Land Grant Lost

The Spartans apparently prevailed over Penn State 28-22.  I was unable to see the game and have not had the chance to see it on DVR.  Due to circumstances, I will be unable to recap the game until later in the week--Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest--and by that time it is old news and probably not worth the effort.  We shall see.

Better yet, let me know in the comment section--should I bother to watch the game and is it worth blogging a recap?

MSU - By The Numbers

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I don't have time right now to analyze the stats, but here are the stats from the NCAA site submitted for your approval:

NCAA Stats Comparison
Category:	Penn St.	Michigan St.
Rushing	71	41
Passing Offense	58	39
Total Offense	66	37
Scoring Offense	81	38
Rushing Defense	75	23
Turnovers Gained	107	26
Passes Had Intercepted	64	41
Pass Defense	25	46
Net Punting	9	26
Punt Returns	47	19
Kickoff Returns	40	113
Turnover Margin	65	23
Fumbles Recovered	111	70
Passes Intercepted	74	12
Fumbles Lost	5	26
Passes Intercepted	22	31
Passing Efficiency	71	23
Pass Efficiency Defense	73	28
Total Defense	48	28
Scoring Defense	40	23
Fewest Penalties Per Game	3	92
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	1	95
Punt Return Yardage Defense	39	61
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	43	66
Offense Third-down Efficiency	42	82
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	87	10
Defense Third-down Efficiency	6	36
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	22	81
Tackles for Loss	89	76
Offense Tackles for Loss	6	19
Pass Sacks	94	77
Pass Sacks Allowed	11	49
Time of Possession	35	46
First Downs	64	59
First Downs Allowed	30	45
Red Zone Efficiency	75	11
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	114	13
Average NCAA Rank:	51.7	44.08
Weighted Avg. Rank:	56.83	31.25

Monday Morning Funnies

From Dave Coverly of Speed Bump:

Daily Delivers FedEx Win

Relax.  It's FedEx.

FedEx:  When it absolutely, positively sucks to be Indiana.

Let's be honest, here.  The Hoosiers put up quite a fight for nearly three quarters.  As I mentioned in my preview, they have played some teams tough--they nearly coulda shoulda beat Iowa, and hung in comparable to PSU against Ohio State and Illinois.  But the Hoosiers haven't been able to actually translate their moral victories into real victories.  But then again, neither has Penn State.

The Hoosiers are now winless in the conference.  Winning this game is not exactly something to FedEx home about.  On the other hand, things could have been worse--we could have lost.

And tied at 24 deep in the third quarter, that was a distinct possibility.  Colin Wagner missed a 43 yard field goal that gave Indiana good field position.

But the Hoosiers were unable to move the ball and then a strange thing happened.  Someone stepped up and made a play.

Enter Andrew Daily who blocked the punt while James Van Fleet (fleet of foot!) took the ball in for what would be the winning touchdown.  The spark led to 17 unanswered points offensively, and the defense tightened like a steel trap.  Indiana could manage only two more first downs in the fourth quarter, and Drew Astorino would make an interception that set up a field goal.

This game was a microcosm of the entire season.  At times we played well.  We scored on our first two possessions of the game.  But then we made mistakes--losing yardage on a fourth and one on the opening drive of the second half, and missing a makeable field goal.  Four players were disciplined for being late on the team bus.  The injury bug bit center Doug Klopacz.  Such has been this season.

In the end, Penn State won a game against a team that it should beat.  McGloin continues to look good and run the offense well.  And despite giving up 24 points, the defense did well, holding the Hoosiers to 90 yards rushing on the day and 332 yards in total offense.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Penn State dominated time of possession 37 minutes to 23.  This was keyed at least in part due to going 11 of 17 on third down conversions and 494 yards of total offense.  The Hoosiers high powered offense only managed 4 of 13 on third down conversions.

Penn State is now 14-0 all-time versus Indiana.

INTANGIBLES:

Indiana won the toss and elected to take the ball.

JoePa pads his lead with victory #401.

The crowd, mostly PSU fans, was 78,790.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Three teams now have one conference loss and are 10-1 overall:  O$U, Wisconsin, and MSU.

MSU slipped past Purdue 35-31.
Illinois downed Northwestern 48-27.
Wisconsin badgered THEM, beating the wolverines in Ann Arbor 48-28.
The Pro team from Columbus snuck by Iowa 20-17.
Minnesota did not play.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  The Hawkeyes.  Sucks to be mediocre, doesn't it?  Yeah, you beat us but we're both 7-4.
2.  Nebraska--lost 9-6 to Texas A&M
3.  USC--trounced 36-7 by Oregon State.  Can they please beat the Irish?
4.  Miami--out hokied 31-17.  The Canes have NEVER been to the ACC championship game.
5.  Mississippi--lost 43-36 to Lucky State U (LSU)

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Spartans come a-knocking with their 10-1 record to Beaver Stadium.  I don't believe they have ever won at Beaver Stadium, but I'm too busy to look that up.  Gametime has been set for noon.

The Spartans only loss came at the hands of Iowa.  Been there and done that!

But their record is deceptive.  Their out of conference foes are laughable:  Western Michigan, Florida Atlantic and Northern Colorado.  Their marquee match-up with Notre Dame went to OT, and the Irish aren't very good this year.

They lost to Iowa as badly or worse than we did.  They did beat Illinois.  And to their credit, they beat the Badgers somehow.  The Spartans do not play Ohio State.
In short, they are a good team, capable of beating a top ten program.  We, on the other hand, look at times like a good team, but unable to beat anyone that has a pulse.  Our marquee win is probably a shootout over THEM in prime time. 

But that all said, I think we have a chance in this game, mainly with home field advantage.  A win would not only give us a boost going into the bowl and next season, but give some legitimacy to this season with a win over a ranked, quality opponent.  A loss just confirms how mediocre this season was.

Weekly Game Guide

It's Thursday night . . . do you know where your Pitt team is playing?

Actually, Washington takes on UCLA tonight on ESPN.  Air Force takes on UNLV.  It's probably on TV somewhere, but no one knows where.

In the Big Ten:

Penn State takes on Indiana at Fed Ex Field in DC.  The Lions are favored by 10.  GO STATE!

Wisconsin travels to Ann Arbor and is a five point favorite.  After seeing how many points the Badgers put up against Indiana, and knowing how great the THEM defense is, I am a bit surprised by that.  GO BADGERS!

MSU takes on Purdue and Sparty is favored by 20.  GO SPARTANS!

The Buckeyes are 3 point favorites over Iowa.  GO HAWKEYES!

Illinois plays Northwestern at Wrigley Field.  The Illini are favored by 7.5.  Go Wildcats!  Yeah, I'm still pissed at that homecoming massacre.

Minnesota has a bye week.   Will anyone notice?

In games played be previous opponents:

Western Michigan is favored by a field goal over Kent State.  GO FLASHES!

Temple lost to Ohio this past Tuesday and plays Miami (OH) next Tuesday.

Alabama plays Georgia State (NL) tonight at 7:30 on ESPN U.

In other games of passing interest:

The Irish are 8.5 point favorites over Army, playing this game in Yankee Stadium.  GO KNIGHTS!

Boise State is a 30.5 point favorite over Fresno State.  The Broncos remind me of Penn State back in the late sixties and early seventies.  A good team getting no respect.  GO BRONCOS!

Nebraska is a 2.5 favorite over Texas A&M.  GO HUSKERS!

Oregon plays Arixona on Friday, Nov. 26.

Pee-king Ahead to Indiana

Penn State travels to DC to face Indiana at Fed Ex Stadium.  The Hoosiers sold out their home game to make some bucks.  I didn't feel like previewing this game after the second half collapse this past weekend.  So here we go.

Indiana to date:

W Towson 51-17
W @ Western Kentucky 38-21
W Akron 35-20
L  THEM 42-35
L  @ OSU 38-10
W Arkansas State 36-34
L @ Illinois 43-13
L Northwestern 20-17
L Iowa 18-13
L @ Wisconsin 83-20

The thing that really jumps out to me is . . . they played AT Western Kentucky?  Holy Crap!  Penn State might play Coastal Carolina, but PSU will never play AT Coastal Carolina.

Anyway, at 4-6, the Hoosiers are a dangerous opponent.  Granted, they beat Arkansas State by 2, but they almost beat Iowa.  They beat Akron 35-20, but Akron has not won a game all season and Temple beat the Zips 30-0.  The Hoosiers hung in comparably with Illinois compared to Penn State, and Ohio State for that matter.

So which Hoosier team shows up Saturday?  The one that almost defeated the Hawkeyes, or the one that got pwned by the Badgers?

Penn State is already bowl eligible.  Indiana must beat both Penn State and Purdue to get six wins.  Indiana has never beaten Penn State in football.

The line is currently is currently 10, with the Lions favored of course.

Injury-wise, Anthony Fera will be out (appendix) and I wonder if we will see Silas Redd (bladder.)  Sean Stanley also has a bladder problem.  Hey!  We put the Pee in Party.  Let's Go PEE ess you.

McGloin will start, but has his confidence been shaken?  Does he still have IT?  Will he have to urinate in public too?

Kick-off is at noon.  Coverage is on the Big Ten Network.

Here's the stats comparison from the NCAA site:

NCAA Stats Comparison
Category:	Penn St.	Indiana
Rushing	71	108
Passing Offense	66	16
Total Offense	74	53
Scoring Offense	89	62
Rushing Defense	83	92
Turnovers Gained	106	106
Passes Had Intercepted	73	73
Pass Defense	19	81
Net Punting	11	98
Punt Returns	67	49
Kickoff Returns	26	37
Turnover Margin	76	91
Fumbles Recovered	107	92
Passes Intercepted	75	86
Fumbles Lost	7	21
Turnovers Lost	31	52
Passing Efficiency	85	62
Pass Efficiency Defense	81	114
Total Defense	52	89
Scoring Defense	38	100
Fewest Penalties Per Game	2	10
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	1	27
Punt Return Yardage Defense	49	28
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	18	106
Offense Third-down Efficiency	55	28
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	77	80
Defense Third-down Efficiency	8	97
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	34	37
Tackles for Loss	81	98
Offense Tackles for Loss	5	48
Pass Sacks	98	98
Pass Sacks Allowed	12	12
Time of Possession	47	29
First Downs	73	35
First Downs Allowed	31	53
Red Zone Efficiency	92	41
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	113	113
Average NCAA Rank:	54.95	65.46
Weighted Avg. Rank:	62.08	80.5

The average NCAA rank is simply the average of all categories.  The weighted average gives more weight to certain categories (like total defense/offense) and less weight to other categories (first downs allowed or penalties.) 

Indiana has a slight edge in offense, but that would appear to be offset by Penn State's better defense.  This is a game Penn State should win, but Indiana can score points and if our offense sputters, things could get ugly.  I still predict a Penn State win.

Major Buck Up

At least we won the first half.

We had two touchdown passes--the first two in Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten--in fact, the first passing scores since 1963 in Columbus.

But moral victories are not acceptable at Penn State.

No one expected Penn State to win this game.  In fact, most people were simply hoping the Lions would be competitve.  The oddsmakers had the Buckeyes pegged as 18 point favorites.  Penn State has not played well on the road, and except for a barely ranked THEM team, had not beaten a ranked team yet this year.  Penn State was starting a walk-on gun slinger, perhaps with something to prove.

Meanwhile, their opponent, the hated Buckeyes of Columbus, were tied atop the Big Ten as everyone had expected them to be.  Ranked ninth in the nation with Tyrelle Pryor at the helm who can run faster to the sideline than any other athlete I have ever seen, it did not appear on paper to be a fair match-up.

Despite all this, the lowly Nits came out and punched the Buckeyes in the mouth in the first half.  The Buckeyes moved their opening possession down inside the Penn State 10, and it looked like the rout was already on.  But the Lions tightened up and held OSU to a field goal.  They mounted two scoring drives against one of the Big Ten's better defenses to go up 14-3.  Penn State has not scored more than 13 points in Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten.

And then, with time ticking down in the first half and faced with a fourth and two at the OSU 20 yard line, the offense stuttered.  Penn State had previously converted a fourth and one around the thiry on the same drive.  But Silas Redd tried to bounce the play wide and was tackled short.  The score would remain 14-3 going to the locker room.

That might have been the turning point of the game--but I don't think it was.

True--from there, it was a repeat of the Northwestern game, with Penn State playing the role of the Wildcats and the favored home team coming off the ropes to score 35 unanswered points and win the game.  Interestingly, it was a record come from behind win for Tressel, just as last week's comeback tied a record for Paterno's best.

But while many fans are moaning not kicking the field goal, I submit to you that I think Paterno made the right call.  The rest of the game showed that 17 points wouldn't be enough to win.  The Lions were driving and the Buckeye defense was sucking air and back on their heels.  I have watched Penn State play that conservative play-not-to-lose crap for decades and I applaud the staff for having the balls to go for the jugular.

Unfortunately, the Penn State offense lacked the teeth to put the bite on the Bucks.

The Buckeyes took their opening opossession of the second half 92 yards to pull within 4 points.  Then, on our next possession, McGloin threw the obligatory pick six that put the Bucks up for good.

Can we please, please, please, please, for the love of God and all that is holy, please not throw that long out throw to the flat in Ohio Stadium.  Ever again.  Ever.  Never.  It doesn't matter who the quarterback is or who they are throwing to or who the defender is, but the result is always the same. 

It's like watching a horror move where the scantily clad teen investigates the spooky noise when she's all alone in the house and the lights are out.  Don't go there!  I bet if you were on the field when McGloin went back to pass the Ohio State band was probably playing the Halloween theme in the background.

Just.  Don't.  Do.  It.  Don't call that play ever again in the state of Ohio.

That INT turned the game, and maybe it was set-up by the shift in momentum when we eschewed the field goal and came away with nothing.  But we were a different team in the second half on both sides of the ball.  I don't fault McGloin.  I think we became more conservative in the play calling--the second half looked like vintage Paterno playing not to lose. 

But more disconcerting than the pick sixes by the offense was the lack of defense.  The announcers talked about the lack of depth on the defensive side created by multiple injuries and that we couldn't rotate people in like we normally do, but it wasn't the fourth quarter that we started to fade.  It was right after halftime.

Is it strength and conditioning?  Did Ohio State make adjustments and we didn't readjust?  Needless to say, it was a frustrating half of football made all that more bitter by the early success we had.

But at least I don't have to complain about the weather or the refs or open an email from that douchebag "Dick" Foust. 

Moral victories.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Time of possession was close to equal.

PSU was outgained 453 yards to 272.  Most of the Bucks output came in the second half.

Pryor threw one INT--we took possession inside out ten.  PSU threw two picks and both went to the house for scores.

The Buckeyes did not punt the ball in the second half.  We did not kick-off in the second half.

INTANGIBLES:

The Buckeyes lead the overall series 14-12.

The crowd of red numbered 105,466.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Northwestern finally pulled their upset, catching the Hawkeyes looking ahead to Ohio State.  The Wildcats won 21-17.

The Badgers absolutely destroyed Indiana 83-20.  Wow.  Just, wow.

THEM beat Purdue 27-16.

Minnesota defeated Illinois for their first conference win, 38-34.

Three teams have but one loss:  Wisconsin, MSU and O$U.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Georgia--gave Auburn an upset alert but couldn't close the deal.  Kind of like . . . nevermind.
2.  Utah--how far does your program have to fall to lose to the Irish?
3.  Florida--lost to South Carolina
4.  Texas--lost to THE OTHER OSU.  At 4-6 they aren't even bowl eligible!
5.  McGloin--what a story if he had been able to orchestrate a win

LOOKING AHEAD:

Indiana at Fed Ex Field in D.C.  Sorry, but I don't even feel like bothering with this right now.

That Ol' Blue and White Magic

Getting Him McGloin-g

Apparently, Matt McGloin took umbrage to Kirk Herbstreit's assumption that the Nittany Lions would have no chance against THEM with McGloin at the helm.

It angered him so much he called him out.  And more importantly, showed Herbstreit on the field that he was wrong.

But the coaching staff still went back to Bolden.  Not a bad move, but the kid couldn't ignite the offense.  Matt McGloin then came into the game and orchestrated a record-tying comeback win against Northwestern, earning the starting job this week.

You'd think folks would know who he is.  Apparently, not everyone, though.

From Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror:

"We've got pictures all over the place on him, but besides that, no, I never heard of him," Pryor noted. "I'm usually focused on the defense. I've heard a lot about [Rob] Bolden, though."

That may come across as a rude or cocky statement by Pryor . . .

Rude and cocky?  Pryor?  Perish the thought!

We can only hope that Matt McGloin introduces himself to Mr. Pryor and his team Staurday night the same way he showed Herbstreit what he could do.

Give 'em all that, Matt!

Weekly Game Guide

The Nittany Lions are an 18 point dog to the Columbus Pryors.  Can JoePa and Co. follow up a record tying comeback with a record setting upset?  Tressel is 2-4 coming off a bye.  I am cautiously optimistic but I don't know why.

Tonight, the Pitt Panthers take on UConn on ESPN.  The panthers are favored by 5.5 points, but are 0-2 in Thursday night games this year (Utah/Miami).  Let's Go Huskies!

In the Big Ten:

Iowa is a 10 point favorite on the road in Evanston.  GO WILDCATS!

THEM is favored by 13 over the Boilermakers.  GO BOILERS!

The Badgers are favored by 21.5 over the Hoosiers.  Indiana is due to bite someone.  I hope it is this weekend and not the next!  GO HOOSIERS!

The Illini are favored by 21 over the hapless Gophers.  Yeah, whatever.

The Spartans have a bye.

In other games of interest:

Cam Newton is favored by 8.5 over Georgia.  GO BULLDOGS!

Boise State is favored by a lot (34.5) over Idaho.  GO BRONCOS!

Utah is favored by 5.5 over the Irish.  GO UTES!

In games featuring previous PSU opponents:

Alabama is favored by 13.5 over Mississippi State.  GO TIDE!

Temple plays Ohio next Tuesday.  GO OWLS!

Kent State and Army are a pick.  GO FLASHES!

YSU (3-7) play their final game against Indiana State.  GO PENGUINS!

Feeling Left Out

It seems that every other sports site in the world has displayed this video.  I felt left out.  So here it is.

Think McGloin could pull this off?

Can't Get Enough of This

Purple Wane

I never meant to cause you any sorrow.
I never meant to cause you any pain.
I only wanted to one time see you laughing.
I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple wane.

As darkness fell and the cold chill of November swept through Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions mounted a record tying comeback in Joe Paterno’s already historied tenure to notch victory #400 for the Old Lion King.

A combination of inconsistent offense and virtually non-existent defense had Penn State in a 21-0 hole with but fifty seconds to go in the first half of play. The chances of celebrating win #400 were as bright as the clouded and darkening sky that fortunately only dropped mist and a few tiny pellets of sleet on the 104,147 fans.

But comebacks do happen. The program itself came back from the dark years of 2003 and 2004. The Lions were down 14-0 to #1 Pitt before surging to a 48-14 victory in 1981. Kerry Collins led Penn State on a 95 yard scoring drive against Illinois, the #1 rated defense in the Big Ten—in 1994 on the road in Champaign to preserve an undefeated season. And in 2001, Zack Mills rallied his team from an 18 point deficit to give Joe Paterno his 324th win, breaking Bear Bryant’s record.

So is it really surprising that this milestone not come with some drama?

The Prince of Persa was slicing and dicing the Penn State defense like a Ginzu knife through butter. He was like a chef in those Japanese restaurants, throwing knives around with flashes of steel and vegetables and serving a dish of points to the sparse purple clad crowd that made the trip from Evanston.

Sitting in the stadium, we had no way of knowing that Mr. Persa's parents were in attendance.  But apparently the television audience was reminded a couple of times.  From what I understand, there was more coverage of his parents than there were commercials.  Think about that.

Northwestern had just capped a 7 play, 66 yard drive with a one-handed circus catch in the back of the end zone to make the score 21-0. With less than a minute to play, Penn State could take a knee and run out the clock, try to find a way to make some yards to get a field goal without risking another costly turn over, or . . .

Let’s be honest. No one except maybe Matt McGloin was thinking there was a third possibility. But he ran the two minute offense in 47 seconds, finding Brett Brackett in the back of the end zone to pull State to within 14 points heading into the locker room.

But the late score energized the crowd. It energized the defense. It turned the game around, but I submit to you, dear reader, that the player of the game—the one responsible for this remarkable turnaround—was Hunter Bates in purple and white, the guy that sacked Bolden and caused the fumble. If I were in the habit of handing out proverbial game balls, he would have one right now. That play got Bolden out of the game. Although he struggled a bit initially, McGloin came into the game after that disastrous play and the rest is, dare I say, HISTORY.

What happened at halftime?

A. Team received a talk from Dr. Lou
B. Team went and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express
C. Sue served carbo-loading spaghetti

McGloin’s presence and confidence is infectious. His teammates talk about how he is a calming influence in the huddle. He cracks a joke to lighten the tension. Whatever he does, I wish IT could be bottled and sold. I am a big fan of Rob Bolden, but this McGloin kid has IT, that intangible quality or spark to just make things happen.

Behind this new leader, the Lions came out and took the second half opening possession 84 yards on 14 plays to bring the score to within a mere 7 points. Sitting in the stadium, you could just feel IT. Whatever that kid had, IT was radiating throughout the hallowed structure. The fans were back into the game. They were on their feet. The kids were making plays on both sides of the ball. What had minutes ago in clock time been an insurmountable mountain, was now a realistic goal. You could FEEL the momentum swinging. You could sense that this team was on the cusp of greatness.

The defense rose to the occasion and stuffed the Wildcats, forcing a three and out. In fact, the Wildcats would get only one first down in the third quarter of play, with less than two minutes left on the clock. Penn State owned the third quarter and scored on five consecutive possessions that started with that seemingly innocent 47 second drive to close the first half. THIRTY-FIVE UNANSWERED POINTS. Northwestern was shut out the second half. Paterno got win #400 and a much-deserved ceremony at the end.

Here’s the stadium tribute to Joe Paterno.

Here’s the 400 Win Celebration Site.

Congratulations Joe! And let’s beat Ohio State!

BY THE NUMBERS:

Penn State outgained Northwestern 528 to 369 yards.

McGloin went 18 for 29 for 229 yards and 4 touchdowns. Silas Redd scored the fifth TD.

Evan Royster rushed for 137 yard on 25 carries, while Redd gained 134 on 11 totes.

Penn State punted only 3 times. Fera had two kick-offs downed in the end zone.

#400—speaks for itself.

INTANGIBLES:

The drum major stuck both flips. PSU won the toss and deferred.

Paterno was carried by his team to the makeshift podium at the south end of the field. Paterno is 8 behind Eddie Robinson and 76 behind John Gagliardi of St. Johns, but stands alone among FBS schools.

PENN STATE IS NOW BOWL ELIGIBLE!

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

In a wild shoot out in Ann Arbor, THEM edged Illinois 67-65 after the Illini failed to convert a two-point conversion in triple OT. I guess since the Big Ten has 12 teams now, we’ll have to start playing defense like the Big XII.

Michigan State beat Minnesota 31-8.

Indiana dropped a pass in the end zone that would have beaten the Hawkeyes, but they held on to win 18-13.

Wisconsin topped Purdue 34-13.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Alabama—lost to LSU 24-21.
2. Texas got pounded by Kansas State 39-14
3. F$U lost to North Carolina 37-35
4. Oklahoma got beat by A&M 33-19
5. Utah dropped their first game 47-7 to TCU

LOOKING AHEAD:

This is the Big One, Elizabeth. The Lions travel to Columbus for a showdown at 3:30 next Saturday.

Can they win? Of course they can. Will they? Aye, there’s the rub.

I didn’t think we stood a chance in the pre-season, and thought we had even less a chance after we actually played some early games. BUT . . .

If Pryor makes some mistakes—and as good an athlete as he is, he does that sometimes—and Penn State comes out playing 4 quarters of football like we played the last two, then all bets are off.

I think you have to go with McGloin as the starter. He has the hot hand and that special IT thing that gets the offense moving. I don’t think he can turn around 21 points against a team like the Buckeyes, so we have to come out playing full tilt and not get into that kind of hole. Then again, maybe the kid plays better under pressure.

Either way, I am actually looking forward to this game. And I couldn’t have honestly said that two weeks ago.

ESPN College Gameday will be in Columbus as well.

GO STATE! CRACK NUTS!

Look Around

"Look around . . ."



"Let's Go Beat Ohio State!"

AMEN!

Congratulations Joe on WIN # 400, an exciting 35-21 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.

Me-Cheat-Again Hit with Probation

According to ESPN, the NCAA has added a third year of probation to the THEM's self-imposed penalty for exceeding practice hour limits.

The NCAA added a a third year of probation Thursday for practice and training violations, but didn't decide that Rodriguez had failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance with NCAA rules.


The NCAA also ordered Rodriguez to attend a rules seminar.


Michigan announced in May that self-imposed sanctions included probation for two years and reduced training time by 130 hours over two years, double the amount of time by which the Wolverines exceeded NCAA rules.

The school admitted in May it was guilty of four violations and defended Rodriguez against a fifth charge in August.


Michigan's self-imposed sanctions included reprimanding Rodriguez and six others, trimming the number of assistants -- the so-called quality-control staff -- from five to three and banning them from practices, games or coaching meetings.
"There will be no appeals," he [athletic director Dave Brandon] said.

Rules Seminar?  Is this like an AA meeting? 

My name is Rich Rodriguez . . . and I'm a cheater.

Hi Rich!

Weekly Game Guide: The 400 Edition

Penn State is a 6 point favorite over the Northwestern Wildcats.  Can this team bring Paterno #400?  I believe they can.  GO STATE!

Around the Big Ten:

Iowa is a 17 point favorite over Indiana.  GO HOOSIERS!

THEM is a 3.5 point favorite over the Illini.  Although it would probably be more beneficial for us for the Illini to lose, I can't bring myself to root for THEM.  GO Illini!

The Badgers are 20 point favorites over Purdue.  Can the Boilers pull the upset?  I doubt it, but I'll be pulling for them anyway.

Michigan State is 24 point faves over the Gophers.  Can you "gopher" that?  Go Gophers!

The Buckeyes naturally have a week off before playing us.  Of course, that week off didn't help THEM that much.

In games featuring previous opponents:

Alabama is a 6.5 favorite over LSU.  ROLL TIDE!

Kent State is a 3.5 point underdog to Temple.  GO OWLS!

YSU plays Illinois State (NL).  The Penguins are 3-6.  Go Penguins!

PSU Pregame Experience

Posted by a Blue Band Member . . .

Virtual Seating

With major changes in seating coming up, season ticket holders can explore Beaver Stadium seating and even see what kind of view you would have from a given section.

Here is the link to Virtual Venue.

Now, if they only accepted Virtual Dollars.