The Penn State Football Show

Now we can finally get on with the heart of the season. From here on out, Penn State has a tough Big Ten test every week. Minnesota is a team that should provide some good competition for Penn State. but the Lions should beat them. And they would benefite greatly by beating them pretty soundly.

Minnesota is always well coached, and usually pretty solid. Their strength has always been in their offensive line and their ability to run the ball, but their o-line has struggled a little bit this year. The star of the team is without a doubt their stud wide receiver Eric "No Relation to Nate" Decker. Contrary to the opinion of most, I believe that this kid, and not Arrelious Benn, is the best wide receiver in the Big Ten. Sure, Benn will be the one drafted in the first round, but Decker is a very complete player that is very difficult to stop. Even when defenses game plan to shut him down, he puts up big numbers. He is big, physical, a good route runner, has great hands, and is just an all-around athlete. He plays outfield for the Minnesota baseball team and has been drafted twice for the MLB.

But one player, especially a wide receiver, is not enough to win games. And there is nothing particularly scary about this Golden Gopher team. They have good linebackers, and they use the wildcat often -- which will be a good test for Penn State's defense. I am interested to see how they well they react to Wildcat and if it causes problems for them. From what I have heard in interviews during the week, they have not put in a special package to defend against the Wildcat. They plan on just sticking with their base defense no matter what formation they see. They may need to make some adjustments if they struggle to stop it.

Minneosta's quarterback, Adam Weber, is experienced, but unspectacular. He has a great rapport with Decker, but has not really been having a great season so far.

Here is what I will be paying attention to:

-Penn State's ability to run the ball and control the line of scrimmage. The o-line has been under a lot of scrutiny. They struggled against Iowa, but have rebounded the last two games against weaker opponents. Minnesota will provide a tougher test. How will they do?

-Can Penn State force some turnovers? If they can get Weber into third and long, they might be able to get some pressure and force some turnovers.

-Playing time for young guys. A lot of freshmen have played already this season. Let's see who the coaches are serious about using from here on out. Will Justin Brown be a weapon on offense? Will he continue to return punts? Will Stephon Morris continue to be trusted in coverage on key situations? Is Gerald Hodges going to see extensive playing time at linebacker?

-How does PSU plan to cover Decker? Will they just assign their top corner to guard him all game? If that's the plan, who would this be? Lynn? Wallace? This could tell us a lot about what the coaches think of some of the young corners.

I don't think Penn State will have a problem defeating Minnesota. If they do, they are in for a long season. I'm hoping they handle them and defeat them soundly.