The Penn State Football Show

I waited until today for my review of the Syracuse game hoping the days would calm me down. They didn't. That was maybe the most underwhelming win I've seen in the past couple years. I can't point to a thing we really did well. So I'm going to throw something out there, brace yourselves... Penn State will lose to Michigan and Ohio State this year.

The O-line is a sieve, the running game is in slow motion, Clark is taking way too many licks, our kicker is weak, and Nathan Stupar is the biggest ballerina to ever start at linebacker for PSU. I really don't like the way things are looking. Sometimes teams can play down to competition and step up when it counts. I hope we can do that.

As for the Big Ten I believe Ohio State playing USC so tough did help us a little but Michigan State didn't do us any favors. I think between OSU, Michigan, and us we can put together a strong bowl finish.

Back to PSU, it is now abundantly clear Clark has no plans of scrambling this year. And Pete, I usually defer to you on most football knowledge but idea of him staying in pocket to avoid hits makes about as much sense as Caddyshack 2. I think he would be much better off moving around and going down or out of bounds on his terms.

This week, the running game HAS to be established. Its been lackluster the first two weeks and we need a 100 yard rusher like Rudy needs a girlfriend. I would also like to see more pressure on the quarterback. Leaving Ron Paulus untouched left me more unsatisfied than 8th grade makeout sessions.

This week presents no real interesting matchups in the rest of college football. I am not sure how Cal is only catching 14.5 against Minnesota when they are scoring more than that tool from Twilight in the front row of a Justin Timberlake concert.

Let's hope the boys put on a show before the Big Ten opener.

I have no future in journalism simply because I always find a way to make things seem ok. Things obviously did not go according to plan against a weak Syracuse team, but keep in mind that they are drastically better than last year. Here's a quick look at what went wrong and some possible excuses.

Offensive line: They are playing horribly right now, but to be honest with you the defenses thus far KNOW that Penn State isn't going to pull any rabbits out of a hat. These three warmup games are going to be plain vanilla. Run the ball up the middle, establish the basics for the Big Ten season, and don't give away anything. Think about Iowa...what are they going to be able to evaluate from these performances? It's my belief that Penn State is using 25% of its playbook in these games. They haven't run outside, no options, reverses, wildcat...nothing. And since these teams know Penn State isn't going to try to trick them, they can devote their focus to the run. As a result, Clark has been burning them through the air. I can't say I'm not worried, but I think that the OL is in better shape than we think.

Kick Coverage: I am going to go ahead and blame this on some of the freshman that have gotten sucked in on the coverage instead of staying in their lanes. It's good that this happened against Syracuse as I'm sure some of them got a little bit of a wakeup call. Hopefully they can learn from this and be more disciplined.

Pass rush: Paulus and Syracuse got rid of the ball very quickly. There were no deep throws, and it was tough to get pressure. I expected more, definitely at least a sack by a defensive end, but again I am not too concerned. Odrick and Ogbu are man-bear-pigs up the gut and should leave the DE's one-on-one for much of the season.

Tackling: Wallace and Timmons did miss some tackles, and they weren't even that tough. Stupar also looked like a ballerina one time in the open field, but once again these are correctable mistakes. It's better to go through the "preseason" and see how to improve than just cruising through with perfection. I felt the same way about the Patriots in 2007, everything came to easy, but a few years before, they got embarrassed right before the playoffs by Miami and buckled down and went on the win the Super Bowl.

The WORST thing I saw last weekend was the running game. People can blame the O-line all they want, but Royster and Green don't hit the holes. They prance in there and try to avoid people. Green, I understand is not a great inside runner, but Royster looked terrible. He needs to lower that shoulder and stop wading through the defensive line. Brandon Beachum is someone I would love to see more of. Obviously, I'm not a coach and not at practice every day, but whenever he gets the ball he runs like a Penn State running back should. It wouldn't be a bad idea to use him in short yardage situations, and I realize that whoever was running the ball last week on the goalline would have been stuffed.

The BEST thing I saw last weekend was the linebackers. Bowman is a total freak and hopefully he can stay healthy, and I don't think he will be playing against Temple for good reason. With that said, playing without him is a major loss, but PSU has great great depth. Stupar filled in well, but he still has a lot of room for improvement. Gbadyu got in the game and did a decent job. He's extremely fast and they are planning on using him in Hull's place in sure passing situations. Speaking of Hull, as Pete pointed out he played a great game. He mentioned that the strength of the defensive tackles helps him out since they occupy the linemen so he can make tackles. He looked pretty quick and he's certainly a big guy and made some nice tackles. Then there is Sean Lee, who turned it on in the second half. What a guy. He's going to have a great season, and what he does better than his predecessors Poz and Connor is blitz effectively.

This coming week, I'd like to see some more out of the defensive ends. Jerome Hayes, my favorite guy, is coming up a few tough years of injuries and hopefully he can get it going. This wasn't exactly "quick" as I first stated, but I just finished an exam so I was all jacked up.

Penn State is now ranked 5th in the country by the associated press. There is no way that Penn State is the fifth best team in the country right now. If they are, that does not speak very well for the curernt state of college football.

The GOOD:

Clark looked good. I thought his decision making was much better than the Akron game. He didn't force many throws into coverage, and the one interception was not his fault.

The much maligned Josh Hull actually played the best game of his career on Saturday. He looks greatly improved over last year. He is playing with a lot more confidence and seems to know what he is supposed to be doing on plays. Getting Navarro back will halp too.

Sean Lee is the best player on this team and turned in another great game.

Graham Zug had a great game and looks like he is a very reliable target for Clark with great hands.

Astorino's name has not been called much so far this season, but the kid is a heat-seeking missile.

THE BAD:

Offensive Line again did a terrible job run blocking. They are far from where they need to be, and there is no indication that they will ever get there. I know it is still early, but they should not be having that much trouble opening up holes against Akron and Syracuse. This will be a huge problem if it does not get fixed.

I was not happy with the lack of pressure put on Paulus by the defensive line. I would have expected Crawford and co. to haev a field day and pick up some sacks. They stuffed the run very well, but they need to get in the quarterback's face a little more. It was nice to see Devon Still get a lot of playing time. They rotated a lot of guys in, including freshman Sean Stanely at one point.

Kick Coverage: They allowed two big returns. This has been a problem in the past and needs to be addressed. On the other side, I still don't like Royster returning punts.

Tackling: AJ Wallace and Knowledge Timmons did a real poor job of tackling in this game.



Big Ten

I watched most of the Michigan - ND game. I thought ND was going to have their way with Michigan, and offensively, they did. Claussen played great, and they scored points at will. However, where I was completley wrong, was on the other side of the ball. I did not expect Michigan to be so succesful on offense behind a true freshman quarterback. But that's because I didn't realize that Tate Forcier is an absolute stud. In fact, I was so certain of Michigan's inability to score points that I bet money on the Irish. In just his second career start, Tate Forcier cost me $50.00. Kind of reminds me of Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank Redemption. He is already my most hated player in college football.

I am saying it right now, I am scared at the prospect of having to face this kid for four years. He can run and throw very well, and showed incredible poise for a truse freshman making his second start. He really impressed me with his decision making and his ability to make plays. He looked like a fifth-year senior out there. I knew it was only a matter of time before Michigan turned things around, but I honestly thought it would not be for at least another year. I hate to say it, but it would not surprise me at all to see Penn State lose at the Big House this year. You may think I am going overboard, especially from just one game, but that's how I feel.

Ohio State played a good game and had USC on the ropes and blew it. I thought they had the game in the bag since USC's offense wasn't moving the ball at all. I still can't believe they drove the entire field to win the game. Tough loss for the Big Ten, but at least they didn't get blown out. Terrelle Pryor is not that good.

Michigan State losing hurts the Big Ten badly. What a pathetic way to lose a game too. Purdue put in a great effort against Oregon, but lost by 2. Other than that, way too many close calls in the Big Ten.

-49ers will make the playoffs this year.

I agree with a lot of the stuff Drew said in his post. Especially about mobile quarterbacks purposely staying in the pocket just to prove themselves as a passer. This hurts the team. Like Drew said, having a mobile quarterback in college opens up so many doors for the offense. I also know that the coaching staff really doesn't want Clark to run very much because they don't want him to get hurt since they don't have an experienced back-up. They did the same thing with Mills. Mills was a great runner, but they tried to protect him and didn't let him run any more, and that really hurt the offense.

In terms of the Akron game, there is not a whole lot to say, and the little that there is to say has already been said. O-line is not there yet, and Clark made some bad decisions. Other than that you can't take much from that game. Syracuse played well against Minnesota, so they might provide a good test, but we all know that the real season doesn't begin until Iowa, and you can't learn much about the team until they play some tough games.

Drew if you are going to bet this weekend, I'd say put your money on Notre Dame over Michigan. They are only giving like 3.5 points. I think the Irish go into the Big House and win that game by at least two touchdowns. Michigan is not very good, and they have a true freshman at quarterback. Notre Dame is not very bad, and Clausen is actually pretty good now. Take advantage of the fact that Michigan actually looked good last week. I don't think they will look good again for a while.

Also, in regards to USC OSU... not so fast my friend. I think it will be low scoring. I can't see a true freshman quarterback having much success against Ohio State's defense in the horse shoe at night in a tough environment. If he proves me wrong, I will be thoroughly impressed. I can already tell Barkley is going to be a great one, but he's so inexperienced, it will be tough. Although if anyone can prepare him for success, its Pete Carrol. On the other side, OSU doesn't have a very dominant offense either. I think points will be at a premium, but we will have to wait and see.

What is Micahel Crabtree's deal?!

I think Rudy summed up last week pretty well. But I want to expand on a few things he left out. I was very impressed with the poise Daryll Clark showed in the pocket. Pressure was coming and he stayed put until his receivers broke open, delivered a nice ball with defenders in his face, and paid the price a few times. That being said he did miss a couple of times. But that was only the first game and I'm confident we'll have a much better DC-17 this year. I'm worried about one thing though, for some reason good running quarterbacks don't want to be labeled as good running quarterbacks. So they spend their offseason trying to become Dan Marino. Why? Mobility by a quarterback at this level is such a plus. I love the play on third down and 5-7 yards to go of just sending the receivers deep and letting the qb scramble and create. I just don't want to see Clark stay in the pocket to prove himself to a couple of hack beatwriters and Mel Kiper.

Last week I called out Sean Lee and said he needed to prove himself on the first snap. I think he did that and then some. The play that comes to mind is on the first defensive series when he blitzed unblocked off the edge and had a clean shot at the quarterback. It was clear though that either by design or fluke Akron had their relief valve wide open and probably for good yardage. Sean Lee recognized this as well, broke off the sack, and closed in with blinding speed on Akron's tailback and broke up the pass. I can't think of too many NFL guys that would have the presence of mind to make that play. Most see a chance to plant to qb and never look back. He made hard hits all day and I'm very happy to have him back. I thought the D-line played excellent. I think Sukay is going to prove himself to be a great safety and you know my man-crush on Astorino.

The offense, as Rudy said, had pretty rough run blocking. They weren't pushing downfield much. I am glad I hung on to my #6 Aaron Harris jersey because Moye is a beast. I did not see that kid coming but I am loving the size of the targets Clark has to throw to. I also thought Joe Suhey showed some serious thump at fullback. Nice to see one of the famed Penn State families finally doing something for this team besides taking a scholarship. I was pretty unimpressed with Devon Smith but hopefully he gets a few more touches this week.

I never thought I'd say this, but i miss Kevin Kelley. You win this round God.

For this week what do you say about Syracuse? They were a once mighty team reduced to a 24 year old freshman winning the starting qb job in his first 5 weeks of football in 5 years. It sounds like the beginning of Necessary Roughness. Jim Brown is frowning somewhere. I don't think we "need" to do anything to win. I personally would just love to see Paulus planted a few times and I want a big game on the ground to give the offensive line an ego boost. I would also like to see some second half intensity. I'm not worried that we didn't score in the second half last week because we all know how you're attitude changes once you realize the other team can't beat you.

As for the Big Ten, I don't think Iowa will prove to be the stout test we thought. But then again they didn't appear all that great last year and I was dining on my foot for about a week after my rather boisterous post. In regards to Ohio State, Navy does that to everyone. That's why I picked it. I think they will get blown out this week but USC is a superior team. I thought Illinois was making strides to be back a-top the league and bring respect to the Big Ten but Zook has failed to capitalize on some great recruits. This probably will be a down year for the Big Ten. There's nothing you can do about that. All Penn State can do is win every game and continue to improve and let the chips fall as they may.

This weekend I will be in Atlantic City and will actually be laying money down on my gambling predictions. I like South Carolina over Georgia, Michigan State over Central Michigan, and you're insane if you don't take over 44 points in USC-OSU.

-Terelle Pryor's Philosophies

Duke, like Notre Dame, is one of those schools you either like or you hate. I'm of the latter. Coincidentally I feel the same way about UNC. Regardless, I am extremely excited for Greg Paulus, former Duke point guard (although he lost his 3 year starting spot as a senior...ouch!), to get turned into a sack lunch this Saturday. It's a special feeling when you get to face a quarterback you absolutely despise in a game where you are positive that he will be knocked around like a beachball at a Nickleback concert. Syracuse nearly pulled out a victory against Minnesota in overtime last week, but a costly Paulus interception ended the game. To his credit, he played pretty well, Considering that he hasn't played football in 5 years and only practiced over the summer, it's remarkable that he is a starting quarterback not to mention that he was an effective one against a legitimate bowl contending Big Ten team. This week will be a little different though.

Paulus will go up against a relentless defensive line that treated Akron's O-line like a wet paper bag. Delone Carter is a pretty good running back for Syracuse, but playing on a team like Syracuse doesn't do him any favors. Penn State shouldn't have trouble containing the run this week or any week this fall, and they can focus on getting after the quarterback. It should be interesting to see how Paulus deals with the pass rush. I haven't seen much film from their game against Minnesota, but I assume that Paulus has some scrambling ability. The secondary for PSU, which played well against Akron, should have a pretty relaxing day in the sun. My prediction to the right of 45-6 may seem a little lopsided, but with the way the Lions played in the second half last week, I think they will be pushing to play at a high level the whole game. I also don't see Syracuse being able to get in the endzone. Akron's only score was on a coverage breakdown, and Jacquemain threw a great ball. Paulus isn't as polished a passer at this stage of the season, and with the way PSU stuffs the run, it could very well be a touchdownless day for the Orangemen.

Look for Penn State to get even better offensively. Their wideouts were the stars last week while the run game was below average. Syracuse will have more standard defensive formations so the offensive line should have an easier time clearing some holes for Royster and Co. Expect PSU to make a statement in the ground game, and I anxiously await round two of Clark with his new set of BIG targets. I predict a return touchdown from "Speed Devon" Smith (get it? Like speed demon, but Devon instead). Bag 'em and tag 'em, tell me how Beaver stadium's grass tastes, Greg.

First games are inherently exciting whether they are against a national powerhouse, or in Penn State's case the Zips. A lot of questions were answered in this one (or may have been answered) in particular the wide receivers. Although they did not have a perfect game, it was pretty close. Their height advantage was utilized in the redzone and their speed was on display. This group of wideouts could be something special. I read the other day that Chaz Powell (who is absolutely jacked by the way) ran a 4.27 40 yard dash in practice. He certainly showed major improvements over last year where his hands were pretty shaky. Not enough could be said of Moye's performace as he hauled in 6 catches for 138 yards. He's going to be a stud. Brackett was really the only downside of the afternoon, but he is the least of my concerns. Devon Smith made an appearance and though he did not make much of an impact, the fact that he was returning kicks and used with the first team offense indicates enough.

The secondary looked pretty decent, but a lot of that credit might fall on the shoulders of the defensive line who, not surprisingly, raised hell in Akron's backfield. I really don't think we will have a good measuring stick for the defensive backs until the Big Ten season starts.

The offensive line was a concern going in and it remains that way. Their pass block was fine, but they were going against Akron. The run blocking was pretty miserable, and without the fake punt run by Andrew Dailey (fantastic call by Larry Johnson), the Lions would have been at 99 yards rushing on 29 carries. Horrible. Yes Akron loaded the box, but the running backs should be able to get more than 3 yards a clip. Syracuse will give Penn State some more standard defensive looks, so the running game should improve.

All in all, a 31-0 halftime lead is encouraging, but not scoring in the second half is not a good sign. It's not that they weren't capable, but the fire just didn't seem to be there. The coaches will be all over them for their sloppy second half and hopefully they can put together a full game against Syracuse that looked like the first 30 minutes with Akron. There are still some questions, but two more cupcakes should iron out the kinks, and it looks like the Big Ten is in even worse shape than most thought with Iowa and Ohio State just barely escaping with victories. It will be interesting to see this OSU-USC game...