The Penn State Football Show

Iowa has been a thorn in our sides for years, destroying dreams of national championships and knocking our basketball team out of the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately they have already lost a game so a loss here wouldn't be quite as devastating, but a Penn State win here would make this season a success. I don't remember a season when I have picked against PSU this many times, but Iowa is just a better team in so many aspects of the game. They have more experience, they don't turn the ball over, they have a terrific defense, star players that can take over a game, and we saw what they could do on special teams last year.

To keep this quick, Penn State needs to get solid play out of their offensive line. They played well last week despite giving up just their first sack of the season, but the loss of Eliades is crushing. My take on the conservative play-calling inside the red zone last week is that Penn State knew that eventually they would take over and they just wanted to get some points. Whatever. Not concerned about it. They moved the ball pretty well, but definitely need to be more consistent. This week Penn State will need all the points they can get and I expect them to open up the playbook a little more. The offensive calls against Alabama were actually pretty good so I feel confident in the coaching staff, but execution will be critical. Their redzone production has had about as much success as Drew in a dance contest against yours truly (OH!). I agree that tight ends need to be used, but Gilliam is young and I think a better option is Brackett out of his flex spot. I was excited to see Justin Brown have a big game, and I hope to see him on the field more and maybe Zug a little less. All said and done, Iowa should win this game, but Penn State certainly has the talent to win this, but they need to win the turnover battle and get pressure on Stanzi.

Got a wedding to go to tonight so I will once again be DVRing and watching later. Very excited for this one. This would be a huge win, and a great confidence booster for a young team that is still looking for an identity.