The Penn State Football Show

First of all, I can't believe you idiots actually think you can pull off the record the game and try to watch it later without hearing about the score. It's impossible. It's never been done. I've tried it many times, never with any sort of success. If you honestly think you can pull it off you are fooling yourselves. The very thought of it is so arrogant and ignorant of you. But good luck! I might text you guys score updates just to teach you a lesson.

This game really snuck up on me, and I haven't really put nearly as much thought into this bowl game as I normally do. This entire college football season has been pretty underwhelming in my opinion, and I just haven't had as much interest as usual. We have been spoiled the last few years with some incredible college football seasons though, so I can't complain.

Anyway, I don't really have a whole lot to say about the game. I agree with a lot of the things that Rudy and Drew said. I expect a defensive battle like Rudy said. I don't know a whole lot about this LSU team. I do know they aren't as good as some of the great LSU teams in recent years, but they definitely have a ton of talent on their roster. I am going to take LSU in this game for a pretty simple reason. Penn State's only two losses this year came at the hands of Iowa and Ohio State, and the reason they lost both games was because their o-line was completely dominated and overpowered by the defensive line of the opponenent. LSU always has an excellent defensive line, so I expect the same thing to happen. Penn State's offense will struggle to move the ball as the d-line gives them fits. It will be a low scoring game, but I see LSU coming out on top. Les Miles prepares his teams well for bowl games. But then again, so does Joepa...


Also, Drew, I like how you state that you are trying to "bring some legitimacy" to this blog under the post titled "Southern chicks are sluts."

Before I began to actually think about what I was going to say in this post, I had my mind made up that Penn State was going to lose. When you look at our losses compared to theirs, the scales just tip to LSU's favor. I think Ohio State is a good team and if we had shown up to play at all I would be proud to call it a loss. How Iowa beat us still baffles me. What discourages me more is that Iowa should have beaten OSU on their home turf. Astounding. But the closer I got to putting pen to paper all I could think was "Can Penn State really lose two bowl games in a row?"

Unfathomable, right? Penn State has far and above proven themselves to be the over-achiever of the Big Ten in bowl victories. I remember the days of my father preaching to me "Give Jerry Sandusky two weeks and he'll prepare a defense that could stop God." To a lesser extent I still find this true with the current coaching staff. They have done a tremendous job, by and large, preparing for an unfamiliar foe. And I don't know how many times we have to prove that we have speed at Penn State. Every year that's all the announcers talk about leading up to the game and we always hear of opposing coaches being amazed at our speed after the game. You would think they could find a new angle.

What honestly sat in my mind the most was last years bowl prediction. All three of us took Penn State over USC and although hindsight is 20/20 and you guys will think I'm full of it, I didn't really see how Penn State could beat the Trojans and was less than surprised at the outcome. I don't want to make that mistake again. Because to be completely honest, the fact that more and more people are reading what we have to say is maybe one of the coolest feelings in the world. And I'm trying to bring just a small piece of legitimacy to this site.

So after days of waffling one thought came to my head and my decision was made up. This is a big game, and Darryl Clark has proven he can't win them. I don't mean to throw losses on one guy's shoulders but he really has not come through when we needed him the most. I think the Bayou Bengals take this one based on a stagnant Penn State offense and a porous special teams.

Lions and Tigers and....Bears! Oh my! What Bears you ask? The Bruins! Unfortunately I will be unable to view the Capital One Bowl live since I will be attending the Winter Classic hockey game at Fenway Park, but Drew and I (and Fitz) will attempt to do the impossible....record the game and watch it from start to finish as if it were live. To do this, we will be incommunicado from 1pm until we have seen the final play of the Penn State - LSU matchup.

Now on to the game itself! I am really looking forward to this defensive duel, and the opportunity for Penn State to finally earn the evasive meaningful victory. So far this season Penn State has taken care of business in their wins and in their losses they have made mistakes and not been able to run the ball. LSU presents a stingy defense that held Florida to only 13 points, and we have come to expect a solid defensive unit out of the bayou on a yearly basis. This year however, the defense has been giving up more yards (both passing and rushing) than their own offense can produce. Their defense has 20 sacks (not a bad number) but they have allowed 35! In a game against lowly Louisiana Tech, LSU managed only 246 yards while giving up 322 after squeaking out an ugly 8 point victory. All season LSU has failed to live up to their billing.

All in all I have not been impressed with LSU all season. They, like Penn State, have not beaten a currently ranked team, and I feel that much of their legitimacy is due to the fact that they "hung in there" against Florida and Alabama. In both of those games, however, their yardage was doubled by their opponent. In addition, for the bowl game, LSU's top running back, Charles Scott, will not play due to an injury....too bad. Even without him in the lineup, all month I have heard about "Southern Speed" yada yada yada. Everyone's got their blazers, and Penn State is no different. What's so damn special about LSU? Oh my god they have someone on their team that runs a 10 second 100-meter! Terrifying! Too bad the chump only has 23 carries and 3 catches on the season. Yet all month that is all I heard. "LSU is too fast"...."this Holliday kid is going to outrun the Penn State defense". Horsehockey. I love Devon Smith, but the little guy has been a non-factor over the course of the season. Sure he's as fast as chihuahua falling down a manhole, but he isn't a great football player. Neither is Holliday...he's just fast. Put it back in your pants media types! He concerns me on kickoffs and that's about it. People don't realize the speed of Penn State's defense. AJ Wallace, Bowman, Lee, and Crawford are all guys that have above average speed for their positions. There are also rumors that we may see a fair amount of the fleet of foot Gerald Hodges at linebacker. LSU simply put has not been able to do much offensively all season while Penn State's defense has been smothering. Put that together and LSU is going to have a tough time moving the ball.

Their inability to sustain drives on offense has hurt their defense, and this is not the same kind of LSU defense we have seen in the past. Typically their defensive line is full of monsters, but this year the stars of the defense have probably been the secondary and LB's. Look for Penn State to really try to establish the running game and make a statement on the line. The Lions have a number of guys that can produce offensively, and with a whole month of focused practice, I fully expect guys like Curtis Drake to play a major role in the game. All in all, Penn State seems much more talented and they possess greater depth than the Tigers. Keep LaFell (LSU's star WR) double covered and stuff the run and LSU can't do much else.

With all this being said, you can't count out LSU. They are well coached and play well in bowl games. Only a few years ago they were national champions, and last year they diagnosed Georgia Tech's triple option and absolutely dominated the game, but in my opinion, it will be quite tough to prepare for Penn State. They are well balanced, disciplined, and perform well in bowl games. The coaches have proved in the past several years that they are not afraid to throw in some new wrinkles during bowl preparation, and even if they don't throw any gimmicks at LSU, the threat of one will constantly be on their mind when guys like Drake, Smith, and Newsome are in the game. Over the past four years, Penn State has performed at a high level offensively and they have execute well, even against some very stout defenses.

I am clearly biased, but LSU has underachieved all year and have been sloppy in most of their games. The same could be said of Penn State, but with the way they came out and executed against Michigan State, I tend to forget about their slop. Florida held LSU to 162 yards of offense. Penn State has a better defense, and as long as Clark can minimize errors, I see LSU gaining well under 300 yards and scoring at most one touchdown. The biggest danger for Penn State, and an area LSU will undoubtedly target, is special teams. With a whole month to get healthy and work on their kick coverage though, I expect PSU has addressed this. With how poorly LSU's offense has played, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just kick to an up-man every kickoff to get the ball out of Hollidays little mitts. This is a big test and a very meaningful game for the university and the Big Ten as a whole. I was very pleased with Wisconsin's win over Miami, and hopefully, with the exception of the damn Hawkeyes, the trend can continue.

Mufasa takes down Shere Khan.

Let's party

I would like to extend my congratulations to the Penn State women's volleyball team. 102 straight wins to accompany 3 straight national championships is easily one of the most astounding runs a team can assemble. And anyone who did not watch this game is an absolute idiot. I am usually the guy at the head of the line hating on women's sports, but these games are EXCITING! They are some of the most stressful events to watch. My only beef is it seems each team has 13 timeouts per set. Its too easy for momentum to die or get shifted.

For those who missed the event. Penn State lost the first two sets and rallied to win the last 3. Worm's boy Russ Rose has unparalleled composure and seems unfazed at all stages of the game. Admirable, but I prefer coaches with a Cowher like emotion. Another amazing stat is that Penn State is the only respectable volleyball program east of the Mississippi. Everything else is out west. This is comparable the the University of Maine being the best baseball program in the country. Think about it. So sound off if you watched the game and look for bowl prediction in the coming days.

Probably no one in the SEC, or most Big 12 members, but pretty much everyone else says hell yeah to this question. These talks are preliminary in every sense of the word, but make no mistake, it's a big deal. Joe Paterno's been stumping for another team in the Big Ten since PSU joined in the early 90's, just like he stumped for Eastern Elite athletic conference way back in the day. Will anyone ever listen to guy?

Colin Cowherd talked Big Ten the other day. A lot of people like him, a lot of people hate him, but damnit, the guy is interesting. I like him. He said the slam dunk no brainer to add to the Big Ten is Rutgers. He focused on size, academics, and location as primary factors. And they all make sense. Huge state school, great academics and research, and close to somehow still untouched New York market as it relates to college football.

The obvious downside to this that everyone would go on record as saying is, who the hell wants to make a road trip to New Jersey? Just think...Ann Arbor, Madison, State College, Piscataway? I don't think so. You don't need to be a huge school to match up academically with the rest of them (Northwestern). Athletically, I don't really see it either. For every Ray Rice and Kenny Britt there are 10 walk on guidos. Basketball, I can't even really comment because I know nothing about the program. Average across the board. Very good baseball program though, not surprising.

Time to turn to my buddy Ron Cook
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09351/1021570-87.stm

Would the Big Ten dare? I say yes for several reasons. We would be doing a great human service to all the Kenny Rayls and other shapes of Pitt fans by validating their existence. And if you had to add another stop on the Big Ten roadtrip map, why not the City of Champions? 70,000 seats, as good a tailgating as you'll get inside city limits, and a casino with table games right next door. Immeasurable improvement for Big Ten basketball as well. And while it's always enjoyable to make fun of Pitt, don't forget. Pitt's academic chops stack up against anyone and would fit right in with Big Ten standards.

It would also make Pitt/Penn State relevant again, and this time with the context of ever important conference implications at the heart of it. Outside of Notre Dame, Pitt makes the most sense to add from every standpoint, including location. Notre Dame will never happen. I don't think Pitt will happen either. Everyone loves Rutgers for some reason. Am I only one that notices that they still haven't ever done shit ever? A couple trips to the International Bowl and they are big timers? I don't get it. People are trying to get out of New Jersey, not stay there. That's why they come to Penn State. Let's make this happen. I hate to say it, but Hail to Pitt!

I'm sure when you read the title of this post you immediately had visions of Ryan Reynolds, Juan Guzman, and some of the ridiculous malformations you can sculpt out of certain parts of the male anatomy! But, since this is a football blog, I will save my Roger Ebert skills for another time.

Instead, I am concerned with the amount of time between the last Penn State regular season game and the upcoming Bowl game. I must admit, I am excited for the LSU-PSU matchup. An SEC opponent in a rather meaningful bowl game will give Penn State, and the Big Ten, a chance to see where they stand in relation to the almighty SEC. But, like a 6-year-old counting down the days on his advent calendar, I am really getting sick of waiting for Jan. 1.

Apparently, the NCAA and the Big Ten feel preparation for a bowl game deserves more practice time than preparation for the season opener. Penn State will have had more "official" practice time to prepare for LSU than they did for Akron, in terms of days. Either way, the time off between the end of the Big Ten regular season and the Bowl games is absolutely atrocious (Penn State will have 33 days off between games and this year the waiting time is relatively short). This is entirely too long to go without playing a football game. It's like starting over again. Teams lose their rhythm, players lose their competitiveness, and we have nothing to blog about! As a result, many of the teams have sluggish first quarters in the bowl games because the players are still waking up to game-type action. Two, maybe three weeks is PLENTY. Any coach or sportswriter who tells you that this is not a problem nor a disadvantage is simply giving the PC response...a response which is also BS! I have a feeling that this lay-off has been the reason Big Ten teams have underperformed in recent bowl games.

I am not positive about this, but I think much of this malarkey in scheduling revolves around the Ohio State-Michigan game (a game that nobody outside of Ohio or Michigan really cares about...but fans of the respective schools will tell you different). This game is always the last weekend of the Big Ten season and Jim Tressel does not want to play this game the weekend of Thanksgiving because it will interfere with Thanksgiving break for his players and his fans. Tressel wants this game played before Thanksgiving so his players can "go home for the Thanksgiving break." Tressel has also denied the long lay-off as being detrimental when it came to getting whacked in the '06 and '07 Title games. Why Jim Delany and staff entertain this idea, I dont know. And, if this game is such a huge rivalry like they claim, why isnt it played on the final college football "rivalry" weekend?

A few suggestions for the future...

• Push the start of the season back a week or two into September. Do we really need to be playing football in August, sometimes before school is even in session? As a result, the season would extend well into December.
• Build a bye week into the Big Ten schedule. We don't need 12 games squeezed into 12 weeks. Give everyone involved (players, coaches, media, fans) a breather half way through!
• All non-conference games must be played BEFORE Big Ten games start. That mid-season Eastern Illinois game was flat out stupid.
• Develop a Big Ten Championship game. Whether its 11 or 12 teams, lets determine the champion on the field like everyone else does. Enough of this co-champ nonsense. The Big Ten falls off the map in December while everyone else is playing Championship games.

I still think the whole college football season could be one week longer and extend into mid-December. I hear there is talk about making changes to the Big Ten schedule. Feel free to share some insight...

After reading some of the Capital One Bowl Media Day interview transcripts, I learned that Jerome Hayes is appealing to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligiblity. He did have two season-ending knee injuries, so I suppose he has a shot at getting a sixth year granted, although I don't know how good his chances are.

Personally I think it would be great for the team if we got him back next year. When he's healthy, he is a great player. He is also a veteran and a leader, and he has experience at both linebacker and stand-up defensive end.

It takes about two years to fully recover from a torn ACL. He's had one in each leg. But next fall he would be 2+ years removed from each one. He wasn't even close to being 100% this year, and you could tell. He really didn't make any plays in the first half of the season, but he did improve toward the end. I think he would be much better next year and could be a big help. This will be interesting to keep an eye on.