The Penn State Football Show

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.