Zip-Pity Doo Dah Day

Penn State civilly outscored Akron 21-3 to move to 2-0 on the 2014 season.  It was not a pretty sight, but it was not exactly an ugly win.  And it sure as heck beat a pretty loss!

The invading Zips seemed hell-bent on raining on James Franklin's home opener, as the visitors marched down the field like a hot knife through butter.  They zipped this way and that way and ended up first and goal at the PSU 7 yard line before half the student population even made it to their seats.  But the Lion defense tightened up, and after consecutive sacks, Akron had to settle for a 3 point attempt.  Kicker Tom O'Leary (kind of ironic right there, doncha think?) missed the 31-yarder and the game was still even.

After an exchange of possessions, the Lions took over with good field position at their own 42 yard line.  Hackenberg went to work and did that thing he does with his arm.  Passes of 20 yards to Lewis and 15 yards to Hamilton were sandwiched around a one yard rush by Zwinak.  Hack than scored his first of three TD passes with a strike to a wide open Belton that fooled the Akron defense and reportedly Louis Freeh as well.

The half would end with the score still being 7-0, and the crowd a bit uneasy.  You hate close games like this when one play could turn things ugly in a hurry, and our secondary has been prone to giving up a few big plays now and then.

But there was no breathing room as the second half opened as Penn State fumbled on it's first possession, setting the Roos up with a short field at the PSU 41 yard line.  The defense bent a little but didn't break, and Robert Stein (I guess O'Leary lost his job, at least for the moment) booted the 28 yarder through to make it a four point game.

After a change of possessions, Hack hit Jesse James for a 14-3 point lead.  James would catch another pass in the fourth quarter to seal the victory at 21-3, covering the final game-time spread of 14.

So what can I say?

The running game just can't seem to get off the ground.  It's a reflex to blame it on the offensive line, but the O-line does seem to be able to pass block pretty darn well.  We did manage to break the century mark--which surprised me.  Watching the game, I'd have thought we had under 60.  We actually seemed to run better out of the wildcat, but that was in the second half and we may have worn the Akron line down by then.  Reading the message boards, the wildcat formation splits Nittany Nation between those that love it and those that hate it.  I don't love it, but if it works, I'm all for it.  I wonder if the playbook doesn't have more options from that formation, particularly with Hack split wide and still on the field.  We did see a throw back pass to Hack, but he couldn't make the catch.  Maybe more exciting possibilities await when Big Ten teams come to play.

Hack had two more INTs--not necessarily bad throws as much as BAD decisions.  He also took a sack after having almost 9 seconds to find a receiver.  I think those things will come in time--better decision making.

And the bottom line here Lion fans . . . we have played two games against quality opponents.  Akron came to play and played us hard.  Maybe they are not McNeese State, but they will win some ball games this year.  Central Florida was coming off a great season with a veteran head coach and was a few votes away from cracking the Top 25 preseason.  And despite a minus 5 turn-over margin, WE ARE UNDEFEATED.  Not a lot of our conference brethren can say the same.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Team Statistics

Team Totals	AKRON	PSU
FIRST DOWNS	17	27
Rushing	4	7
Passing	12	16
Penalty	1	4
NET YARDS RUSHING	69	106
Rushing Attempts	25	31
Average Per Rush	2.8	3.4
Rushing Touchdowns	0	0
Yards Gained Rushing	89	130
Yards Lost Rushing	20	24
NET YARDS PASSING	208	319
Completions-Attempts-Int	24-46-0	22-37-2
Average Per Attempt	4.5	8.6
Average Per Completion	8.7	14.5
Passing Touchdowns	0	3
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	277	425
Total offense plays	71	68
Average Gain Per Play	3.9	6.2
Fumbles: Number-Lost	0-0	1-1
Penalties: Number-Yards	7-64	3-25
PUNTS-YARDS	7-331	5-244
Average Yards Per Punt	47.3	48.8
Net Yards Per Punt	40.9	45.4
Inside 20	2	3
50+ Yards	2	3
Touchbacks	2	0
Fair catch	3	0
KICKOFFS-YARDS	2-130	4-247
Average Yards Per Kickoff	65.0	61.8
Net Yards Per Kickoff	38.5	46.5
Touchbacks	0	1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	3-17-0	1-5-0
Average Per Return	5.7	5.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	2-36-0	2-53-0
Average Per Return	18.0	26.5
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	2-52-0	0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	29:21	30:39
1st Quarter	9:15	5:45
2nd Quarter	9:32	5:28
3rd Quarter	4:10	10:50
4th Quarter	6:24	8:36
Third-Down Conversions	5 of 17	4 of 10
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 2	0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	1-3	1-3
Touchdowns	0-3	1-3
Field goals	1-3	0-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards	1-8	4-14
PAT Kicks	0-0	3-3
Field Goals	1-2	0-0
Points off turnovers	6	0

Penn State continues to look better on the stat sheet than the scoreboard.  I really think that will get better as the season goes on, but perhaps it's something to worry about.

Time of possession was nearly equal with a slight edge to PSU.  Akron held the ball longer in the first half, but PSU dominated the second.  Can't complain about that.

We only converted 4-10 third downs, but we had 27 first downs--meaning that we moved the ball well on first and second downs that we only needed third down about a third of the time.

We were vastly improved in the penalty category this week.

INTANGIBLES:

The crowd was listed at 97,354, but it didn't look that full.

The temperature was warm--not unusual for this time of year, but it could have been a factor if Akron could run the ball and control the clock.  Depth is not our strong suit right now.

The Blue Band Drum Major stuck both flips.  In fact, the opening flip may be the best I've seen in a while.  New feature twirler.  Meh.

James Franklin is 2-0, baby.  Penn State is 5-0 over Akron all-time.

The 1994 UNDEFEATED PSU Football was honored at halftime!

Penn State won the toss and deferred.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Well, well, well.  Pretty rough weekend for the BIG party of 14.

Let's start with the winners . . .

Iowa survived Ball State 17-13.

Nebraska squeaked by FCS McNeese State 31-24, scoring on a 58 yard catch and run to score with 20 seconds left in the game.  Makes a 21-3 outing against Zippy look pretty darn good right about now.

Illinois beat Western Kentucky 42-34 but trailed 27-21 going into the fourth quarter.

Minnesota held off Middle Tennessee State, prevailing 35-24--but they were up 28-0 at the half!

Maryland outscored South Florida 24-17, but trailed going into the fourth quarter as well.

Rutgers defeated Howard (who Akron pasted 41-0) by a score of 38-25.

And Wisconsin bounced back by pummeling Western Illinois 37-3.

And then there were the losers . . .

Purdue tanked against Central Michigan, losing 38-17.

MSU had arguably the toughest opponent in Oregon with the Ducks ranked 3rd at the time.  Michigan State trailed early, stormed back and seemed to be in control.  And then they collapsed.  Epic-ally.  Final Score:  46-27.  I wonder if D'Antonio has ever had that many points put up against one of his teams?

Notre Dame took THEM out to the woodshed, blanking the wolverines 31-0 in South Bend.  Not even a field goal.  I guess they were still upset about Notre Dame ending the series.  The Irish might want to rethink that.

And the Big's Marquee Stud, Ohio $tate, ranked number 8, fell to an unranked Hokie team 35-21.  Meyer started his post game presser with this:

And also our opponent, really did a good job preparing for us and exposed us a little bit, where some of the weaknesses right now on our team. And it was rather obvious what it is.

Really?  What was IT?  The coaching, perhaps?  Or are you throwing someone else under a Colum-BUS.

I wouldn't have said this in 2011, but I am SOOOO glad that man isn't coaching at Penn State.

Indiana was off, and no one noticed.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Stanford lost to USC--the famous Pat Haden game where the USC AD came down from the booth to "talk" to the referees.  And he's on the selection committee!

2.  McNeese State--a few bad tackles away from OT.  Tsk.  tsk.

3.  The Big Ten--see above

4.  Texas--Longhorns beaten 41-7 by BYU

5.  UMass--41-38 loss to Colorado

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State travels to Rutgers to open the Big Ten season next week.

Game Time is 8 PM and the coverage is the Big Ten Network.

Rutgers is 2-0 with a 41-38 win on the road over Washington State and a 38-25 victory over Howard.

We'll preview this game in a Foe Pause later this week.


GO STATE!  BEAT KNIGHTS!

Foe Pause: Akron Edition

So here we are (PENN STATE!), ready to face Akron this Saturday in a noon showdown at Paterno Field inside Beaver Stadium.

What do you know about the Zips?

I don't know about you, but when I hear "Roo" this is what comes to my mind . . .

From Wikipedia, we learn about the history of the Zips:

The Zips name is unique in college athletics and comes from "zippers", rubber overshoes made by the BF Goodrich Company that were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1925, a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the university's athletic teams. Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers. The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for "Zippers". Athletic director Kenneth Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to Zips in 1950. The university's mascot is "Zippy", a kangaroo. Zippy is one of only a few female college mascots in the United States.

Female?  I did not know that.  I'm not about to check and verify that fact either.

Of course, until this week, I did not know that Terry Bowden was the head coach of the Akron Zippers.

Fear the Terry-tubbie!

Okay, seriously, we have a game against Akron that some have called a "trap game."  You know the deal.  Team Goliath comes off a big emotional win.  Goliath is favored to beat David by a large margin.  Doesn't take David seriously.  David takes advantage of the situation and down goes the giant.  KaPow!  Upset.

But what Goliath didn't have, was a coach like James Franklin.  Driven.  Ambitious.  Energetic.  Let's go to the tape on this:




 This is HIS home opener.  Sure, the team snaps the ball, kicks the ball, throws the ball, catches the ball, tackles and blocks.  The team wins the game.  But this 2014 Nittany Lion football team is HIS team.  The beauty of this . . . he doesn't think of it that way.

If you ever asked Paterno about his 409 wins, he wouldn't talk about his wins.  He was always uncomfortable with that conversation.  He would talk about Penn State's wins.  He didn't win any games.  Mike Reid won games.  Chuck Fusina won games.  Kerry Collins and Ki-Jana Carter won games.  His teams won games.  That's the kind of coach you want leading your team--one who knows deep down that his wins and the team's wins are one and the same, but he only sees the team.

Last Saturday, the team just won the game, and Franklin's looking for Ficken!  He's got a million things to do, but he stops to engage the loyal fans that came to watch in a WE ARE PENN STATE cheer.  The only time coaches like that look in the mirror is when the team fails--because they failed.

There will be mistakes.  Maybe another INT.  Maybe some more fumbles. Clock mismanagement.  Maybe a blown coverage. Akron did pass for over 400 yards against Howard.  Howard who?  Stern?  Hughes?  The Duck?  I'm not really sure, but some sportswriters think that means they are going to score a lot of points against Penn State this week.   We shall see.

Akron did put up 41 points.  Their QB Pohl threw three touchdown passes in his first five throws.  They didn't score again until the third quarter.  All but seven points were scored in the first quarter of each half.  Looks like one of the keys to this game is not to let them zip out to a fast start.  Better yet, I hope Penn State scores early (and often).

I'm reluctant to say this will be a rout, because we just don't know that much about these two teams after one week of play.  But I do think we cover the spread in a win.

GO STATE!  BEAT ZIPS!

Big Ten Tour Hits Penn State

Andrew Cieszynski and his friends are doing a Big Ten Tour this fall, taking in games at each Big Ten stadium. The Akron-PSU game was first on their list.

We promise you, this is NOT an advertisement. Air Tran gave us NO money to say this, but we had an awesome time on the Air Tran flight from Milwaukee to Baltimore.Before taking off the flight attendant, Walt, says over the intercom, "We'd like to welcome the Pac Ten roadies to the flight." We kindly reminded him that this is the Big Ten tour.

The flight attendants offered us a round of drinks on the house, so we had to take them up on the offer. Wes took about 5 minutes to deliberate on his drink of choice, so the flight attendant reminded him to work on his social skills.

The place that impressed us the most was known as the "Cell Block." Penn Staters told us that it was fornerly called the Crow Bar or Johnson Rod or something of that sort. Regardless, they had these huge pitchers of beer, so we thought we'd order two. After finishing both at 64 ounces each, we asked for our check. The server said , "That'll be $4.00." The 4 of us looked at each other and said, "Come again?" She replied "$4.00" Are you kidding me? We can't even find a happy hour 12 ounce beer in Milwaukee for less than $3.50 and you're giving us a 64 oz. beer for $2.00

Later that evening, we were interviewed by B94.5 All Hitz as Drew and Blake spoke on the air.

Without seeing the other 10 stadiums, you have to think that Happy Valley is one of the best tailgating venues. There are miles of open fields, mountains in the background, and lots of space to get your grill, games, and beer out from the bed of your truck.

What we don't like on the Big 10 Tour, assigned parking spaces. One of the friends we made liked wearing navy high socks/tights in 80 degree weather. Someone parked in this poor guy's spot. Strangely enough, when he told security, they did nothing about it...so he took action into his own hands - he left a note on their car. We applaud him for his restraint, because we would have smashed the windows in with a baseball bat. The same guy who parked on "Socks'" spot later returned to the car, backed out of the spot and ran over our cooler. Let's just say there was retaliation.

So as you can guess, the game itself was not very eventful. The Akron Zips seemed like a Junior Varsity team & it was tough to stay focused on the game. As you'll see from some of the videos below however, PSu has some notable things to see and hear during the game. The one you can't miss is the roaring lion sound after most PSU plays. You'll hear "roar-roar-roar" and it gets the crowd pretty fired up. Then there's the unforgettable "We Are...Penn State" chant. The Zombie Nation song is fun to sing along with, but it probably doesn't beat singing Sweet Caroline. We all did comment that the timing of the Sweet Caroline was a bit odd however, as the crowd only got to sing along to the chorus once before it was gametime one again.

Our Saturday evening then led us to the Gingerbread Man & then to Phryst Pub where we took part in "Table Wars." This was clearly one of the most unique/most fun ideas we've ever seen at a bar. The below video is a little dark, but you might get an idea of how it works. Regardless, they sell great beer and offer a good time. Check it out. The nightlife then concluded at the Lion's Den where a few of the players and ex-players made appearances.

The down side of their trip? The front office.

We had originally planned on attending the Baltimore Orioles game that evening, but thought we would jump on this offer and cancelled our tickets to the Orioles game and asked Drew's brother to take off work Friday to drive us up to State College a day early.A response was sent to Jeff on that same day. No response was received over the next two weeks and a follow-up was sent to Jeff on August 27th asking for some further details on "football eve."After no response was received, another follow up email sent on August 30th. At this time, we began to think that Jeff may have come down with polio so we tried other members of the Penn State staff including Greg Myford, Guido D'Elia, Jeff Fisher, & Dave Baker. Apparently they couldn't find the reply button either.

On August 2nd I once more emailed Jeff and company as well as left them voicemails.

Finally I gave up. I understand, we're all busy with our careers. For Penn's sake, the members of this tour often work 70 hour work weeks, but it's clear that they were now blowing us off.So I made one last attempt and emailed Athletic Director Tim Curley and Associate Athletic Director Fran Ganter. I wrote them the message below and gave up on Penn State.

And the best tailgate? Blue Hair.

Half Way There

It was a tale of two halves--the best of times; the worst of times. Truth be told, it was a good but not great half versus a half that was a struggle to sit through. The second half of the Akron game was worse than watching paint dry. It was worse than having a tooth pulled, sans novocaine. It was worse than the 6-4 fiasco against Iowa several years back, if you can believe that. I was so bored I cut my fingernails during the game. Actually, I chewed them off, but it's technically the same thing. I still have some pieces stuck between my teeth.

The first half was just what we expected. There were some flashes of brilliance and the Lions pretty much dominated the hapless squad from Akron. Despite sloppy play, a turnover on the goal line and various miscues, the offense put 31 points on the board and the defense managed not to let Akron have a single first down. It looked like the 27.5 point spread would be easily covered with plenty to spare.

Then, we played the second half, although I use the verb "play" loosely here. It's like saying I play golf. OK--I'm on a golf course, well, in the rough or woods beside a golf course. I have golf equipment like clubs, balls, tees and a machete for the rough . . . but to call what I am doing "playing golf" is stretching reality a bit. More appropriately, I am whacking the bejeezus out of a little white ball while walking around a golf course.

So in the second half, our team was playing with a football on a football field in football gear, but to actually call it "playing football" might not be entirely accurate.

Now in all honesty, this was just Akron, and for all the hoopla of MAC teams upsetting Big Ten teams, they are still just a middle of the pack (or worse) MAC team. No offense intended, Zips. If you want to be treated like the big boys, then you have to be a big boy now and then. Akron is not. And upsetting a Big Ten team doesn't seem to be that difficult a task anymore.

Even fan enthusiasm was waning. The wave had one good pass around the stadium, and several weak to pathetic efforts--kind of like several of the field goal attempts--and the crowd noise was only a 4 out of 10 most of the time. If the crowd can't get into it, how do you expect the players to find emotion? After walking all over and around the Zips in the first half, I think the players were just as bored and tired in the second. It was a rather warm day for football, after all.

I may sound a bit sarcastic--because I am. If you are one of those casual fans where a win is a win no matter how ugly it is, then you need to read no further. We won. Be happy. All is well. Kumbaya. Pass the Kool Aid please.

If the greatest improvement in a team occurs between the first and second game, there is certainly room for improvement.

Our field goal kicking is so bad that I miss Kelly. (I cannot believe I just typed that out loud.) Seriously, how is this guy going to kick a game winner against the Buckeyes when he can't manage it in a pressureless situation like Akron? Granted one was from 49 yards, but the other miss was from 28. I know. I know. This is his first real chance, but he is a senior with junior eligibilty--i.e. NOT a freshman. And we have a very highly recruited (#2 in the nation by scout) kicker from Texas in Fera, who didn't even get a chance to miss a field goal.

Speaking of not getting a chance, we didn't see Kevin Newsome until the final series, despite the game being well in hand at the half. Would it really have killed Joe to alternate them in the second half? Clark has an entire year under his belt, and although his timing wasn't great, his playing most of the second half didn't seem to improve things. I think Newsome should have gotten some better playing time. Just. In. Case.

Is our running game that bad? On the one hand, it was clear that Akron was hell bent on stopping the run and forcing us to pass. On the other hand, they succeeded. How bad was it? Royster had 61 yards on 14 carries. The second leading rusher was Newsome who only played the final series and had 12 yards on 2 rushes.

Speaking of Royster, why was he catching punts? He took a beating on the second punt return, including a personal foul penalty. It's not that we don't have some depth, but he is our number one rusher. I just fail to see the logic in putting him in a dangerous situation like that.

For all the worrying about Akron's passing attack and our inexperienced secondary, the Zips were only able to capitalize once as Sukay was beaten like an egg in a blender on a 40 yard pass play to Bowser, which followed Brackett's fumble. Otherwise, the D would have had a shutout. Of note, Sukay was in disguise, wearing #9 which all the programs gave to Zordich, so maybe he can blame it on the number. Otherwise, the Akron offense looked like typical Walt Harris material and I don't think they have to worry about the pressure of a MAC title in the near future.

I liked the fake punt. I know we won't use that against any team with a pulse, but it sure was fun to watch.

Clark had a decent day with a tipped pass that was intercepted but his accuracy was not vintage Clark and he had several passes that should have been intercepted--as in, a better defense than Akron's would have had the picks. Even some of his completions were into double coverage.

Overall, it was a win. Sloppy first half which is what you kind of expect for the first game. The coaches will have some work cut out reviewing the tapes of the second half and breaking them down. I know I couldn't review that crap without breaking down.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Here are the stats from GoPSUsports:

                                  AKRON      PSU



FIRST DOWNS...................        8       25

  Rushing.....................        3        7

  Passing.....................        5       17

  Penalty.....................        0        1

NET YARDS RUSHING.............       28      136

  Rushing Attempts............       30       30

  Average Per Rush............      0.9      4.5

  Rushing Touchdowns..........        0        1

  Yards Gained Rushing........       71      150

  Yards Lost Rushing..........       43       14

NET YARDS PASSING.............      158      379

  Completions-Attempts-Int....  13-24-1  32-44-1

  Average Per Attempt.........      6.6      8.6

  Average Per Completion......     12.2     11.8

  Passing Touchdowns..........        1        3

TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      186      515

  Total offense plays.........       54       74

  Average Gain Per Play.......      3.4      7.0

Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      0-0      1-1

Penalties: Number-Yards.......     7-59     3-20

PUNTS-YARDS...................    7-273    3-121

  Average Yards Per Punt......     39.0     40.3

  Net Yards Per Punt..........     38.7     27.0

  Inside 20...................        0        1

  50+ Yards...................        0        0

  Touchbacks..................        0        2

  Fair catch..................        5        0

KICKOFFS-YARDS................    2-131    6-407

  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     65.5     67.8

  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     44.0     45.5

  Touchbacks..................        0        2

Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.    0-0-0    1-2-0

  Average Per Return..........      0.0      2.0

Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD   4-94-0   2-43-0

  Average Per Return..........     23.5     21.5

Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..    1-0-0   1-12-0

Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0

Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0

Possession Time...............    25:19    34:41

  1st Quarter.................     6:09     8:51

  2nd Quarter.................     4:41    10:19

  3rd Quarter.................     7:42     7:18

  4th Quarter.................     6:47     8:13

Third-Down Conversions........  3 of 14  8 of 15

Fourth-Down Conversions.......   0 of 3   1 of 1

Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      0-1      4-7

Sacks By: Number-Yards........      1-5     4-15

PAT Kicks.....................      1-1      4-4

Field Goals...................      0-0      1-3

There's not a statistic that PSU didn't dominate. The Zips had 28 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Our offensive line gave up one sack and did a decent job of giving Clark time all day.

INTANGIBLES:

Penn State lost the coin toss. Akron deferred.

The Drum Major stuck both flips.

Penn State is 102-19-2 in season openers, 37-7 under JoePa.

Attendance was listed at 104,968, but the stadium didn't look that full. The student section didn't fill until late in the first quarter, and the Akron section was obviously sparse.

JoePa notches win #384. Nobody knows how many Bowden has at this point. I think he's trying to add high school victories too.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The Big Ten did nothing to improve its national image. The Buckeyes thwarted a two-point conversion and took it the other way on a play that might have tied the game. As it was, they snuck out with a 31-27 win over the unranked midshipmen. Iowa had to block TWO field goals to hang on against Northern Iowa 17-16. What should we expect from the we-can't-beat-Pitt-but-we'll-play-like-an-NFL-team-against-you Hawkeyes? Spare me the excuses.

Indiana barely beat Eastern Kentucky 19-16 on Thursday. Minnesota went into OT with Syracuse, eking out a 23-20 win. Wisconsin beat Northern Illinois 28-20. Uncharacteristically, Northwestern mauled Towson 47-14 and Purdue beat Toledo 52-31. Along with Akron, those are the best games our conference had to offer.

Which brings us to Illinois. 37-9? Missouri is good, but come on. Really? They don't even have Chase Daniel anymore. I saw a quote from Ron Zook: "I sure wouldn't have thought we'd play like that." Neither did I. Probably saving it all up for us; play like they have 22 Heisman candidates.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Illinois - disgraceful

2. Oklahoma - thanks for playing. Sorry, but there's no parting gifts.

3. Va Tech - hung tough but couldn't beat Bama

4. Maryland - killed by Cal

5. Oregon - quacked up a blue turf hairball

LOOKING AHEAD:

Syracuse took Minnesota to OT, but lost as Paulus threw an INT that kept them from scoring. I either underestimated the Orange, or overestimated the Gophers. But it is only one game, so who knows for sure at this point.

It does appear, though, as Syracuse will be a better test than Akron was. Overall, despite the above tirade, I still feel pretty good about this team. I hate that feeling of angst when the field goal kicker trots on the field, especially if it's fourth and short and a makeable first down. Hopefully that aspect of the game will improve. I'd like to see some excitement in the return game--both punts and kick-offs. Let me clarify--exciting run backs, not fumbles. I'd like to see our run game be a little more fruitful. But even I have to admit that our offensive scheme was pretty bland (not typical of the HD offense) and Akron did their best to shut down the run. Will Syracuse try the same?

We shall see.

GO STATE! SQUEEZE ORANGE!

Trash Talking

Um, from Akron?

I kid you not.

ZipsNation has a thread started by ZachtheZip (with a name like that, it has to be good!) Here's some gems and evidence of a lack of intelligent life in Ohio:

I think we'll have a better chance to beat them than we've ever had before. We have a mostly veteran team who won't be scared or in awe of their crowd. Walt Harris knows how to beat Penn State at their place, and you can bet that he's doing all he can to get us ready to beat his old rival.

The fact was corrected later--Walt Harris beat PSU only once--in Pittsburgh.

It's go time! PSUcks! The Nittany Housecats are going down. Get angry!
I Know we can beat Penn. Penn is our B...ch. You know I'm fired up.

Are they playing us or Penn--now I'm just confused?

I want to see our Zips walk onto field with heads held high, and the smell of "No Fear" emanting from their from their jerseys. I want to see fear in the eyes of Penn's offensive team starting early in the game. I want to see Penn's QB staring up at the sky. I want to see our defense deliver hits harder than Superman's knee. I want to see Joe Paterno sweating like a MF'er (no matter how cold it may be!). I want to see Bowser pull in multiple 30yd. receptions. I want to see our "D" Smack the dalites out of their offense. I want to see many loyal Zips in the stadium mercilessly/crazy loud, cheering on our team.

I just want to see this guy's face after the game.

Pennzoil State

OK, that's a new one. Point for originality. Two point loss for lameness, though. Speaking of which . . .

PSUcks

Did I warp onto a Pitt board? OMG.

As for the fans, we need to grow up. Grow beyond the NE Ohio mentality. We don't have the least bit of confidence as a group of sports fans. I will tell you that confidence is contagious, though.

So is the plague. And Swine Flu.

BRING them suckers on! I can't wait. Our monster defense and explosive offense is gonna Beat them up and down. We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER. Penn is in for the shock of their lives.

I'm sorry, but does raw ROO POWER just not want to make you laugh. It's so Wonder Twins--not superman. To be honest, I'm thinking Winnie-the-Pooh. Heffalumps and woozles!

Counting Down the Season - Part One

Strap on your helmets, here we go.

Each year, I preview the season by starting with what appears--in my estimation--to be the easiest game on our schedule to win, and finishing up 12 games later with the game that I perceive as being the toughest to win.

This analysis is completely scientific. It's as dependable as photosynthesis and as right as an angle in the Pythagorean Theorem. And if you believe that, I also have some lovely swampland in Florida I'd like to sell you.

Most of my analysis is not based on numbers or fact, but on gut instincts. As such, I might be right, or it just might be gas. Sometimes I have appendicitis.

Normally I would start the countdown with one team, but let's face it, this year's schedule does not lend itself well to that. Most people with any modicum of football knowledge would know that Eastern Illinois is the easiest game on the schedule, and that game alone is probably not worth an entire post.

In fact, the schedule lends itself to thirds--one third that are almost definite wins (as definite as you can get in an era when "on any given Saturday" can bite you in the grass)--one third that should be wins, and one third that could go either way.

The first third shakes out like this . . .

12. Eastern Illinois

11. Syracuse

10. Akron

9. Temple

Is it coincidence that the four easiest games are also the out of conference schedule? I was sorely tempted to add Indiana to this mix, but you can rest easily knowing they will appear at #8, not because there's much chance we will lose to them, but because I couldn't really argue that they are any worse than the above teams either. And five teams does not constitute a third unless you round down or are really bad at math.

EASTERN ILLINOIS

This FCS team hails from the Ohio Valley Conference which includes such teams as Murray State, Jacksonville State, and Austin Peay. I know of these only from the ticker that runs across the bottom of ESPN updating scores of games no one cares about.

The Panthers went 5-7 last year and 3-5 in their conference. Their offense ranked sixth--in their league. Their 2008 Sagarin ranking was 200. (Sagarin rankings are between the games played by 245 teams, so they were 45th from dead last.)

I have already spent more time on this game than is worth the bandwidth, so we shall move on.

SYRACUSE

While the Orangeman somehow found a way to beat the bowl-bound Irish, their 3-9 season (1-6 in the Big Least) was a dismal parting gift for Greg Robinson who jumped ship to be defensive coordinator for another 3 win program in the Big Ten.

The Orange will return their senior signal caller, but that's kind of like being on a boat and having the captain of the Titanic back.

The Lions pasted the Orange 55-13 on their turf. It won't be any prettier in Beaver Stadium.

Interestingly, the Orange open with Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern. Paterno recently threw Syracuse's name out there in regard to expansion. Coincidence? This could be a crucial interview period and pretest for Syracuse IF the Big Ten ever expands and IF Syracuse would be given any consideration by someone other than Paterno.

AKRON

The things that will make this game interesting are 1) it is the season opener --woo hoo!, and 2) it will feature one of the few competent QBs on our schedule versus our rebuilt and suspect secondary.

Chris Jacquemain passed for over 2,700 yards, 57.9% completions, 20 TDs and 14 INTs. His two favorite targets are both back. Virtually all his line returns except for All-MAC lineman Kemme, but they will be breaking in a new running back. This will be an excellent opening test for our defense.

But even with a decent passing game, the Zips were only 5-7 last year and 3-5 in the MAC. None of the preseason publications I have read have them challenging for the MAC title.

Mark it down: If we can control Akron's passing game, that bodes very well for the season. If we give up a lot of passing yardage in the first three quarters, it shifts the balance of confidence for future games negatively.

TEMPLE

Temple will be chasing defending MAC Champion Buffalo and Bowling Green in their conference, let alone hoping to make a respectable showing in Beaver Stadium. Last year, I read a lot of positive things about the Owls--not enough to worry me about our game with them, but enough to wonder if Al Golden really could turn the program around. Some Tem,ple fans were even dreaming BOWL. Alas, when the dust settled, the Owls were 5-7 (4-4) and the dream of a bowl game dashed in the ashes of failure.

But it's all in how you look at it. Temple's five wins were the most in 18 seasons. Eighteen! Unfortunately, the Owls have some rebuilding to do on offense, beginning with replacing one time PSU recruit and starting QB Adam DiMichele. New QB + Beaver Stadium = disaster.

On the plus side, they return nine starters on defense--a defense that gave up 45 points to our HD offense last season on the road so to speak.

The Owls open with Villanova and have a bye before coming to University Park. They can't afford not to look ahead because they open MAC play against Buffalo the following week--yeah, a win against PSU would be a feather in their cap, but they need to concentrate on competing in their own conference before they set out to conquer the world.

Penn State ought to be 4-0 after these games. No excuses.