The Penn State Football Show

With this whirlwind of scandals and media frenzy, it's sometimes tough to remember that there's still football games to be played. And a hell of a game at that. At the beginning of the season we all pointed to this stretch (Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin) as the make or break of the season. Well it is...but it has been overshadowed of late by the make or break of the future for Penn State and its football program.

Joe Paterno recently was diagnosed with lung cancer. It's troubling to see this happen so soon after his departure from coaching, and although the doctors reportedly feel confident that this will be treated, Joe's health is a major concern and I fear he does not have much left in the tank. He's one tough guy though, you have to give him that. He has suffered injuries that would end careers of young athletes and done so as an octogenarian. Let's all hope that he can power through this.

With that being said, this football team has a lot to play for on Saturday. As Pete mentioned, winning in Madison will propel the Lions to the Big Ten Championship game regardless of the outcome against Ohio State, but a Wisconsin loss at Illinois coupled with a Penn State win this weekend does the trick as well. Wisconsin (as well all other Big Ten games with the exception of PSU-OSU) will play at noon, so Penn State will know the situation at kickoff. Whatever the outcome, Penn State will come to play. These players showed something last week that was truly remarkable. Heart.

As five of us, tired and sore from a 12 mile jaunt through mud, water, fire and hay (but not enough hay), sat and watched the game off a DVR recording as if it were live, we screamed, shouted, and pulled for the blue and white to gut it out. They fought back from a 17 point deficit to cut it to 3 before their final drive fizzled out. Normally after a loss I am frustrated and immediately think of things they could have, should have done, and sure, there were plenty of those in that game, but that's not what I felt. What I felt was pride. They played hard, they played well, and they never gave up. Wins and losses only mean so much, but it's the character of those young men, and the way that they play that really matters. It must have been an extremely tough week on them, and it's hard to believe they were as focused or prepared as they should have been for that game. But there were no excuses. They had a shot, and just fell short, and sometimes that will happen, but it wasn't due to lack of effort.

The crowd showed the same class as the players. The sold out crowd, that had the stadium filled earlier than I have ever seen before for a noon game, banded together and displayed their pride with spirited chants following the game. It's something I'd love to see at the conclusion of every game, but sometimes it takes a terrible tragedy for you to realize how special something really is. Penn Staters everywhere over the past few weeks have come together as a community, raising money for child abuse awareness, showing support for the school, and most importantly, not shying away from being what they are...Nittany Lions.

For the remainder of the season, and even into the future, this team will be characterized by heart, family, and solidarity. They have seen terrible things happen, but have persevered. This is the toughest team in college football and they will beat Ohio State because they want it more. In a game like this where both teams are very even on paper, it really comes down to passion, and football can be one heck of an emotional game. Devon Still and Gerald Hodges have emerged not only as great players and leaders, but emotional leaders for this team. I expect them to be all over the field. Hopefully Penn State plays some man coverage and loads up against the option attack. I've got a lot of faith in this group, but regardless of the outcome, I know they'll give it everything they've got.

It's been a long time since the Penn State - Ohio State game featured two unranked teams. I don't think either squad is very good this year. As usual, they are both strong defensively this year, but both teams are limited by their quarterbacks. As such, I'm sure this will be a low scoring game, as it usually is.

I don't see either team being able to put together long scoring drives in this game. I think any touchdowns scored will need to come via a big play. So Penn State will need to either draw up something creative, or hope Redd busts one or Moye can catch a deep pass. The Buckeyes will not allow McGloin to march down the field and into the end zone on them.

I see the final score being something along the lines of 13-6. I can see either team coming out on top, but I'll take Penn State for the hell of it. This game actually doesn't mean a whole lot because, regardless of hte outcome, Penn State will win their division with a win over Wisconsin next week.

I'd love to see the team come out and play with all the emotion that has surfaced over this past week and put together a win over Nebraska that would never be forgotten. I Jiust can't imagine the team accomplished much this week at practice, and that has to put them at a pretty big disadvantage. If all of us fans were so impacted by this scandal all week, think about how the players and coaches were affected. There is no way Mike McQueary, Joe Paterno and Jay Paterno were thinking about Nebraska this week. Not to mention, the assignments of the coaches were re-shuffled after Paterno's firing only two nights ago. I think all of these distractions really inhibited the team this week, which would make a win over a good opponent that much more impressive. I really hope it happens, I just don't know that it will.

Anybody who has taken a mid-level sports management/business management class knows that there’s always an important game plan, sometimes referred to as a crisis management plan, sitting on the back shelves in case of a public relations nightmare. It doesn’t spell out the all the specifics, but it gives a basic strategy to control the damage, publicly defend the organization, and maintain as much of the image and integrity as possible. Well, apparently, the officials at Penn State University must have been absent that day because, to me, this whole situation reeks of utter incompetence of crisis management. Not only was Joe Paterno the media scapegoat, it turns out he was ostracized by his own people…the Penn State board of trustees and “powers-that-be.” Some part of me thinks they let it happen so they could force him out, a feat they could not overcome in the recent previous years. Chronologically cited, these are the lingering questions I have that make me believe this is the case…

1. Was the Sandusky indictment really a shocking surprise to anybody associated with Penn State University? There were serious newspaper reports of these allegations 6 months ago and, as far as I know, Penn State never commented or made any action. Why was there no action plan in place on how the media coverage would be controlled once this disaster broke?

2. Why were a mob of reporters lined up on Joe Paterno’s front lawn Monday afternoon and NOT on Jerry Sandusky’s or even Mike McQueary’s? Why did Penn State let this happen? This was problem area #1. Joe had to be frantically represented by his son Scott, who has nothing to do with the university. Basically, at this point, he was set free to the wolves.

3. Why was Joe Paterno’s Tuesday press conference cancelled? Why wasn’t he allowed to speak and defend himself and provide some answers that everyone wanted/needed?

4. Why is Penn State protecting Tim Curley and not Joe Paterno? After all, Curley WAS indicted in this case…Joe WAS NOT.

5. Furthermore, why was Joe Paterno FIRED while Mike McQueary was not and Tim Curley is placed on “administrative leave?”

6. Why was Joe Paterno fired over the phone? Very disturbing to hear that many of the PSU players heard of Paterno’s firing by watching Sportscenter! What was of so much immediate concern/action that had to be done at 10:45 at night? Couldn’t it have been put off till Thursday or even Friday where all parties could sit down and at least discuss the decision before making it public? Doesn’t this man at least deserve a full explanation of why they are firing him? Or better yet, shouldn't he be afforded the opportunity to publicly announce that he will be stepping down, effectively immediately?

Remember, at this point, everyone involved is afforded their due process. The funny thing is…Jerry Sandusky is allowed to continue living his life until his court arraignment. He will be rightfully judged by 12 people before he gets his punishment. But, Joe Paterno, a guy that is probably 5th or 6th on the list of people to blame here, if he actually is to blame at all, isn’t allowed to continue coaching football games until the investigation becomes final? Instead, his trial has already occurred within the media and public opinion where he was undoubtedly set up for failure and the board of trustees ultimately caved in to the propaganda.

Unfortunately, the way things played out in the last 3 days, Penn State had no choice but to fire Joe. This circus would only have continued and possibly gotten worse in the weeks to come given he remain the head coach and that simply would not be fair to the players and the university. It’s true…at this point in time, Penn State made the right decision. However, a lot of this could have been avoided if Penn State took better actions earlier in the game. Maybe they saw this as a way to force Joe out. Or maybe they are just really that ridiculously incompetent at handling a challenging situation. Either way, Penn State dropped the ball here. Penn State let it get out of control and ultimately had to make a decision that will resonate throughout eternity.

I have remained silent with regard to my personal opinion on Paterno and Curley and will continue to do so until I know more about what exactly transpired. But I have no hesitation in commenting on the events of last night.

First, I believe the decision to not allow Paterno to coach this weekend was the right one, and it was a decision that needed to be made. There are many people who are protesting this decision and saying it is unfair to Paterno. But this is not about Joe Paterno. It is about the University and standing up for what is right.

Imagine you are one of the victims that was abused after 2002 (when Joe was made aware of an incident) and your cries have gone unheard all of this time. Finally, after an unnecessarily long period of time, these crimes are finally being taken seriously and justice will be brought upon the man that tortured you. I will be careful not to speculate here, but from the little information that we do have, it certainly appears that Paterno was made aware of one such crime, was in a position to put an end to it, and failed to do so. By his own admittance, he said he wishes he had done more. Had he done more, you never would have been harmed. How would you feel about watching that man be carried off the field this Saturday, cheered and celebrated like a hero by thousands? Once more, you are being told that nobody cares about you or what you have gone through. These victims have suffered enough, why make them suffer once more?

What message would the University be making if they allowed him to coach this team on Saturday? They would basically be saying, “We know he made a mistake and multiple children have been harmed because of it, but his contributions to the University outweigh this one failure, and we believe he has earned the right to coach one last time at Beaver Stadium.” And that is simply the WRONG statement for this University to be making at this time. That would be just one more terrible decision in a long line of terrible decisions by University administrators that got Penn State in this mess to begin with.

By firing Joe Paterno, Penn State took a stand for children around the world. That takes priority over taking a stand for your football coach, no matter how much he has done for the University. It keeps coming back to the same principle, one which Paterno himself preached every day as the head coach: No individual is bigger than the team.

I believe he should have acted in accordance with this very same credence, and resigned as Head Coach on his own yesterday. In his statement released yesterday, Joe said “"I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.” He went on to add, “I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

The first step he should have taken was to step down, and he failed to do so. I truly believe had this occurred when he was younger, he would have had the sense to step down and do the right thing. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Over the last 30 years, Joe Paterno has grown accustomed to being the most powerful man at Penn State University. Whatever he says, goes. He thought he could get away with that one more time, by flat out challenging the Board of Trustees to fire him. “At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address.” Upon reading the statement, I immediately did not like this line. Of course the Board of Trustees is going to discuss Joe’ status, they are going to discuss this long and hard, because, despite what he said, there is no more important matter for them to discuss at that time.

Joe is about to turn 84 years old. Someone close to him needed to explain to him that his removal prior to Saturday was inevitable, and advise him to properly and courteously step down for the best interest of the University. Perhaps people tried to and he was too stubborn to cave. Perhaps he was still under this delusion of power that he felt nobody could tell him what to do. Whatever the case may be, nobody wanted this to go down the way it did, with Joe being fired over the phone, and it’s terribly unfortunate that it had to happen that way. I do believe, when the dust settles, Joe will look back and realize that his removal from his position was necessary for the good of Penn State University.

It’s hard to watch this sad old man and his wife in their pajamas in front of their modest house and not feel sorry for him. It’s a shame his remarkable career had to end this way, but there are many others involved in this case that deserve your sympathy more than Joe Paterno. Joe will be fine. As you saw last night, the man has plenty of support from both current and former students. While it certainly seems Joe has made a mistake of the gravest proportions, that will not erase his many accomplishments and contributions over the last 61 years. Even the reporters who bashed Joe’s inexplicable negligence on this matter expressed how much respect they still have for him, what he has done, and what he stands for.

I never realized that I could be so shaken, so distraught, essentially so affected by something that didn’t directly involve me or anyone I’m close with. I know I’m not the only person who was this moved by this scandal. I’m sure it’s a hard thing to grasp for anyone that did not attend Penn State and does not feel such a strong connection to both the University and Coach Paterno himself. When people begin to question the integrity of not only a man you have admired all of your life but an institution that has become part of who you are, it hurts to the core. Especially when both Paterno and Penn State specifically pride themselves on just that: Having integrity. Success with honor. Doing things the right way. That’s why so many Penn State fans have taken the defensive and refuse to believe any wrongdoing could have been done by their idol and by their university. I think it’s human nature for a Penn State fan to refuse to believe Joe Paterno may have done something wrong, and that is why so many people are searching for some sort of explanation. But, as always, I have made an attempt to be as unbiased and as rational as possible in this response, and I hope that is evident.

I will close with this: I always make a conscientious effort to learn valuable lessons and take positives out of every momentous event in my life, whether it be the saddest of tragedies or the greatest of successes. I’m not quite sure yet what lessons I will take from this saga. Perhaps it’s a reminder that even the mightiest can fall. But I know there is definitely the opportunity to take a positive away from this, as impossible as that may sound:

With the extensive media coverage and exposure of this horrifying event, hopefully this will serve to bring much needed attention to what is clearly an existing problem in our society. Perhaps people will take child-abuse reports more seriously and give them the attention they deserve, regardless of how well you know and how much you trust the accused. Additionally, perhaps now victims will know how important it is for them to come forward and describe what they have been subjected to – no matter how difficult that may be – in order to prevent others from experiencing the same thing. If it took the firing of four men and the suffering of these 8 victims (possibly more) to ultimately prevent the future suffering of hundreds of others, that’s certainly a step in the right direction.

I remember his last game so vividly. It was December 28^th, 1999 and the Alamo Bowl was being broadcast on ESPN. Even at only 13 years old, I knew Penn State football like it was a multiplication table, and I knew the significance of this game. It was Jerry Sandusky’s last game after 32 years at Penn State, the last 23 as defensive coordinator. This Penn State team was special. LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown, who would get drafted into the NFL with the first two selections) led a Penn State team to a 9-0 record before they broke the hearts of PSU fans by dropping their last three games to the three M’s (Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State).

My family at that time (and even 10 years after that) did not have cable. Our next-door neighbors happened to be out of town for the holidays, and being that we lived in a small friendly town, we had exchanged keys over the years just in case someone got locked out or if someone had left the stove on and realized it later. I was probably screaming at my parents that I wanted to watch the game. “Why can’t we have cable like everyone else!?” Eventually they gave in. They gave me the key and I ran through the short path between our houses and let myself into my neighbors house. I went upstairs, turned on the TV, and watched Penn State shut out Texas A&M 24-0. I was so proud of the team. They had put forth arguably their best defensive effort of the season to send their retiring defensive coordinator our on top.

Now the pillars upon which he once stood in my mind have shattered. The recent news of Jerry Sandusky’s child molestation has sent shockwaves not only though the Penn State family, but the entire country. People are sickened, as they should be, and now the blame game ensues. People are calling for Joe Paterno’s head. They say he should be fired. They say the entire staff should be replaced. Well, here’s what I have to say:

The incident that set all of this in motion occurred in 2002. Jerry Sandusky was retired as a football coach, but was helping out with an organization he created to help children. He was on campus at the football building and was seen by a graduate assistant (Mike McQueary, now the receivers coach) in the shower with a young boy. Mike reported what he saw to his boss, Joe Paterno. He probably said something along the lines of: “Coach, I saw Sandusky doing something inappropriate with a boy in the showers”. Joe immediately reported this to the athletic director, Tim Curley who was Joe’s boss and it was his job to notify the University police who had jurisdiction. This never happened. Should Joe have pursued further? Should that young graduate assistant continue to pester the legendary coach or confront the athletic director? Maybe. But who knows what they were told. It’s possible that Curley told them all that everything was reported and that the police were going to look into it, don’t worry.

Joe banned Sandusky from football buildings after that. He probably had a conversation with Sandusky, informing him that someone saw him doing something. Jerry had worked with Joe for 32 years. Joe probably thought he knew this guy pretty well, and gave him the benefit of the doubt that what someone witnessed was not what it really seemed. Regardless, Joe still told him that he was no longer welcome at football facilities. Joe is not a cop, he is not Jerry Sandusky’s boss anymore, and what he did was perfectly legal. He does not deserve to be tossed out of his position that he has held for over 40 years because of something people think he should have done. People that were not in his position. People that have no clue of what actually happened. Firing him, or having him resign now would taint his legacy. And I know that this is about more than Joe, that it is about young men that were abused. But firing Joe doesn’t fix that. It only makes it worse by destroying the man we associate with honor and integrity. He did what he did, and can you blame him? Would you have done anything different? Like Drew said so eloquently. Fuck you.

Now people are coming out of the woodwork, calling out Penn State for not being as upstanding as we all thought. And you know what, sure, I guess we deserve to be humbled, but this was the heinous act of one man, and the bad judgment of an athletic director that probably didn’t know the extent of this issue. This issue has absolutely nothing to do with the current Penn State team, the current Penn State students, and for the most part, the current Penn State coaching staff.

Friends have texted me asking me if I’m embarrassed. Am I going to change my license plate (JOEPA) now? Am I not going to wear Penn State stuff all the time? Hell no. Penn State has educated my family for three generations. My grandfather was a professor there, and my own father called State College, PA home. I am still proud to be a Penn Stater, and that will never waiver. That school made me a better person, and those 100 kids on the football team will leave Penn State as better men as a result of the coaching and the education they receive. Success with honor. That’s what Penn State is about, and what it will continue to be about. The action of one man will not bring down what hundreds of thousands of us have built together. Sandusky deserves whatever is coming to him, but I will not let him destroy something I have loved my entire life and will forever. We Are Penn State

So I'm sure many readers are in the same boat as I was today with work colleagues just tearing at themselves to make a joke at Penn State's expense. All I could do is just sit there and take it because this is just about the worst thing to happen to an athletic program that I can remember. Jerseys for tattoos sort of seems like small potatoes compared to what is going on as Penn State. I have no defense for Sandusky. Since I believe in America so much I'd like to think I could abide by innocent until proven guilty but at my core I truly wish Jerry Sandusky would hang himself and put an end to all this. The truth is if he's guilty he deserves much worse. Where I did stand tall is in my defense of Joe Paterno.

This is where it gets tricky for non-PSU people to follow. Growing up as Penn State fan I absolutely revered Jerry Sandusky. I've heard my father's re-telling of the championship game against Miami so many times I feel like I were there. To listen to him and many others give their recap, all praise was due to Sandusky for the scheme he put out against Testaverde. His stout defenses were the pride of my early years as a Penn State fan. While Fran Ganter consistently put out the worst offense of any major program, Sandusky's side of the ball kept us in the national spotlight. Until a year ago, when I first heard of these allegations, his name rang as holy as Cappiletti, Warner, and Conlon. Now imagine turning that guy over to the cops and the papers based on a second hand account that lacked any detail. Tough to do.

So now everyone is calling for Paterno to step down. To them I say simply, Fuck you. What gives you the right you self-righteous little pricks? Paterno has done so much good for to countless young players, the university, and the sport. And all the Neil Rudells and David Jones'es can't change that for all their efforts. They don't get to win. Not like this. Paterno has done too much to be brought down for the wrong-doings of a former assistant.

The truth of the matter is, who with any sort of power can make Paterno step down? The athletic director has just been indicted himself and the last thing Spanier or the board of directors needs is to force out the one symbol of Penn State more recognizable than Old Main or the logo? So for me the media can make all the noise they want. My coach fucking stays.

By now, everyone and their mother has heard about the scandal that has erupted in State College regarding former Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky. This is obviously a very troubling and disturbing story for many reasons, and you have to feel terrible for the victims and their families. It is too early to comment on what actions need to be taken by the University. More facts need to come out first.

But I do want to point out two things:

First, I am very concerned about how Joe Paterno’s press conference goes tomorrow. For the last 20 years, Joe has been in control of every press conference he’s attended. I went to almost every press conference between 2004 and 2007. There is not a single member of the local media that covers PSU football that has enough courage to ask Joe any tough questions, even when they obviously need to be asked. Every so often someone would try, or some national media member would come in for a big game and ask a tough question, and inevitably they would always leave with their tail between their legs after getting chewed out by Joe for challenging him. Make no mistake about it, the man has an enormous ego whether you realize it or not. If you have seen him interact with the media in the last 10 years, it’s clear he feels he has earned the right to answer whatever questions he wants and avoid any he’d rather avoid. And he won’t hesitate to let you know if he feels you are out of line for asking a question… Most of the time the questions are perfectly legitimate too.

Anyway, the point I am trying to get to is that Joe will not get away with this tomorrow. This is not something he can shy away from and use his stature to intimidate reporters and get out of. If he tries to boss the media around tomorrow like he’s grown accustomed to, it’s going to be really ugly and make him look very bad to what has turned into an unimaginably large national audience. Hopefully the PR people at Penn State are explaining all of this to Joe and letting him know how to respond tomorrow. The truth is, he probably can get away with not answering a lot of questions tomorrow since there is a legal issue at hand here. But it’s important he goes about it the right way and responds appropriately, instead of lashing out at reporters for asking him questions he feels he’s immune to. I’m sure there are PR people prepping Joe for the press conference. I just hope he’s not too stubborn to listen.

People have been questioning how mentally sharp Joe is this days. I think we will find out in the coming weeks, if not tomorrow.

The second point I want to make seems relatively unimportant compared to everything else that is at stake, but it’s unfortunate nonetheless. And that is that there is a 8-1 Penn State football team in the midst of a great season that is in the driver’s seat to win the Big Ten, and this whole scandal has undoubtedly created an enormous distraction for the team. Probably not for the players as much as the coaches, but there is no way Coach Paterno and Coach McQueary are focused on Nebraska right now. I don’t see how effectively the coaching staff can prepare the team for this game on Saturday with this whole mess hanging over their heads.

Given the bye week and nothing, aside from gaining an extra hour of sleep, really to get excited about, I felt it necessary to reflect on this oddly unfolding 2011 football season. Penn State is off, the college football slate is rather dull, and the only thing that could get me truly jacked about the LSU-Bama game is if somebody could assure me that Chuck Norris will run out of the tunnel at Bryant-Denny Stadium chasing six midgets wearing full football equipment! So here I sit, watching the overblown hype of this game mixed with ridiculous anticipatory interview questions by Erin Andrews, just hoping the next 7 days will pass quickly.

You want a college football playoff system? Well, it starts next Saturday in the B10 and Penn State drew a shitty seed. These next three weeks will show what this team really is made of. If they come out 2-1, they deserve a spot on the turf in Indy. And, if they get there, a B10 championship is very likely because I like our chances against a Michigan or Michigan State over a Nebraska-Ohio State-Wisconsin.

As Penn State teams go, this team is certainly not one the best, even of the last 10 years. It might not even rank in the top 5 (i.e. ’02,’05,’08,’09). Ok, maybe in the top 5, but this team has one of those intangible abilities to just find ways to win. They have won with defense, they have won with offense, and they have won with 57 minutes of pure slop and 3 minutes of brilliance. I do believe that, for what ever reason, Rob Bolden has regressed and maybe you can put that on the coaches. But, you do have to give some credit to the coaching staff and the senior leaders on this team’s ability to get the most out of all of their players.

Some of my observations to this point…

• Sure he was missed, but I don’t think anybody really realized how intrigal Derek Moye is to this offense until last week. His route running and his ability to find those seams in the defense often go unnoticed. I think big things are coming from DM6 down this stretch run.
  


• Finally, Gerald Hodges breaks out and does what we have been waiting for for a year now. GH6 is the next real thing at Linebacker U. Now, can Khairi Fortt follow in Hodges lead???



• I agree with Pete…I wasn’t sure Silas Redd could handle the workload of a B10 tailback, given his size. But, he put on some weight/jacked-ness over the summer and is now the real deal. Maybe a little premature, but Heisman watchers need to begin to take notice. Certainly, the Student Book Store better start planning a staircase makeover, because Royster’s rushing record WILL be broken…the real question is…will it happen in 2012?



• I’m not ruling out Devon Smith…I think he can be a valuable part of the offense and if he can do what he did at Northwestern 2 or 3 times a season, I’ll take it. But…why is he running 5 yard slants on 2nd and 3rd and goal? There are too many other options (taller and wider) to put in the slot in these situations.



• It’s funny how we went from Kicking team nightmares to a Kicker/Punter who is nearly a lock on FG’s inside 40 and consistently blasts punts.



• I don’t think we will see Rob Bolden take another meaningful snap this season and, as far as I’m concerned, Joe can sign his transfer papers right now. I think McGloin can continue to develop into a serviceable QB and, from what I hear, Paul Jones is getting his act together in the classroom and should be on the field in the spring/next fall with three years of eligibility remaining.
  

Get pumped for the run!

The fact that Jordan Norwood made an NFL roster at his size was impressive. The fact that he's been climbing up their depth chart has been impressive as well. Now, the Browns, needing to make room for a running back after Hardesty's injury, have released former Ohio State Buckeye and former second round pick Brian Robiskie. Norwood is their #3 wide receiver and had 5 receptions this past weekend against the 49ers.

While the first 57 minutes were completely uneventful, those last 3 minutes certainly made up for that! What an exciting finish. It really is impressive how Moye's return sparked the entire offense and made McGloin a much better QB on that last drive. You gotta give him credit for coming in cold, without having practiced in three weeks, and performing in the clutch (despite the one drop that could have cost them the game). Having him back for the next three games is huge. I said before the game, the loss of Moye would be a much bigger problem against Illinois than it was against Purdue and Northwestern, and that proved to be the case. I think everyone would agree, if he didn't come back on that last drive, Penn State would not have won. This team keeps finding ways to win. Nobody is giving them any credit. Not just the media, but even Penn State fans still don't believe this team is really that good. But they keep finding ways to win, and their defense is good enough to keep them in games, so you never know. I can't wait for the remainder of this season.

Two other notes:

Zordich is awesome. Go back and watch him drive the defender back into the end zone on that game winning TD by Redd. Zordich is the reason that play scored a TD.

On a related note, Silas Redd has really turned out to be an excellent running back. His talent was obvious last year. He broke a lot of big runs where he displayed great moves, elite speed and good vision. So everyone was already high on the kid ability-wise. But I had my doubts that he could be a 25 carry per game running back in the Big Ten, mainly because of his size. I thought perhaps he'd be better suited as a change of pace back from Beachum and get like 15 carries per game. But he has more than proven he can be an every down back. He runs was surprisingly great power, often carrying defenders for a few extra yards at the end of plays. He really has learned how to play the position, how to get up field and gain the tough yards that are needed. He's a stud. I'm still waiting for him to break a long TD run though. It has to happen soon!

This should be a great game as I see these two teams as very evenly matched. I think it will be a close game and there are a few key factors: The snow will impact the game just as Rudy already mentioned. Secondly, Illinois is coming off of back to back losses. How will that affect them? Will they come out angry and take it out on PSU? Or has their bubble been burst and the team is now deflated? We will probably find out the answer to that question early.

Last year, Penn State did not have very good team, but playing Illinois at home was a game everyone thought would amount to an easy win. The Illini promptly came in and gave Penn State as sound of a beating as the Lions have seen in recent years. I don't think Penn State has forgotten about this. Maybe it will be the Lions that come into this game angry and take it out on Illinois. Like I said, I think this should be a good game since the teams are evenly match, but, if PSU comes in with the right attitude, and Illinois comes in with the wrong attitude, this game could end up being lopsided in Penn State's favor.

I'm hoping for a good game with both team's best efforts. Not having Moye will hurt in this game more than it did in the last two. Will Penn State still be able to throw the ball effectively? I'm still waiting for Redd to break an 80 yard TD run. Maybe today will be the day. PSU takes this one 20-13

Illinois started the season 6-0, the first time they had done that in 60 years. The last two games they have lost because of a poorly functioning offense and a defense that couldn't make the big plays. Penn State has had similar issues with their offense as we all know, but what has been consistent is their phenomenal defense. It is anyone's guess as to which Illinois team shows up this afternoon, and what kind of offense for Penn State comes out to play in the snowy conditions.

The snow will play a huge factor in the game. It will be difficult to throw the ball and big plays will be at a premium. Who does this benefit? Illinois has several big play guys in Nathan Scheelhaase (QB) and A.J. Jenkins (WR) who will be slowed by the snow, but the awful special teams of the Illini should be neutralized with the poor weather (kick and punt returns will be easier to cover with the snow), and for Penn State I think the snow should give them the opportunity to stress running the ball more, something that Ohio State did every single offensive play except for four (they completed only one). If the offensive line shows up to play, Penn State should be able to win this game with the snow on their side.

Last week the offense seemed to click in the first half with Silas Redd running rampant and setting up some big plays on play-action. The receivers have stepped up and have done a good job of actually catching the ball in Moye's absence. We also all noticed that McGloin went the distance. I clearly expect this to happen again today, but I have a bad feeling that Bolden will get some significant playing time.

All in all things are looking up for the Nittany Lions; something we certainly did not expect only a few weeks ago. Sitting alone atop the Leaders division of the Big Ten, Penn State has a legitimate shot of earning a trip to the first ever Big Ten Championship game. I see them taking care of business against Illinois as they have all season in typical Joe Paterno fashion. No bells and whistles, just getting a lead and holding on with solid defense. PSU 17 Illinois 10

Pete, I agree with you that Northwestern is incredibly dangerous. Their offense under Persa is very efficient. He's a good player and will create some problems, but he's also coming off of a major injury and isn't quite as mobile as he was last year when his team put up 21 points in the first half. The defense on the other hand is terrible. The fewest points they have given up all year was 17 in week one to a Boston College team that doesn't know their ass from their elbow. Since then they have lost to Army, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa, where they surrendered 41 points...although one of the TDs was a TAINT (Touchdown-after-interception).

Iowa's offense came into Happy Valley as the best passing attack in the Big Ten. Shut down. Northwestern will be a different type of challenge, but when you look at games like this it's pretty simple: the PSU defense will give up somewhere around 17-21 points. Can the offense score more? That's it. Last year McGloin played hero to Joe's 400th victory en route to a total offensive output of 530 yards and a defensive effort that didn't give up a point in the second half. I think this might finally be the day we see Penn State put some points up against legitimate competition.

Silas Redd has been a godsend. He's 18th in the country in rushing yards and is the only person in the top 50 that doesn't have a rush over 25 yards. What does that mean? It means he's getting good yardage, but not quite breaking one. It tells me that the defenses are playing run, and having their secondary focusing on him. They don't have their backs turned covering a receiver...they are watching Silas, making sure he doesn't get past their last line of defense. Now, with how bad Northwestern's pass defense is, I expect PSU to come out winging it and I expect results. The run defense isn't much better. Army ran for 381 yards against them and completed 1-7 passes on the day for 6 yards. The moral of the story: Penn State could run the ball on every play and still beat this team. Playcalling and execution will win the game, and I think they've had enough time to figure out that reverses are stupid, and they should really just run off tackle and throw in some tosses and misdirection.

Getting to 7-1 would be huge before their final 2 game homestand against Illinois and Nebraska. Every game is winnable with a great defense, and although Penn State has faltered against some pretty inferior competition in Purdue and Indiana, I think they've learned their lessons and should be able to work over those purple-panted-poopball-players. Taking care of business - 31-17 good cats

I'll be going to the game this weekend in Evanston. Northwestern doesn't have the best record this year, but they are a very scary match up in my opinion. First of all, they have played better than their record indicates. They jumped out to a big lead over Michigan but ended up blowing the game, and they lost a close one to Iowa last weekend. They know they should have a better record and they might take out there frustrations on Penn State this weekend.

Secondly, I just don't think it's a very favorable match-up for Penn State. Northwestern always has very good, scrappy quarterbacks that scramble around and make plays. Penn State's defense has been excellent this year, but that has mostly been against pocket passers that Devon Still and company have been able to get pressure on and bring down. This year, the majority of Penn State's sacks have come from pressure up the middle from the two tackles, Still and Hill. The ends have had a minimal contribution to QB pressure this year, which has been a disappointment. Well, I think Persa is quick enough that he will be able to evade Still and Hill and get outside and possible be dangerous. Which is why it is so vital for a defensive end such as Crawford to step up and contain the QB, but he hasn't stepped up all year, so I'll be surprised if he finally does now.

Northwestern is a scrappy team that never quits and always gives teams a scare. I think they are angry with the way their season has gone, and they will play hard at home under the lights. I think the players like Coach Fitzgerald, who has taken some heat recently. They have his back and want to get this win for him. I see Northwestern taking this one 24-21.

This whole QB situation is just getting bizarre now. McGloin has proven himself to be head and shoulders above Bolden, and it’s clear the staff recognizes this because in close games, when the game is on the line, it’s McGloin that is on the field. The last two games McGloin has taken over 75% of the snaps, so it’s obvious the staff feels most comfortable with him running the offense. However, Rob Bolden continues to start every single game, and also take the field for the opening drive of the second half in every game. What’s the deal with this?

It really seems like the staff is starting Bolden just so they can say that he “got the start.” They don’t show any intention of letting him lead the offense all game. Rather, they stick him in there for the first series or two of each half, and then get him out of there for the rest of the half, just to get it out of the way. It’s almost seems like Paterno promised Bolden and/or Bolden’s father, that Rob would start every game if he didn’t transfer. And now that he stayed, he’s keeping his promise by giving him the “start” but nothing more. I don’t honestly think this is actually the case, but something fishy is going on here. I mean, what’s the point in playing him for those few series each game? He has been so inaccurate and inconsistent that it’s pretty much throwing away those series each game. Has Bolden ever completed three consecutive passes in his career? I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer is no. When you send him out there, it’s pretty much conceding that you aren’t really trying to score points.

I don’t think this is fair to the team, to McGloin, but most importantly, to Bolden. If you are going to throw him out there just so you can say he got in the game, but you aren’t going to really give him a chance, what good is that doing him? It’s not fair to the team, because it’s not giving the team the best chance to score points. And it’s not fair to McGloin, because he’s won the job fair and square.

But at this point you are probably wondering what the title of this post is referring to. Let me explain… Every so often, I will get a phone call, and my caller ID informs me that it’s Albright calling. Naturally, I press the “ignore” button so I don’t have to actually talk to him. Once I accumulate a few missed calls from Albright, I begin to feel a little bit guilty. So what I do is I will call him back at a time when he is known to be at work and therefore unable to answer his phone. This way he will see my missed call, and I get credit for returning his call, but I don’t have to actually talk to him. So I’m not calling Albright to speak with him, I’m calling him just so I can say that I called him back. Similarly, I think the coaching staff is playing Bolden, not because they want to or they think it’s best for the team, but rather they are starting him just so they can say that he “started.”

More on the game to come.

To be honest I don't know much about Purdue's team this year. I'm just hoping to see Penn State's offensive line continue to improve like they did last week. If PSU can establish a consistent running game, they can have some offense successfully.

Finally...the 2011 PSU team puts it all together! Well...for the most part. I cant really disagree with any of Pete's points and since he touched on nearly all of them, I will keep it brief! Either way, this was the sort of performance we have been waiting for all year. This is the confidence booster that this team needed. Hopefully, they can keep it rolling as we head into the stretch of the B10 season.

Ya can't really agree more about the fact that Rob Bolden's days might be, and should be, limited from here on out. It has become clear that Matt McGloin moves the offense better and seems to find a way to make plays. I guess we will just have to live with the bone-header every now and again. But for now, he's gotta be the guy. And, considering we dont really play a star-studded defense this year, maybe he can make things happen late in the season.

Question...Is Paul Jones academically ineligible by ruling of the NCAA or is he on Joe's "struggling academically" list? There is a big difference. You really have to try to be academically ineligible by NCAA standards. I mean, 1.7 GPA...cummon man! But, if Joe is keeping him out because he is "struggling academically" and needs some time to focus on his studies, I think we might see him on the field in the future. Remember, Brandon Ware was "struggling academically" but played in some games. I think Joe's bar is higher than the NCAA cutoff and if Jones gets his shit together, his career might just be beginning.

I SPY…The Entire Secondary. All week, the talk was about how PSU’s secondary was in for its first real test since Iowa and QB/Dawson’s Creek star James Vanderbeek are such a powerful throwing offense. Despite not having its best corner and its reliable replacement in Stephon Morris, the secondary played flawless. I took special notice to the coverage on Iowa’s final drive. The reason we kept pushing Iowa back was because the secondary had everything covered like a blanket. I am especially impressed with Malcolm Willis. I think he is a better coverage Safety than Astorino. Along with Stephon Morris, it’s nice to know there are some younger players getting some reps for next year when all four starters are gone.

Well clearly I have to eat my words regarding this game, but I will gladly do so after by far Penn State’s best performance of the season. There are still many areas in which Penn State is struggling and needs to improve, but in my opinion, they dominated Iowa in this game much more than the 13-3 score indicates. They were able to run all over Iowa, which is rare against a consistently strong Hawkeye defense that always seems to have Penn State’s number. They dominated time of possession, and Iowa’s offense could not get anything going against the defense of Penn State. In terms of moving the ball, Penn State completely dominated Iowa, they just need to figure out a way to finish drives, which is easier said than done. But more on that below. Overall a great win over an opponent that Penn State has struggled with of late.

Observations from the game:

-I was glad to see Penn State blitz more in this game than usual. They need to do more of that, and the guy who is blitzing needs to be Gerald Hodges. He has the speed, quickness, agility and strength to be an excellent pass rusher if Bradley lets him. On the play where he forced the fumble, you could see he was a man on a mission and there was no stopping him. He should be blitzing like that multiple times per game. Especially with the lack of pass rush PSU is getting from it’s defensive ends.

-Astorino and Willis played well in the secondary. As did the freshman Amos. Powell has been holding his own at corner this year too. Getting Lynn and Morris back will be nice. I still don’t like Sukay at all.

-The most promising thing from this game was the performance of the offensive line. I’ve been hoping to see Penn State be able to run the ball like that all year, and this is the first time since the opening game that they were able to do so. In other words, this is the first time against an actual defense that they were able to do so. It always seems to take Penn State offensive lines about half a season to really come together and play as a unit. It seems like that happened yesterday. Hopefully they keep it up because this offense will be completely dependent on the run and play action pass to succeed against stronger defenses. If the run is working, that will open up the passing game. If the run is not working, neither QB is good enough to carry this team through the air alone.

-Silas Redd had a great game. And Curtis Dukes is running the ball real well too. I’d like to see Dukes put the ball away a little better, he kinda holds it out there asking for trouble. I’d like to see the coaching staff try and do some more things to get Redd the ball in space. Too many of his runs are right up the middle. Let’s get him on the outside in the open field because he is dynamic when he’s in the open field and might be able to break the big one.

-Speaking of breaking the big one, I really think PSU needs to take more shots deep down the field to Derek Moye. He’s tall and fast and has made big plays in the past. The main reason I say this is because I honestly believe Penn State’s best chance of scoring is if it comes from outside the 20 yard line. Their struggles in the red zone are well documented, and I don’t expect them to get any better. There is a reason they struggle there and it’s all about the QB’s. Bolden simply has not been an accurate passer all year, and McGloin doesn’t have the strongest arm. He gets by with his arm in the middle of the field, but in the red zone, where everything gets a little tighter and you have less room to work with, his arm really limits what PSU can do through the air. Obviously I’d like to see PSU fix the red zone problems, but I’m not sure it’s really a fixable problem. I think its more of a result of the personnel they have on the field. So I think the best solution is to try and score on big plays. If they are moving the ball well, mix in a play action bomb to Moye and hope for the best. I think that gives them a better chance at scoring six than by driving all the way.

-I think Penn State’s two best offensive players all season have been their two fullbacks, Suhey and Zordich. These guys are awesome. Every time Zordich goes in he blows somebody up. Both of them have been very effective running the ball this year, and Suhey has been very effective as a receiver out of the backfield. I really think PSU needs to stick with more formations that leave the fullback on the field. I like the fullback in there rather than Devon Smith. It seems like every running play up the middle behind a fullback is good for at least 3 or 4 yards. The same can not beside for runs up the middle out of single-back sets. Stick with the fullbacks!!!

-This is a big one that needs to be addressed and fixed: Ferra had some nice punts yesterday to try to pin the opponent within their own 10, but each time, there was not a PSU player in site to catch the ball and keep it from going into the end zone. The punts had more than enough hang time to allow Penn State players to spring down to the goal line, turn around, find the ball, and prevent it from being a touchback. But each time they were still running and trying to find the ball when it came down and inevitably rolled in the end zone. There is no reason for that. This is why Penn State needs a special teams coach. They looked clueless out there yesterday on punts. The truth is, Penn State will be involved in many more games just like yesterday where field position is key. They need to take advantage of any chance they can get to pin the opponent inside the 10.

-I briefly mentioned this earlier, but the one criticism I have about the defense is they need to do a better job of getting to the QB. Still is a monster and has to be one of the best DT’s in the country right now. He is very disruptive and reminds me a lot of Odrick. But he’s the only one of the 4 linemen getting through, and it’s easy for a QB to run a way from a big 300 pound tackle coming right through the middle, they just bounce it outside and Vandenburgh did many times yesterday. That’s where they need Crawford to step up and formulate a pass rush on the outside as well, giving the QB nowhere to go. Up until that last drive, I think PSU only had one sack. They got some pressure, but were not able to get to him and bring him down. They need to do a better job of getting sacks.

-With that being said, how awesome was it to watch Iowa’s final drive where Penn State got three consecutive sacks to force a 4th and 30. What a dominant, almost comical performance. That was really impressive. Similarly, how great was Penn State’s scoring drive where they ran it 15 times in a row right down Iowa’s throat. Those were some dominant performances that were a lot of fun to watch.

-Lastly, I don’t think much needs to be said on this matter other than Bolden clearly is not the guy and QB and should not see the field any more. Chris Spielman is a pretty obnoxious outspoken commentator, and I don’t really like him, but he was completely correct when he said that putting Bolden out there in the second half was just wasting a series. Just throwing it away. He shouldn’t have started the game in the first place. After that pathetic opening drive, where he was throwing the ball nowhere near his targets, and telegraphing every throw, he should not have been put back on the field. Penn State scored three points on that drive in spite of Bolden, not because of him. I was actually kind of pissed they made that great fake FG call on that drive just because I knew it was a complete waste of a good call. There was no way Bolden was going to lead the offense to a TD on that drive. No chance. So what good is the fake field goal conversion? Listen, I like the kid, I think he has a strong arm and shows poise at times, and I think he’d probably be successful in a program where he actually received some decent coaching, but anyone out there who still thinks Bolden should be playing over McGloin needs to open their eyes because it’s not even a race any more at this point. Not even close. Like it or not, Matt McGloin is the QB of this team and probably will be next year two. Any first rep snaps that don’t go to him in practices or in games are just a waste. Hand him the keys and see what he can do with them. So far he’s done an admirable job of moving the offense, and he’s without question the best option at QB for this team.

How in the world is Penn State favored to win this game? Has anyone been paying attention the last 10 years? Iowa owns Penn State, even when Penn State is good. So how can PSU be favored this year, when Penn State isn't even good? That's pretty much all I have to say about this game. PSU's only chance is if McGloin starts and plays the whole game at QB. Bolden won't put up any points against Iowa. Iowa wins with ease as they usually do against PSU 17-3.

Sitting in the stands before the Alabama game, I made the comment, "What does this game really mean?" The rhetorical answer to that question, really, is NOTHING! Sure, we all want to compete for a National Championship but I think it is clear that Penn State is not a 12-0 caliber team. However, a Big Ten Leaders division championship and a spot on the turf in Indy in December is a very realistic goal which begins today. I think the old philosophy of rooting for your future opponents to win games is over and we will begin to have a more NFL-like ideology where we want divisional opponents to lose (i.e. Nebraska beating Wisconsin or Northwestern over Illinois).

Things I am looking for against Indiana:

• I, too, am excited to see the replacement corners, Thomas and Amos. I think this is the game where one of them makes a name for himself and becomes part of the first team.


• I am not a big Devon Smith fan, but I don't think they are using him properly. Sending him on deep routes just isn't gonna work. Everyone knows about his speed now and they will prepare for it. However, if you give him the ball in the short crossing routes or on WR screens where he has some green space, things might happen. I think he is more useful in this phase than any other receiver we have.


• How much will the injury of Michael Mauti really hurt? I dont think we will find out today but if there is one position on this team that can afford a major loss, it is at Linebacker. Again, time for young guys to step up. I want to see what Mike Hull can do. Also, can Gerald Hodges start playing up to capabilities?

PS...The intra-state smack talk has been rather quite of late so I will get the ball rolling again. I still cant believe that Pitt advertises "9 Time National Champions" at Heniz Field. If PSU took the same approach, they would have to build another stadium addition to fill the space. Talk about false advertising...

The Big Ten opener this year is, in all intensive purposes, another powderpuff. Indiana (who has NEVER beaten Penn State) is 1-3 coming out of their non-conference slate with loses to Virginia, Ball State and North Texas. Yea...North Texas. Good job. Penn State's barometer will be tested next week when it plays Iowa, but for this week they should have a grocery list of things that they want to accomplish.

1) Run the ball. OH.MY.GOD. You're Penn State...this is what you do. But the coaches think the only way to run is to try it on the first 3 series of the game when the opponent knows exactly what's coming. Then by the time McGloin comes in the game they have figured out they need to start airing it out, and it makes him look like the better quaterback.

This is why those playaction passes to open the game have been open...so that's like one good play...why not do something "crazy" and start the game from the gun. Maybe a little no huddle? Just mix it up. Take control of the tempo. I would love to just see a nice opening drive that results in a touchdown. Is that too much to ask? With the way the defense is playing, this puts a ton of pressure of the other team to score.

So, back to my point of running the ball....throw the ball....then run the ball. Don't just run into a brick wall 10 times and call it quits. Mess with their minds, man!

2) Get Derrick Thomas on the field right now. This guy is apparently a shutdown corner and I think he's done enough time in the doghouse. Let him outside to play. With Lynn out, I would love to see a lot of Thomas and Amos. I think these two are much better corners than Powell and Morris despite their inexperience.

3) Get the screen game going. I don't think I have ever seen a Penn State team so incapable of throwing a screen pass. Bolden really needs to work on getting a little more air under his throws and continuing to move backwards to draw the defenders away. He seems cemented in the ground and always does that thing where he throws the ball when he's getting planted. Stop it. Anticipate. Get rid of it with a little touch.

4) Don't run a reverse of third down ever again. Stop that.

5) Justin Brown looked pretty good last week. I'd like to see some more of him over the middle. This will open things up on the edge for Moye who has really improved his play as well after a mediocre at best opening two games.

6) From what I have heard, Amos and Belton will be back returning kicks. Thank you. Powell looks like he's on one of those airport moving walkways when he's retuning....run dude! And Devon Smith...what hasn't been said about a Devon Smith that hasn't already been said about a Raggedy Ann doll. My high school coach used to scream one thing at me constantly and eventually I got it...."GET UP FIELD!"

7) Devon Still has looked absolutely amazing so far this year and I think teams are very focused on double teaming him like they did with Odrick in 2009. Remember when Jack Crawford was good? What was that...2009? Yea, Odrick was there. Well, look for more out of the defensive ends this week....they may have the luxury of going against some tight ends. Let's get some sack lunches for this noon game.

I expect Penn State to handle Indiana very easily. They really are a terrible team; there's no two ways about it. Plus, Penn State actually looked decent last week, albeit against an inferior opponent. I am very curious as to how all this quarterback controversy is going to play out, but I'd bet my lederhosen on JoePa still going with two QB's for the Iowa game. I think Bolden and McGloin's performance in that game will be the deciding factor. A game within a game. Whatever. I'm just excited to be able to watch the entirety of a Penn State game live and not having to DVR it. Let's come back home to State College with some momentum! We Are

Mike Mauti and the PSU defense put together an impressive bailout plan that left most Democrats across the country scratching their heads. This game was downright sloppy and looked more like a mid-level High School contest. In all intents and purposes, the Penn State offense and special teams did everything they could to throw this game down the drain. But, the defense, which will keep this team afloat this season, came through with several big plays down the stretch.

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this team. Not since 2004 have we seen such a discrepancy between the offense and the defense of a Joe Paterno team. The defense is on the verge of becoming great. I really don't think there are too many, if any, weaknesses on defense. I have been impressed with the tackling and hitting in the secondary and the defensive line, although it lacks depth, is creating havoc on opposing offensive linemen.

No mincing words here but...the offense stinks! Neither QB can really put together a substantial drive where they show signs of greatness. I think we have some offensive weapons but if the QB play continues to be lackluster, none of them will have the opportunity to make plays and we will see offensive series much like '04. I still don't like the two QB system...

Also, what happened to the whole Spread HD stuff? Are these QB's not mentally equipped to handle that type of offense? I mean, doesnt it seem like we run the same 5-6 plays all game?

I SPY...Chaz Powell (CB #2) - Has CP2 finally realized his potential? He has impressed me with his tackling in the open field and, in addition to the INT, he has made some plays in pass defense. I noticed that they had Powell matched up with Bama's Marquis Maze. I would have figured Danton Lynn would be put on Maze. Either way, the coaches must like his play as well because I don't see much of Stephon Morris who often spells Powell at corner. A productive Powell will tighten up the secondary even more.

I don't know what it is about people and slashing tires, but tonight I decided that since my baseball game was in Cambridge that I would ride my bike to it. After the victory we went to a bar to have a few drinks. As I make my way out to my bike to ride the 3.5 miles home, I discover that a tire was flat. Then I discovered that both tires were flat. One had an evident key/knife hole, the other....I saw no evidence of a stabbing. Why did you do that? I ended up having to walk my bike home. Took over an hour. Dick move. What does this have to do with Penn State football?

Alabama essentially came into town and stabbed Penn State's tires. They had no choice but to walk their bike home. Accept defeat, alter their gameplan and just pack it in and hoof it. Everyone is freaking out though....why? So you had to walk home, it's still good exercise. You still made it, and your legs are stronger even though you didn't get home the way you planned. Bolden went up against the best defense he has ever seen. The best defense anyone on that team has ever seen....and he didn't do all that bad. He had some very nice throws that were dropped, and made a few bone-head plays, but that's to be expected. In all honesty, Alabama's defensive backs are absolutely the best I have ever seen on a college football team. People complain about his always throwing to his first read, but that's not true. Many of the times it is, but those are the playaction passes where it's a certainty that Moye is single covered. Do you think that Szczerba was the hot read on that third down conversion that he fumbled away? I thought Bolden showed a lot of poise and made his decisions very quickly, which is a HUGE improvement from last year. Last year he did not have a single effective run, and he scrambled well against 'Bama.

You guys are all talking about how he's gotten worse....but that's completely false! Remember last year's Illinois game where Bolden got pressured and just threw the ball into an oncoming defender's hands? Not only did Bolden not get sacked a single time against Alabama, but he also displayed good touch, a cannon of an arm, and better overall leadership abilities. You have to admit that all of this controversy must be weighing on both quarterbacks and it can't be easy to establish any kind of rhythm out there. Supposedly this week, we will see more of the "hot" guy staying in. Let's hope that after this game, a starter can be established.

On to the Temple game. This is an intriguing game, and I expect Temple to win the MAC and possibly end the regular season ranked or at least receiving votes in the polls. Having said that, Penn State is probably pissed. This team has too much talent to just limp away with their tail between their legs. The defense is very very good, and Temple, who relies on their running game, will have tough sledding. Creating turnovers has always been tough for Penn State, and that's largely because they don't take many risks. I was actually happy to see Sukay go for that pick. Why not try and make the big play? I do agree with all of you that Devon Smith needs to take a seat. He's just a gimmick and whenever Curtis Drake is healthy, he should supplant him. I was pleased with what I saw out of Shawney Kersey and Allen Robinson. Both young guys showed some decent hands and should push the veterans to step up or the young bucks might take some of their playing time.

I will actually get to see all of this Temple game, so I am excited about that. I also need to fix my bike, but I'll leave that for another day. Let's go state.

Please excuse my absence so far this year. I really have no excuse. The Alabama loss is still sticking with me, particularly after reading Pete's post. I actually went back through and read everyone's notes on the Alabama game last year and it was all the same complaints. Predictable play calling, giving up field position, and having no stones to throw the ball. One particular point of contention was Penn State kicking a field goal from inside the 10 to put the game at 27-3 as opposed to going for it, then had the audacity to try and onside kick. Sound familiar?

I think the team is pissed about the way they played last week but they know that losing to the #3 team in week 2 doesn't mean the season is over. I say PSU wins big. 34-6

Well I just went back and watched my recording of the game, and it actually wasn't as bad as I had thought after initially watching it live. Here are a few of the observations I made:

The defense played very well. They held their own and were not overmatched at all like they were against Bama last year. They just didn't make the key plays they needed. Mike Hull had a chance for a pick and didn't come up with it in the end zone. Also, on a key third and long conversion on Bama's first TD drive, Nick Sukay went for the pick and missed, when he really should have just swatted the ball away and forced a punt. You have to know the down and distance on that play and know not to go for the pick. I've never been a fan of Sukay. He's always a step too late to the play. But the defense didn't have any sacks or force any turnovers, and that's what was missing from their effort. The defense was tired and looked terrible on Bama's last TD drive. There wasn't any effort by them on that drive and it was embarassing. But the game was already out of hand by that point.

There were a lot of big-time defensive linemen on the field on Saturday, but none were better than Devon Still. The dude is a beast and was a force all game long. He has a bright future in the NFL.

This is perhaps the biggest point I want to make. And I'm not trying to be mean, or be funny, but the fact of the matter is Devon Smith sucks. I don't care how fast the guy is, he is not a good football player. Similar to Stephon Green. He may be able to run fast in a straight line, but that doesn't translate to much on the football field. He completely lacks the instincts needed to be a football player, and he should NEVER be on the field for an offensive play. First of all, he is already a tough target for a QB to throw to because he's so small. But secondly, he always seems to lose track of where he is in relation to the ball and makes every catch so much harder than it has to be. He seems to lack coordination or something. But he gets turned around and doesn't take the right angle to the ball and misses it, and it ends up not really looking like a drop because it looks like a tough catch, but that's his fault to begin with! He dropped the first pass of the game which was a perfectly thrown ball by Boldin. He ended up diving for it but he didn't really need to. That would have been a huge play and a great start to the game. Then he dropped a perfect throw from McGloin on third down that would have been a first down. Then the coaches came up with a perfect play-cal on a reverse to Smith and he had a lot of room to run and he coudln't even make the first man miss, but not only that, he ended up fumbling the ball. He basically screwed up every single play he was a part of. And I'm not just saying he isn't good because of one bad game against Bama... He's never made any big plays for the team. Ever. You always hear about how fast he is, but he has yet to contribute in any way. If they want to keep him in on kick returns thats one thing, but he should not be a receiver for this team. They need to stop trying force him the ball.

I still don't know how Bama's first TD pass got by both Hodges and Carson without at least getting deflected.

Jack Crawford looks like he's back to full strength.

I think Bolden had a pretty good start and I don't think brining in McGloin on the third series of the game was the right move. In the end, neither QB had a good game. But they didn't play as poorly as I initially thought. There were WAY too many drops by the wide receivers and that didn't help out either QB. Moye dropped at least two, Brown dropped at least two, Smith at least one. You can't do that. I was impressed with how poised Bolden was, he was just way too erratic with his passes. If he can learn to be more consistently accurate with his passes, and learn to go through his progressions and not always force it to the first read, he can be very good. I just don't know who will be the one to teach him these things. I agree with Jason that Bolden appears to be the guy and I don't really see McGloin putting together 4 good quarters against a top defense. But, again, he didn't play as awful as his 1-10 stats would indicate.

Ferra is by far the better punter and has a much stronger leg. Not sure why he wasn't punting from the start, but that cost PSU in the first half.

It definitely looked like PSU came up with the stop on the fake punt and the spot was incorrect. That was a huge momentum swing in the game. Unfortunately, PSU had burned all 3 time outs on the first drive and couldn't challenege. In the end PSU got a few calls though, and I don't think this would have changed the outcome. Still a big shift in the momentum of the game.

I think the loss of Chima Okoli in the first half had a bigger impact on the offensive line than people relize. That forced Pannel to move to tackle, where he hadn't practiced, and the Urshel came in at guard. I think Redd would have continued to have the success he had ont he first drive if Okoli hadn't gotten hurt.

The coaches really must love Adrian Amos. He was in on kick returns when they needed a big play. He looks fast. I thikn he has a bright future.

Joe mentioned this at his press conference today: The team just needs to play with more confidence. It seemed like as soon as things didn't go perfectly, the air came out of their balloons. I know they came into the game with the philosophy that they can't afford to turn the ball over or make any mistakes, but that doesn't mean that when you do turnt he ball over, you have to get all down about it. You need to play through it. The team needs to play with more confidence, but that can only come when they makes some big plays.

Immediately after the game I said I don't see any way PSU will beat Nebraska, OSU or Wisconsin. But after watcihng the game, I'm going to retract that statement. If Bolden can develop, I think this team can win one or more of those games. But that's a big if.

Since Pete touched on many of the areas of concern from the Alabama game, I will simply refute my previous post regarding the Quarterback situation...

As evidenced by Saturday's game, it has become apparent that Matt McGloin is simply not a major college football QB. He has showed signs of greatness at times, but all against middle-of-the-pack teams (i.e. Northwestern, 2010 Michigan, Minnesota, etc.). He has also showed he cannot handle the pressure and does not have the athletic decision making ability necessary when facing top notch college defenses (i.e. Alabama, Florida, Michigan State, Ohio State). He has many desirable qualities for a Penn State QB, but, plain and simple, he is most likely a Division II QB. He will never play 4 solid quarters against a respectable team. I hate to say it and this is the old "hater" cliche but...there is a reason he was not offered a scholarship!

Rob Bolden, on the other hand, is a QB that really seems to be headed in no certain direction. I agree with Pete in that he really has not gotten any better in the last 12-13 months. Clearly, he is athletic, throws the ball well, and evidently doesn't mind running the ball and sizing up a linebacker in the open field. However, he just doesn't seem to be fitting into the offense like anticipated. Is that because of coaching? Is that because he has the proverbial chip on his shoulder? Or is he just not that good? (Remember, Paul Jones was the higher touted recruit in the 2010 class.)

The 2011 season is certainly not lost because a non conference loss to an Alabama team that played a flawless game against Penn State. But, the QB situation is the glaring weakness and a valid reason for concern. So, what is the answer at QB? At this point I really don't know. There is a part of me that thinks that the coaches are just killing time until Paul Jones gets his act together. But if Jones never reaches his potential as a collegiate, i think it is time to let Bolden get some experience and roll with the punches. Remember...he is only a Sophomore. Daryll Clark was washing jock straps as a Soph. and Michael Robinson was still trying to find his role in his second season. Both of whom eventually led the Lions to Big Ten 'ships.

For the future that we wait...

I SPY...WR Drops - I really cannot believe this did not get more attention in post game media analysis. Regardless of who was throwing them, the dropped passes (I will put Sczerba's fumble in this category as well) just cannot happen in a big game. I would have to go back and look at the tape, but I believe 2, maybe 3, of the drops came on 3rd down.

It’s games like the one we saw on Saturday that make me thankful we have this blog. A place I can vent and get all my frustrations out. And trust me, I have plenty.

I don’t know where to begin, so I will just start with the coaching. Penn State’s coaching staff has been a huge liability for years now, and it gets exposed whenever Penn State plays a top ranked opponent. There are a handful of specific areas where they struggle consistently (offensive line, quarterback development, pass defense). But perhaps the biggest one is making in-game adjustments. They simply don’t make any. They have a game plan and they stick to it, regardless of what happens on the field, and they lose games because of it. The most obvious example was the Rose Bowl against USC where Mark Sanchez picked Penn State apart all game long with 10-15 yard passes that Penn State’s defense continued to give them. At no point did they make an adjustment and try to stop it, and USC continued to take advantage of it.

Well the Alabama game was another example of a lack of in-game adjustments when one needed to be made. It’s obvious the coaches came in to this game with a very conservative offensive game-plan. They were expecting/hoping that the defense could hold Alabama and perhaps even force a few turnovers that could lead to points. In turn, they wouldn’t need a whole lot of points out of the offense. So the offensive game-plan stressed not turning the ball over rather than scoring points.

In other words, they were hoping that the game would play out exactly like the Ohio State game in 2005 did, where PSU won 17-10 by shutting down OSU’s offense, and coming up with a key interception that led to an easy 7 points. In that game, once the Lions took a 7 point lead, they were perfectly content with three-and-outs on offense for the rest of the game, just punting it away to OSU and allowing the defense to hold them and win the game. And in the end, that’s exactly what happened. PSU barely moved the football at all on offense for the rest of the game, repeatedly punted to OSU, and the defense did not allow another score, leading PSU to a huge 17-10 upset victory. This is a game many Penn State fans view as a huge victory in the history of the program.

The more I think about it though, the more I think this win was somewhat detrimental to the program, and here is why: Ever since that game, Penn State has approached EVERY big game against a top defense with that same exact game-plan. And it has not worked since. At some point the coaching staff needs to realize that they need to open up the offense, and actually aggressively attempt to score points on offense in order to win these games. Although it worked once in 2005 against Ohio State, this philosophy is not going to work every time.

But anyway, back to the original point I was making about in-game adjustments. Look, the game-plan was a conservative one. And that’s fine. In fact, given this match-up, with two strong defensive teams, and the fact that Alabama had a young, inexperienced quarterback playing in a hostile environment, I would actually go as far as saying it was absolutely the right game-plan to enter the game with. But, with that being said, once you get down by 14 points, you need to abandon the offensive game-plan, and start trying to score points. And they did not do this. Why stick to the runs up the middle that are not getting you anywhere? Alabama was lining up 8 men in the box all day long daring Penn State to throw it, and they still wouldn’t/couldn’t. And that’s unacceptable. Just take some deep shots to Moye! The guy is 6’5”. He has a better chance of coming down with a jump ball on a 40 yard pass than Penn State does of actually putting methodically driving down the field for 40 yards.

Think about this: When was the last time Penn State completed a pass to a wide receiver OVER THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD? Actually, when was the last time they even attempted a pass over the middle of the field? The simply don’t even try it any more because they are so afraid of throwing interceptions. First off, the fact that they still don’t have confidence in their quarterbacks to make these throws is pathetic (more on this later), but second of all, when you get down big and need to score points in order to win the game, you have to start opening up and taking these chances. If you just sit back and do the same stuff that hasn’t been working, how do you expect to come back and win the game? I’ve said this before, if I was a defensive coordinator for another team, I’m certain I could shut out Penn State every time, because I know exactly what is coming, what I need to defend, and what I don’t have to even worry about defending because they are too scared to even try it. (Similarly if I’m an OC at another school, I would put up 50 on PSU every time by pretty much doing what USC did in the Rose Bowl… Assuming I have Mark Sanchez on my team.)

Here is what pisses me off the most about the coaching staff. They would rather lose by a respectable amount and not even try for the win, than get blown out. And I don’t understand why. A loss is a loss, whether you lose by 60 or whether you lose by 1 in quadruple overtime. So when it’s fourth and six on the opponents 45 with over 12 minutes to play and you are down by 14, YOU GO FOR IT. YOU DO NOT PUNT. Why would you punt? What is that saying? To me, it’s saying, even though the scoreboard and the clock suggest this game is still within reach, the coaches don’t have any confidence in the team and don’t believe they can legitimately win the game. So since they have already determined they are going to lose the game, why not at least make the loss as respectable as possible rather than getting blown out. And that’s about the most insulting thing a coach can say to a team. Just pathetic. And this isn’t the first time Penn State has done this. They do it all the time, and it’s infuriating.


Now, on to the QB situation…Is there a major college football program out there that is worse than Penn State at developing quarterbacks? I really don’t think so. The last QB to go pro from Penn State is Kerry Collins. That’s pretty bad.

The conservative offensive game plan obviously says that the coaches do not rust the quarterbacks enough to let them air it out. But there is no reason for the QB’s to be such a liability at this point. They each have had multiple starts and enough playing time that the coaches should not have these concerns. But this is the crap that seems to happen all the time at Penn State. But other schools don’t seem to have this problem.

Think about how rare it is to see a Penn State quarterback make a play on his own. When I say make a play, I mean, scramble around, avoid a sack, buy some time to allow a receiver to break open, and complete a pass to him. It seems like no matter who is playing QB for Northwestern or Wisconsin, they always find guys that can make plays like this. Penn State hasn’t really had one since Zach Mills. (Those of you scratching your heads at this go back and watch film of Mills in his freshman and sophomore years, he was great.)

Right now, the way Bolden is playing, he throws the ball to the first option every single time, regardless of whether he is covered or not. He isn’t even going through any progressions. I seem to recall the first touchdown pass of his career, in the opening game last year, he looked off the first man and then found I think it was Brackett over the middle as the second option for a nice touchdown. I’m not sure he’s thrown to the second read since that pass. In other words, he may have actually regressed since last year. And that wouldn’t be the first time. It happened with Mills, it happened with Derrick Williams, it happened with Maurice Evans, it happened with Jimmy Kennedy, Justin King: Too many Penn State players actually get worse later in their careers instead of getting better. Not a good reflection on the coaching.

But it happens most often with quarterbacks. Penn State quarterbacks are just not where they need to be. And you have to put the blame on Jay Paterno. After all, he is the quarterbacks coach. If he’s doing such a lousy job coaching our quarterbacks that our offensive game-plan is to try to not turn the ball over and avoid any potentially dangerous throws, then I think Penn State needs a new quarterbacks coach. I really think Bolden could be a very successful quarterback if he had better coaching.

Oh, here’s another great example of Penn State coaches not getting the most out of the talent that they have: Derek “Cameron” Wake. Out of all of the Penn State alumni in the NFL right now, this guy might very well be the best. I think he finished 2nd or 3rd (right in front of Tamba) in the NFL in sacks last year. He is a very feared pass rusher within the league.

This guy SUCKED at Penn State. But his athletic ability was undeniable. I think he actually still holds the record for highest vertical leap in NFL combine history. But the coaches insisted on making him a linebacker where he was out of position and never had a feel for the position. He was always lost and didn’t have the instincts needed to play linebacker. The coaches never made this realization, left him there, and by his senior year, Dan Connor was starting over him as a freshman.

In the end Wake, was never drafted, and had to prove himself in the CFL, where he finally found the right position, led the league in sacks, and won the defensive player of the year award, before signing with the Dolphins and tearing up the NFL. I’m pretty sure Wake would have been a defensive end, and would have been a top draft pick, had he gone to pretty much any other DI college.

I will try to end on a positive note: Sean Lee had a monster game on Sunday night, and Penn State has more key contributors on NFL rosters now than they have had in a very long time. Posluszny, Bowman, Lee, Connor, Gould, Wake, Hali, Butler, Quarless, Collins, Adams, King, even Jordan Norwood! For a while there was a pretty bad drought of significant Penn Staters making an impact in the NFL. Hopefully that is over for good now.

The rain continues to pelt the ground, swelling rivers, and tearing down bridges. Soon the damp Earth in the center of Beaver Stadium will be ripped apart by two of the best defenses in the country. The Alabama Crimson Tide come to town boasting a #3 ranking, and the backing of what most would argue is the best conference in college football. For the past 5 years, the SEC has held up a crystal ball at the end of the season and have put a curse upon their Big Ten foes. The mighty underdog Nittany Lions could not only reconcile the nation's perspective of the Big Ten, but they could also put themselves in a position they have not been in since 1999...on the winning end against at top-5 opponent. I was there when Paul Posluzsny and Michael Robinson took down Ohio State in a matchup not unlike this, but Saturday's game has a different feel to it.

Penn State has nothing to lose in this game. No one is giving them a chance. And rightfully so. This Alabama team is fundamentally sound. They have the best running back in the country. They have the best defense in the country. Penn State doesn't know who their quarterback is, and they got sacked three times by an FCS opponent. The wild card here is Beaver Stadium. Alabama in their own right is starting a green quarterback. AJ McCarron will make the start for the Tide after throwing two of the team's four interceptions last week against Kent State. The only way Penn State wins this game is if McCarron makes mistakes, and that will happen if Penn State's defense comes to play and if the stadium has an OSU 2005 or Nebraska 2002 feel to it.

What impressed me about the defense last week was the tackling. It was solid. D'Anton Lynn, Chaz Powell, and Adrian Amos are all very physical corners. There's nothing I love seeing more than aggressive, hard hitting corners....well other than a few Michael Mauti's. Tackling, we all remember, was a major issue last year. Trent Richardson is a horse in a human skin, but if you have enough people form tackling a horse, he's going to go down. The Bama offense lost some very skilled players and will not be as potent as last year, meanwhile the Penn State defense has vastly improved. So you're saying there's a chance!

Like Pete, I was awestruck with Redd's ability. He looked like a cannonball. Beachum looked very good as well, but Redd really ran well between the tackles and the speed he has coming out of his first cut is reminiscent of Ki-Jana Carter. He's going to be something very special. My praise for the offense stops there (and with Suhey and Zordich who exemplify what I love about PSU football). The pass blocking was god awful, the receivers didn't help out their quarterback, and the QB's did not look sharp at all. To be fair, the play calling was very very very conservative and I feel a lot of that had to do with who is coming to town this weekend.

Last year's offensive gameplan actually wasn't all that bad. The Lions moved the ball effectively and really utilized Devon Smith to perfection. Send him in motion and right to a flat pattern. Expect to see that again. It's an easy read and a fast one for the quarterback....whoever that may be. As bad as the coaches have been at times, I expect big things out of them. They've had all offseason to prepare for this game.

I will again be DVRing this game due to my own semi-professional obligations, but I could not be more excited. Not just to watch the game, but for the opportunity the University and all of those players have. Even still....If I was a betting man, I'd have to go with Alabama. Stranger things have happened though. Fight on