The Penn State Football Show

This is the most excited I’ve been for a Penn State football game all year. I really didn’t think Penn State had much of a shot against Alabama or Iowa, but it seems they have recently figured a lot of things out and are starting to come together on both offense and defense, so I think they have a shot in this one. The second half against Northwestern was by far their best half of football all year. If they can continue to play like that on both sides of the ball, they can beat Ohio State.

On paper, I think PSU does not match up very well in this game. Having a former walk-on QB making just his second career start on the road against a tough OSU defense is not an ideal situation. I’m sure Ohio State is going to bring a lot of heat to put pressure on McGloin. So far he has done very well, but he has yet to face a defense like Ohio State’s. If he can pull out a third straight victory against a strong defensive opponent, McGloin’s status will be thrust to a whole new level among Penn State fans. He has certainly provided a spark for this time in the last two games, but a lot of fans still have their doubts. A win over the Buckeyes would go a long way to silence any doubters.

For the record, I do believe that Rob Bolden will be the man at QB for Penn State in the long term. He has really impressed me so far and I think he has a very promising future ahead. But I fully support the decision to start McGloin here. He has the hot hand, and they might as well see how far he can take this team. As long as he continues to perform and put up points, there is no reason to take him out.

The offensive line has really come around lately and Penn State has ran the ball with great success the last few games. That will be much tougher against Ohio State, but the O-line must continue to open up holes for Royster and Redd in order for the offense to succeed. By the way, I’m so glad the coaching staff has FINALLY realized that Stephfon Green is not a good running back. I love the kid’s effort and attitude, and I have no problem with us trying to take advantage of his speed on screen passes, but he lacks the lateral mobility and vision to be a running back, and there is no reason for him to take another hand-off this season with the talent PSU has at the running back position. On a related note, Silas Redd is ELECTRIC. The kid is so shifty, I’ve never seen one guy make so many defenders just completely whiff! His side-step move has worked every time. They need to continue to give this kid the ball!

The most promising sign from the Northwestern game was the play of the defense in the second half. It was the first time all season that the unit looked like a typical Penn State defense. They were finally playing with some enthusiasm too. A lot of people have been wondering why Penn State’s defense has been struggling this year. I’ve thought it was the result of two things: 1. This was the first year in a long time that the Lions did not have a proven All-American stud linebacker such as Poz, Connor and Lee. It is starting to appear that Mauti is getting closer to 100% and he is starting to play at that level. As he has come along, so has the entire defense. Hopefully he continues to progress. I think he was still recovering from his knee surgery early in the season, but he’s starting to look much better now. They say ACL’s usually require two years before you are fully 100% back. Secondly, I think the defensive line has not been performing at the level Penn State fans are used to. Losing Odrick was big, and then not having Lattimore and Crawford for much of this season hasn’t helped. The team has really struggled putting pressure on the quarterback all year. But they were able to get through last week, with Devon Still in particular having a big game. I’m hoping they feed off of that performance and continue to apply some pressure on the quarterback. Otherwise it could be a long day.

Final note: I think that Gerald Hodges would be the perfect candidate to be assigned to shadow Pryor if he’s 100% healthy. Who knows if they would do that though. I see this game either being a blowout in Ohio State’s favor or a close game that Penn State pulls out. Let’s hope it’s the latter.