Its roundtable Wednesday over here at PSM! I gotta get this in or I won't be able to so lets get right into it. This week's questions come from those over from Buckeye Lane (www.buckeyelane.com)
1. With the Big Ten season about to be wrapped up, it is a little easier to predict what Bowl games are possible for your school. Tell me what Bowl games would interest you as a fan. Where do you want to go? More importantly, whom do you want to play?
The bowl game that interests me the most is the Outback Bowl. If Penn State wins out and can gets 3rd place outright in the Big Ten this they are going to Orlando, it seems pretty probable: the teams ahead of PSU for 3rd are Purdue and Wisconsin and provided Wisconsin loses to either Michigan OR OSU they are out of it and if Penn State wins out that of course means Purdue gets a loss. The only way this doesn’t happen is if Illinois wins out which should be tough since OSU remains on their schedule. I would want to play an SEC team to prove for one last time that our talent is good and that the team is capable of being a top tier program. If they fail to get to the Outback Bowl then I'm told the Alamo Bowl is where the team would go, this means Big 12 competition which wouldn't be as fun as facing the SEC.
2. In honor of Black Shoe Diaries' question about the Big Ten Moron Coach of the Year Award. Tell me who is the most disappointing player in the Big Ten this season. Also, tell me who is the most disappointing on your team.
Yea BSD love, righteous! To me it has to be Chad Henne, he was a Heisman Hopeful at the beginning of the year and once his team took 2 to the chin in the beginning of the year that was over, to boot he got hurt and hasn’t played outstanding once he’s been back either. I thought he could be a 1st rd pick earlier with his big arm and talent, plus being a starter at Michigan for so long gives you some bigger intangibles than most other QBs, but now I'm not so sure.
As for Penn State it has to be, and I don’t mean to beat a worn drum, Anthony Morelli. We were told that after the bowl game last year he had turned the corner and would come into his own (Mel Kiper even had him as the 5th best Senior QB at the beginning of the year!) but this was obviously false. He has been fine for some time and great in a few instances but overall he has remained inconsistent and ultimately a disappointment.
3. Ohio State is rumored to be building a giant buckeye nut outside the football stadium. This will lead to the new tradition of "rubbing the nut." I'm sure Michigan fans will use that against us. I know it is pretty late to start new traditions in the Big Ten, but pitch me a new tradition idea for your school.
I like any tradition that is interactive, therefore I would love a similar tradition here if the Nittany Lion was moved to the stadium or if once Joe retires that every player touches his statue before he enters the stadium.
BONUS ROUND
You are a big-fight promoter - Talk up your team's mascot and how/why they could kick the living crap out of any opposing team's mascot - inspired by Oregon's mascot.
I wish I had finished this roundtable before BSD did because I loved his idea of showing the video of the Lion running over Sparty, instead I'll do this: Insert inspirational speech and play Rocky music and show Lion doing one-handed push-ups.
Now you're an agent - Convince me that you have the top 2008 NFL Draft pick on your team.
Easy: Justin King is THE shutdown corner of the entire coun....errrrrr ohhhh yea, how about Dan Connor being a mid 1st to early 2nd rd pick.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Blue White Roundtable Week 10
So with all my work this week I can't find time to do my top 10 in depth or my Picks-Recap, of course I know you readers LIVE for my picks re-cap but unfortunately it will have to wait for next week. Here is my top 10 real quick before we get to the Blue White Roundtable.
TOP 10:
10. Georgia
9. Missouri
8. Kansas
7. West Virginia
6. Oklahoma
5. Arizona State
4. Oregon
3. Boston College
2. LSU
1. Ohio State
Now to the Roundtable brought to you by The Nittany Notebook (http://mvn.com/ncaa-pennstate/)
1. After being embarrassed by Ohio State at home, where does Penn State's program as a whole go from here?
What a loaded question. Well the program can do two things.
A: Continue on this average path and be glad to have a 9-3 or 8-4 season with shoddy play-calling and poor game preparation and let the players run wild with no real discipline to stop them from making dumb mistakes.
B: Drastically change the way you approach this game. The college football landscape is not what it once was, the spread offense is here, it helps you win (see Florida, Boise State, Oregon) so the actual football that is played needs to change, this offensive system is from 1970. Also in order to help the reputation of the school discipline needs to be given to the players, and I mean real discipline, if some players are used as an example in order to show the rest of them how playing football for this school is a PRIVLEDGE not a right. If all of this means firing coaches and nudging a legend to retire then that is what has to be done in order to get this program back on track. Otherwise I see a few more years of just plain average-ness.
2. Following back-to-back poor performances, what do you see as Penn State's biggest problem on defense?
The secondary, when the team had those two good wins against Iowa and Wisconsin one of the common denominators was the secondary, Lydell Sargeant and Anthony Scirrotto played great, King gave up a big play or two but it was the secondary that really shined, that and Maurice Evans. In these two poor performances the secondary disappeared and specifically in the OSU game the D-line did not show up at all, it couldn’t pressure Boeckman and they couldn’t penetrate to get to the running backs either. That could just be an effect of losing Jared Odrick, but I don’t think he was THAT important to the line.
3. What happens against Purdue this Saturday?
Well Purdue likes to throw the ball so that will happen a lot, and they can't play defense that well so the Penn State offense will play pretty well. It will come down to whether the defense shows up for the Lions, otherwise hello lose number 4.
Lightning Round
What bowl game does Penn State end up in?
Outback....they made it last year with 4 losses, and I think they will make it this year with 3.
Who is going to be Penn State's next verbal commitment?
I don't know, the one thing I lack as a blogger is real recruitment information so I will be reading everywhere I can to see who will sign up to put on the blue and white, just like everyone else.
Purdue score prediction.
Purdue: 24
Penn State: 29
TOP 10:
10. Georgia
9. Missouri
8. Kansas
7. West Virginia
6. Oklahoma
5. Arizona State
4. Oregon
3. Boston College
2. LSU
1. Ohio State
Now to the Roundtable brought to you by The Nittany Notebook (http://mvn.com/ncaa-pennstate/)
1. After being embarrassed by Ohio State at home, where does Penn State's program as a whole go from here?
What a loaded question. Well the program can do two things.
A: Continue on this average path and be glad to have a 9-3 or 8-4 season with shoddy play-calling and poor game preparation and let the players run wild with no real discipline to stop them from making dumb mistakes.
B: Drastically change the way you approach this game. The college football landscape is not what it once was, the spread offense is here, it helps you win (see Florida, Boise State, Oregon) so the actual football that is played needs to change, this offensive system is from 1970. Also in order to help the reputation of the school discipline needs to be given to the players, and I mean real discipline, if some players are used as an example in order to show the rest of them how playing football for this school is a PRIVLEDGE not a right. If all of this means firing coaches and nudging a legend to retire then that is what has to be done in order to get this program back on track. Otherwise I see a few more years of just plain average-ness.
2. Following back-to-back poor performances, what do you see as Penn State's biggest problem on defense?
The secondary, when the team had those two good wins against Iowa and Wisconsin one of the common denominators was the secondary, Lydell Sargeant and Anthony Scirrotto played great, King gave up a big play or two but it was the secondary that really shined, that and Maurice Evans. In these two poor performances the secondary disappeared and specifically in the OSU game the D-line did not show up at all, it couldn’t pressure Boeckman and they couldn’t penetrate to get to the running backs either. That could just be an effect of losing Jared Odrick, but I don’t think he was THAT important to the line.
3. What happens against Purdue this Saturday?
Well Purdue likes to throw the ball so that will happen a lot, and they can't play defense that well so the Penn State offense will play pretty well. It will come down to whether the defense shows up for the Lions, otherwise hello lose number 4.
Lightning Round
What bowl game does Penn State end up in?
Outback....they made it last year with 4 losses, and I think they will make it this year with 3.
Who is going to be Penn State's next verbal commitment?
I don't know, the one thing I lack as a blogger is real recruitment information so I will be reading everywhere I can to see who will sign up to put on the blue and white, just like everyone else.
Purdue score prediction.
Purdue: 24
Penn State: 29
Monday, October 29, 2007
3 Reasons Why Penn State Lost on Saturday..Redux
What a heartbreaker, that game finally put an end to the dream this year. And it was our strengths that killed us, I don't even want to do this but you gotta do what you gotta do. Here are 3 reasons why Penn State lost on Saturday to the Buckeyes.
1) Defense- The backbone of the team and it let them down. The defense entered the game as the 7th best in the nation; they did not leave the game that way. Here are some stats: OSU completed 12-16 on 3rd down.... that’s 75%. They also ran for 200 yards on 48 attempts, which shows that they had no fear in running the ball. I recall the defense having a 3rd and 3 or 2 several times in the 2nd and 3rd quarter to get off the field and get the ball back but it seemed like every time (more like 75% of the time) the Buckeyes ran the ball down our throats. Boeckman had a career day on top of all of this and threw for 3 TDs. Putting out an APB on Justin King.
2) Anthony Morelli- I feel like this could be seen as kind of cliché but in every pundits preview of the game and in every periodical I read about the game the one constant was that Anthony Morelli needed to perform well if Penn State wanted to win. Well he didn't. He was 12 of 21 with 1 pic...for a TD. That’s a 57% completion, not terrible but it needed to be a lot better in order for the Nittany Lions to win.
I don’t have a 3rd..I'm kind of beat from this weekend and I have a lot of schoolwork this week. I guess the overall ineptitude of the offense could be a 3rd, I saw somewhere (could have been RUTS) that OSU had 79 offensive plays to Penn State's 49 or something terrible. This just in: the OSU defense is good.
1) Defense- The backbone of the team and it let them down. The defense entered the game as the 7th best in the nation; they did not leave the game that way. Here are some stats: OSU completed 12-16 on 3rd down.... that’s 75%. They also ran for 200 yards on 48 attempts, which shows that they had no fear in running the ball. I recall the defense having a 3rd and 3 or 2 several times in the 2nd and 3rd quarter to get off the field and get the ball back but it seemed like every time (more like 75% of the time) the Buckeyes ran the ball down our throats. Boeckman had a career day on top of all of this and threw for 3 TDs. Putting out an APB on Justin King.
2) Anthony Morelli- I feel like this could be seen as kind of cliché but in every pundits preview of the game and in every periodical I read about the game the one constant was that Anthony Morelli needed to perform well if Penn State wanted to win. Well he didn't. He was 12 of 21 with 1 pic...for a TD. That’s a 57% completion, not terrible but it needed to be a lot better in order for the Nittany Lions to win.
I don’t have a 3rd..I'm kind of beat from this weekend and I have a lot of schoolwork this week. I guess the overall ineptitude of the offense could be a 3rd, I saw somewhere (could have been RUTS) that OSU had 79 offensive plays to Penn State's 49 or something terrible. This just in: the OSU defense is good.
Friday, October 26, 2007
This is OUR HOUSE
We must protect this house! I found this little gem over at the 50-Yard Line, it says it all.
GO STATE BEAT THE BUCKEYES!
GO STATE BEAT THE BUCKEYES!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
College Football Picks Week 9
Another round of games to be picked this weekend and I have to say I've got a pretty good feeling about this set of match-ups so lets get to the picking.
#11 Florida at #18 Georgia- This game will come down to one thing. Timothy Tebow. That is all, which is all that Florida needs.
Florida Wins: 35-20
Nebraska at #19 Texas- It is almost sad to see how far the blackshirts have fallen this year, there was a lot of expectations that they were going to be back this year and their rankings showed it but it is obvious now they had no business being ranked. Texas is not a real contender this year but they are a lot better than the Cornhuskers.
Texas Wins: 45-19
#16 South Carolina at Tennessee- SC stumbled against Vanderbilt last week ending their dreams of a one-loss BCS bid, Steve Spurrier's offense is ranked 93rd in the country and they only managed 6 points against the Commodores! This is what I know, head ball coach will have the Gamecocks ready to play and Phil Fulmer holds a 4-8 lifetime record against Spurrier. Gamecocks will continue to make Fulmer's seat hotter this weekend.
South Carolina: 30-16
#9 Kansas at Texas A&M- So I guess Kansas is for real? I mean they are 7-0 in the Big 12 and they won’t really be challenged until their last game against Missouri. I smell a trap game, Kansas is coming off a big win at Colorado and will be flying high and no matter how upset the alumni are at Dennis Franchione the Aggies are tough to play at home. With all that said I'll take the Jayhawks.
Kansas Wins: 24-20
#7 West Virginia at Rutgers- A word to all other teams in the Big East, NEVER play the Knights on the road on a Thursday or you will lose, lucky for WVU they get to play Rutgers on Saturday afternoon. I saw USF's offense, which is not even close to being as prolific as WVU's, put up 27 points on the Rutgers D. The Mountaineers will have little trouble putting up points and will not have to worry about Ray Rice who will run for over 150 in a losing effort.
West Virginia Wins: 42-24
#21 California at #4 Arizona State-The Golden Bears have killed my picks the last two weeks so I am hoping to avoid that by picking them for the upset. Arizona State seems to be doing this with smoke and mirrors and they have been waiting for a real competitor, well they will get it on Saturday and I see the end of the era coming. Maybe this will bring some sanity back to college football.
Cal Wins: 23-17
#12 USC at #5 Oregon- USC is in desperate need of this win, if they lose this it is over for the Trojans, the same could be said for the Ducks but the real pressure is on SC this weekend. With Mark Sanchez starting it gives the Trojans a better chance to win but Dennis Dixon will be able to pull the Ducks through to victory. I said this earlier this week but it is true, if Oregon had beaten Cal they would be #1 and Dixon would be the front-runner for the Heisman.
Oregon Wins: 36-23
#10 South Florida at #23 Connecticut- UConn is leading the Big East...no this is not basketball season. They won last week on a terrible non-fair catch call. USF was also a victim of some fishy calls but I think they will be able to defeat the Huskies and ending their BCS dream, their D is too quick for the Huskie O.
USF Wins: 24-10
#1 Ohio State at #25 Penn State- I feel like if this game was played on a neutral field Penn State would probably win 4 or 5 out of 10, but it is not being played on a neutral field, it is being played on OUR field in front of OUR fans who are the best fans in the entire country, we are the BEST student section and we will be the best team on Saturday night. I usually try to refrain from using "we" or "us" but on a game like this there is no reason to hide my pride. The crowd will rattle the Offense and our defense will capitalize on this and force a big turnover and that will swing the game the other way.
Penn State Wins: 17-10
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
Michigan State at Iowa- Iowa showed some life the other week against Illinois and played great defense against their good running game, Michigan State's niche is also running the ball, Iowa will stop it and be able to score enough on offense to take this game from the Spartans.
Iowa Wins: 20-13
#11 Florida at #18 Georgia- This game will come down to one thing. Timothy Tebow. That is all, which is all that Florida needs.
Florida Wins: 35-20
Nebraska at #19 Texas- It is almost sad to see how far the blackshirts have fallen this year, there was a lot of expectations that they were going to be back this year and their rankings showed it but it is obvious now they had no business being ranked. Texas is not a real contender this year but they are a lot better than the Cornhuskers.
Texas Wins: 45-19
#16 South Carolina at Tennessee- SC stumbled against Vanderbilt last week ending their dreams of a one-loss BCS bid, Steve Spurrier's offense is ranked 93rd in the country and they only managed 6 points against the Commodores! This is what I know, head ball coach will have the Gamecocks ready to play and Phil Fulmer holds a 4-8 lifetime record against Spurrier. Gamecocks will continue to make Fulmer's seat hotter this weekend.
South Carolina: 30-16
#9 Kansas at Texas A&M- So I guess Kansas is for real? I mean they are 7-0 in the Big 12 and they won’t really be challenged until their last game against Missouri. I smell a trap game, Kansas is coming off a big win at Colorado and will be flying high and no matter how upset the alumni are at Dennis Franchione the Aggies are tough to play at home. With all that said I'll take the Jayhawks.
Kansas Wins: 24-20
#7 West Virginia at Rutgers- A word to all other teams in the Big East, NEVER play the Knights on the road on a Thursday or you will lose, lucky for WVU they get to play Rutgers on Saturday afternoon. I saw USF's offense, which is not even close to being as prolific as WVU's, put up 27 points on the Rutgers D. The Mountaineers will have little trouble putting up points and will not have to worry about Ray Rice who will run for over 150 in a losing effort.
West Virginia Wins: 42-24
#21 California at #4 Arizona State-The Golden Bears have killed my picks the last two weeks so I am hoping to avoid that by picking them for the upset. Arizona State seems to be doing this with smoke and mirrors and they have been waiting for a real competitor, well they will get it on Saturday and I see the end of the era coming. Maybe this will bring some sanity back to college football.
Cal Wins: 23-17
#12 USC at #5 Oregon- USC is in desperate need of this win, if they lose this it is over for the Trojans, the same could be said for the Ducks but the real pressure is on SC this weekend. With Mark Sanchez starting it gives the Trojans a better chance to win but Dennis Dixon will be able to pull the Ducks through to victory. I said this earlier this week but it is true, if Oregon had beaten Cal they would be #1 and Dixon would be the front-runner for the Heisman.
Oregon Wins: 36-23
#10 South Florida at #23 Connecticut- UConn is leading the Big East...no this is not basketball season. They won last week on a terrible non-fair catch call. USF was also a victim of some fishy calls but I think they will be able to defeat the Huskies and ending their BCS dream, their D is too quick for the Huskie O.
USF Wins: 24-10
#1 Ohio State at #25 Penn State- I feel like if this game was played on a neutral field Penn State would probably win 4 or 5 out of 10, but it is not being played on a neutral field, it is being played on OUR field in front of OUR fans who are the best fans in the entire country, we are the BEST student section and we will be the best team on Saturday night. I usually try to refrain from using "we" or "us" but on a game like this there is no reason to hide my pride. The crowd will rattle the Offense and our defense will capitalize on this and force a big turnover and that will swing the game the other way.
Penn State Wins: 17-10
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
Michigan State at Iowa- Iowa showed some life the other week against Illinois and played great defense against their good running game, Michigan State's niche is also running the ball, Iowa will stop it and be able to score enough on offense to take this game from the Spartans.
Iowa Wins: 20-13
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Blue White Roundtable Week 9
A very important Blue White Roundtable for a very important week. This week's questions come from http://thenittanyline.blogspot.com/. Check out the rest of the bloggers too.
1. Will the loss of Hahn and/or Odrick have a big impact on either the offense in Hahn's case, or the defense in Odrick's case?
The impact of not having Hahn will be more than the loss of Odrick, only because the D-Line is stacked with other players to stick in (Chris Baker, Ollie Ogbu, Tom McEowen, Abe Koroma). Hahn was really coming on, he was running the ball very well when he had it and was making blocks to help out the run game. I read this week that Dan Lawlor will be Hahn's replacement, hopefully he can block like Hahn can or the running game will take a bit of a hit...literally.
2. Has Anthony Morelli redeemed himself in your eyes?
If he had just driven down the field to score in the Rose Bowl, maybe, but it wasn't it was against Indiana. I will give him credit for doing a good job and playing fairly well the last 3 weeks or so but I need to see more from him before he can be fully redeemed, like lets say...win the rest of his games and a bowl game.... that would make him OK in my book.
3. Is the offensive play calling where you want it to be now or do we still need help?
Well it has been much better in the last 3 weeks or so but nothing is every perfect. The points that have been put up in the past few games is indicative of the play calling being better but it could have been better, especially in the Indiana game. The inability to scored a TD in the redzone in the 2nd half was the death Nell. If they score a TD instead of a field goal on at least one of those drives that game is never as close as it ended up. This was caused by their inability to run the ball; they kept on trying to pound it in but were stopped several times. This is when I wish Quarless was not in the doghouse and would make a god damn catch over the middle!
Lightning Round
Are you lucky enough to have scored tickets this week?
Yes it came with my student tickets...although if the school wanted to make a whole lot more money (and you know they do) they would sell the big game ticket for the season separately.
Which Ohio State offensive player scares you the most?
You know how in college ball there is always that one player on the opposing offense who isn’t the best player on the field but always seem to be able to make a play? Well that player is Brian Hartline and he will break out hearts this weekend in the defense is not careful.
For the game Saturday are you: giddy, apprehensive, or on suicide watch?
I am downright GIDDY, I cannot wait for this game to get here, although all of that could change by the end of it and then I very well could be on suicide watch.
1. Will the loss of Hahn and/or Odrick have a big impact on either the offense in Hahn's case, or the defense in Odrick's case?
The impact of not having Hahn will be more than the loss of Odrick, only because the D-Line is stacked with other players to stick in (Chris Baker, Ollie Ogbu, Tom McEowen, Abe Koroma). Hahn was really coming on, he was running the ball very well when he had it and was making blocks to help out the run game. I read this week that Dan Lawlor will be Hahn's replacement, hopefully he can block like Hahn can or the running game will take a bit of a hit...literally.
2. Has Anthony Morelli redeemed himself in your eyes?
If he had just driven down the field to score in the Rose Bowl, maybe, but it wasn't it was against Indiana. I will give him credit for doing a good job and playing fairly well the last 3 weeks or so but I need to see more from him before he can be fully redeemed, like lets say...win the rest of his games and a bowl game.... that would make him OK in my book.
3. Is the offensive play calling where you want it to be now or do we still need help?
Well it has been much better in the last 3 weeks or so but nothing is every perfect. The points that have been put up in the past few games is indicative of the play calling being better but it could have been better, especially in the Indiana game. The inability to scored a TD in the redzone in the 2nd half was the death Nell. If they score a TD instead of a field goal on at least one of those drives that game is never as close as it ended up. This was caused by their inability to run the ball; they kept on trying to pound it in but were stopped several times. This is when I wish Quarless was not in the doghouse and would make a god damn catch over the middle!
Lightning Round
Are you lucky enough to have scored tickets this week?
Yes it came with my student tickets...although if the school wanted to make a whole lot more money (and you know they do) they would sell the big game ticket for the season separately.
Which Ohio State offensive player scares you the most?
You know how in college ball there is always that one player on the opposing offense who isn’t the best player on the field but always seem to be able to make a play? Well that player is Brian Hartline and he will break out hearts this weekend in the defense is not careful.
For the game Saturday are you: giddy, apprehensive, or on suicide watch?
I am downright GIDDY, I cannot wait for this game to get here, although all of that could change by the end of it and then I very well could be on suicide watch.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
College Football Top 10 Week 9
More shake ups in the top 10, as usual, this week we see a couple of new kids entering the fray and the yo-yoing of Florida continues, oh and a new #1.
#10 Florida- Can we get a nice welcome back to the Fightin' Tim Tebows! The Gators return to the top 10 lurking at the 10 spot just waiting for BC and ASU to lose, when they do Florida will be the best 2 loss team and don't think they won't get any Championship game pub if they win out and beat LSU in the SEC title game. Next Week...At #18 Georgia (#11 in BCS standings)
#9 Kansas- Don't look now, the Jayhawks are just creeping along in the Big 12, where they don’t have to play Oklahoma or Texas this year. Kansas' only tough game will be against Missouri in Kansas City in their final game of the year, if they win out and somehow beat Oklahoma then there should be no reason why the Jayhawks shouldn't be in the title game. Next Week...At Texas A&M ((#9 in BCS standings)
#8 Virginia Tech- the Hokies look like a different team with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, he is 5-0 as a starter. The return of Beamer Ball has also coincided with the Hokie resurgence. With a win against BC this Thursday the Hokies will be prime for national attention. Next Week...# Boston College (#8 in BCS standings)
#7 West Virginia- That loss to USF seems like 2 months ago by now. With the constant flux of who is in contention and who is out, the Mountaineers look like their stock is rising. All they need to do is win out and they have just as good of an argument as many other 1-loss teams, of course that quest starts in Piscataway. Next Week...At Rutgers (#7 in BCS standings)
#6 Arizona State- this team suffers from a weak schedule so far, they had a couple nice wins against Washington and Oregon State, but both were at home and when you really look at it those teams aren't very good. ASU is in a category with Kansas and BC: PROVE IT, prove you belong at the top. Next Week...#21 California (#4 in BCS standings)
#5 Oregon- No Jeremiah Johnson? No problem, despite losing their number two running back the Ducks still ran up and unbelievable 465 yards on the ground. A tough loss to Cal is the only thing that is keeping this team from being #1 in the country. Next Week...#12 USC (#5 in BCS standings)
#4 Boston College- You gotta show me that you deserve to be up here guys. This Thursday, show me, show the country you belong. Next Week... At #8 Virginia Tech (#2 in BCS standings)
#3 Oklahoma- A little scare against Iowa State this past weekend but the Sooners emerged unscathed. They, like LSU, just need to keep on trucking and winning and they will be guaranteed a place in the Championship game. Next Week...off 11/3 Texas A&M (#6 in BCS standings)
#2 LSU- Don't tell me that Les Miles call was dumb, it was gutsy, when the ball hit the receiver’s hands there was 4 seconds left, the only thing to kill a chance for a field goal would have been an interception. Next Week...At Alabama (#3 in BCS standings)
#1 Ohio State- The defense is legit, we know that, but the offense can be prone to not scoring. Only 24 points against Michigan State and 23 against Purdue. First test this Saturday. Next Week...At #25 Penn State. (#1 in BCS standings)
#10 Florida- Can we get a nice welcome back to the Fightin' Tim Tebows! The Gators return to the top 10 lurking at the 10 spot just waiting for BC and ASU to lose, when they do Florida will be the best 2 loss team and don't think they won't get any Championship game pub if they win out and beat LSU in the SEC title game. Next Week...At #18 Georgia (#11 in BCS standings)
#9 Kansas- Don't look now, the Jayhawks are just creeping along in the Big 12, where they don’t have to play Oklahoma or Texas this year. Kansas' only tough game will be against Missouri in Kansas City in their final game of the year, if they win out and somehow beat Oklahoma then there should be no reason why the Jayhawks shouldn't be in the title game. Next Week...At Texas A&M ((#9 in BCS standings)
#8 Virginia Tech- the Hokies look like a different team with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, he is 5-0 as a starter. The return of Beamer Ball has also coincided with the Hokie resurgence. With a win against BC this Thursday the Hokies will be prime for national attention. Next Week...# Boston College (#8 in BCS standings)
#7 West Virginia- That loss to USF seems like 2 months ago by now. With the constant flux of who is in contention and who is out, the Mountaineers look like their stock is rising. All they need to do is win out and they have just as good of an argument as many other 1-loss teams, of course that quest starts in Piscataway. Next Week...At Rutgers (#7 in BCS standings)
#6 Arizona State- this team suffers from a weak schedule so far, they had a couple nice wins against Washington and Oregon State, but both were at home and when you really look at it those teams aren't very good. ASU is in a category with Kansas and BC: PROVE IT, prove you belong at the top. Next Week...#21 California (#4 in BCS standings)
#5 Oregon- No Jeremiah Johnson? No problem, despite losing their number two running back the Ducks still ran up and unbelievable 465 yards on the ground. A tough loss to Cal is the only thing that is keeping this team from being #1 in the country. Next Week...#12 USC (#5 in BCS standings)
#4 Boston College- You gotta show me that you deserve to be up here guys. This Thursday, show me, show the country you belong. Next Week... At #8 Virginia Tech (#2 in BCS standings)
#3 Oklahoma- A little scare against Iowa State this past weekend but the Sooners emerged unscathed. They, like LSU, just need to keep on trucking and winning and they will be guaranteed a place in the Championship game. Next Week...off 11/3 Texas A&M (#6 in BCS standings)
#2 LSU- Don't tell me that Les Miles call was dumb, it was gutsy, when the ball hit the receiver’s hands there was 4 seconds left, the only thing to kill a chance for a field goal would have been an interception. Next Week...At Alabama (#3 in BCS standings)
#1 Ohio State- The defense is legit, we know that, but the offense can be prone to not scoring. Only 24 points against Michigan State and 23 against Purdue. First test this Saturday. Next Week...At #25 Penn State. (#1 in BCS standings)
Here we go again
I just unearthed this from the archives of Youtube, watch and you will feel the strength of 1000 PSU fans!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Big Ten Blogger Roundtable: Week 9
This week the Big Ten Roundtable question come from a true Penn State fan, Black Shoe Diaries (link in link list). Make sure to check out there his wrap up later this week.
1. Pretend for a moment you're the little Japanese guy on Heroes. You can close your eyes, clench your fists, crap your pants and go back in time. If you could go back and change one play for your team this season, what would it be?
A very good question, there has to be 3 or 4 times that I would like to go back and change. If I only have one chance then it has to be the fumble by Morelli at the beginning of the Michigan game. It set the tone for the entire game, let alone give Michigan a chance to score and go ahead that early. If he holds it and even if they have to punt, it puts their Freshman Quarterback back in their territory making it harder to score, after all the defense did only give up 14 points.
2. We're now two-thirds of the way through the season. Everyone likes to debate who will be the Big Ten Coach of the Year. I want to know which Big Ten coach is a complete moron that should be demoted back to fullbacks coach on a team that runs the spread offense?
Well the question asks which coach is a moron but it also mentions the Coach of the Year, this award should and probably will go to Bill Lynch (provided Indiana gets to that elusive 6th win and go to a bowl). Now the moron has a couple candidates but my pick goes to Pat Fitzgerald, but only because....Northwestern lost to Duke....DUKE!
3. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. But the Bible doesn't say anything about your rival. Which current Big Ten player do you most wish played for your team?
Rashard Mendenhall. Rashard Mendenhall. Rashard Mendenhall. (Clicks heels together)
Bonus Question
It's probably too early to start thinking about next year. Well, unless you're Minnesota in which case you've been thinking about next year for a month or so already. Assess your team's future. Was this year your chance to make a run or is this just a rebuilding year with greater expectations in 2008? Or do you plan to suck in 2008 just as much as you suck now?
This Nittany Lions team has a great future! By my count of going over the roster today there are 12 seniors this year, that’s a whole lot of under-classmen. More importantly the defense, the backbone of the team, has only 1 senior on in its starting line-up (this could be wrong I saw on-line the Tony Davis and Tyrell Sales were seniors to go along with Connor, but even if tats true, its only 3 starters that leave) Justin King may leave, but not if he continues to play the way he has the last two weeks. The offensive line has some young talent and the WR/TE core will be intact. Next year could be a nice year for Penn State...I'm not making any predictions in October though.
1. Pretend for a moment you're the little Japanese guy on Heroes. You can close your eyes, clench your fists, crap your pants and go back in time. If you could go back and change one play for your team this season, what would it be?
A very good question, there has to be 3 or 4 times that I would like to go back and change. If I only have one chance then it has to be the fumble by Morelli at the beginning of the Michigan game. It set the tone for the entire game, let alone give Michigan a chance to score and go ahead that early. If he holds it and even if they have to punt, it puts their Freshman Quarterback back in their territory making it harder to score, after all the defense did only give up 14 points.
2. We're now two-thirds of the way through the season. Everyone likes to debate who will be the Big Ten Coach of the Year. I want to know which Big Ten coach is a complete moron that should be demoted back to fullbacks coach on a team that runs the spread offense?
Well the question asks which coach is a moron but it also mentions the Coach of the Year, this award should and probably will go to Bill Lynch (provided Indiana gets to that elusive 6th win and go to a bowl). Now the moron has a couple candidates but my pick goes to Pat Fitzgerald, but only because....Northwestern lost to Duke....DUKE!
3. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. But the Bible doesn't say anything about your rival. Which current Big Ten player do you most wish played for your team?
Rashard Mendenhall. Rashard Mendenhall. Rashard Mendenhall. (Clicks heels together)
Bonus Question
It's probably too early to start thinking about next year. Well, unless you're Minnesota in which case you've been thinking about next year for a month or so already. Assess your team's future. Was this year your chance to make a run or is this just a rebuilding year with greater expectations in 2008? Or do you plan to suck in 2008 just as much as you suck now?
This Nittany Lions team has a great future! By my count of going over the roster today there are 12 seniors this year, that’s a whole lot of under-classmen. More importantly the defense, the backbone of the team, has only 1 senior on in its starting line-up (this could be wrong I saw on-line the Tony Davis and Tyrell Sales were seniors to go along with Connor, but even if tats true, its only 3 starters that leave) Justin King may leave, but not if he continues to play the way he has the last two weeks. The offensive line has some young talent and the WR/TE core will be intact. Next year could be a nice year for Penn State...I'm not making any predictions in October though.
Week 8 Picks Re-Cap(GOT IT-MISSED IT)
Above .500 last weekend baby! Finally a tiny break through from this boring 5-5 garbage, yours truly went a whopping 6-4 this weekend!
#14 USC at Notre Dame- Turns out Evan Sharpley plays just as bad as Jimmy Clausen! USC finally looked alive on Saturday and as everyone keeps losing they will continue to creep back up the BCS standings...GOT IT
Michigan State at #1 Ohio State- OSU did show up like the #1 team for most of the game, except for two offensive plays where turnovers turned into TDs. Otherwise a very dominant victory for the Buckeyes, big game this weekend though...GOT IT
#12 Cal at UCLA- Cal burns me AGAIN. How about the Bruins? 4-0 in the PAC 10 with losses to Utah and ND? The Bruins are certainly two-faced...MISSED IT
#17 Auburn at #4 LSU- The LSU Tigers are THE most battle tested team in all of the country, they are 4-1 against AP top 25 teams. I loved the call by Les Miles, and for everyone who is saying, "what if it was incomplete?" when the ball reached the WR there was 4 seconds left, if it is incomplete then there would still be at least 2 seconds left for them to kick a FG. But, no guts no glory right?...GOT IT
#15 Florida at #7 Kentucky- Tim Tebow, welcome to the Heisman Finalists. A great display by Tebow and Woodson, both should be finalists for the Heisman and if Florida wins out Tebow should be taking it home...GOT IT
#24 Texas Tech at #16 Missouri- Way to not show up Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, once again Tech gets a chance to show they are for real and only shows that they are frauds...MISSED IT
#21 Tennessee at Alabama- ROLL TIDE! Saban gambles on the first play on the game with an onside kick, soon after that the game was clearly Alabama's. The Vols are still an enigma and now looks like they’re about to drown...GOT IT
Miami(FL) at Florida State- Miami outlasts the Seminoles and gets their season sort of back on track, the Seminoles are now in big trouble and can probably only play the roll of spoiler...MISSED IT
#25(USA) Penn State at Indiana- There was indeed a slow start to the game but the offense played well as a whole in the 1st half and could do everything but put it in the endzone in the 2nd, a touchdown or 2 instead of 3 FGs means this game never gets close...GOT IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#25 Michigan at Illinois- Once again Michigan says hell no to the upset and once again Illinois makes me looks silly. Looks like the Wolverines will be 7-0 heading into the OSU game in Big Ten play; they are a top 10 team if they want to be...MISSED IT
#14 USC at Notre Dame- Turns out Evan Sharpley plays just as bad as Jimmy Clausen! USC finally looked alive on Saturday and as everyone keeps losing they will continue to creep back up the BCS standings...GOT IT
Michigan State at #1 Ohio State- OSU did show up like the #1 team for most of the game, except for two offensive plays where turnovers turned into TDs. Otherwise a very dominant victory for the Buckeyes, big game this weekend though...GOT IT
#12 Cal at UCLA- Cal burns me AGAIN. How about the Bruins? 4-0 in the PAC 10 with losses to Utah and ND? The Bruins are certainly two-faced...MISSED IT
#17 Auburn at #4 LSU- The LSU Tigers are THE most battle tested team in all of the country, they are 4-1 against AP top 25 teams. I loved the call by Les Miles, and for everyone who is saying, "what if it was incomplete?" when the ball reached the WR there was 4 seconds left, if it is incomplete then there would still be at least 2 seconds left for them to kick a FG. But, no guts no glory right?...GOT IT
#15 Florida at #7 Kentucky- Tim Tebow, welcome to the Heisman Finalists. A great display by Tebow and Woodson, both should be finalists for the Heisman and if Florida wins out Tebow should be taking it home...GOT IT
#24 Texas Tech at #16 Missouri- Way to not show up Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, once again Tech gets a chance to show they are for real and only shows that they are frauds...MISSED IT
#21 Tennessee at Alabama- ROLL TIDE! Saban gambles on the first play on the game with an onside kick, soon after that the game was clearly Alabama's. The Vols are still an enigma and now looks like they’re about to drown...GOT IT
Miami(FL) at Florida State- Miami outlasts the Seminoles and gets their season sort of back on track, the Seminoles are now in big trouble and can probably only play the roll of spoiler...MISSED IT
#25(USA) Penn State at Indiana- There was indeed a slow start to the game but the offense played well as a whole in the 1st half and could do everything but put it in the endzone in the 2nd, a touchdown or 2 instead of 3 FGs means this game never gets close...GOT IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#25 Michigan at Illinois- Once again Michigan says hell no to the upset and once again Illinois makes me looks silly. Looks like the Wolverines will be 7-0 heading into the OSU game in Big Ten play; they are a top 10 team if they want to be...MISSED IT
3 Reasons Why Penn State won on Saturday
The Indiana Offense is indeed legit. I saw them move the ball down the field against the solid defense of the Nittany Lions. Some thoughts on the Indiana Offense: James Hardy is a player and he will be playing on Sundays real soon and Kellen Lewis can move around in the pocket and throw the ball accurately, he will be a lot to deal with in the next couple of years. Now, to the game.
1) Maurice Evans- I talked about him being a great surprise earlier this year and he is at the point now where teams will be game-planning for him, what a show he put on Saturday. Here is Evan's line against the Hoosiers: 6 tackles (5 solo), 4.5 TFL for 38 yards, 3.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 2 forced fumbles....BEAST.
2) Offense- The team as a whole performed pretty well on offense, Morelli was pretty accurate (69%) and threw some very nice balls towards the end of the 1st half, the team ran the ball well but not individually Kinlaw-22 for 66, Royster was a bit better- 12 for 68, both had a TD. Matt Hahn was stellar until he tore his ACL; it was by far his best game in his career. Now all that said, in the 2nd half they couldn’t score in the redzone, a HUGE problem. That game was not close at all and the final score is not indicative of how competitive the game was, but it was what it was, this needs to improve, because OSU is not going to give the Nittany Lions one inch.
3) Hoosier Hands- Indiana fumbled the ball 4 times on Saturday, some were forced but others were not. For example, the final fumble was one that Lewis just simply dropped. These were huge because Lewis was very mistake free beside that, no interceptions, he made the big run at the end of the game, without these drops the game is close.
1) Maurice Evans- I talked about him being a great surprise earlier this year and he is at the point now where teams will be game-planning for him, what a show he put on Saturday. Here is Evan's line against the Hoosiers: 6 tackles (5 solo), 4.5 TFL for 38 yards, 3.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 2 forced fumbles....BEAST.
2) Offense- The team as a whole performed pretty well on offense, Morelli was pretty accurate (69%) and threw some very nice balls towards the end of the 1st half, the team ran the ball well but not individually Kinlaw-22 for 66, Royster was a bit better- 12 for 68, both had a TD. Matt Hahn was stellar until he tore his ACL; it was by far his best game in his career. Now all that said, in the 2nd half they couldn’t score in the redzone, a HUGE problem. That game was not close at all and the final score is not indicative of how competitive the game was, but it was what it was, this needs to improve, because OSU is not going to give the Nittany Lions one inch.
3) Hoosier Hands- Indiana fumbled the ball 4 times on Saturday, some were forced but others were not. For example, the final fumble was one that Lewis just simply dropped. These were huge because Lewis was very mistake free beside that, no interceptions, he made the big run at the end of the game, without these drops the game is close.
Friday, October 19, 2007
College Football Picks Week 8
I've got to get off this slide sometime right? I've been a very pedestrian 5-5 in 3 out of the last 4 weeks, these upsets are killin me, I guess I gotta go out and start picking them.
#14 USC at Notre Dame- The Irish have shown some signs of life in the past few weeks. Evan Sharpley is getting the start; he has been much better in-game than Freshman Jimmy Clausen, although Charlie Weis claims that Clausen is always better than Sharpley in practice. I see this game being closer than people expect, the grass will be nice and long like it was in '05 but it wont be able to slow down the Trojans.
USC Wins: 30-20
Michigan State at #1 Ohio State- The Number 1 team has had a history of losing this year, but it will not be happening this Saturday. The Spartans can run the ball, they have two backs: Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick who have run for almost 1500 yards and 18 TDs this year, but the Ohio State defense is one of the best groups in the nation. OSU comes to show they are legit.
OSU Wins: 40-17
#12 California at UCLA- Cal is reeling from that heartbreaking loss against Oregon State last week. UCLA is trying to show that they aren’t complete frauds, with losses to ND and Utah; the Bruins are trying to fight for a PAC 10 title (they are 3-0 in conference). Cal gets back in the saddle again and officially puts Karl Dorrell in the hot seat.
Cal Wins: 31-17
#17 Auburn at #4 LSU- I think it is safe to say that LSU is still the best overall team in the nation and Auburn is not in the Tigers league, perhaps the Tigers will break out Ryan Perrilloux who was absent in their loss to Kentucky. Of course upon declaring that Auburn isn’t in LSU's league they will kill them.
LSU Wins: 38-20
#15 Florida at #7 Kentucky- Now is the time when Tim Tebow needs to carry his Gators, if he wants the Heisman then this is his game to make a case for it. Kentucky is riding real high off their win over LSU but something tells me they just wont be mentally there when the Gators get to Lexington.
Florida Wins: 24-17
#24 Texas Tech at #16 Missouri- The Red Raiders have been great offensively, specifically through the air, and the Missouri pass defense ranks 100th in the nation. To boot, the starting Missouri RB, Tony Temple, is out for this game. This all leads to a Tech victory...P.S. Don't burn me Tech like you did against Ok. St.!
Texas Tech Wins: 45-28
#21 Tennessee at Alabama- I was on the Saban Bandwagon earlier this year and was tossed off when it hit the bumps of Georgia and Florida St. Tennessee is a team that seems like an enigma, one week they get trounced by an overrated Florida team and the next they beat up on Georgia. I should be taking the Vols but I can't get enough of Saban so I'm going with the Tide in an upset.
Alabama Wins: 20-13
Miami(FL) at Florida State- When a team loses to UNC you know they have trouble, it looks like that was the real Miami compared to the one that kicked Texas A&M's ass. Florida State is bummin over their 2nd straight loss to Wake Forest and has the better athletes in general so I'm down with the Seminoles this weekend.
Florida State Wins: 27-20
#25(USA) Penn State at Indiana- This, like the rest of their games, is Penn State's most important game of the year. They need to come out and show that last week against Wisconsin was not a fluke, they need to stop Kellen Lewis and execute on offense with minimal mistakes. If those things happen then the Nittany Lions roll. I see a little sluggish start but an eventual win for the Lions, Kinlaw and Royster will control the tempo of this game.
Penn State Wins: 28-20
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#25 Michigan at Illinois- This is the 2nd week in a row I’m picking against the Wolverines and the 2nd week in a row that I'm picking Illinois to win. Last week I though that the Purdue spread offense would ruffle Michigan's feathers, I was wrong. But this offense that Illinois runs is much faster and more talented that Purdue's. This is a night game in Champaign and the crowd will be ready.
Illinois Wins: 34-24
#14 USC at Notre Dame- The Irish have shown some signs of life in the past few weeks. Evan Sharpley is getting the start; he has been much better in-game than Freshman Jimmy Clausen, although Charlie Weis claims that Clausen is always better than Sharpley in practice. I see this game being closer than people expect, the grass will be nice and long like it was in '05 but it wont be able to slow down the Trojans.
USC Wins: 30-20
Michigan State at #1 Ohio State- The Number 1 team has had a history of losing this year, but it will not be happening this Saturday. The Spartans can run the ball, they have two backs: Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick who have run for almost 1500 yards and 18 TDs this year, but the Ohio State defense is one of the best groups in the nation. OSU comes to show they are legit.
OSU Wins: 40-17
#12 California at UCLA- Cal is reeling from that heartbreaking loss against Oregon State last week. UCLA is trying to show that they aren’t complete frauds, with losses to ND and Utah; the Bruins are trying to fight for a PAC 10 title (they are 3-0 in conference). Cal gets back in the saddle again and officially puts Karl Dorrell in the hot seat.
Cal Wins: 31-17
#17 Auburn at #4 LSU- I think it is safe to say that LSU is still the best overall team in the nation and Auburn is not in the Tigers league, perhaps the Tigers will break out Ryan Perrilloux who was absent in their loss to Kentucky. Of course upon declaring that Auburn isn’t in LSU's league they will kill them.
LSU Wins: 38-20
#15 Florida at #7 Kentucky- Now is the time when Tim Tebow needs to carry his Gators, if he wants the Heisman then this is his game to make a case for it. Kentucky is riding real high off their win over LSU but something tells me they just wont be mentally there when the Gators get to Lexington.
Florida Wins: 24-17
#24 Texas Tech at #16 Missouri- The Red Raiders have been great offensively, specifically through the air, and the Missouri pass defense ranks 100th in the nation. To boot, the starting Missouri RB, Tony Temple, is out for this game. This all leads to a Tech victory...P.S. Don't burn me Tech like you did against Ok. St.!
Texas Tech Wins: 45-28
#21 Tennessee at Alabama- I was on the Saban Bandwagon earlier this year and was tossed off when it hit the bumps of Georgia and Florida St. Tennessee is a team that seems like an enigma, one week they get trounced by an overrated Florida team and the next they beat up on Georgia. I should be taking the Vols but I can't get enough of Saban so I'm going with the Tide in an upset.
Alabama Wins: 20-13
Miami(FL) at Florida State- When a team loses to UNC you know they have trouble, it looks like that was the real Miami compared to the one that kicked Texas A&M's ass. Florida State is bummin over their 2nd straight loss to Wake Forest and has the better athletes in general so I'm down with the Seminoles this weekend.
Florida State Wins: 27-20
#25(USA) Penn State at Indiana- This, like the rest of their games, is Penn State's most important game of the year. They need to come out and show that last week against Wisconsin was not a fluke, they need to stop Kellen Lewis and execute on offense with minimal mistakes. If those things happen then the Nittany Lions roll. I see a little sluggish start but an eventual win for the Lions, Kinlaw and Royster will control the tempo of this game.
Penn State Wins: 28-20
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#25 Michigan at Illinois- This is the 2nd week in a row I’m picking against the Wolverines and the 2nd week in a row that I'm picking Illinois to win. Last week I though that the Purdue spread offense would ruffle Michigan's feathers, I was wrong. But this offense that Illinois runs is much faster and more talented that Purdue's. This is a night game in Champaign and the crowd will be ready.
Illinois Wins: 34-24
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Big Ten Blogger Roundtable: Week 8
This week's Roundtable questions are brought to us by The Hoosier Report (http://hoosierreport.blogspot.com).
1. Call your shot. We are halfway through the Big Ten season (or, at least, most of us are). What will be your team's final record? Where, if anywhere, will your team be spending late December/early January? Who will win the Big Ten?
Well Penn State is 2-2 right now I really believe that besides the Ohio State game PSU will be favored in the rest of their Big Ten games, given that I can foresee a 6-2 record with a win against the Buckeyes or 5-3 with a loss to OSU. If PSU ends with either of these records I see them going to the Outback Bowl again, the only way this changes is if there is a 4 way tie at the top (discussed in the Blue White Roundtable) then maybe the Capital One Bowl would be in reach...of course they could just not show up the rest of the season and the Lions play in the Gaylord Music City Bowl. I think barring any crazy shenanigans Ohio State or Michigan will win the conference at 7-1, maybe 8-0.
2. How is your team's coaching situation? Clearly, this varies from school to school, with some coaches approaching retirement (Carr/Paterno), some who are just starting out (Brewster/Fitzgerald), the unique case of Bill Lynch, and others who seem to be in their primes. If your coach is on the tail end of his career, where do you see things going from here? If he's still early in his tenure, any buyer's remorse? If he's in he's somewhere in the middle, are you happy or wishing things would go a different direction? How does your view correspond to the "majority" view among your school's fans?
I see Joe coaching until after next season, maybe through 2009(I think his current contract is up next year or something, not sure though). And after that a huge power vacuum will come over Happy Valley, I really think it would be best for program stability to hire from inside the program, Jay Paterno, Tom Bradley, Galen Hall? I'm not sure who would be the best qualified though. I think the majority of the fans probably reflect this view, but a very vocal minority will be calling for a new up and coming coach willing to take the school in a new direction. (Greg Schiano anybody?)
BONUS BASKETBALL QUESTION: If you plan to cover basketball, give us a brief outlook for your team. Who is your best player? What do you expect from the team?
I don't plan to cover basketball but the best player on our team is Geary Claxton (Sr.) he led the team in rebounds last year and was among the leaders in scoring. The team is suppose to be on the up and up, one preseason preview has the Lions finishing 4th in the Big Ten, pretty respectable, but there was another preview that listed the Lions as finishing 11th. Guess we'll have to wait to find out.
1. Call your shot. We are halfway through the Big Ten season (or, at least, most of us are). What will be your team's final record? Where, if anywhere, will your team be spending late December/early January? Who will win the Big Ten?
Well Penn State is 2-2 right now I really believe that besides the Ohio State game PSU will be favored in the rest of their Big Ten games, given that I can foresee a 6-2 record with a win against the Buckeyes or 5-3 with a loss to OSU. If PSU ends with either of these records I see them going to the Outback Bowl again, the only way this changes is if there is a 4 way tie at the top (discussed in the Blue White Roundtable) then maybe the Capital One Bowl would be in reach...of course they could just not show up the rest of the season and the Lions play in the Gaylord Music City Bowl. I think barring any crazy shenanigans Ohio State or Michigan will win the conference at 7-1, maybe 8-0.
2. How is your team's coaching situation? Clearly, this varies from school to school, with some coaches approaching retirement (Carr/Paterno), some who are just starting out (Brewster/Fitzgerald), the unique case of Bill Lynch, and others who seem to be in their primes. If your coach is on the tail end of his career, where do you see things going from here? If he's still early in his tenure, any buyer's remorse? If he's in he's somewhere in the middle, are you happy or wishing things would go a different direction? How does your view correspond to the "majority" view among your school's fans?
I see Joe coaching until after next season, maybe through 2009(I think his current contract is up next year or something, not sure though). And after that a huge power vacuum will come over Happy Valley, I really think it would be best for program stability to hire from inside the program, Jay Paterno, Tom Bradley, Galen Hall? I'm not sure who would be the best qualified though. I think the majority of the fans probably reflect this view, but a very vocal minority will be calling for a new up and coming coach willing to take the school in a new direction. (Greg Schiano anybody?)
BONUS BASKETBALL QUESTION: If you plan to cover basketball, give us a brief outlook for your team. Who is your best player? What do you expect from the team?
I don't plan to cover basketball but the best player on our team is Geary Claxton (Sr.) he led the team in rebounds last year and was among the leaders in scoring. The team is suppose to be on the up and up, one preseason preview has the Lions finishing 4th in the Big Ten, pretty respectable, but there was another preview that listed the Lions as finishing 11th. Guess we'll have to wait to find out.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Blue White Roundtable Week 8
This week the roundtable questions come courtesy of Run Up the Score (http://runupthescore.wordpress.com/). Be sure to check out the other great PSU blogs for their answers as well (most are in my links list).
1. Two consecutive games, two dominating performances by the Nittany Lion running game. Why the drastic change in production?
The running game has been a vital part of this mini mid-season resurgence. Evney Kinyster has run for 437 yards and 4 TDs in the last two games. I would be remised if I also did not mention the Offensive line; this group has started to mesh in these last couple of weeks, which has helped spur the running game. And finally Anthony Morelli has played pretty well, aside the interceptions late in the Iowa game he has played smart and stayed away from key mistakes.
2. Since the departure of Tom Osborne before the 1998, Nebraska quickly fired Frank Solich, hired a bad NFL coach, and on Monday fired its Athletic Director. Is there any way to avoid this sort of fiasco when Joe Paterno eventually retires?
Yes, if you want to keep the program going the same way then you need to hire from inside: Tom Bradley, Jay Paterno etc. I think this is actually what will happen, there will be people who will want the sexy pick for a new coach, the Greg Schiano's of the world but that, in my opinion, could be a poor decision. It will be very interesting to see what will go down when Joe does depart...I just hope there wont be pandemonium in this town.
3. Terrelle Pryor is on the verge of crossing Penn State off his list, if he hasn’t already. Does Penn State absolutely have to sign a quarterback in this class, or can we afford to wait until next season?
I have to admit I didn’t know whom Terrelle Pryor was so I had to look him up on Rivals.com, that kid can play! I know we have 3 QBs on scholarship next year (Clark, Devlin, Suhey) so I guess it wouldn’t kill the team if they couldn’t score one in this class but it sure would be nice to get one, especially one in the mold of Pryor, someone who can run the option which is a WEAPON in the college game.
Lightning Round
Describe a scenario in which Penn State ties for the conference title. Obviously, Penn State has to beat Ohio State. What other dominoes need to fall?
Let me see...A LOT: PSU needs to win out, OSU needs to lose another game to get them to 2 in the conference, lets say Wisconsin. Illinois needs to lose another game (I'm thinking Minnesota, they gotta have 2 conference wins in them!) to get them to 2 losses but needs to beat Michigan to get them to one, then Michigan needs to lose to OSU. That would give Penn State a share of a 4 way Big Ten Title with OSU, Michigan, and Illinois.... and we go to the Outback Bowl still because Illinois and Michigan beat us making us 3rd in the Big Ten pecking order and the #3 Big Ten school goes to the Outback Bowl.
Will Penn State have its typical lazy start in a noon road game?
I want to say no and that the stellar defense, which has allowed 12 Touchdowns in the last 13 games, will keep the speedy Indiana Offense in check and that Kinlaw and Royster will run the ball down their throats, BUT you just don’t know. It is very hard to stop a trend and this trend has been going one for some time now. I'm going to say yes but by the 3rd or 4th possession they will kick it into gear.
Score prediction?
Penn State 28, Indiana 20
1. Two consecutive games, two dominating performances by the Nittany Lion running game. Why the drastic change in production?
The running game has been a vital part of this mini mid-season resurgence. Evney Kinyster has run for 437 yards and 4 TDs in the last two games. I would be remised if I also did not mention the Offensive line; this group has started to mesh in these last couple of weeks, which has helped spur the running game. And finally Anthony Morelli has played pretty well, aside the interceptions late in the Iowa game he has played smart and stayed away from key mistakes.
2. Since the departure of Tom Osborne before the 1998, Nebraska quickly fired Frank Solich, hired a bad NFL coach, and on Monday fired its Athletic Director. Is there any way to avoid this sort of fiasco when Joe Paterno eventually retires?
Yes, if you want to keep the program going the same way then you need to hire from inside: Tom Bradley, Jay Paterno etc. I think this is actually what will happen, there will be people who will want the sexy pick for a new coach, the Greg Schiano's of the world but that, in my opinion, could be a poor decision. It will be very interesting to see what will go down when Joe does depart...I just hope there wont be pandemonium in this town.
3. Terrelle Pryor is on the verge of crossing Penn State off his list, if he hasn’t already. Does Penn State absolutely have to sign a quarterback in this class, or can we afford to wait until next season?
I have to admit I didn’t know whom Terrelle Pryor was so I had to look him up on Rivals.com, that kid can play! I know we have 3 QBs on scholarship next year (Clark, Devlin, Suhey) so I guess it wouldn’t kill the team if they couldn’t score one in this class but it sure would be nice to get one, especially one in the mold of Pryor, someone who can run the option which is a WEAPON in the college game.
Lightning Round
Describe a scenario in which Penn State ties for the conference title. Obviously, Penn State has to beat Ohio State. What other dominoes need to fall?
Let me see...A LOT: PSU needs to win out, OSU needs to lose another game to get them to 2 in the conference, lets say Wisconsin. Illinois needs to lose another game (I'm thinking Minnesota, they gotta have 2 conference wins in them!) to get them to 2 losses but needs to beat Michigan to get them to one, then Michigan needs to lose to OSU. That would give Penn State a share of a 4 way Big Ten Title with OSU, Michigan, and Illinois.... and we go to the Outback Bowl still because Illinois and Michigan beat us making us 3rd in the Big Ten pecking order and the #3 Big Ten school goes to the Outback Bowl.
Will Penn State have its typical lazy start in a noon road game?
I want to say no and that the stellar defense, which has allowed 12 Touchdowns in the last 13 games, will keep the speedy Indiana Offense in check and that Kinlaw and Royster will run the ball down their throats, BUT you just don’t know. It is very hard to stop a trend and this trend has been going one for some time now. I'm going to say yes but by the 3rd or 4th possession they will kick it into gear.
Score prediction?
Penn State 28, Indiana 20
College Football Top 10 Vol.V
More shake-ups this week in the top 10, I don't think I have had any team in the same spot for more than one week this year (besides LSU at Number 1 til they lost) Kentucky is back in and we say good bye to Cal and USC, also a new PAC 10 school makes its debut.
#10: Arizona State- Here she is, the newest member of the top 10, as the Sun Devils continue to win they keep on proving people wrong. There is much to be said about the fact that OSU's biggest win was against Washington, well ASU whopped up on the Huskies this past weekend, look out for the Sun Devils, they have Oregon and USC at Sun Devil Stadium later this year. Next Week...#12 California
#9: West Virginia- This team is coming off of a bye after a big win against Syracuse, just what they needed after losing to South Florida. I like the Mountaineers a lot, I love to watch Slaton and White play and those guys will keep WVU in the Big East title hunt, of course they will need some help from the outside too. Next Week...Mississippi State
#8: Oregon- The Ducks are quickly starting to look like the cream of the PAC 10 crop, another easy win over Wash St. last week, although two key players on their offense (wide receiver Cameron Colvin and running back Jeremiah Johnson). Still waiting for their big match-up with SC, a shame that will have a lot less luster now though. Next Week...At Washington
#7: Kentucky- These guys just don’t quit, mad respect goes out to the Wildcats for showing up and playing the LSU team with all of their hearts and gutting out that 3 OT victory. Andre' Woodson is back on the Heisman track...now all he needs to do is play Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Next Week...#15 Florida
#6: South Carolina- So let me get this straight, the Gamecocks got to Baton Rouge and lose, then Kentucky goes to Columbia and loses, and then LSU goes to Lexington and wins! That explains how crazy this college football season has been. By they way South Carolina ranks something like 88th in offense.... head ball coach must be loving some Defense! Next Week...Vanderbilt
#5: Oklahoma- the Sooners proved that their game against the Buffs was an aberration. They were down at one point to Missouri but fought back to win by 10. Sam Bradford is still continuing to amaze, if he does this much longer then he HAS to be in the Heisman Race and should at least be a finalist. Next Week...At Iowa State
#4: Boston College- The Golden Eagles are playing well, they are beating all the teams they should beat, their problem is that they haven’t played anyone. Georgia Tech is the closest thing they have to a quality win. Their chance is now to prove that they really are one of the best teams in the nation. Next Week...At #11 Virginia Tech
#3: LSU- The Tigers are they easily the best one-loss team, their Defense in incredible and their offense is very very efficient. Their problem on Saturday wasn’t a lack of effort or concentration. Kentucky is a really good team and they barely missed a field goal at regulation that would have kept it out of OT. If any of the "Undefeated" loses then LSU will be right back up at the top of the standings.
#2: Ohio State- They get no love from because they haven’t played any good teams, their closest attempts at playing a solid team so far has been Washington (2-4) and Purdue (5-2). They have the potential to be the #1 team but there has been no reason to give them such a ranking at this point in time, call me after they beat Penn State in Happy Valley, Illinois, or at Michigan. Next Week...Michigan State
#1: South Florida- I can see it now, people going crazy and thinking I have no idea what I am talking about. "How can you rank the bulls #1?!" they will say. Well let me tell you why: No team so far this year has had a better set of wins than USF has had, at Auburn (#17) and WVU (#9) and they are still undefeated. The rest of their schedule hasn’t been that challenging but those wins stand alone. The only other team to beat 2 top 25 teams is Cal but they also lost to 3-3 Oregon State. Next Week...At Rutgers
#10: Arizona State- Here she is, the newest member of the top 10, as the Sun Devils continue to win they keep on proving people wrong. There is much to be said about the fact that OSU's biggest win was against Washington, well ASU whopped up on the Huskies this past weekend, look out for the Sun Devils, they have Oregon and USC at Sun Devil Stadium later this year. Next Week...#12 California
#9: West Virginia- This team is coming off of a bye after a big win against Syracuse, just what they needed after losing to South Florida. I like the Mountaineers a lot, I love to watch Slaton and White play and those guys will keep WVU in the Big East title hunt, of course they will need some help from the outside too. Next Week...Mississippi State
#8: Oregon- The Ducks are quickly starting to look like the cream of the PAC 10 crop, another easy win over Wash St. last week, although two key players on their offense (wide receiver Cameron Colvin and running back Jeremiah Johnson). Still waiting for their big match-up with SC, a shame that will have a lot less luster now though. Next Week...At Washington
#7: Kentucky- These guys just don’t quit, mad respect goes out to the Wildcats for showing up and playing the LSU team with all of their hearts and gutting out that 3 OT victory. Andre' Woodson is back on the Heisman track...now all he needs to do is play Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Next Week...#15 Florida
#6: South Carolina- So let me get this straight, the Gamecocks got to Baton Rouge and lose, then Kentucky goes to Columbia and loses, and then LSU goes to Lexington and wins! That explains how crazy this college football season has been. By they way South Carolina ranks something like 88th in offense.... head ball coach must be loving some Defense! Next Week...Vanderbilt
#5: Oklahoma- the Sooners proved that their game against the Buffs was an aberration. They were down at one point to Missouri but fought back to win by 10. Sam Bradford is still continuing to amaze, if he does this much longer then he HAS to be in the Heisman Race and should at least be a finalist. Next Week...At Iowa State
#4: Boston College- The Golden Eagles are playing well, they are beating all the teams they should beat, their problem is that they haven’t played anyone. Georgia Tech is the closest thing they have to a quality win. Their chance is now to prove that they really are one of the best teams in the nation. Next Week...At #11 Virginia Tech
#3: LSU- The Tigers are they easily the best one-loss team, their Defense in incredible and their offense is very very efficient. Their problem on Saturday wasn’t a lack of effort or concentration. Kentucky is a really good team and they barely missed a field goal at regulation that would have kept it out of OT. If any of the "Undefeated" loses then LSU will be right back up at the top of the standings.
#2: Ohio State- They get no love from because they haven’t played any good teams, their closest attempts at playing a solid team so far has been Washington (2-4) and Purdue (5-2). They have the potential to be the #1 team but there has been no reason to give them such a ranking at this point in time, call me after they beat Penn State in Happy Valley, Illinois, or at Michigan. Next Week...Michigan State
#1: South Florida- I can see it now, people going crazy and thinking I have no idea what I am talking about. "How can you rank the bulls #1?!" they will say. Well let me tell you why: No team so far this year has had a better set of wins than USF has had, at Auburn (#17) and WVU (#9) and they are still undefeated. The rest of their schedule hasn’t been that challenging but those wins stand alone. The only other team to beat 2 top 25 teams is Cal but they also lost to 3-3 Oregon State. Next Week...At Rutgers
Monday, October 15, 2007
Week 7 Picks Re-Cap(GOT IT-MISSED IT)
This parody in College Football is KILLING my picks, another 5-5 week for me, and I missed the upset special. Lou Holtz needs to stop making a pep talks because every single team he gives a pep talk to loses...last week he decided that the #1 team in the country needed one...WHY LOU WHY????
Oregon State at #2 Cal- I wish I could reserve the right to withdraw this pick if I knew Nate Longshore wasn't going to play...this is a very different Cal team with out him, nothing points this out more than the mental lapse their redshirt freshman back-up QB had where he ran to the center of the field when all Cal needed was a FG to tie the game and go into OT.... oh and Desean Jackson? Yea he had 25 total yards...MISSED IT
#1 LSU at #17 Kentucky- Lou Holtz you are killin me bro. LSU played a very solid game and it wasn’t for a lack of effort that they lost; Kentucky just seemed to want it more. Andre' Woodson, welcome back to the Heisman Race...MISSED IT
UCF at #5USF- Finally an easy game, USF did everything they needed to do in order to prove that they deserve to be in title consideration, they didn’t just go thru the motions and just get by UCF, they rolled them up, 64-12!...GOT IT
#18 Illinois at Iowa- Another disappointment, Illinois was ranked 5th in the nation in rushing and only managed 137 against the Hawkeyes. They had a huge TD called back because of an illegal formation and that really killed the Illini...MISSED IT
#22 Auburn at Arkansas- Not as high scoring as predicted but I will take what I can get, Auburn played some real tough defense and held the Razorbacks to a mere 67 yards rushing and former Heisman candidate Darren McFadden to only 43 yds on 17 carries, that’s only 2.5 yds a carry!...GOT IT
Colorado at Kansas St.- I thought the Buffs were for real, guess the Wildcats were the ones that were for real. They roll past the Buffs 47-20; they ran the ball all over Colorado racking up 249 on the ground...MISSED IT
Texas A&M at Texas Tech- The Red Raiders played some defense and so did the Aggies, who held Tech to a season low 35 points, too bad A&M could only manage 7, that made this one a laugher...GOT IT
#11 Missouri at #6 Oklahoma- I said I loved that 10 pt spread, and I was when the Tigers took the lead, but the Sooners are too strong and really are one of the best teams in the nation...GOT IT
#19 Wisconsin at Penn State- I said it wouldn’t be pretty and it wasn't, for the Badgers, they seemed to do everything wrong and Penn State did everything right. Lets hope that they can continue to show up and play like that for the rest of the year...GOT IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
Purdue at Michigan- I thought Purdue's spread offense would give Michigan fits, instead Mike Hart gave the Boilermakers fits, running for 102 and 2 scores. This team could end up being the best in the Big Ten...if they beat OSU...MISSED IT
Oregon State at #2 Cal- I wish I could reserve the right to withdraw this pick if I knew Nate Longshore wasn't going to play...this is a very different Cal team with out him, nothing points this out more than the mental lapse their redshirt freshman back-up QB had where he ran to the center of the field when all Cal needed was a FG to tie the game and go into OT.... oh and Desean Jackson? Yea he had 25 total yards...MISSED IT
#1 LSU at #17 Kentucky- Lou Holtz you are killin me bro. LSU played a very solid game and it wasn’t for a lack of effort that they lost; Kentucky just seemed to want it more. Andre' Woodson, welcome back to the Heisman Race...MISSED IT
UCF at #5USF- Finally an easy game, USF did everything they needed to do in order to prove that they deserve to be in title consideration, they didn’t just go thru the motions and just get by UCF, they rolled them up, 64-12!...GOT IT
#18 Illinois at Iowa- Another disappointment, Illinois was ranked 5th in the nation in rushing and only managed 137 against the Hawkeyes. They had a huge TD called back because of an illegal formation and that really killed the Illini...MISSED IT
#22 Auburn at Arkansas- Not as high scoring as predicted but I will take what I can get, Auburn played some real tough defense and held the Razorbacks to a mere 67 yards rushing and former Heisman candidate Darren McFadden to only 43 yds on 17 carries, that’s only 2.5 yds a carry!...GOT IT
Colorado at Kansas St.- I thought the Buffs were for real, guess the Wildcats were the ones that were for real. They roll past the Buffs 47-20; they ran the ball all over Colorado racking up 249 on the ground...MISSED IT
Texas A&M at Texas Tech- The Red Raiders played some defense and so did the Aggies, who held Tech to a season low 35 points, too bad A&M could only manage 7, that made this one a laugher...GOT IT
#11 Missouri at #6 Oklahoma- I said I loved that 10 pt spread, and I was when the Tigers took the lead, but the Sooners are too strong and really are one of the best teams in the nation...GOT IT
#19 Wisconsin at Penn State- I said it wouldn’t be pretty and it wasn't, for the Badgers, they seemed to do everything wrong and Penn State did everything right. Lets hope that they can continue to show up and play like that for the rest of the year...GOT IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
Purdue at Michigan- I thought Purdue's spread offense would give Michigan fits, instead Mike Hart gave the Boilermakers fits, running for 102 and 2 scores. This team could end up being the best in the Big Ten...if they beat OSU...MISSED IT
3 Reasons Why Penn State won on Saturday
What a great win for the Nittany Lions on Saturday, I haven't felt that great leaving a game in a long time, everything seemed to click. It will be hard to narrow down the reasons to 3 but I believe there were some factors that out weighed some others.
1) Running Game- This was the #1 reason the Lions won last week but it can not be understated how vitally important a running game is. Rodney Kinlaw looks like a very versatile back and he is a lot tougher than I had previously suspected, big props go out to him. Evan Royster continues to impress averaging 8.5 yards a carry on Saturday to give Penn State a great 1-2 punch on the ground. This helped Penn State dictate the pace of the game and control the clock.
2) Smart Play, Play-Calling- This is something that was missing from every other game this year. Anthony Morelli was having trouble sitting in the pocket and making his throws all year so on Saturday they set up a couple of plays where he rolled out of the pocket and was able to have more time to make a play, a brilliant idea. We all know Morelli CAN make the throws but it rarely ever executes those throws, on Saturday he did and made no dumb plays that put the ball into jeopardy. I loved the 4th and 1 call, unfortunate that a timeout had to be used to get everything straight though.
3) Defense- The backbone of this team and this season. Connor and Lee were stellar yet again each with 12 tackles. Maurice Evans is becoming my favorite player to watch on defense, he had 2 more sacks giving him a season total of 7. This D can swarm to the ball. Another great statistical day for them as well: 5 sacks, 6-16 3rd down conversion, and held PJ Hill to a season low of 75 yards….if only they played that well against Mike Hart…
1) Running Game- This was the #1 reason the Lions won last week but it can not be understated how vitally important a running game is. Rodney Kinlaw looks like a very versatile back and he is a lot tougher than I had previously suspected, big props go out to him. Evan Royster continues to impress averaging 8.5 yards a carry on Saturday to give Penn State a great 1-2 punch on the ground. This helped Penn State dictate the pace of the game and control the clock.
2) Smart Play, Play-Calling- This is something that was missing from every other game this year. Anthony Morelli was having trouble sitting in the pocket and making his throws all year so on Saturday they set up a couple of plays where he rolled out of the pocket and was able to have more time to make a play, a brilliant idea. We all know Morelli CAN make the throws but it rarely ever executes those throws, on Saturday he did and made no dumb plays that put the ball into jeopardy. I loved the 4th and 1 call, unfortunate that a timeout had to be used to get everything straight though.
3) Defense- The backbone of this team and this season. Connor and Lee were stellar yet again each with 12 tackles. Maurice Evans is becoming my favorite player to watch on defense, he had 2 more sacks giving him a season total of 7. This D can swarm to the ball. Another great statistical day for them as well: 5 sacks, 6-16 3rd down conversion, and held PJ Hill to a season low of 75 yards….if only they played that well against Mike Hart…
Thursday, October 11, 2007
College Football Picks Week 7
After a nice comeback week I'm now at 41-20 on the year, hopefully my winning ways continue, lets get to the picking.
Oregon State at #2 California- California is all of a sudden sitting pretty at #2 in the country, baring any real disasters they will be a win against USC away from playing in the National Championship. Desean Jackson is creeping up the Heisman list as teams continue to lose and their stars start to fall. I see him making a nice case for himself on Saturday.
Cal wins: 33-20
#LSU at #17 Kentucky- LSU played a gutsy game last week against Florida and I think they are poised to roll through their season now. Some people see the Tigers being exposed and vulnerable but I just don't see it. Andre' Woodson this is your LAST chance to prove that you deserve to be a Heisman Trophy winner.
LSU wins: 28-17
UCF at #5 USF- A lot of people do not believe in the Bulls. I, for better or worse, do believe in them. I think their speed on defense is something that can match up with that of Florida or Florida State, it should keep them in every game they play and although UCF played Texas really tough it is not going to happen this weekend.
USF wins: 30-16
#18 Illinois at Iowa- The Illini are for real! They have some real players on their team and I think they have a chance of running the table in the Big Ten, tough game at OSU late in the year but the rest of their hard games are at home. Watch Rashard Mendenhall run amuck on the Iowa D as Illinois cruises their way to 4-0 in the conference.
Illinois wins: 38-20
#22 Auburn at Arkansas- Auburn is looking like a real team in these last few weeks (making that USF win look better and better) looks like Tommy Tuberville has this team turned around and towards the up and up. Like Andre' Woodson, this is a make or break game for Darren McFadden if he wants to win the Heisman, I think he has a great game but in the end Auburn is just better.
Auburn wins: 24-20
Colorado at Kansas State- K.State is coming off a tough loss against rival Kansas last week and I'm not sure if they can get themselves up for this game. Colorado on the other hand seems to be playing very well, a nice big win against Baylor after their upset win over Oklahoma means that the Buffs are here to play and stay.
Colorado wins: 30-23
Texas A&M at Texas Tech- The battle for the 2nd best team in Texas is on Saturday. The Tech offense is seemingly unstoppable, the only way they will lose if the Defense gives up 49 like they did against Oklahoma State. That said if this was a home game for the Aggies I would be picking them with the help of the 12th man, but its not, its in Lubbock and the Red Raiders will roll.
Texas Tech wins: 45-28
#11 Missouri at #6 Oklahoma- Missouri actually looks like a real player this year, unfortunately they have to go down to Norman Oklahoma. Chase Daniel looks like a stud; if he performs well in this game even if Missouri loses he will get his name into the Heisman talk. Oklahoma will win this game but it will be close, I love that 10 pt spread.
Oklahoma wins: 34-27
#19 Wisconsin at Penn State- This game is the hardest one to pick this week, I really don’t know still who will win but I’m going with my gut and of course that sends me over to the Penn State side. The Illini ran all over the Badgers last week and I know Kinlaw isn’t Mendenhall but the Lions should be able to run the ball with Kinlaw and Royster. The defense should be able to hold the Badger offense because of their injuries and suspensions, Luke Swan their top WR is out for the season with a torn hammy and their best back besides PJ Hill is not allowed to travel to away games. This one will not be pretty.
Penn State wins: 31-27
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
Purdue at Michigan- Michigan is a 6 point favorite of Purdue and I am loving that line, the Michigan D is not something to be admired giving the best thing about the Boilermakers, their offense, a chance to fly high and have the upset over the Wolverines.
Purdue wins: 37-24
Oregon State at #2 California- California is all of a sudden sitting pretty at #2 in the country, baring any real disasters they will be a win against USC away from playing in the National Championship. Desean Jackson is creeping up the Heisman list as teams continue to lose and their stars start to fall. I see him making a nice case for himself on Saturday.
Cal wins: 33-20
#LSU at #17 Kentucky- LSU played a gutsy game last week against Florida and I think they are poised to roll through their season now. Some people see the Tigers being exposed and vulnerable but I just don't see it. Andre' Woodson this is your LAST chance to prove that you deserve to be a Heisman Trophy winner.
LSU wins: 28-17
UCF at #5 USF- A lot of people do not believe in the Bulls. I, for better or worse, do believe in them. I think their speed on defense is something that can match up with that of Florida or Florida State, it should keep them in every game they play and although UCF played Texas really tough it is not going to happen this weekend.
USF wins: 30-16
#18 Illinois at Iowa- The Illini are for real! They have some real players on their team and I think they have a chance of running the table in the Big Ten, tough game at OSU late in the year but the rest of their hard games are at home. Watch Rashard Mendenhall run amuck on the Iowa D as Illinois cruises their way to 4-0 in the conference.
Illinois wins: 38-20
#22 Auburn at Arkansas- Auburn is looking like a real team in these last few weeks (making that USF win look better and better) looks like Tommy Tuberville has this team turned around and towards the up and up. Like Andre' Woodson, this is a make or break game for Darren McFadden if he wants to win the Heisman, I think he has a great game but in the end Auburn is just better.
Auburn wins: 24-20
Colorado at Kansas State- K.State is coming off a tough loss against rival Kansas last week and I'm not sure if they can get themselves up for this game. Colorado on the other hand seems to be playing very well, a nice big win against Baylor after their upset win over Oklahoma means that the Buffs are here to play and stay.
Colorado wins: 30-23
Texas A&M at Texas Tech- The battle for the 2nd best team in Texas is on Saturday. The Tech offense is seemingly unstoppable, the only way they will lose if the Defense gives up 49 like they did against Oklahoma State. That said if this was a home game for the Aggies I would be picking them with the help of the 12th man, but its not, its in Lubbock and the Red Raiders will roll.
Texas Tech wins: 45-28
#11 Missouri at #6 Oklahoma- Missouri actually looks like a real player this year, unfortunately they have to go down to Norman Oklahoma. Chase Daniel looks like a stud; if he performs well in this game even if Missouri loses he will get his name into the Heisman talk. Oklahoma will win this game but it will be close, I love that 10 pt spread.
Oklahoma wins: 34-27
#19 Wisconsin at Penn State- This game is the hardest one to pick this week, I really don’t know still who will win but I’m going with my gut and of course that sends me over to the Penn State side. The Illini ran all over the Badgers last week and I know Kinlaw isn’t Mendenhall but the Lions should be able to run the ball with Kinlaw and Royster. The defense should be able to hold the Badger offense because of their injuries and suspensions, Luke Swan their top WR is out for the season with a torn hammy and their best back besides PJ Hill is not allowed to travel to away games. This one will not be pretty.
Penn State wins: 31-27
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
Purdue at Michigan- Michigan is a 6 point favorite of Purdue and I am loving that line, the Michigan D is not something to be admired giving the best thing about the Boilermakers, their offense, a chance to fly high and have the upset over the Wolverines.
Purdue wins: 37-24
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Blue White Roundtable Week 7
This week's questions are from There is No Name on My Jersey (http://gloryofoldstate.blogspot.com/)
1. Criminal allegations swirl around the squad — what impact will this have on the team? My own “fall off of my high horse of PSU’s sterling reputation” has been terrible, have you experienced the same?
The impact may not be seen until a couple of years down the road when the new recruits come in, if anything that is the main thing that all of this stuff affects. The team right now might not be impacted by such things because, and I'm not downplaying the seriousness of all these allegations but, the Austin Scott thing and the brawl were the only things that are really troubling, they rest of the nonsense is basic stuff, mostly underage drinking. So this team will not be affected, recruiting maybe in the coming years.
2. Evan Royster provided Penn State with the Spark it needed to get going on Saturday; did he win himself the starting job? If not, how does your depth chart read at RB and why?
I think Kinlaw earned the #1 position in the depth chart last week and also with his play earlier in the year, I would like to see Royster still get 10 carries or more a game because I think he really has talent and should be battle ready to carry the full load next year, but for now let Kinlaw get what he earned.
3. Anthony Morelli gets it done while looking both awful and excellent in the same game. What the hell is PSU supposed to do at QB?
Well what they SHOULD DO is let Morelli play out the year, given he doesn’t completely implode, but give Clark and Devlin some real playing time, these guys will be fighting it out for the starting position and it would be a travesty if they were still wet behind their ears when it comes to game time in 2008, but what WILL happen is that Morelli will play out the year and those guys will get no reps and it will be awful for the program.
Lightning Round
What games are you watching on Saturday?
Well I'll be at the Wisconsin game so anything before or during that is out of the question, I would love to be able to check out that Missouri-Oklahoma game and the LSU game but those will be tough to keep an eye on.
What are your predictions for the second half of the season?
There is a slight chance we could still run the table, soooooooo slight though. If Penn State wins on Saturday, I see the defense winning the game in Indiana and keeping us in the game against OSU. If those games are wins then all of a sudden all there is left is a Purdue team that got shut down by the Buckeyes and MSU. In reality I see another loss somewhere, although I'm not sure where.
Who will be PSU’s MVP come January?
Daniel Connor, Butkus Award Winner
1. Criminal allegations swirl around the squad — what impact will this have on the team? My own “fall off of my high horse of PSU’s sterling reputation” has been terrible, have you experienced the same?
The impact may not be seen until a couple of years down the road when the new recruits come in, if anything that is the main thing that all of this stuff affects. The team right now might not be impacted by such things because, and I'm not downplaying the seriousness of all these allegations but, the Austin Scott thing and the brawl were the only things that are really troubling, they rest of the nonsense is basic stuff, mostly underage drinking. So this team will not be affected, recruiting maybe in the coming years.
2. Evan Royster provided Penn State with the Spark it needed to get going on Saturday; did he win himself the starting job? If not, how does your depth chart read at RB and why?
I think Kinlaw earned the #1 position in the depth chart last week and also with his play earlier in the year, I would like to see Royster still get 10 carries or more a game because I think he really has talent and should be battle ready to carry the full load next year, but for now let Kinlaw get what he earned.
3. Anthony Morelli gets it done while looking both awful and excellent in the same game. What the hell is PSU supposed to do at QB?
Well what they SHOULD DO is let Morelli play out the year, given he doesn’t completely implode, but give Clark and Devlin some real playing time, these guys will be fighting it out for the starting position and it would be a travesty if they were still wet behind their ears when it comes to game time in 2008, but what WILL happen is that Morelli will play out the year and those guys will get no reps and it will be awful for the program.
Lightning Round
What games are you watching on Saturday?
Well I'll be at the Wisconsin game so anything before or during that is out of the question, I would love to be able to check out that Missouri-Oklahoma game and the LSU game but those will be tough to keep an eye on.
What are your predictions for the second half of the season?
There is a slight chance we could still run the table, soooooooo slight though. If Penn State wins on Saturday, I see the defense winning the game in Indiana and keeping us in the game against OSU. If those games are wins then all of a sudden all there is left is a Purdue team that got shut down by the Buckeyes and MSU. In reality I see another loss somewhere, although I'm not sure where.
Who will be PSU’s MVP come January?
Daniel Connor, Butkus Award Winner
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Big Ten Blogger Roundtable: Week 7
This week's questions are brought to you by the guys over at RUTS, a great PSU Blog.
1. We’re halfway through the season. Practically the entire national media has declared that the Big Ten is having a down year. Is this cyclical, or is the conference actually becoming less and less relevant? What is your team doing to enhance or destroy the conference’s reputation?
Well our players get into street fights and drink underage and get caught and sexually assault women (allegedly) but besides that the team is just great. I think the conference is getting better actually; the relative bottom feeders from previous years are really playing quite well this year, MSU, Illinois, IU. This coupled with the omnipresence of the OSU,M,Wisc, PSU equates to a more equal field of play and I think better conference. If anyone could schedule some good OOC opponents then that would bring the Big Ten relevance back to the top.
2. Illinois is winning football games. Football games! Illinois! How much longer will we have to put up with this crap?
Hopefully a long time, the more teams that are better in the conference the better the conference will be....see above comment.
3. I’m a man! I’m 32! For you, fair Big Ten Blogger, where does the line get drawn when, as Sunday Morning QB eloquently states, “second-guessing the split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress”? Hypothetically speaking, would you settle for saying that your underwhelming quarterback “simply isn’t performing well and needs to be replaced”, or would you call him “a functional retard that is one drool cup shy of riding the short bus to practice”?
Well there is no need for name calling...most of the time.
4. Finally, a quick two-part question. Which player or players on your team have you been pleasantly surprised with this season, and what is the most important game remaining on your schedule?
I would say that Rodney Kinlaw looks like a back that can really run the ball, I don’t want him to be getting the ball 30 times a game but I didn’t see him being able to run between the tackles like he has been able to do this year. I also like how great Sean Lee has been, I see him taking over for Connor in the middle next year continuing the great string of LBs the team has had in the last 4-5 years.
The most important game the Lions have left which ever one is next on the schedule, ok thats a bit of a cop out....I would say Ohio State followed VERY closely by Wisconsin
1. We’re halfway through the season. Practically the entire national media has declared that the Big Ten is having a down year. Is this cyclical, or is the conference actually becoming less and less relevant? What is your team doing to enhance or destroy the conference’s reputation?
Well our players get into street fights and drink underage and get caught and sexually assault women (allegedly) but besides that the team is just great. I think the conference is getting better actually; the relative bottom feeders from previous years are really playing quite well this year, MSU, Illinois, IU. This coupled with the omnipresence of the OSU,M,Wisc, PSU equates to a more equal field of play and I think better conference. If anyone could schedule some good OOC opponents then that would bring the Big Ten relevance back to the top.
2. Illinois is winning football games. Football games! Illinois! How much longer will we have to put up with this crap?
Hopefully a long time, the more teams that are better in the conference the better the conference will be....see above comment.
3. I’m a man! I’m 32! For you, fair Big Ten Blogger, where does the line get drawn when, as Sunday Morning QB eloquently states, “second-guessing the split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress”? Hypothetically speaking, would you settle for saying that your underwhelming quarterback “simply isn’t performing well and needs to be replaced”, or would you call him “a functional retard that is one drool cup shy of riding the short bus to practice”?
Well there is no need for name calling...most of the time.
4. Finally, a quick two-part question. Which player or players on your team have you been pleasantly surprised with this season, and what is the most important game remaining on your schedule?
I would say that Rodney Kinlaw looks like a back that can really run the ball, I don’t want him to be getting the ball 30 times a game but I didn’t see him being able to run between the tackles like he has been able to do this year. I also like how great Sean Lee has been, I see him taking over for Connor in the middle next year continuing the great string of LBs the team has had in the last 4-5 years.
The most important game the Lions have left which ever one is next on the schedule, ok thats a bit of a cop out....I would say Ohio State followed VERY closely by Wisconsin
Week 6 Picks Re-Cap(GOT IT-MISSED IT)
Finally a winning weekend for the Talented Mr. Know it All. 7-4, a decent showing, something I would like to improve upon though.
#4 Ohio State at #23 Purdue- The Ohio State defense is for real. Holding that high-powered Purdue offense to only 7 points. Purdue made it close but was never really in the game. GOT IT
#25 Nebraska at #17 Missouri- Chase Daniel performed very well in his 1st premiere game throwing for over 400 yds and 2 TDs. Missouri looked great as they rampaged the Cornhuskers by 35. GOT IT
#9 Florida at #1 LSU- A real close game, one that I wasn’t so sure LSU could pull out at one point, but Les Miles is a man with a pair as big as coconuts, his play calling dictated the tempo of the game and brought the Tigers to victory. GOT IT
#20 Cincinnati at #21 Rutgers- The Bearcats overcame a 1st half deficit to beat Rutgers and take control of the Big East. GOT IT
#15 Virginia Tech at #22 Clemson- Got this one way off, Clemson suffered with terrible breaks on punt, kick, and int. returns for TDs by the Hokies and then couldn’t get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. MISSED IT
#12 Georgia at Tennessee- Another one that went COMPLETELY the other way I thought it would, the Vols came to play and trounced the Bulldogs hard. MISSED IT
#10 Oklahoma at #19 Texas- Big game for the Sooners, if they had lost then title contention would be out, Sam Bradford is quickly becoming the man and a nice leader for this team. GOT IT
Kansas at #24 Kansas State- I almost went the other way on this game and half way through Saturday I wish I had, Kansas surprised everyone and took it K. State. A big let down game for the wildcats. MISSED IT
Miami at UNC- The Butch Davis bowl turned out to be a much interesting game that previously expected. Miami is a Jekyll and Hyde team, looking great against A&M and then plays that bad against the Tar Heels. MISSED IT
Iowa at Penn State- I discussed this in more detail in my 3 Reasons Why post but I will again, the Lions played pretty well, they ran the ball very effectively against a good defense and the defense played LIGHTS OUT. You can only hope that continues. GOT IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#5 Wisconsin at Illinois- I found myself openly rooting for the Illini on Saturday, I like their players, Mendenhall is a great back and that Benn character they got is a beast to be dealt with in the coming years. GOT IT
#4 Ohio State at #23 Purdue- The Ohio State defense is for real. Holding that high-powered Purdue offense to only 7 points. Purdue made it close but was never really in the game. GOT IT
#25 Nebraska at #17 Missouri- Chase Daniel performed very well in his 1st premiere game throwing for over 400 yds and 2 TDs. Missouri looked great as they rampaged the Cornhuskers by 35. GOT IT
#9 Florida at #1 LSU- A real close game, one that I wasn’t so sure LSU could pull out at one point, but Les Miles is a man with a pair as big as coconuts, his play calling dictated the tempo of the game and brought the Tigers to victory. GOT IT
#20 Cincinnati at #21 Rutgers- The Bearcats overcame a 1st half deficit to beat Rutgers and take control of the Big East. GOT IT
#15 Virginia Tech at #22 Clemson- Got this one way off, Clemson suffered with terrible breaks on punt, kick, and int. returns for TDs by the Hokies and then couldn’t get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. MISSED IT
#12 Georgia at Tennessee- Another one that went COMPLETELY the other way I thought it would, the Vols came to play and trounced the Bulldogs hard. MISSED IT
#10 Oklahoma at #19 Texas- Big game for the Sooners, if they had lost then title contention would be out, Sam Bradford is quickly becoming the man and a nice leader for this team. GOT IT
Kansas at #24 Kansas State- I almost went the other way on this game and half way through Saturday I wish I had, Kansas surprised everyone and took it K. State. A big let down game for the wildcats. MISSED IT
Miami at UNC- The Butch Davis bowl turned out to be a much interesting game that previously expected. Miami is a Jekyll and Hyde team, looking great against A&M and then plays that bad against the Tar Heels. MISSED IT
Iowa at Penn State- I discussed this in more detail in my 3 Reasons Why post but I will again, the Lions played pretty well, they ran the ball very effectively against a good defense and the defense played LIGHTS OUT. You can only hope that continues. GOT IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#5 Wisconsin at Illinois- I found myself openly rooting for the Illini on Saturday, I like their players, Mendenhall is a great back and that Benn character they got is a beast to be dealt with in the coming years. GOT IT
Monday, October 8, 2007
College Football Top 10 Vol.IV
More shake-ups in the top 10, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Florida all drop out and some former members regain their status.
#10: USC- Only a very good team can lose to a team who they were favored over by 41 points and still stay in the top 10. USC looked like they just didn't show up against Stanford. John David Booty was awful putting in a 4 INT night and ruining his Heisman chances. They will bounce back and the winner of that Cal game could be one of the teams in the National Championship game. Next Week...Arizona
#9: Oregon- The Ducks move up based on those who left, they have played well all year and very easily could have won that game against Cal, they had a bye this week and will be ready to go out and prove they deserve national recognition. Next Week...Washington State
#8: Boston College- No move for the Golden Eagles, they put a beat down on Bowling Green this weekend but still are suffering because they have yet to play a real good opponent, Georgia Tech is the only big game they have played to date, call me around Halloween when they play at Va Tech and then host Florida State. Next Week...At Notre Dame
#7: West Virginia- West Virginia is back on the wagon again; a nice big win against Syracuse is just what the doctor ordered. This team is done for title contention but still can win the Big East, big games against Rutgers, Louisville, and at Cincy, Gotta keep truckin. Next Week...Mississippi State
#6: Oklahoma- I see the game against the Buffs a minor stumble in the big picture, after beating Texas Oklahoma is back and looked pretty good, their freshman QB, Sam Bradford has been unbelievable, completing 71% of his passes. A tangle with Texas A&M later in the year will set the stage for the winner of the Big 12 South. Next Week...#11 Missouri
#5: South Carolina- Head ball coach has these gamecocks real coached up, a nice win against Kentucky on Thursday put the wildcats out in the cold and South Carolina in the penthouse. This team has played tough all year and will be in the hunt for the SEC championship as long as they keep up the effort. Next Week...At UNC
#4: South Florida- Gets to move up due to USC and Wisconsin losses, since they were idle. This team is young and needs to make sure they do not get ahead of themselves or we could be looking at a team that loses it all in the later weeks of the season with games against Cincy and Rutgers. Next Week...UCF
#3: Ohio State- Could very well be the only undefeated team left in the nation by the end of the year, the Buckeyes are back. This was not the rebuilding year people that it would be, the team and especially the defense has been very solid. Look out for the Buckeyes come Oct 27th Lion fans, it will be a tough tough game. Next Week...Kent State
#2: Cal- The Bears are sitting pretty now, the talk of the town or the state rather with USC and UCLA losing this weekend, another team that hasn’t really been up here in the hunt for the championship, so another team that needs to stay focused more than any other. But if they continue to play this well then, as I said while talking about USC we could be looking at USC-Cal as THE game of the year. Next Week...Oregon State
#1: LSU- finally it has come to fruition, finally people see the truth, LSU IS the best team in the nation right now, while I was watching this game I thought Florida might be on their way to winning but the Tigers stormed back, fueled by the crowd and their reaction to the USC score, rallied back and beat the Gators to secure their position in the number 1 slot in all the polls. Next Week...At #17 Kentucky
#10: USC- Only a very good team can lose to a team who they were favored over by 41 points and still stay in the top 10. USC looked like they just didn't show up against Stanford. John David Booty was awful putting in a 4 INT night and ruining his Heisman chances. They will bounce back and the winner of that Cal game could be one of the teams in the National Championship game. Next Week...Arizona
#9: Oregon- The Ducks move up based on those who left, they have played well all year and very easily could have won that game against Cal, they had a bye this week and will be ready to go out and prove they deserve national recognition. Next Week...Washington State
#8: Boston College- No move for the Golden Eagles, they put a beat down on Bowling Green this weekend but still are suffering because they have yet to play a real good opponent, Georgia Tech is the only big game they have played to date, call me around Halloween when they play at Va Tech and then host Florida State. Next Week...At Notre Dame
#7: West Virginia- West Virginia is back on the wagon again; a nice big win against Syracuse is just what the doctor ordered. This team is done for title contention but still can win the Big East, big games against Rutgers, Louisville, and at Cincy, Gotta keep truckin. Next Week...Mississippi State
#6: Oklahoma- I see the game against the Buffs a minor stumble in the big picture, after beating Texas Oklahoma is back and looked pretty good, their freshman QB, Sam Bradford has been unbelievable, completing 71% of his passes. A tangle with Texas A&M later in the year will set the stage for the winner of the Big 12 South. Next Week...#11 Missouri
#5: South Carolina- Head ball coach has these gamecocks real coached up, a nice win against Kentucky on Thursday put the wildcats out in the cold and South Carolina in the penthouse. This team has played tough all year and will be in the hunt for the SEC championship as long as they keep up the effort. Next Week...At UNC
#4: South Florida- Gets to move up due to USC and Wisconsin losses, since they were idle. This team is young and needs to make sure they do not get ahead of themselves or we could be looking at a team that loses it all in the later weeks of the season with games against Cincy and Rutgers. Next Week...UCF
#3: Ohio State- Could very well be the only undefeated team left in the nation by the end of the year, the Buckeyes are back. This was not the rebuilding year people that it would be, the team and especially the defense has been very solid. Look out for the Buckeyes come Oct 27th Lion fans, it will be a tough tough game. Next Week...Kent State
#2: Cal- The Bears are sitting pretty now, the talk of the town or the state rather with USC and UCLA losing this weekend, another team that hasn’t really been up here in the hunt for the championship, so another team that needs to stay focused more than any other. But if they continue to play this well then, as I said while talking about USC we could be looking at USC-Cal as THE game of the year. Next Week...Oregon State
#1: LSU- finally it has come to fruition, finally people see the truth, LSU IS the best team in the nation right now, while I was watching this game I thought Florida might be on their way to winning but the Tigers stormed back, fueled by the crowd and their reaction to the USC score, rallied back and beat the Gators to secure their position in the number 1 slot in all the polls. Next Week...At #17 Kentucky
3 Reasons Why Penn State WON on Saturday
The 1st edition of 3 Reasons Why Penn State won is finally here! Took them long enough. Overall I thought the game was pretty well played and the players performed much better than I was expecting them to. This game will give everyone just enough confidence to be completely deflated if Wisconsin wins next Saturday.
1) The Running Game- A stellar performance by the Penn State running backs, I wasn’t aware of the Austin Scott situation until I finally got to my seat the students around me informed my friends and I, needless to say I was speechless. Rodney Kinlaw showed up to play, carrying the ball 28 times, a bit too much for my taste, and ran for 168 yds and 2 TDs. Evan Royster, filling in for the absent Austin Scott, ran for a nice 86 yards on only 16 carries. This against a defense that was very solid against the run, after giving up 256 yards to Penn State the Iowa Rush D dropped to only 30 in the nation. The running game set up the rest of the game and put Penn State in a position to win.
2) The Defense- A great showing by the defense, now the Iowa offense isn’t exactly led by Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush but nevertheless the Defense played great, here are some stats from Saturday: 5 sacks, 3-16 3rd down conversions, 48 yards rushing, the Iowa offense only had the ball for 23 minutes. The defense owned the game on Saturday.
3) Anthony Morelli- Now I know that he almost threw the game away in the 4th with those 2 lousy interceptions (don’t you kinda feel like he made a bet with someone that he would throw 2 and then had to make up for it in the 4th since he couldn’t throw one before that?) But after getting some really harsh criticism from the student section, I led some of the booing too, he made some very nice throws, Namely the long toss to Butler, sticking it right over his shoulder, the pass Chris Bell dropped was perfect, and the throw to D-Wills for the TD was also nice. Overall he was Ok, made some bad decisions but also made some pretty good ones too.
1) The Running Game- A stellar performance by the Penn State running backs, I wasn’t aware of the Austin Scott situation until I finally got to my seat the students around me informed my friends and I, needless to say I was speechless. Rodney Kinlaw showed up to play, carrying the ball 28 times, a bit too much for my taste, and ran for 168 yds and 2 TDs. Evan Royster, filling in for the absent Austin Scott, ran for a nice 86 yards on only 16 carries. This against a defense that was very solid against the run, after giving up 256 yards to Penn State the Iowa Rush D dropped to only 30 in the nation. The running game set up the rest of the game and put Penn State in a position to win.
2) The Defense- A great showing by the defense, now the Iowa offense isn’t exactly led by Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush but nevertheless the Defense played great, here are some stats from Saturday: 5 sacks, 3-16 3rd down conversions, 48 yards rushing, the Iowa offense only had the ball for 23 minutes. The defense owned the game on Saturday.
3) Anthony Morelli- Now I know that he almost threw the game away in the 4th with those 2 lousy interceptions (don’t you kinda feel like he made a bet with someone that he would throw 2 and then had to make up for it in the 4th since he couldn’t throw one before that?) But after getting some really harsh criticism from the student section, I led some of the booing too, he made some very nice throws, Namely the long toss to Butler, sticking it right over his shoulder, the pass Chris Bell dropped was perfect, and the throw to D-Wills for the TD was also nice. Overall he was Ok, made some bad decisions but also made some pretty good ones too.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Morelli
Just thought I would have some fun with a picture I grabbed from SI.com, Morelli was listed as one of College Football's Most Disappointing Players, he comes in at #10, I'm sure that will make him feel better.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0710/cfb.most.disappointing.players/content.10.html
Thursday, October 4, 2007
College Football Picks Week 6
A nice slate of big time games this weekend, the college football season is definitely in full swing. After a 24-6 start, I’ve been 10-10 the last 2 weeks, the games are getting harder or I am getting dumber, I hope its the former.
#4 Ohio State at #23 Purdue-
Ohio State is clearly the cream of the Big Ten crop, it took awhile for the offense to get in tune and find an identity but now they have, running with ball with Beanie Wells and having Boeckman play smart and control the ball. Purdue has a big offense but will sputter against the very good and possibly underrated OSU defense.
Ohio State Wins: 38-20
#25 Nebraska at #17 Missouri-
Missouri has quickly become a team to reckon with in the Big 12, with losses by Oklahoma and Texas this squad could be looking at a Big 12 Championship game. The winner of this game is in the drivers seat for the Big 12 North. Missouri's junior QB, Chase Daniel, has been very good so far this season throwing for more than 1300 yards and 13 TDs. Nebraska was reeling for a few weeks but seems to have gotten back on track last week with a win over Iowa State. Marion Lucky has been the heart of that team running for 565 and 6TDs. In one of the better games of the day Missouri will over come the Cornhusker's running attack and get into the lead position in the Big 12 North.
Missouri Wins: 30-24
#9 Florida at #1 LSU-
LSU is 3-7 in the last 10 meetings against the Gators, but if LSU wins this game they would be 4-2 in the last 6. Florida will be pumped up and ready to play but Tiger Stadium at night is a completely different stadium. LSU will prove that they should be the #1 team in the country, at least until USC beats Cal.
LSU Wins: 33-27
#20 Cincinnati at #21 Rutgers-
Rutgers’s BCS hopes were shattered when they lost to Maryland last week but that doesn’t mean they wont be hungry and ready to play, they still have a chance to win the Big East. Cincinnati has been the surprise of the conference, even more so that USF. This is the 1st conference game for both teams and thusly vitally important to both sides. Cincinnati has a nice Senior QB in Ben Mauk; he’s led the Bearcats to a 5-0 record and into the Polls for two consecutive weeks for the 1st time in over 50 years. Rutgers lost to Cincinnati last year and will be looking for revenge, but Cincy has had the tougher schedule (barely) and is a tougher team.
Cincinnati Wins: 27-20
#15 Virginia Tech at #22 Clemson-
Clemson had a let down loss against Georgia Tech last week, making them 2-1 in their conference and one game behind BC in the Atlantic division. Tech is still undefeated in their division but have only played one game, but a win for the Hokies gives them hope for a conference title shot, but they have not looks convincing in any of their wins, and especially not in their loss. Clemson is going to run the ball and then run it some more, Cullen Harper will throw the ball well and Clemson wins in Memorial Stadium.
Clemson Wins: 28-17
#12 Georgia at Tennessee- The Vols put up 51 in Athens last year and the upstart Bulldogs will have revenge on their minds as they enter Rocky Top. Matthew Stafford and Thomas Brown will rough up the Vols D. Erik Ainge will disappoint for Tennessee again, he is their Anthony Morelli.
Georgia Wins: 28-17
#10 Oklahoma at #19 Texas-
Even if Colt McCoy does play (concussion) the Longhorns are totally fraudulent this year, Oklahoma will be all over Texas on Saturday. Sam Bradford will play like the senior QB he isn’t (he’s only a freshman) and Oklahoma wins big.
Oklahoma Wins: 30-17
Kansas at #24 Kansas St.-
Kansas State rolls into this game on a big high; they beat Texas for the 2nd year in a row and are looking for more. Kansas is nationally relevant for the 1st time in more than 10 years, the last time Kansas won this game was 2004 when they took care of the wildcats 31-28. The last time Kansas State beat Texas convincingly the week after they also beat Kansas, I'm sticking with that trend.
Kansas St Wins-31-28
Miami (FL) at North Carolina-
Easily the most boring game to pick this week. The Hurricanes seemed to have a bit of a let down against Duke last week and will be looking to show they are for real. Butch Davis is coaching up this Tar Heel team pretty well in his first season, losing to Va Tech by only 7 two weeks ago. In the end Miami will use their omnipresent speed and put this one away.
Miami Wins: 28-14
Iowa at Penn State- A very nice comparison of the stats for each team over at BSD, it basically shows that the Nittany Lions lead in all but 4 out of 20 or so. But they lead almost every category by a very small margin; on the other hand Iowa's wins are also by a very small margin. I expect something similar to the 6-4 game 3 years ago but eventually the crowd wills PSU to victory.
PSU Wins: 17-10
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
I learned my lesson from last week so I am taking the Illinois Illini to bounce the Badgers of Wisconsin out of BCS contention with a great run game and a nice crowd to show up at Champagne. Wisconsin has almost lost nearly ALL their games, this will come to plague them later and later is this Saturday.
Illinois Wins: 27-23
#4 Ohio State at #23 Purdue-
Ohio State is clearly the cream of the Big Ten crop, it took awhile for the offense to get in tune and find an identity but now they have, running with ball with Beanie Wells and having Boeckman play smart and control the ball. Purdue has a big offense but will sputter against the very good and possibly underrated OSU defense.
Ohio State Wins: 38-20
#25 Nebraska at #17 Missouri-
Missouri has quickly become a team to reckon with in the Big 12, with losses by Oklahoma and Texas this squad could be looking at a Big 12 Championship game. The winner of this game is in the drivers seat for the Big 12 North. Missouri's junior QB, Chase Daniel, has been very good so far this season throwing for more than 1300 yards and 13 TDs. Nebraska was reeling for a few weeks but seems to have gotten back on track last week with a win over Iowa State. Marion Lucky has been the heart of that team running for 565 and 6TDs. In one of the better games of the day Missouri will over come the Cornhusker's running attack and get into the lead position in the Big 12 North.
Missouri Wins: 30-24
#9 Florida at #1 LSU-
LSU is 3-7 in the last 10 meetings against the Gators, but if LSU wins this game they would be 4-2 in the last 6. Florida will be pumped up and ready to play but Tiger Stadium at night is a completely different stadium. LSU will prove that they should be the #1 team in the country, at least until USC beats Cal.
LSU Wins: 33-27
#20 Cincinnati at #21 Rutgers-
Rutgers’s BCS hopes were shattered when they lost to Maryland last week but that doesn’t mean they wont be hungry and ready to play, they still have a chance to win the Big East. Cincinnati has been the surprise of the conference, even more so that USF. This is the 1st conference game for both teams and thusly vitally important to both sides. Cincinnati has a nice Senior QB in Ben Mauk; he’s led the Bearcats to a 5-0 record and into the Polls for two consecutive weeks for the 1st time in over 50 years. Rutgers lost to Cincinnati last year and will be looking for revenge, but Cincy has had the tougher schedule (barely) and is a tougher team.
Cincinnati Wins: 27-20
#15 Virginia Tech at #22 Clemson-
Clemson had a let down loss against Georgia Tech last week, making them 2-1 in their conference and one game behind BC in the Atlantic division. Tech is still undefeated in their division but have only played one game, but a win for the Hokies gives them hope for a conference title shot, but they have not looks convincing in any of their wins, and especially not in their loss. Clemson is going to run the ball and then run it some more, Cullen Harper will throw the ball well and Clemson wins in Memorial Stadium.
Clemson Wins: 28-17
#12 Georgia at Tennessee- The Vols put up 51 in Athens last year and the upstart Bulldogs will have revenge on their minds as they enter Rocky Top. Matthew Stafford and Thomas Brown will rough up the Vols D. Erik Ainge will disappoint for Tennessee again, he is their Anthony Morelli.
Georgia Wins: 28-17
#10 Oklahoma at #19 Texas-
Even if Colt McCoy does play (concussion) the Longhorns are totally fraudulent this year, Oklahoma will be all over Texas on Saturday. Sam Bradford will play like the senior QB he isn’t (he’s only a freshman) and Oklahoma wins big.
Oklahoma Wins: 30-17
Kansas at #24 Kansas St.-
Kansas State rolls into this game on a big high; they beat Texas for the 2nd year in a row and are looking for more. Kansas is nationally relevant for the 1st time in more than 10 years, the last time Kansas won this game was 2004 when they took care of the wildcats 31-28. The last time Kansas State beat Texas convincingly the week after they also beat Kansas, I'm sticking with that trend.
Kansas St Wins-31-28
Miami (FL) at North Carolina-
Easily the most boring game to pick this week. The Hurricanes seemed to have a bit of a let down against Duke last week and will be looking to show they are for real. Butch Davis is coaching up this Tar Heel team pretty well in his first season, losing to Va Tech by only 7 two weeks ago. In the end Miami will use their omnipresent speed and put this one away.
Miami Wins: 28-14
Iowa at Penn State- A very nice comparison of the stats for each team over at BSD, it basically shows that the Nittany Lions lead in all but 4 out of 20 or so. But they lead almost every category by a very small margin; on the other hand Iowa's wins are also by a very small margin. I expect something similar to the 6-4 game 3 years ago but eventually the crowd wills PSU to victory.
PSU Wins: 17-10
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
I learned my lesson from last week so I am taking the Illinois Illini to bounce the Badgers of Wisconsin out of BCS contention with a great run game and a nice crowd to show up at Champagne. Wisconsin has almost lost nearly ALL their games, this will come to plague them later and later is this Saturday.
Illinois Wins: 27-23
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Big Ten Blogger Roundtable: Week 6
This week's questions come from http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com, an Iowa blog, lets get to it.
You know what? Screw your team. I hate your team right now; I'm an Iowa fan, and I have anger in my heart. Name your top conference rival, and assess their season to date. If you haven't played them yet (and I don't think anyone has), how are you going to do when that fateful day comes?
This is the absolute worst question to ask a Penn State fan. Who the hell is our rival? Technically its Michigan State, they play the Spartans every year on the same weekend in the schedule and play for a trophy, but no one cares AT ALL about Michigan State, they suck almost every year, in the 14 years this game has been going on Penn State has won 11 to MSU's 3. Some rival. I think most PSU fans would buy into OSU/Michigan/Wisconsin territory but all those teams have more distinct rivals than the Nittany Lions. Michigan State has played very well under new head coach Mark Dantonio; they are 4-1 with the one loss coming last week to the Overrated Badgers.
If your season to date was an album (or CD, for all you young hippety-hoppers), what would it be and why?
"Revolver"-The Beatles
Only in the way that as Penn State seasons go this one is alright, but just like Revolver it is a little disappointing, The Beatles had done much better work...Rubber Soul, The White Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band...just like 82', 86', 94'. (I know someone will kill me for saying Revolver is weak, BRING IT ON!)
If you had three minutes alone in a locked room with any coach from your team and you could bring any item along (nothing sexual, tOSU fans), which coach would you choose, what would the item be, and (how badly would you pummel Ken O'Keefe) why would you choose that item?
If I had to pick it would probably be Galen Hall and bring with me a video of poor play-calling because its obvious that he doesn’t know what a bad play is...namely a toss wide at the 1 yard line...
BONUS QUESTION
Your best friend Harry has a brother Larry. In five days from now he's gonna marry. He's hoping you can make it there if you can coz in the ceremony you'll be the best man.
Subquestion A: Larry is obviously a loser. He has so few friends, he has to ask his brother's best friend to be his best man. What Big Ten team does he favor when not playing with Lord of the Rings figurines?
Well if he is a nerd, which playing with Lord of the Rings figurines implies, he is with out a doubt a Michigan fan, someone who is too wrapped up in his one Bull Shit to go out and make friends so he doesn’t have to pick you to be his Best Man...by the way, why isn’t his brother being the best man?
Subquestion B: Five days from now is Saturday. Your team is on the road. Do you (A) stay home and watch the game; (B) road trip, or; (C) say "neato," check your libido, and roll to the church in your new tuxedo?
C: You can’t pass up a wedding! Those are great free booze and dancing! Besides your buddies can keep you informed about the under thrown passes and fumbles that are bound to be occurring at about 4:30 or 5:00.
You know what? Screw your team. I hate your team right now; I'm an Iowa fan, and I have anger in my heart. Name your top conference rival, and assess their season to date. If you haven't played them yet (and I don't think anyone has), how are you going to do when that fateful day comes?
This is the absolute worst question to ask a Penn State fan. Who the hell is our rival? Technically its Michigan State, they play the Spartans every year on the same weekend in the schedule and play for a trophy, but no one cares AT ALL about Michigan State, they suck almost every year, in the 14 years this game has been going on Penn State has won 11 to MSU's 3. Some rival. I think most PSU fans would buy into OSU/Michigan/Wisconsin territory but all those teams have more distinct rivals than the Nittany Lions. Michigan State has played very well under new head coach Mark Dantonio; they are 4-1 with the one loss coming last week to the Overrated Badgers.
If your season to date was an album (or CD, for all you young hippety-hoppers), what would it be and why?
"Revolver"-The Beatles
Only in the way that as Penn State seasons go this one is alright, but just like Revolver it is a little disappointing, The Beatles had done much better work...Rubber Soul, The White Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band...just like 82', 86', 94'. (I know someone will kill me for saying Revolver is weak, BRING IT ON!)
If you had three minutes alone in a locked room with any coach from your team and you could bring any item along (nothing sexual, tOSU fans), which coach would you choose, what would the item be, and (how badly would you pummel Ken O'Keefe) why would you choose that item?
If I had to pick it would probably be Galen Hall and bring with me a video of poor play-calling because its obvious that he doesn’t know what a bad play is...namely a toss wide at the 1 yard line...
BONUS QUESTION
Your best friend Harry has a brother Larry. In five days from now he's gonna marry. He's hoping you can make it there if you can coz in the ceremony you'll be the best man.
Subquestion A: Larry is obviously a loser. He has so few friends, he has to ask his brother's best friend to be his best man. What Big Ten team does he favor when not playing with Lord of the Rings figurines?
Well if he is a nerd, which playing with Lord of the Rings figurines implies, he is with out a doubt a Michigan fan, someone who is too wrapped up in his one Bull Shit to go out and make friends so he doesn’t have to pick you to be his Best Man...by the way, why isn’t his brother being the best man?
Subquestion B: Five days from now is Saturday. Your team is on the road. Do you (A) stay home and watch the game; (B) road trip, or; (C) say "neato," check your libido, and roll to the church in your new tuxedo?
C: You can’t pass up a wedding! Those are great free booze and dancing! Besides your buddies can keep you informed about the under thrown passes and fumbles that are bound to be occurring at about 4:30 or 5:00.
Blue White Roundtable Week 6
Hey its time for the Week 6 edition of the Blue White Roundtable!!!!!!!!!! Yeah I'm not to enthralled about it either, this week's questions are courtesy of Black Shoe Diaries. Lets get to it.
Besides the fact that we're 3-2, what has been the biggest disappointment this year?
Are you kidding? Is there any other answer than Anthony Morelli? The kid was suppose to have been mature and able to play the position well, instead I see a guy who struggles to make good reads, gets locked on to his target making it easier for the defense to read his eyes, and poor poor mechanics forcing him to throw the ball underneath causing lots of turnovers.
After the Michigan game the play calling was under heavy scrutiny against Illinois. Late in the third quarter with Penn State trailing by seven points, the Nittany Lions had a third and goal from the one-yard line. They elected to pitch the ball to Rodney Kinlaw over left tackle and the play lost two yards. Then on fourth and goal from the three they elected to kick a field goal. How would you evaluate the play calling on these two plays?
HORRIBLE. Of all the plays to select why would you choose one where it starts by giving the running back the ball 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Austin Scott, of all things, was running the ball pretty effectively, he was averaging 4.3 yards a carry, GIVE HIM THE BALL UP THE MIDDLE! Why wouldn’t that be the smart play? The field goal I have less of a problem with because it was still the 3rd quarter and the defense had been playing all right, not great but all right. They could have made a stop and given the offense a chance to score again.
Is there anything positive we can take out of the Illinois game?
The team ran the ball well, the duo of Scott/Kinlaw ran the ball 28 times for 118 and a TD, if Morelli is to be this ineffective and turnover prone it is vital to keep the ball on the ground and be able to move it up and down the field.
Lightning Round
Who should be the starting quarterback against Iowa?
Well Clark SHOULD start but Morelli WILL start, I've talked about this before the team should have a specific package for Clark to run, some option and spread stuff. It would be very nice for Clark to have some experience besides garbage time before he starts next year.
Joe Must Go! Yes or No?
Yes, if you want this team to be able to play for a National Championship on a regular basis and not every 5 or 6 years then you need to a new coach with a new philosophy. But it will be up to Joe when he goes...my guess? 2010 in the bowl game. State College will have an annual Holiday if that happened, classes would be canceled, stores would be closed, people would just sit at home and watch movies from seasons 82' 86' 94' 05'.
Iowa Prediction?
Penn State 23
Iowa 19
Besides the fact that we're 3-2, what has been the biggest disappointment this year?
Are you kidding? Is there any other answer than Anthony Morelli? The kid was suppose to have been mature and able to play the position well, instead I see a guy who struggles to make good reads, gets locked on to his target making it easier for the defense to read his eyes, and poor poor mechanics forcing him to throw the ball underneath causing lots of turnovers.
After the Michigan game the play calling was under heavy scrutiny against Illinois. Late in the third quarter with Penn State trailing by seven points, the Nittany Lions had a third and goal from the one-yard line. They elected to pitch the ball to Rodney Kinlaw over left tackle and the play lost two yards. Then on fourth and goal from the three they elected to kick a field goal. How would you evaluate the play calling on these two plays?
HORRIBLE. Of all the plays to select why would you choose one where it starts by giving the running back the ball 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Austin Scott, of all things, was running the ball pretty effectively, he was averaging 4.3 yards a carry, GIVE HIM THE BALL UP THE MIDDLE! Why wouldn’t that be the smart play? The field goal I have less of a problem with because it was still the 3rd quarter and the defense had been playing all right, not great but all right. They could have made a stop and given the offense a chance to score again.
Is there anything positive we can take out of the Illinois game?
The team ran the ball well, the duo of Scott/Kinlaw ran the ball 28 times for 118 and a TD, if Morelli is to be this ineffective and turnover prone it is vital to keep the ball on the ground and be able to move it up and down the field.
Lightning Round
Who should be the starting quarterback against Iowa?
Well Clark SHOULD start but Morelli WILL start, I've talked about this before the team should have a specific package for Clark to run, some option and spread stuff. It would be very nice for Clark to have some experience besides garbage time before he starts next year.
Joe Must Go! Yes or No?
Yes, if you want this team to be able to play for a National Championship on a regular basis and not every 5 or 6 years then you need to a new coach with a new philosophy. But it will be up to Joe when he goes...my guess? 2010 in the bowl game. State College will have an annual Holiday if that happened, classes would be canceled, stores would be closed, people would just sit at home and watch movies from seasons 82' 86' 94' 05'.
Iowa Prediction?
Penn State 23
Iowa 19
College Football Top 10 Vol.III
A whole bunch of mix ups going on in this weeks top 10, teams are flying in and zoomin out, this wacky full moon college football weekend was just what the doctor ordered for an otherwise bland season so far and this week has a slew of games that will be integral in the shaping of the BCS scene.
#10: South Carolina- To me if you lose to Colorado like Oklahoma did you do not deserve to make the top 10, on the other hand the Gamecocks only lost to LSU in Death Valley, we'll see how good they are when they get to play Heisman Hopeful Andre' Woodson. Next Week...#8 Kentucky
#9: Florida- Florida gets to stay in the top 10 because they lost to a much better team than Colorado (Auburn), Tim Tebow is still in the running for the Heisman if he can show up against LSU this weekend. Next Week...At #1 LSU
#8: Boston College- A real winner from the weekend of upsets, the Eagles struggled to beat UMass but they are still the only undefeated team left in the ACC. Next Week...Bowling Green
#7: Kentucky- This team is rising very fast up everybody's radar; they own an undefeated record and have a top candidate in the Heisman race. The team is beating up on their cupcakes, destroying FAU 45-17, and showing that maybe they do belong in the upper tier of teams this year. Next Week...At #11 South Carolina
#6: Wisconsin- Another weekend, another win by the chin of the Badgers. Can this team beat anyone convincingly? They better shape up or they will be in deep when they play their next slew of games, at Illinois and at Penn State. Next Week...At Illinois
#5: South Florida- This team really showed something last Friday, beating WVU really quite handily even if Pat White was hurt. A win at Auburn and this win of WVU gives them wins of two ranked opponents more than anyone can say about any other team this year, save for Cal.
#4: Ohio State- Easily the best team in the Big Ten, after getting off to a slow start I think they found their niche, could easily be undefeated this year. Next Week...At #23 Purdue
#3: California- Big wins over Tennessee and Oregon gives the Golden Bears the best resume so far this year, now the are in a situation where all they have to do is not mess up before the big game against the Trojans. Next Week...Oregon State
#2: USC- Finally the AP agrees with me but I disagree with them changing their mind at this point, I mean USC BEAT Washington, IN Washington. You can't lost a spot if you win can you? Next Week...Stanford
#1: LSU- The Tigers had a rough 1st half against Tulane but they turned it around went on to put a beat down on the Green Wave. Next Week...#9 Florida
#10: South Carolina- To me if you lose to Colorado like Oklahoma did you do not deserve to make the top 10, on the other hand the Gamecocks only lost to LSU in Death Valley, we'll see how good they are when they get to play Heisman Hopeful Andre' Woodson. Next Week...#8 Kentucky
#9: Florida- Florida gets to stay in the top 10 because they lost to a much better team than Colorado (Auburn), Tim Tebow is still in the running for the Heisman if he can show up against LSU this weekend. Next Week...At #1 LSU
#8: Boston College- A real winner from the weekend of upsets, the Eagles struggled to beat UMass but they are still the only undefeated team left in the ACC. Next Week...Bowling Green
#7: Kentucky- This team is rising very fast up everybody's radar; they own an undefeated record and have a top candidate in the Heisman race. The team is beating up on their cupcakes, destroying FAU 45-17, and showing that maybe they do belong in the upper tier of teams this year. Next Week...At #11 South Carolina
#6: Wisconsin- Another weekend, another win by the chin of the Badgers. Can this team beat anyone convincingly? They better shape up or they will be in deep when they play their next slew of games, at Illinois and at Penn State. Next Week...At Illinois
#5: South Florida- This team really showed something last Friday, beating WVU really quite handily even if Pat White was hurt. A win at Auburn and this win of WVU gives them wins of two ranked opponents more than anyone can say about any other team this year, save for Cal.
#4: Ohio State- Easily the best team in the Big Ten, after getting off to a slow start I think they found their niche, could easily be undefeated this year. Next Week...At #23 Purdue
#3: California- Big wins over Tennessee and Oregon gives the Golden Bears the best resume so far this year, now the are in a situation where all they have to do is not mess up before the big game against the Trojans. Next Week...Oregon State
#2: USC- Finally the AP agrees with me but I disagree with them changing their mind at this point, I mean USC BEAT Washington, IN Washington. You can't lost a spot if you win can you? Next Week...Stanford
#1: LSU- The Tigers had a rough 1st half against Tulane but they turned it around went on to put a beat down on the Green Wave. Next Week...#9 Florida
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Week 5 Picks Re-Cap(GOT IT-MISSED IT)
Another poor poor performance by the Talented Mr. Know it All, obviously I’m not that talented at knowing it all. Another 5-5 weekend, yikes. Lets get to re-capping so I can forget about this weekend.
#1 USC at Washington 27-24: I got this one (who didn't?) but it was a lot closer than I expected, Washington hung around a lot longer than just the 2nd quarter. GOT IT
Kansas State at #7 Texas 41-21: The 1st in a long line of upsets that messed up my weekend, Kansas State obviously has Texas' number, winning both of the last two meetings. MISSED IT
Michigan State at #9 Wisconsin 34-37: Another win barely eeked out by the Badgers, Michigan St looks like the real deal, they can run the ball very effectively. The Lions better look out for the last game of the season. GOT IT
#22 Alabama at Florida State 14-21: Bobby Bowden had some tricks up his sleeve, playing Xavier Lee, the back up QB. He was pretty impressive and led the Seminoles to victory. MISSED IT
Pittsburgh at Virginia 14-44: I have to admit I didn’t know a whole bunch about this game except that Dave Wannstedt is a poor poor coach. GOT IT
Mississippi State at #16 South Carolina 21-38: Got this one pretty much right on the nose, SC is pretty good, not as good as the other SC though. GOT IT
#6 California at #11 Oregon 31-24: Wasn’t that exciting until the end but once it was, damn, I missed this one by literally inches.
MISSED IT
Air Force at Navy 20-31: I said I mailed this one in, and it looks like so did Air Force. MISSED IT
#21 Penn State at Illinois 20-27: What can be said, oh yeah, Morelli for BALL BOY. MISSED IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#5 West Virginia at #18 South Florida 13-21: I got this one; it should count for more right? USF can flat out play some football. They are recruiting all those athletes that Florida St. and Miami had been getting over the last 10-15 years. Once this program gets its own stadium on campus (I don’t know if that’s happening, but it should the fans were great on Friday night) look out for the Bulls, I could see them being a force on the national scene for the next 10 years. GOT IT
#1 USC at Washington 27-24: I got this one (who didn't?) but it was a lot closer than I expected, Washington hung around a lot longer than just the 2nd quarter. GOT IT
Kansas State at #7 Texas 41-21: The 1st in a long line of upsets that messed up my weekend, Kansas State obviously has Texas' number, winning both of the last two meetings. MISSED IT
Michigan State at #9 Wisconsin 34-37: Another win barely eeked out by the Badgers, Michigan St looks like the real deal, they can run the ball very effectively. The Lions better look out for the last game of the season. GOT IT
#22 Alabama at Florida State 14-21: Bobby Bowden had some tricks up his sleeve, playing Xavier Lee, the back up QB. He was pretty impressive and led the Seminoles to victory. MISSED IT
Pittsburgh at Virginia 14-44: I have to admit I didn’t know a whole bunch about this game except that Dave Wannstedt is a poor poor coach. GOT IT
Mississippi State at #16 South Carolina 21-38: Got this one pretty much right on the nose, SC is pretty good, not as good as the other SC though. GOT IT
#6 California at #11 Oregon 31-24: Wasn’t that exciting until the end but once it was, damn, I missed this one by literally inches.
MISSED IT
Air Force at Navy 20-31: I said I mailed this one in, and it looks like so did Air Force. MISSED IT
#21 Penn State at Illinois 20-27: What can be said, oh yeah, Morelli for BALL BOY. MISSED IT
*****UPSET SPECIAL*****
#5 West Virginia at #18 South Florida 13-21: I got this one; it should count for more right? USF can flat out play some football. They are recruiting all those athletes that Florida St. and Miami had been getting over the last 10-15 years. Once this program gets its own stadium on campus (I don’t know if that’s happening, but it should the fans were great on Friday night) look out for the Bulls, I could see them being a force on the national scene for the next 10 years. GOT IT
3 Reasons Why Penn State Lost on Saturday..Redux
It took me 3 days to be able to get over this nonsense that is, as of right now, ruining this season for the Lions. Very small mistakes coupled with a couple VERY HUGE mistakes is equating to a seemingly lack of effort and thusly a loss. Here are 3 reasons why Penn State lost on Saturday.
1) Anthony Morelli- The honeymoon is over, I was told that Morelli had progressed and had matured; he had been able to see down the field and make the big plays that this offense is lacking. I was not told the truth, Morelli threw 3 picks against the Illini and ALL three were under thrown, meaning that he is throwing off is back foot or his footwork and mechanics are off in general. This is not what this team needed last Saturday, it need a heavy dose of the running game and precise passing to help move down the field.
2) Tired Defensive Line- What happens when you throw interceptions in the red zone? The other team gets a nice long field to tire the defense out on. The Illini have a great running game and when you don’t convert your red zone opportunities it leaves the defense venerable to be run on because the other team isn’t that behind. As the game wore on and the offense kept settling for field goals or turning the ball over the Defense was forced to come back on the field and deal with the rushing attack.
3) Special Teams- When the game finally ended the score was 27-20. That means that the return TD by the very fast Arrelious Benn was THE difference maker. This killed the moral in just 15 seconds after the offense managed a nice long drive, although they managed only a FG. Also where were our return men? AJ Wallace had been one of the better returners in the country so far and he did nothing on any of his returns and had a few down right terrible ones to boot.
1) Anthony Morelli- The honeymoon is over, I was told that Morelli had progressed and had matured; he had been able to see down the field and make the big plays that this offense is lacking. I was not told the truth, Morelli threw 3 picks against the Illini and ALL three were under thrown, meaning that he is throwing off is back foot or his footwork and mechanics are off in general. This is not what this team needed last Saturday, it need a heavy dose of the running game and precise passing to help move down the field.
2) Tired Defensive Line- What happens when you throw interceptions in the red zone? The other team gets a nice long field to tire the defense out on. The Illini have a great running game and when you don’t convert your red zone opportunities it leaves the defense venerable to be run on because the other team isn’t that behind. As the game wore on and the offense kept settling for field goals or turning the ball over the Defense was forced to come back on the field and deal with the rushing attack.
3) Special Teams- When the game finally ended the score was 27-20. That means that the return TD by the very fast Arrelious Benn was THE difference maker. This killed the moral in just 15 seconds after the offense managed a nice long drive, although they managed only a FG. Also where were our return men? AJ Wallace had been one of the better returners in the country so far and he did nothing on any of his returns and had a few down right terrible ones to boot.
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