The Penn State Football Show

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

You can never take much away from these early season cupcake games, but there were a few things that caught my attention:

The most promising thing I saw on Saturday was Drew Astorino finally back to playing like he did freshman year. As a true freshman the kid was like a heat seaking missile, flying to the ball making big plays whenever he got on the field. Naturally I had high expectations for him after that, and he has been a tremendous let down in each of the last two seasons. After his sophomore year people said it was because he was hurt all year, but then he wasn't very good last year either. Some people insist he was still hurt. Whatever the case may be, Saturday was the first time he looked like he did freshman year. If he continues to play that way all year, that will be great news for this defense.

Running backs were impressive, especially Redd who is a bona fide stud.

Bolden has yet to get into a nice rhythm with the offense, and that concerns me. He clearly has a great arm, and seems relatively poised, but he has yet to put it all together into a methodical drive. Until he does, I won't be sold on him. But the potential is certainly there. As much as I want to him to be the guy and win the job, I can't help but agree with Jason that it seems like McGloin gives the team the best chance to win. Both will play, but if Bolden struggles, they need to get McGloin in the game to move the offense.

The offensive line looked great in the run-blocking (against a weak opponent), but terrible in pass-blocking (against the same weak opponent). We will get a better idea how the o-line is after this week.

Amos the freshman looked impressive. Surprised to see a true freshman get action in the first game of the year at a position with so much depth. Keep in mind it took Posluszny about half the season before they decided to burn his redshirt because he was too good to keep off the field. And that was on a team that went 3-9...

I loved the use of the fullbacks, both Suhey and Zordich. I hope that keeps up all year. Zordich is a player.

This team needs Anthony Fera back badly.


Now on to the big game this weekend against #2 Alabama.

I do think Penn State has a chance in this one, but they need a lot of things to go their way if they want a chance to win. I don't see the PSU offense putting up a lot of points against the Bama defense. So I really think the Lions will need to score either on special teams or on defense in order to win this game.

As with most people, I'm not very confident about Penn State's QB situation going into this game. However, what some people don't realize is that Alabama is in a similar position. McElroy is gone, and they aren't settled at QB either. They played two different quarterbacks last week, and each threw a pair of interceptions. If Penn State is able to stop Trent Richardson and the Tide running game, and force the inexpeirenced QB's to throw the ball, Alabama could be in trouble. So that will be the key, can PSU stop the Bama running game? They couldn't do it last year. We will see if that changes this year.

Like I said, I don't really like the match up of the PSU offense against the Alabama defense. Out of Penn State's 11 offensive starters, I think only two guys would start for Alabama: Silas Redd and Derek Moye. It is rare that Penn State is outclassed in talent on the field, but against this team, I think that's the case. But Redd could be a perfect weapon... He is electrifying and is one of those backs that doesn't need that big of a hole to turn a run into a nice gain. The way he hits the whole with such speed and explosiveness he reminds me of a smaller Adrian Peterson. If Penn State is going to win this game, they need Redd to carry the offense.

Penn State has home field advantage in this one, which could help out tremendously when Alabama's untested QB's take the field. If the Lions come out and play with confidence, and catch a few breaks, they can win this game. But if I have to make a prediction, I'm taking Alabama in a low scoring game, 17-13.

Rudy, great season kick-off post...I too, stand at half mast just thinking about PUS football again!

As far as the 2011 Penn State team goes, you really cant take much away from the Indiana State game. It was essentially a scrimmage or pre-season game, whichever way you want to look at it. However, there were a few players that I was looking forward to seeing how they looked.

Obviously, the QB situation is the #1 question/problem/area of concern. Two years ago, I devoted the 2010 season solely to establishing and developing a starting QB, setting up 2011 as the year PSU's makes national noise again. As we all know, that did not happen and I feel we are back at the same point we were a year ago with the QB's. However, I was excited to see how both QB's fared and how they handled the offense in their season debut. After having a few days to gather my thoughts and opinions, I have concluded that McGloin is the better answer for the time being. Clearly, Bolden is the more physicall talented player, but, to me, it looks like McGloin has better control of the offense and plays the role of "game manager" better than Bolden. If you look back on several recent National Championship teams (Ohio State '02, LSU '07, Alabama '09), they did not have a stud Heisman Trophy/1st Round Draft Pick Quarterback...they had a guy who managed the game and did not make the big mistake. Now, I know McGloin is very prone to the bone-headed throw now and then, as we saw on Saturday. But, it seems like he moves the offense better, he commands the huddle, he has the confidence, and he actually shows excitement about the fact that he is playing football at Penn State! I really dont like seeing Bolden on the sidelines with that blank stare on his face, looking like he just got news of his dog dying. I think it is a reflection of his lack of self-confidence and leadership ability. My opinions may change in the weeks to come, but for now, my vote goes to McGloin.

As for Alabama, I think this is the game PSU can show people what this team is all about. They aren't getting much respect at this point in the season and that is fine with me. I like being the underdog...in our house! I envision a game similar to Ohio State in 2005. Two good defenses, a battle for field position, with one of the defenses or special teams making a big play to set up a game-deciding score. Either way, it should be more exciting than last year.

I SPY...Adrian Amos (CB #4). As far as I can remeber, he was the only true frosh who got non mop-up time on Saturday. Dude looks big, fast, and athletic for an 18 year old kid. With the absence of Derrick Thomas ??? and a dismal Chaz Powell at corner, will Amos eventually get some first team reps?