris is that kind of a guy, and hopefully Newsome or PJ Jones will provide this in the future. Michael Robinson knew that he could murder you if he wanted and there was nothing you could do about it. The only game he lost in his senior year (at Michigan) he actually led a game winning drive only to have it negated by poor kick coverage and a lapse in the secondary with 1 second left. No one could compare to MRob not because he was a great QB, but because he just had IT. Clark is a smart guy, good leader, good QB, but that's that. I think it's unfair to compare him to Robinson. This Penn State team just desperately needs someone like MRob, LaVar or even a Larry Johnson. Forget about LJ's recent troubles...he played hard at Penn State and wanted to run people over. Clark is pretty dainty and that has pissed me off a little with a guy that size. I never understood how he gets dinged up so much when a guy like Josh Nesbitt gets hit 40 times a game and still has all his limbs.

So on to Indiana. We have NEVER lost to Indiana. That's really all I have to say about this game. My sister is coming to visit later tonight and I need to get some work done. But Penn State will win. This will either be a complete "take out all my anger on you" type of game or it will be a slow start and then Penn State will get things figured out in the second half. Funny how we had depressing loses on the 10th game of the season in back to back years. Ouch

Indiana had its best shot to beat the Lions in 2004, but one of the most underrated defenses in Penn State history held them on a goalline stand. That defense didn't allow an opponent to score more than 21 points ALL season...and they were 3-9. Unreal. That's what happens when you lose games 6-4.

Lots of talk recently has addressed the possibility of Penn State going to a BCS bowl....still! I think this is a possibility and I think they have a 50-50 shot, and I honestly think that they have a better shot at winning a BCS bowl game than they do against LSU, who they would likely play in the CapitalOne Bowl. The BCS bowl would be either the Fiesta or Orange....so against teams like TCU, Georgia Tech, or whatever crap comes out of the Big East. Notice that these teams don't have great defenses (with the exception of TCU, but they can put their defense in a pipe and smoke it....they're crap...I take dumps bigger than Horned Frogs). Anyway, I hope this team can turn things around and really squash some inferior opponents and win their bowl game. An 11-2 season is incredibly successful despite the two disheartening loses. Plus it's senior day....come on. Let's get after it

What a dud of a performance in all facets of the game. Penn State came out and just laid an egg in this one, on national television. If I was a general college football fan and I watched the Penn State games against Iowa and Ohio State, I would think the Lions had one of the worst offenses in the country. The offense was atrocious, and so were the special teams. In my opinion, the defense really did not play well either. They gave up 24 points, they got no pressure on Pryor all game, and they let the Ohio State running backs loose for too many long gains. Ohio State clearly game-planned to limit the potential for Pryor to turn the ball over. He never threw over the middle, every throw he made, even the deep ones, were safe passes. I also thought they should have had Bowman spy Pryor all game to prevent him from scrambling for first downs on third and long, which he did a number of times. I don’t think Pryor is the type of quarterback that can carry a team to a victory, but he did what was asked of him, and with the team he has, that’s all he really needs to do against most teams.

Worst of all, Penn State just came out flat and completely unmotivated. It was the Iowa game all over again. How can the team not get up for the two biggest games of the year, at home?! I was not particularly impressed with the crowd either, not that we really had much to cheer about. When both teams came out for the start of the second half, Ohio State was pumped up and jumping up and down on the sidelines, anxious to get going. Penn State was just standing around looking like they just wanted the game to end. I knew right then and there that the game was over.

Many of the things I planned to put in my post were covered by Jason. He really hit the nail on the head on wit his analysis of the game. We knew coming into the game that the key match up would be the PSU o-line vs. the OSU d-line. Ohio State absolutely dominated this battle, and that was the main reason for the outcome of the game. But like Jason said, even though the Lions were over-matched in this area, that doesn’t mean they can’t make some adjustments to compensate! Throw some screens, maybe a trick play or two, maybe a fake punt or something. They clearly weren’t going to sustain long drives, so something else needed to be done, but they made no attempt at this. Instead, they just conceded the fact that they could not drop back and pass because Clark would not have enough time to throw. And I realize Penn State had poor field position all game, but all it takes is one first down and you are out of the jam. Having bad field position is no excuse, you can still move the ball down the field and score.

And there is no reason for Penn State’s offensive line to get dominated that bad by Ohio State. Both schools bring in top talent at these positions. Why is it that Penn State can only field a good offensive line once every three or four years? I realize the line is an area that gets better with time as the players get experience playing together as a unit, but it seems like Penn State struggles more than most when linemen graduate and new guys fill-in.

Clark once again failed to perform in the big game. Obviously he went against a tough defense, but he even missed some easy throws, which is unacceptable. You can’t completely blame him for struggling, though. Ohio State was getting pressure on him with only four rushers. So not only did he have guys in his face right away all game long, but they also had seven guys back in coverage. That is tough to beat. But with that being said, great players find a way to makes plays, and Clark has not proven he can do so. That’s the difference between him and Michael Robinson. No matter how unconventional he looked, MRob found a way to get things done. If you were a coach, and you compared the skill set of the two, it would be easy to say that you’d rather have Clark as your quarterback because he can make more throws and allows you to do more things. But Robinson was the ultimate leader, and I don’t think there are many Penn State fans that would really prefer to take Clark over Robinson, because Robinson always got the job done.

Other observations:

Graham Zug has been impressive. He has shown me that he has a lot more speed than I had initially thought.

Brandon Beachum may be Penn State’s best all around running back.

Astorino is really struggling. I read that he is playing with a dislocated shoulder. His tackling is poor.

The staff really loves Stephon Morris. It’s been said before, but rarely does Joe put a true freshman in such big games in crucial situations.

I actually liked the quarterback draw calls. I heard a lot of complaints about these play calls. I think the team just didn’t execute on these plays, but I don’t mind the calls.

I’ve done some research, and from what I’ve read, the call that was made on the punt that was kicked into the end zone and recovered by Ohio State for a touchback was the correct call by rule. I have a pretty good grasp on the rules of the game, but this was a rare instance where I was unfamiliar with the rule. I initially assumed that would be called a safety. But, in my opinion, that’s the way the rule should be. I think it should be treated like a regular fumble and live ball, which would have resulted in a safety and not a touchback. It just doesn’t make sense the way it currently is.

I am saving my biggest gripe for a separate post.

Sitting in the stands at Beaver Stadium as the clock wound down on another chapter in the Penn State-Ohio State saga, the only thing that came to my mind was utter disappointment. Like everyone else has stated, I was extremely pumped up for this game and it turned out to be a huge emotional letdown. Coming into this game, I really thought Penn State was the better team and figured Terrelle Pryor and the young Ohio State offense would have trouble playing composed football on the road in a big game. I figured the game to be similar to last year's with solid defense and limited scoring. I expected Penn State would come out with a victory behind the leadership and the poise of the defense and a few big plays by the offense. Boy was I wrong.

The toughest part about this game is the fact that Penn State flat out got beat. Overall, I still don't know whether Ohio State is a better team than Penn State but you have to tip your hats to them...they were the better team on the field Saturday afternoon. They had to come in and play a nearly flawless game...and they did. No turnovers, few penalties, control the field position, and make a big special teams play. Terrelle Pryor also had to play a very sound, fundamental game...and he did. He didn't make many great plays, but he made enough to sustain a few drives, and, more importantly, he didn't make any of the mistakes he is known for making. As much as it pains me to say this, he probably played the best game of his career thus far.

On the other side, Penn State also had to come out and play their A-game and play mistake-free football...and they did not. The offensive line was overmatched which was compensated by a few holding penalties which nullified some big plays. If TP2 played his best game as a Buckeye, Daryll Clark might have played his worst game as a Lion. He was off-the-mark on several of his passes and couldn't find a way to elude the rush of their DL. It is clear that Ohio State DE's Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson are among the Big Ten's best defensive linemen and the young PSU offensive line could not contain them. That being said, I think we did move the ball well on a few drives. I would have liked to see some more short pass plays. It looked like their LB's were often up on the line and I think these would have been effective. The swing to Zug in the first half went for 25 yards and we never went back to it. The short slant to Royster would have also went for 8-10 yards and maybe more if Clark hits him in stride.

Defensively, I thought Penn State played well and the game plan was valid. They contained Pryor for the most part and did a decent job stuffing the run. I think the numbers are a little misleading. Even though the rushing stats will suggest otherwise, I didn't get the feeling that Ohio State was moving the ball with ease. Yards were at a premium and they had quite a few 3-and-outs. A couple broken Ohio State plays lead to Pryor scampering for some yards, but that will happen with an athletic mobile QB like Pryor. Furthermore, Pryor only completed 8 passes and half of his 125 yards came on one play. I still don't know how Posey got behind the corner and safety on that TD pass. That's unusual for the Penn State secondary to get beat deep. I'm beginning to retract my early-season statements about Nick Sukay. If you took notice though, after that TD, Stephon Morris was matched up with Posey for the rest of the game. The coaches must be really high on this kid. Nevertheless, I am very excited to watch this secondary grow and get better over the next few years. I think they have some promise.

Unfortunately, if you're like me, you came away from this game with the feeling of disappointment focused in a few different areas...

1. Disappointment in the way our offense could not find a way to move the ball against the Ohio State defense. This was my biggest question mark and concern coming into the game and I left with several answers that I wasn't pleased with. True, the offensive line was getting overmatched but the coaches didn't make any adjustments, i.e. swing passes to the receivers, outside stretch runs (have we run a speed/power option all year???), screen passes to Royster/Green, short slants/outs, etc. Ohio State's defense is good but I don't think it should have been such a struggle to generate offense. I think our offense is as equally good. We never put any pressure on their secondary, a unit which might be their weak point. Again, Beachum is underused.

2. Disappointment in Daryll Clark. I like Daryll Clark and I have always supported him. I think he is one of the better QB's to play at PSU and, when he is on, one of the better QB's in college football. But, I really thought he would be better prepared for this game and put up a better showing. A football team lives and dies with the performance of the QB and Daryll was not on top of his game Saturday. You cant put this loss entirely on Clark's shoulders, but as a Senior leader/captain of this team, he has to play better and find ways to be successful. He was never really on point with his throws all day and some of those errant throws were not a result of the pressure. Chaz Powell had an inside step on their corner on the only long pass of the day and Daryll simply didn't get it to him. Royster was open on a quick slant and Clark missed him. Ryan's post last week said it best...this was DC17's break-out opportunity to make an everlasting impression on the Penn State football record books and show the country he is for real. Not only did he fail, he looked bad doing so.

3. Disappointment in the fact that we could not get the ball into the hands of our best receiver. 0 catches for Derek Moye is not a recipe for success against any team but the part that is the most discouraging is he was only thrown to ONCE (drew PI call in the endzone on PSU's lone TD drive). Thankfully, Graham Zug stepped up and carried the WR workload but there should have been adjustments made to get the ball to DM6. Moye had a few inches on OSU CB's Devon Torrence and Chimdi Chekwa...this should have been taken advantage of. Furthermore, if OSU was shutting down the outside and shadowing Moye with a Safety or OLB, this should have opened up things for Quarless and Shuler. I have said from the beginning of the year these guys need touches to make this offense tick. Aside from GZ5, the airial attack looked miserable.

4. Disappointment in our showing on a national level. For the second time, in a big game on National TV, Penn State looked like they didn't belong on the upper-tierd pedestol of college football. This was a chance to show people that they did belong in the National picture and they failed to do so. I think this team is good enough to be on that level but now, after a loss to an Ohio State team who is perceived as average for Ohio State standards, Penn State loses all credibility.

5. Disappointment in the Nittany Nation faithful. The toughest part of this season is the fact that we had the two biggest games of the season at home in front of the "Greatest Show in College Football" and we got smacked in the face in both contests. I am a very firm believer in the concept of "home field advantage," especially in college football, and I think Beaver Stadium can be a very intimidating place to play. For a little while there, I thought we had an edge when it came to this but I am beginning to sense some fair-weatherdness with the students, the fellow fans, and the masterminds behind the whole thing. Watching that place clear out with 9-and-something minutes left down 24-7 was very discouraging. I didn't necessarily think we were going to come back and win the game, but a quick score makes it a game again. All in all, it gives me the sense that the novelty behind the whole experience is wearing off.

This loss was a tough one to swallow but, despite what you might read in the papers and hear on TV/Radio, this season is not a wash. Moving forward, I think 10-2 would be a very respectable season. I would anxiously welcome a shot at a #3 SEC team (LSU???) in a bowl game to see where this team, and the Big Ten for that matter, stands on the national stage. The game at Michigan State will be a big game and a road win to seal a decent bowl game would be a good way to end the season.