A wild week two renders and equally wild blog poll for the third week. I've got to tell you, this is very hard. I find myself really judging teams not only on whether the teams win and lose but I they are also being evaluated on how good they look. This doesn't just mean blowing teams out but also how dangerous you look. This will explain Michigan appearing, with a bullet, at #16.
I am terrified of Michigan. I think they could win the Big Ten. Terrified.
Nine is for the end of the losing streak Penn State has been on against Michigan over the last decade or so. This win feels really good. The Lions are now free to focus in on the Buckeyes for next week's game.
Thirty nine is for the number of unanswered points PSU put up on Michigan starting in the second quarter of Saturday's game. Michigan played well early, however, the early lead was because of costly turnovers. Despite an early deficit, the Lions continue to be incredibly cool and poised. The team stuck to the game plan and just ran their offense. The team clearly has faith in not only the offense but also the entire team. And now, so do I.
174 is for the number of rushing yards Royster piled up this week. Royster is proving himself to be an all purpose back. He can catch the ball, he can rush the ball, he can run inbetween the tackles and is dangerous in space. #22 has nearly 900 yards on the year, is on pace for over 1300 yards, and 15 rushing TDs. More impressive still is the fact that Evan hasn't been playing deep into games. He is a beast.
Three is for the Lions current ranking according to the BCS computers. A bad rating in strength of schedule was not enough to knock the Lions out of third place in the race for a national title. Next week's trip to Columbus is easily the most important game Penn State will play this year.
GO STATE! BEAT THE BUCKEYES! (I've been waiting a year to say that)
Dave over at Maize N Brew swapped some questions earlier in the week. You can check out my questions and his answer over at his fine website. He had some questions for me as well; you can find his questions and my answers below.
1. You're afraid of this game? Seriously? Why? We suck this year.
Yes, I am seriously afraid of this game. Michigan is rebuilding and have had their struggles this year. However, Michigan comes to Happy Valley with two very powerful factors on their side: 1. History, I think I was 16 the last time Penn State beat the Wolverines. The 2005 game just robbed me of all my bravado when it comes to Michigan. 2. You have nothing left to lose. This isn't a rivalry game for Michigan and your season has not gone as well as you had hoped. This team might just come out loose and fired up.
2. Name your least favorite Michigan player of all time.
You know, this would be a much easier question if it were about Ohio State, couldn't we all just rattle of a list of hundreds of those jerks?
I'd have to say: Chad Henne. Henne was in the same recruiting class as Morelli and Henne was actually a good football player. Henne presided over 4 years of besting PSU including the 2005 and 2006 losses which were both particularly memorable in their own way.
3. Please explain to me why it's called the "Spread HD". Is it "High Definition?" Is it "Hello Dave?" Is it for "Herpes, Deluxe!" What the hell is the HD for and why can't you just call it running the spread like everyone else?
It has to be because Jay is a Huge Douche! (I kid) I really have no idea why we need to make up the HD thing. It seems to be begging for ridicule if it weren't so preposterously effective. I mean, to say that your offense is a pro-ready spread offense is just a little to over the top. Jaypa should've just hung out a sign saying: I'd totally go anywhere with this offense in exchange for a head coaching position.
4. Has this season bought Jay Pa some credibility? A season ago, well, honestly for the last few seasons, PSU fans have been ready to run him out of town on a rail. Are people still calling for his head or is he now persona grata?
I think Jay is gaining credibility by the second. Through seven games the 2008 squad has a better offense than the 2005 Penn State team and is only averaging 5 points less per game than the 1994 squad(1994: 50.2/game, 2008: 45.2/game). When you put this team into that kind of perspective you are talking about one of the best offensive teams Penn State has EVER had.
At the very least, the success of this season has taken the pressure off of Jay and bought him more time. I'll be honest, if Penn State continues on this pace through next season, somebody is going to give Jay a head coaching opportunity. And he'll deserve it.
5. What's the biggest non-Morrelli difference in this team? You could've put a dyslexic midget in a clown suit at quarterback last year and probably had the same record. So if you can't pick Clark, who or what do you point to for the reason PSU is #3?
Evan Royster. He got a little playing time last year but this year he has really blossomed into a wonderful RB. He is averaging around 7 yds/carry and he is a major reason there is so much room for the WRs to operate in the passing game.
6. If Penn State wins, you will..
Celebrate! Michigan has owned PSU for too long for me to not feel great about a victory. I may even have a brew or two.
7. If Penn State loses, you will...
Drink to forget. Then spend the rest of the weekend sulking.
This is what Joe was preaching immediately after Penn State's epic, forty-one point beat down of Wisconsin. According to AQ Joe told the team this:
"He just said it was a tough loss [in 2005], and then we ended up losing to them last year," center A.Q. Shipley said. "It's been nine years. He just put it out there and let us know we hadn't beaten them in nine years."
While Joe may not have been right on the number of years it has been since PSU has defeated Michigan the sentiment remains the same. One week at a time. First things first.
Butler noticed the similarities between the 2005 Michigan game and the 2008 Wisconsin game:
"Guys were starting to tell us this team is rolling, this team can be pretty good," Butler said. "We were ranked in the top 10. It was a team we were going on the road to play, and we didn't want to let the same thing happen."
The Wisconsin game ended much more pleasantly than the 2005 Michigan game, however, the same reasoning applies to a down Michigan team right before PSU faces a very tough Buckeye team on the road. In case you were wondering, the Wolverines have noticed the parallels also.
Don't allow this to haunt your dreams for another year!I couldn't hate this helmet more
1. Penn State needs to stay focused for every game left on the schedule. 2. A Whiteout has been declared for Saturday's game. So strap on the white and lose your mind! 3. Continuing to own PSU is one of the only things Michigan fans can cling to. Take their heart and crush their soul! 4. Remember 2005? Yeah. Me too. 5. Paternoville. 6. Lydell Sergeant actually enlisted in the army and he's been given a field commission to "Lieutenant of Interceptions" 7. Football Saturdays in State College. Once you've been there nothing else compares. 8. For the Seniors. 9. For Joe. 10.
Much has been made about Lavar Arrington's involvement in purchasing the Sport's Cafe in downtown State College. That is until the former owner seemed to shut Lavar out of the deal, reopen the bar, and try to sell it to someone else.
ok so check this out the new owner of the sports cafe wants to team up with me i told him i will throw a huge party there friday and saturday of homecoming weekend im going to host this party with my bros ROHAN MARLEY KYMANI MARLEY AND WHITEBOY FROM VH1 C U GUYS THERE IF IT WORKS OUT LOOKS LIKE I WILL BE SETTING UP SHOP THERE AFTER ALL WE R!!!!!!!!!!
I have posted previously about Penn State stuff and how awesome it is. It is a sickness. A sickness for which there is no cure. However, it is as enjoyable a sickness as there is. Except, of course for any disease where the only cure is large amounts of Yuengling Lager. Anyway, today I shall bring you something which will really tie your Penn State room together.
I give you the Dreamseat PSU Recliner!
Good dear lord. It's excellence is surpassed only by its potential. They are available for purchase here. At a thousand dollars it truly is a luxurious addition to any Man-Cave/PSU Room.
The recliner is as classy and understated as Penn State itself. It isn't always so for the other Univerities.
I'm packing up all our junk this morning. So, I'm looking through the channels to put something on in the background while I work. Much to my delight, I discover that the 2006 Michigan vs. Tosu game is on. #1 vs. #2 on a Saturday morning.
Good work Big Ten Network. Next time, can a man get some 2005 PSU vs. TOSU? All i'm sayin.
Beaver Stadium will become the largest football stadium in the country by the 2008 season. This truly is a case of addition by subtraction, allow me to explain.
Apparently, Michigan recently lost/settled a lawsuit brought by the DOJ. In this agreement, UM agreed to add several hundred wheelchair accessible seats which will take up the space of a regular seat. This will reduce the capacity of Michigan's stadium from 107,501 to 106,201. Beaver Stadium's current capacity is 107,282. That'll teach you not to discriminate against handicapped people! All of this can be found at the CDT.
You can see what the maize & blue think about this over at MSC
As has been streaming around the internet today, Joe, Jay, Bradley, and McQueary trekked up to Jeannette to talk to Tyrelle Pryor. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, it went: "OK". But what the devil does Ok mean? It means it went terribly.
When TP spoke of his impression of the visit he responded:
"It went OK," Pryor said of the meeting. "I just don't know about the area up there. I don't know if I'd like being in that kind of area."
Is that a comment on the ruralness? You don't like places where there are cows? Happy Valley is not a throbbing metropolis by any means but it does have state of the art facilities and 100,000+ screaming fans on game days! (Though, it has been rumored that Michigan has those things too. Regardless of what people say I'll never believe them. I like to picture Ann Arbor (whore) as a stadium and nothing more. I prefer not to even think it exists as anything else.)
Seriously though: "I don't know about the area"?
Sounds like that's could be a veiled statement of the following:
- y'all are a bunch of crazy white-ies....I meant the whiteout. And you're crazy. And Caucasian. - Joe is OLD! - Jay tried to explain the "HD offense" to me but ended up sobbing on the floor. - Seriosly, y'all are white. Where's LJSR? - Scholarship? PFFFT! TP wants a ride, SON!?!!?!?
As I was eating lunch I caught sections of Carr's retirement speech (for lack of a better term). I left it feeling thoroughly impressed. Lloyd offered exactly the right sentiment in his retirement and in directly addressing that he was announcing it now as a benefit to the program was amazing. That is what you want your head coach to be, responsible for the program to the core.
Michigan, you may have wanted to see Lloyd go and I won't disagree with you. However, you have to admit that you have lost a good coach and a great person as the captain of your ship. Hopefully, Penn State's inability to beat Michigan was more Carr-centric than Wolverine-ish.
Good luck, Lloyd. Good luck Michigan in finding a suitable replacement.
GO STATE! I WANT JOE TO COACH UNTIL HE FUCKING DIES ON THE FIELD!
Now that we're a little removed from the travesty which transpired on Saturday. As everyone knows, the Lions fell to Michigan 14-9. This caused the Lions to fall 11 positions in the polls to #21. There were a variety of reasons the Lions fell on saturday, I will try to highlight some of the reasons I think were most responsible for PSU's poor showing.
On Offense: Most glaring is Penn State's ability to only convert 33% of their third down plays. This has got to change in Penn State is going to be any good at all this year. The Rushing attack was less impressive in person than it was in real life. The lions ended up rushing for 101 yards on 29 attempts or 3.5 yds/carry. If you hadn't watched the game you might have thought that PSU did ok rushing the ball, this would be completely inaccurate. Penn State struggled running the ball all day. It resembled a mentally handicapped child running into a wall time and time again. The staff's reliance on the I-formation nearly made me vomit with rage. Instead of spreading the field Penn State seemed happy to try to run out of the I-formation. It was awful. If you were afraid PSU wasn't going to base it's attack off of the Appy St./Oregon playbook than now is the time to start hitting yourself with a heavy blunt object (insert Morelli joke here). Morelli was not very good. He was relatively mistake free throwing the ball as he had no INTs (that is about as positive as one can get about his performance), howver, he had a critical fumble early in the game which set up Michigan's first TD. He completed less than 50% of his passes (48%). The simple fact of the matter is that Morelli is not making the plays necessary for Penn State to win. He just isn't. I've been a Morelli supporter through last year and so far this year, but a change needs to be made. PSU has to find a player who can make things happen to put points on the board. There is also the little matter of Austin Scott's complete unwillingness to hang onto the ball. It went something like this:
AMMO: Hey, Austin! Take this football! Scott: Sure thing. UM Player: I'm going to tackle you. Prepare yourself! Scott: AAAAAAH! (fumbles) ME: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
After his second fumble-prone game Austin has probably butter-fingered his way out of a starting role.
On Defense: While the Offense didn't convert enough third downs the Defense gave up far too many third down conversions. Michigan was able to convert 56% of their third downs which allowed Hart to run the ball 44 times for 153 yards (3.47 yds/carry). However, the defense only gave up 14 points, which includes the early gift Morelli gave Michigan when he fumbled deep in PSU's territory. For Penn State to win the defense needed to not only have a good game but also to have a game-changing, beat-down, kind of a game. This simply did not happen, however, without the Defense's effort it could have been much worse than it was. You did see a lot of DC-40 in the first half. I don't know what Penn State needs to do to get the offense moving. I think trying Clark at QB and giving Royster more touches at RB is a good start. I can't believe that we've lost nine in a row to Michigan.
Beating Michigan was an absolute requirement for Penn State this year. I said previously that if PSU besats Michigan on the road then we would play for the national title. Well, we showed that our offense is no where near good enough to make that happen. The Defense played very well but they weren't game-changers, which, when your offense moves as quickly as a turd dipped in lead, you have to do. Anyway, I'll give a real review of the game on Monday. Right now I still need to curl up inside a bottle.
Much has been written regarding this weeks game. This game is still a tremendous match-up which has vast implications for the Big Ten. Lets face it, if Michigan hadn't shat the bed in the first two weeks Game Day would be in Ann Arbor to watch the #5 team in the nation play the #10 ranked team in the country. However, we seem to have a game where both fan bases of neither team are confident in the least. This has taken poor-mouthing to a entirely new level of terrifying ubiquity. If you want to read some excellent previews of the game and of PSU then by all means check out BSD, the M-Zone, Maize N Brew, and of course MGoBlog for continued excellence.
Click-Clack, Bitches! Lets get it on!
GO STATE!!! BEAT MICHIGAN!
Update: and check out Glasses of Joe another member of the PSU-Blogger Fraternity.
Dave from Maize N Brew brings us the brain-teasers for week four of the greatest sport known to man; college football. Also, conference play gets started this week so we finally have conference match-ups and predictions to make!
1. Time to break out the crystal ball. I want to know what happens at the END of the season. Give me your offensive and defensive Players of the Year in the Big Ten along with Coach of the Year and why.
I'll start on the offensive side of the ball; Mike Hart will be your offensive player of the year in the Big Ten. Through three games the Little-Big-Man has rushed for 502 yards and 5 Tds. That puts him on pace to have a 2,000 yd season and score about 20 Tds. That is BEASTLY. Ok, he might not make 2,000 yards but he certainly could and that doesn't just put him in the running for Big Ten offensive player of the year but it also gives him a shot at the Heisman. For Defense I'm going to dig myself a little Homer-Hole and go with Dan Connor. Dan has 29 tackles so far this season(leading the Lions), nearly 10/game, he also leads the Lions with 4.5 Tackles for loss this year. Before the calls of rampant Homerism become to echoing consider this: DC-40 has more tackles than Laurinaitis (TOSU), Hodge (WISC.), Crable (Mich.), and Klinkenborg (Iowa). So there!
2. With the upsets, close games, and head scratchers so far, every game we thought was going to be important has changed. Michigan State is 3-0, for Pete's sake, and they look good doing it. Pick the three games on the Big Ten Schedule that will determine the Big Ten Champion. Bonus Points for not picking three games on your own schedule.
Oooh, a challenge. Well, Michigan St. has been having a good year so far, they had a good win against Pitt last week and will presumably continue the Hellish nightmare that is Notre Dame's Season. A big game will be, and I don't think anybody thought about this before the season started, will be a 4-0 Mich. St. team playing Wisconsin at Wisconsin. This could be a big match-up between two undefeated teams. A second big game could be when Tosu has to play Purdue on the road. Purdue is untested as of yet but has beaten every team it has played by a minimum of 23 points. Tosu's Defense has looked great early but will they be able to score more than the Boilermakers on the road?
3. How many games, this season, have you been to? How many games have you tailgated at? If you have tailgated, name your beverage of choice. If you answered no to the previous questions, hang your head in shame, or at least give a good story about watching the game in enemy territory and giving the bouncer the finger when he asked you to quiet down.
I'm afraid I have to hang my head in shame. Though I am planning to attend PSU vs. Tosu on October 27th. While I haven't tailgated per se I have had people over for a football watching party. During this party I was quaffing Bloody Mary's and Budweiser (though Yuengling is preferred when available). I served ribs and pork shoulder which I loving smoked during the 7 hours before the game. It was phenomenal.
Bitter/Angry Bonus Question!
4. As the Big Ten Season kicks off, the Conference is in somewhat of a difficult position nationally. Needing some momentum after a horrid BCS performance, the Conference needed some momentum early in the season. It hasn't gotten it. The first three weeks have been abysmal. Is this just a down year for the Big Ten, is there a change Nationally that the Big Ten just hasn't picked up on, is there some truth to the "Big Ten Style of Play" that everyone harps on, or has college football simply caught up? What so you think and why? I may be beating a dead horse, but no one looks good this year and I'm at a loss as to why.
The strength of the conferences is always cyclical and, while this is clearly a down year for the Big Ten, it certainly won't be a static position. Similarly, college football is entering a time of greater parity than it has ever had before. If anything, you will see more teams upset by the App. States of the world not less.
RUTS brings us the questions for the most important week of Penn State football for this year....EVER! My feeble answers are below for answers that are actually good please check out BSD, TNL, WWN, and The Nittany Notebook.
1. Reportedly, Penn State is playing some school in a mitten-shaped state this weekend. Are any of you actually optimistic for the Michigan game?
I am optimistic but that is tempered with a terrible dread that permeates my very soul. PSU sits at 3-0 heading into this weekend's matchup, however, the Lions have not looked spectacular in any of the games. Michigan has looked terrible in two of their first three games but absolutely stomped a terrible Notre Dame team. Was that enough to awaken the sleeping giant in AA? I think PSU is the better team but beating Michigan has seemed next to impossible for PSU in the last few years.
2. Okay, we all know that Penn State has lost eight straight games against Michigan since 1997. Plenty of PSU fans blame the coaches' offensive game planning, calling it predictable and bland. Fair criticism? If the definition of "insane" is repeating the same act over and over again and expecting a different result, does this make our coaching staff absolutely crazy?
We will find out on Saturday. App. St. and Oregon were nice enough to write a little book called "How To Beat Michigan". The way you do it is by spreading the field and exposing a secondary that has looked slow. This involves putting four WRs on the field for most of the game. PSU certainly has the depth at WR to do this but will the coaches actually do it? I will say: Yes. PSU will open up the offense, spread Michigan out and PSU will be able to score points against a weak Michigan secondary.
3. List three things Penn State absolutely must do in order to finally beat Michigan.
First, you have to stop Mike Hart. If Hart is allowed to run wild PSU's chances of winning decrease dramatically. To do this you are going to have to stack the box and leave the DBs out on an island. However, you have to think that King, Sargeant, and Wallace are up to the task. Second, the defense has to get pressure on the QB. Mallett and Henne are both relatively immobile, pocket QBs, so, no matter who is back there you can't give him time to throw the ball. Again, this will leave the DBs on an island but it simply has to be done. Third, Penn State needs to spread Michigan out when the Lions have the ball.
Lightning Round Would you rather be facing a one-legged Henne or a two-legged Mallet this weekend?
Two Legged Mallett. Henne isn't mobile anyway so all you do is replace an statue with experience and accuracy with a statue that is inexperienced and less accurate.
Your score prediction?
PSU: 30 Mich: 27
Do you see any upsets on the Big Ten horizon this week?
I think Indiana could beat Illinois. I just don't see the Hawkeyes giving Wisconsin too much of a fight. So, I guess not.
In one word, tell us if the constant griping by Penn State fans about Big Ten officiating is valid.
Old-news. (griping about it close to the game in question is fine, however, some of the older gripes need to be put to bed!)
This weekend is the one everybody has had circled on their calendars since February. This is the game that players used to get themselves through pre-dawn, off-season workouts. This weekend PSU plays Michigan. Michigan has absolutely owned Penn State over the last 10 years or so. There is no player on Penn State who has tasted the sweet nectar that is a victory over Michigan! Just thinking about it makes me cry inside. Michigan might be off to a slow start (1-2) but PSU is not going to be focusing on anything other than beating Michigan (finally).
Student tickets will be available for the Michigan game starting Tuesday morning (October 18th) at the BJC outside gate B. You gotta get those tickets, get to Ann Arbor, and get fired the fuck up! Make sure to bring a little piece of home-field with you. You might get a chance to witness something that hasn't happened since before I was allowed to vote; a Penn State victory over Michigan. The rest of us will be tuned in to the game on ABC.
What does PSU need to do to dream the impossible dream which is beating Michigan? There are a number of different answers. Laschout wants everybody to give Chris Bell the damn ball. I have mentioned previously that PSU needs to get pressure on the QB to be successful. I still think that Penn State should blitz, however, it is quite clear that priority number one has to be stopping Mike Hart. He carried the ball 35 times for 187 yards against ND. Michigan has strapped their season to Hart and they will try to ride him to improbable glory. Ryan Mallett was serviceable against Notre Dame as he threw three TDs and no Ints. However, he completed only 46% of his passes. Penn State needs to stop Hart and put pressure on the QB, whoever that may be. I think I might know who is up to the task:
40+45= Pain
Crapiness. It could happen to you, just look at the chart (proof) provided by EDSBS GO STATE! BEAT MICHIGAN! BREAK THE CYCLE!
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)
6
-1
