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)
Sean from Around The Oval has the questions for the first week of the the BTR. I will give my usual, half-hearted attempt at answering questions imagined by those far smarter than myself. To the Questions!
1. Which player from your own team are you most looking forward to watching? I am really looking forward to seeing Austin Scott play. Don't get me wrong, I am really excited to watch Dan Connor assume his role as leader and all-around beast at ILB and Sean Lee become/stay a dominant force. But the reason I am interested in seeing Scott play is because there are so many questions for PSU at tailback. Austin could really go two different ways this season, he could become the RB he looked like as a freshman and in the Orange Bowl; or, he could be the unfocused mess that was the rest of his career. In sum, Austin will be exciting to watch not just for his big play ability but also for the possibility of his complete and total collapse.
2. Which player from another Big Ten team are you most looking forward to watching? Mike Hart. Mike has been doing a lot of woofing this off-season and I want to see if he is going to back it up on the field. He is certainly capable of backing it up and Michigan looks explosive on offense but they do have a tough schedule which includes Oregon, ND, PSU, OSU, Wisconsin. There is certainly the possibility of losing a game or two in there. If they do, what will the newly loquacious Mr. Hart say then? Maybe it'll be what he said after losing to TOSU last year:
"I guarantee if we play, it would be a whole different game," Michigan running back Mike Hart said. "We should have got them the first time around. We didn't. If it doesn't happen, that's our fault."
Right. Well, this is his chance to back all this up. (HT to Mike at BSD)
3. If your team was an action movie star, who would it be? It would have to be bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard. PSU is old school. Dirty. Hard working. Not overly buff or threatening but still dangerous. A little crusty. Sometimes hung-over. But through all that, still capable of great things. It also makes me laugh to picture Joe saying: "Yipee-ki-yaay Mother-fucker" That would be hilarious.
