The Penn State Football Show

Iowa has been a thorn in our sides for years, destroying dreams of national championships and knocking our basketball team out of the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately they have already lost a game so a loss here wouldn't be quite as devastating, but a Penn State win here would make this season a success. I don't remember a season when I have picked against PSU this many times, but Iowa is just a better team in so many aspects of the game. They have more experience, they don't turn the ball over, they have a terrific defense, star players that can take over a game, and we saw what they could do on special teams last year.

To keep this quick, Penn State needs to get solid play out of their offensive line. They played well last week despite giving up just their first sack of the season, but the loss of Eliades is crushing. My take on the conservative play-calling inside the red zone last week is that Penn State knew that eventually they would take over and they just wanted to get some points. Whatever. Not concerned about it. They moved the ball pretty well, but definitely need to be more consistent. This week Penn State will need all the points they can get and I expect them to open up the playbook a little more. The offensive calls against Alabama were actually pretty good so I feel confident in the coaching staff, but execution will be critical. Their redzone production has had about as much success as Drew in a dance contest against yours truly (OH!). I agree that tight ends need to be used, but Gilliam is young and I think a better option is Brackett out of his flex spot. I was excited to see Justin Brown have a big game, and I hope to see him on the field more and maybe Zug a little less. All said and done, Iowa should win this game, but Penn State certainly has the talent to win this, but they need to win the turnover battle and get pressure on Stanzi.

Got a wedding to go to tonight so I will once again be DVRing and watching later. Very excited for this one. This would be a huge win, and a great confidence booster for a young team that is still looking for an identity.

The magical time is now upon us with games that actually matter, leaving behind the jabronies that occupy the cannon fodder schools of Temple, Kent State, and Youngstown. Bring on the good stuff.

After the Bama game, I feel like these "tweener" games are mostly irrelevant and simply preparation for the Big Ten schedule. However, this team needs these games to work out some kinks and get things rolling for next weekend, and that's why I watch! Here are a few things I am looking for in tomorrows game...

• True, the offensive line has not allowed a sack thus far. I think that is mostly due to the fact that Bolden does not hold onto the ball as long as guys like Clark and Morrelli did. Still, it's a feather in their caps. I do, however, want to see better run blocking from this group. They still struggle getting to the second level at times.
• Less of Chaz Powell at WR and more of Justin Brown. I thought they move Powell to defense anyway?
• Bolden looks good so far in most areas, but I think he needs to learn how to scramble out of the pocket and buy some time for the receivers. He has quick feet and throws well on the run. This will only make him more dangerous as his throwing time will begin to decrease in the Big Ten.
• More quick slant plays to Moye-Zug-Brackett. The thing that makes this work is Bolden's quick release. Cant be stopped in man coverage.
• Was last week a coming out party for DE Pete Massarro? Look for him to be on the field more this week.

I dont think Temple is good enough to beat Penn State but its good to see them progressing and becomming more of a force at the D-1A level.

Impressive stat: Penn State is the only team in the entire country that has not allowed a sack this year.

I'm hoping this is the game Royster breaks out of whatever physical, mental, and emotional slump he's in and returns to form. Otherwise I think we have a situation on our hands. Hammering out our running game and run blocking would give me a lot of confidence heading in to Iowa for the Big Ten opener. As an aside, one of the project managers for a subcontractor on our job went to Nebraska. My hatred for Nebraska has now been refreshed.

I think Temple is coming into this game confident they have a good shot to win it. Temple is MUCH better than they have been. That's because they have always been lousy. Now they are finally decent. While I do think they have a shot to win this game, I just don't think they match up very well against Penn State.

Temple's strength is their running back. And traditionally, as long as your name is not Trent Richardson, Penn State is pretty stout at defending the run. So I think Temple will have a hard time putting points on the board.

But I do think Temple will come in with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence. If the ball bounces their way a few times, you never know what could happen. Their head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators all played for Joe. Let's face it, Joe can be very predictable, so that is something to worry about. Although this year so far, Penn State has not been its old predictable self (Starting a true frosh QB, playcalling against Alabama). So you never know.

I'm excited to see a good test for the team. We should learn a lot about them tomorrow. Penn State needs to establish a ground game in this one. I say they win, but not a blowout.

As Pete stated, the loss wasn't a huge surprise. The surprise was the terrible defensive play. Penn State was clearly outmatched in almost every area on defense. The receivers were too fast and big, the running back was too powerful, the offensive line too stout. Where is the pass rush? Everyone says that Crawford is going to be a great pro prospect, but he's got nothing. Sure he's fast and strong and big, but he isn't a football player. He doesn't have the instincts and moves that we are accustomed to out of the defensive end position. Sean Stanley has really impressed me in this area. He's got great quickness, chases plays down, tackles well....he's just a little small, but in a year or two he is going to be some kind of player. Stephon Morris and Lynn played relatively well, and I thought Lynn was the best tackler on the defense. He wouldn't be a bad solution to the safety problem (Sukay...ugh). If Derrick Thomas can progress as a corner, I think this can happen. Thomas is another physical guy that I like (had a great tackle on kickoff against YSU) and expect will get more playing time as he gets more experience (he's a RS FR).

I also agree that the playcalling was actually pretty good and that the offense executed well. They just shot themselves in the foot every time they had a chance. They really utilized their speed well by getting Devon Smith the ball in space. I hope they continue to do that since it will create openings for Bolden to throw some deep balls off of that motion. Justin Brown and Shawney Kersey need to play more. We saw Kersey's speed, and Brown looks like he could be a Bryant Johnson type of guy. For all the ripping that has been done on Royster, he has shown more power this year and actually ran over Hightower, Alabama's best linebacker. My only beef with him is that he seems very selfish and refuses to take a leadership stance. I still like what I see out of Green, not only as a running back but as a leader. Redd is a freak. We knew he was fast, but he has shown that he can be a physical runner against one of the best defenses in the country. All in all it was painful to watch (I actually pulled off the record-the-game-watch-it-later-without-knowing-what-happened thing) but we saw flashes of what this team can do, and I still believe that next year Penn State will turn the tables on an Alabama team that will be in a similar situation to where Penn State is right now.

Kent State supposedly leads the FBS in run defense thanks to a -65 yard Oscar nominated performance by Murray State. What horse-hockey. There is no motivation quite as powerful as getting humiliated on national television. I expect Penn State to come out and murder Kent State. They have a lot to prove with their run game, and they won't be able to compete in the Big Ten if they do not improve. What the hell is going on with this anyway? Why is it so hard for a team like Penn State to recruit some monster offensive linemen? Are they all just going to Wisconsin or something? Ugh. I'll never take a solid line for granted again. Khairi Fortt will probably see some legit playing time tomorrow. Let's see what the other Connecticut stud can do.

Hey buddy, I'll give you a Golden Flash