The Penn State Football Show

Penn State had a vice-grip of control last Saturday against Minnesota as they held the ball for more than two thirds of the game. Despite committing a season high 9 penalties, which is very uncharacteristic, PSU had no turnovers and made no mistakes outside of the infractions. Clark made good decisions, and Royster was extremely effective running the ball. The Gophers have a very good set of linebackers who were unable to stop the running game, and despite the weather conditions, Clark was able to complete a high percentage of passes and Penn State continued to be one of the best in the nation on third down. Several times Clark was able to convert on third down with a quick bullet over the middle to a blanketed tight end who was always able to shield the defender and make the grab. I was thoroughly impressed with the performance despite only putting up 20 points. It could easily have been more as the Lions settled for 3 field goal attempts.

Decker was a non-factor...as was the entire Minnesota offense. Lee returned and looked ok. I expect to see more out of him this weekend. Penn State's defense seemed to land huge hits on nearly every play. Receivers going over the middle paid a price with big knocks from Wallace, Timmons, and Bowman. Bowman blind sided a running back as well probably concussing him. This is a ferocious defense that is getting even better. Odrick and Ogbu were in the backfield all day disrupting the running game and just missing on several sack attempts before finally getting to Weber in the fourth quarter. The goal line stand displayed a terrific team effort with Hayes taking on two blockers, Bowman shedding a block and using great closing speed to help take down the runner, and of course Wallace who came from the other side of the field to make the big stick. Once again I was very impressed with Wallace. He's turned things around and I believe he is one of the better defensive backs in the Big Ten. Morris again got considerable playing time and made a good stop near the goalline on a screen pass.

Moye is continuing to be a force. He uses his size well and I wouldn't be surprised to see him forgo his eligibility and immediately start his destined career as a hand model. Great hands. One concern is an ankle injury to Stephfon Green who was looking better, but luckily Penn State has depth at the RB position and if Green can't go against Michigan, look for Brandon "North-South" Beachum to spell Royster. All in all this was a positive sign for a team that had no measuring stick for how good they were. A bigger test will come this weekend, but I feel very confident in this team. They are improving not only in areas where they previously were weak (kick coverage, making field goals, offensive line play) but also in their strengths (linebacker, defensive line). If they can cut back on the penalties (a few that were suspect anyway) then this team can be a force, and they have shown great consistency over the last three weeks, something that is rare in today's Big Ten conference. The only way Penn State loses again this season is if they beat themselves.

I hope those idiots that picked Terrelle Pryor as preseason Big Ten offensive player of the year were watching him drop the ball like it was New Years in Times Square.

Can't wait for this Michigan game, I think the PSU defense matches up well if they play as physical at the corners as they did vs. Minnesota.