Monday, September 17, 2007

The State of Nittany Nation

PSU has rolled through weeks 1-3 with an unbeaten record and nothing but the Big Ten schedule left in the way of a national championship and another undefeated season. Yeah. Through three games PSU has outscored opponents 135 to 34 (or almost 4:1). Sadly, 24 of these 34 points came against Buffalo. However, 21 of those points came in the fourth quarter when the game was all but out of hand and the starting defense was enjoying it's Gatorade on the sideline.
Buffalo gave PSU a challenge until the very end of the first half but then Quarless and Golden hung a quick 14 around their neck to put PSU up going into the half.
But enough about Buffalo! We are here to talk about Penn State.
The simple fact of the matter is that PSU struggled to move the ball early....AGAIN! Austin Scott struggled as he fumbled two times in Penn State's first three possessions. At this point I had only one opinion: "This is unacceptable." I'm not usually one of those "This is unacceptable!" kind of fans. However, Scott's play through the first two games really didn't buy him a lot of breathing room for game #3. (only 161 yds through 2 games). Apparently the coaching staff could stomach no more than I could so they stuck Kinlaw in there. All of a sudden, Kinlaw was ripping off huge runs and the offense really came alive.
This begs one giant question: Who will be Penn State's RB for week Michigan?
The answer is simple, it has to be Kinlaw. Scott has been given a chance to prove himself as the starting back. However, he pissed that all away when he fumbled two times in two possessions against Buffalo. Kinlaw immediately stepped in and rushed for 129 yds on 23 carries. Job=Stolen. Scott might be a more complete back but you have to have someone who can move the chains!

Morelli, had a great game statistically as he passed for 4 TDs and over 202 yds while completing nearly 75% of his passes. If you didn't watch the game you'd be just about ready to make sweet love to AMMO, right? After all, this is exactly what everyone has been waiting for Morelli to do over the last two years. However, if you were lucky enough to be at the game or watch in on the BTN, you saw a QB who was consistently bailed out by incredibly talented receivers. AMMO's passes were consistently inaccurate but the receivers found a way to reel them in. Despite the positive numbers nobody can tell what to expect out of Morelli. He could step up and play well, he could play terribly, or he could just squeak by. Two of the aforementioned will get the job done against Michigan.

Michigan, rolled against ND. Which was a change for Big Blue as they had been victimized for seventy three point in their first three games. However, they mananged to circle the wagons against ND.
(via MZone)
PSU must attempt to penetrate this mighty barrier of canvas, wood, and pioneering spirit on September 22, 2007. Michigan remains just as dangerous now as they were at the beginning of the season. First and foresmost, PSU will have to contain this guy


to be successful.
Oh, right, and minimize the potential mistakes on offense. And win at Michigan. Really, just get a win against Michigan. All easier said than done. After all, Michigan has defeated Notre Dame! (hushed admiration ensues)

GO STATE! GET FIRED UP FOR MICHIGAN!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Once again, I am nervous about this game. RUTS had it right, we have been absolutely owned by Michigan. Even when they are having an off year, we still manage to lose to them. The Tony Johnson catch, the extra seconds, Derek Fox being dead to me for a) not covering that guy in the endzone at the end of the game and b) letting someone in his family go to Ohio State. Michigan hurts me in my brain hole and my heart-space!