Foe Pause: Doing the Hoke-y Pokey Edition

THEM.

As in The-M.  A big block letter, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.  (Apologies to William Shakespeare and The Nittany Turkey.)

Since entering the Big Ten, it has been us against THEM.  In their first match-up at Beaver stadium, the Lions were penalized for "crowd noise."  Are you kidding me????  This was before Guido D'Elia and piped in music, mind you.  And it only went down hill from there.

A bad call on Tony Johnson in 2002.  (Replay appeared the next season, I believe.)

Two seconds and the infamous heel-toe in 2005.

At one point, they defeated Penn State 9 consecutive times over 11 seasons (as they rotated off the schedule for two years.)  They still lead the all-time series 7-10, but Penn State has won the last four meetings, and has not lost to THEM since 2007.

Ann Arbor University is still the only Division I school that I know of that honored a retiring referee, Dick Honig, who coincidentally has/had a shrine to UM in his office.

We could go on and on, but rehashing the past doesn't affect the match-up this weekend between these two traditional powerhouses.  There is no Lloyd Carr or Joe Paterno on the sideline.  No Chad Henne or Mario Manningham.  No Daryll Clark or Matt McGloin either.

Penn State opened as a two point favorite, but the line has fluctuated since then, with THEM being a two-point fave at one point, but currently nursing a one point favorite at home as of the time I type this.  The oddshark power ratings have PSU at 37 and the wolverines at 69.  They still have PSU as a two-point favorite.

The outcome of this game will hinge on the answers to the following questions:

1) Can Hoke save his job, and does he think by winning, that will change the outcome?  Let's face it, if Hoke has given up, all bets are off.

2)  Can Penn State rebound from the loss to Northwestern, and show improvement on the offensive line?  Even a modicum of improvement will go a long way.

3)  Can Gardner play without being a turn-over machine?

4)  Can Hackenberg regain his confidence?

Here is the wolverines season in a nutshell:

They avenged their loss to Appalachian State in the home opener, defeating the Mountaineers 52-14.  Of course, Appalachian State is only 1-4 this season so far, while the 2007 unit that upset THEM in Ann Arbor went on to a 13-2 record and won the FCS Championship that year.  Interesting that although Appalachian State beat THEM in 2007, the wolverines still managed to beat us.  This year, THEM won the Appalachian State game . . . does that bode a WIN for us?

Unfortunately for wolverine fans, that one game was not a season.  Any good feelings were gone the next week as the Irish drubbed the wolverines 31-0.

Miami (OH) gave the wolverines another chance to feel good about themselves, and they beat the Redhawks 34-10.  Of course, the Redhawks are now 1-5 on the season.

THEM then lost to Utah in a rain-delayed game, 26-10.

Minnesota then spoiled the conference opener in Ann Arbor, handing the Brady Hokies a 30-14 loss.

And last week, the mighty Scarlet Knights of New Jersey defeated the wolverines 26-24 in Piscataway.  In case you forgot, or Brady Hoke played you with a concussion, PSU beat Rutgers on the same field 13-10.

So at 2-4, and accusations of playing a player with a concussion, the wolverines are a team in apparent disarray.  The opponents they are victorious over are a combined 2-9 (0.182).  Contrast that to Penn State, whose defeated opponents are 10-11 (0.476) and is skewed lower because UMass is 0-6!  UCF is currently losing to BYU 24-17 in the third quarter.

But a team in disarray can be a dangerous beast.  Hoke has nothing to lose at this point.  His job is in all likelihood lost, unless he can somehow figure out a way to beat Ohio State and/or win the Big Ten title.  Neither are likely, and the issue isn't if he will be fired, but when.

We cannot discount the referine factor.

This game will be anything but a cakewalk, but I hope that Penn State learned something from the loss to NW.  Hopefully they answer that wake up call with some inspired play on Saturday.

I predict a Penn State win, 27-20 with the defense making a stand late in the game to seal the victory.  But I have been wrong before.

In the Big Ten:

Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Nebraska are off.

Michigan State takes on Purdue in West Lafayette.  GO SPARTANS!

Indiana travels to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes.  GO HOOSIERS!

The Illini travel to Madison to take on the Badgers.  ON WISCONSIN!

Northwestern travels to Minnesota to attack the gophers.  GO WILDCATS!

In games featuring past opponents:

UCF is taking on BYU tonight.  GO KNIGHTS!

UMass looks for their first win against Kent State, which happens to be looking for their first win.  Good luck with that guys!  GO MINUTEMEN!

Akron takes on Miami (OH).  GO ZIPS!

GO STATE!  BEAT THEM!

Weekly Game Guide: Hackenberg on the starboard side! Edition

Penn State has a bye week which gives us a chance to relish again the 4OT victory over the previously undefeated wolverines last week.

You can see a panoramic view of the game here.  I tried to find myself, but I was blocked by some people standing in front of me.  Down in front!  So much for my fifteen minutes of fame.

The game was far from perfect, but in the end, Penn State made one less mistake than THEM.  But the game was not about the Four OT's, the blocked field goal or the miss by Gibbons.  It was everything about losing a lead, and fighting back against all odds.  The team never quit.  The coaches never quit.  The Devin squared tandem of Gardner and Funchess are going to score points on a lot of teams.  And although Gardner was playing Funchess while our secondary seemed to be playing Funcheckers, our coach made some gutsy calls late in the game while Hoke seemed to be reading Paterno:  By The Book and playing conservatively not to lose.

Was the QB sneak in regulation brilliant or a poor call that just worked out?  It had already failed earlier in the game, albeit I think that fourth down was slightly more than a yard, rather than inches.  But what if Hackenberg hadn't made it?  What if it took them twenty seconds to unpile the mass of bodies on the goal line, with no touchdown signal.  With no time outs, the clock may have run out on what is now one of the best wins in the O'Brien era.

It's funny how Sunday Morning (or Thursday evening) Quarterbacking works that way.  When you win, you tend to forget about the bad calls.  When you win, there are no bad calls.  If the players execute, the coach looks like a genius.  If the kid boots the field goal wide, the coach looks like a conservative jerk who should have played to win.

But even some visiting fans had a good experience, the outcome notwithstanding.  Although not this guy . . .

What's worse than losing in 4 OTs?

From the above article . . .

This weekend was a different story. As the few Wolverine fans trickled into Beaver Stadium they realized that the structure was possibly even more impressive than our very own Big House.

The white out stands for what separates the Penn State game environment from that of Michigan. During a maize out, Michigan Stadium has one maize section where the students stand and a mixed bag of maize and blue throughout the rest of the bowl. Fans don’t put much stock in participating in the game atmosphere but simply want to watch their team win. It’s tradition.

But in Happy Valley every single fan is ready to cheer like crazy for Penn State from the opening kickoff. The white out was breathtaking. Over 100,000 strong were decked out in all white and shaking white pompoms as Bill O’Brien led his team onto the field. This scene was unlike anything our little group of Michigan students had ever experienced.

Though it has a smaller capacity than the Big House, Beaver Stadium is built entirely above ground and is much more intimidating both inside and outside. Second and third decks keep all of the sound in while reaching up much higher than the final rows in Ann Arbor. If you’re wondering how a structure like this can be safe, you aren’t alone.

Penn State’s famous chant is the Zombie Nation cheer, which gets the entire audience involved in jumping and screaming along. Because it was one of the things I was really looking forward to, I asked our host, a senior at Penn State, about Zombie Nation.

“There’s a new rule that we can only do it two times each game,” he told me. “We were doing structural damage to the stadium so they had to limit us.”

At the suggestion of damaging a concrete structure like Beaver Stadium I was astonished, but when Penn State came back and tied the game with under a minute remaining in regulation, Zombie Nation blared and the back wall of the stadium was visibly wavering back and forth with the Nittany Lion faithful.

It was the most incredible atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of, and I wasn’t even in an appreciative mood.

Following such an emotional win I expected to be mercilessly harassed by the Penn State students all night, but was surprised when they continued a trend set before the game. . .  It was extremely strange. We weren’t sure how we felt about the hospitality because it didn’t feel right, but it was much better than being harassed in Columbus or East Lansing. After the game there were fans that laughed and jeered at us, but the number that told us good game probably outnumbered them.

Even though they always seem to beat Michigan in recent years, and they ended our undefeated season, it’s hard to hate Penn State fans because of how cool they were; both when they were sure they would lose and after they had won.

I have been to Michigan Stadium thrice, and have been a-maized at how quiet those games have been except for the odd play or two every now and then.  My experience outside of the Penn State section was BAD.  The two games I sat with other PSU fans were positive experiences, except for one loss.  The stadium is built into the ground, so it doesn't look like much outside on street level.  But it is a really big bowl that doesn't hold the sound in well.  We'll see how Indiana fares in that venue this week.

Speaking of this week, in the Big Ten . . .

THEM is favored by 9 points in Ann Arbor over the Hoosiers.  After losing to Indiana, I guess we have to root for the wolverines.  Did I just type that out loud?  Even if we can't win a Big Ten Title, that doesn't mean we can't win a fantasy title, does it?

Iowa travels to Columbus to take on the Bucks who are favored by 16.5 points.  GO HAWKS!

Northwestern is favored by 12.5 and expected to bounce back against the Gophers.

The Boilers travel to face the Spartans in East Lansing.  Sparty is favored by . . .wait a minute till we add this all up . . . 26.5 points!  I hope Purdue wins, but I gotta say, Sparty wins this one.  No OTs will be required.

The Badgers, favored by 11.5, head to Illinois.  ON WISCONSIN!

Penn State and Nebraska are both off again.

Future Big Ten Team Maryland is favored by 6.5 over Wake Forest.  GO TERPS! 

Rutgers is off.

In games around the country:

Miami (FL) is leading UNC 13-7 in the second quarter, but quite frankly, I've been watching the Pens who are up 2-1 on the Cryers at the end of two periods.  Philly accidentally scored a goal with 2 seconds left to actually make this a game!

Notre Dame is favored by 3 over Southern Cal.  GO TROJANS!

Stanford is favored by 5 over UCLA.  Hmm.  GO BRUINS!

Alabama is favored by 28.5 over Bret Beliema's Hawgs.  ROLL TIDE ROLL!

F$U is favored by 3 over Clem's son.  GO TIGERS!

Unscientific Data

FAIL! To the Victors!

FAIL!  FAIL! To Michigan!

What a game?!  Seriously?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Penn State blows a 21-10 half-time lead to fall behind 34-24?   YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Ficken misses a 40-yard FG in the first OT?!   YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Penn State blocks a FG in the first OT to send it into a second OT?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Both teams manage to kick field goals without incident in the second OT?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Allen Robinson fumbles on the first play of the third OT?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Gibbons misses a field goal from the 33 to send this game into a FOURTH OT?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Gibbons kicks a field goal.

THEM kicks a successful field go to go up 40-37?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

O'Brien goes for it on fourth and one in the fourth OT?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

And Penn State makes it?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

A PI call against THEM?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Touchdown PSU on a sneak that failed to get a first down in the first quarter, which seemed like a couple of days ago?!  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

I AM SERIOUS!

This was the BEST GAME ever.  Not the best win (think OSU in 2005, or Nebraska in 2002, 1982, or the 1987 Fiesta Bowl) ever, but the most exciting up and down, back and forth, hit the other guy in the face, make a mistake and then atone for it game I have ever witnessed in person.  BAR NONE.  And the fact that it was against THEM?  Priceless.

I feel sorry for the fans that left to get a jump on traffic when it looked like the referines were going to find a way to make sure this previously undefeated THEM squad came out with another W, earned or not.

You left to beat the traffic?  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

I am not going to discuss the officiating in any detail, suffice it to say that is was another stellar performance by the Big Ten crew.  They did their best, but their best just wasn't good enough.  So many games against this team have been swayed by bad and, quite frankly, atrocious calls, that nothing surprises me anymore.  The crowd hailed loud boos on the crew late in the game, and there was a poetic justice, a perverse irony that a pass interference call against the wolverine defense helped set-up Penn State's winning touchdown to end the game 43-40.  I was sitting above the north end zone and it certainly looked like PI to me.  But I had already seen plays more egregious than this one not flagged, and plays far less obvious flagged.  You just never know what these Big Ten officials are going to call. 

For years, THEM fans have told Penn State fans to stop complaining and stop being whiners.  Bad calls equal out.  I'm not sure PSU actually benefitted from any bad calls yesterday, but for once, they didn't hurt us.  I have nothing to complain about.

I can't remember when the last time PSU came back from a 10 point deficit in the final quarter to win a game.  I'm sure it has happened (OSU for win #323 maybe).  Actually, against Northwestern last year we scored 22 points in the fourth to win 39-28.  But in the Big Ten JoePa era, those kinds of wins were few and far between.  And this win/comeback was all the more difficult with a freshman QB and only 50 ticks left on the Timex.

Allen Robinson almost pulled a Tony Johnson 2002, but replay overturned the bad call on the field this time.  Ain't modern technology great?  And then, in one of the "plays of the game" Allen Robinson grabbed the jump ball at the six inch line to set Penn State up for the tying TD in regulation.

And if the 2002 flashback catch/non catch on the sideline was not frightening enough, it appeared as if Penn State left too much time on the clock.  With 29 seconds left, Penn State elected to kick-off instead of squibbing.  The ghost of 2005 reared its ugly head, and THEM returned the ball to the 35 yard line.  One play later, the wolverines were on the PSU 40 and inching towards a game winning FG try.  The wolverines would get as close as the PSU 35 yard line, but with 7 seconds left, and only third down, Hoke opted to kick the FG instead of running another play to get a few more yards.  Bad choice for THEM; good one for us.  In what would be a foreshadowing of the ensuing OT conflict, Gibbons missed the 52-yarder, leaving it short instead of wide.

And the rest, as they say, is history. 

“History belongs to the victors, legends to the people, fantasy to literature. Only death is certain.”  --Péter Esterházy

Only the victors valiant wore Blue and White on this night.

BY THE NUMBERS:

The stats from GoPSUsports:

	THEM	PSU
FIRST DOWNS...................	21	24
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............	54-149	44-85
PASSING YDS (NET).............	240	305
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........	29-15-2	45-23-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....	83-389	89-390
Fumble Returns-Yards..........	1-24	0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............	0-0	3-26
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........	6-154	2-39
Interception Returns-Yards....	2-5	2-32
Punts (Number-Avg)............	6-40.8	4-44.8
Fumbles-Lost..................	2-1	2-2
Penalties-Yards...............	7-62	5-56
Possession Time...............	36:13	23:47
Third-Down Conversions........	4 of 18	3 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions.......	0 of 0	2 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......	2-3	5-6
Sacks By: Number-Yards........	4-16	3-22

Above, I put "plays of the game" in quotes, because there were several.  The fumble by Zwinak to open the second half was one.  Not good for us, but sparked the wolverine resurgence.  The Allen Robinson fumble in the third OT.  Again, not a great play for us, but it could have been disastrous.  The blocked field goal by Baublitz.  Great!  The catches by Allen Robinson in the final drive--exceptional.

The defense held Toussaint (Mr. Halloween) to 27 yards.  Unfortunately, Gardner posted 121 yards to make their offense look presentable.  The wolverines controlled time of possession--a lot of good that did THEM.

Technically, his name translates to All Saint's Day, but close enough to be funny.

The key stats, which you don't see above--are the missed/blocked field goals by both teams.  Penn State (read Bill O'Brien) again gambled on fourth and short fairly deep in his own territory--and lost.  But this week, it did not cost us any points directly, as the defense held and forced a punt.  However, it set-up bad field position and THEM eventually added a field goal to go up 10-7.

INTANGIBLES:

Penn State won the toss and deferred.  After fumbling the first possession away, that didn't work out so well.  THEM won the toss in OT.  Didn't work out so well for THEM either.

The homecoming crowd numbered 107,884.  Most stayed until the very end.

According to a television announcer I heard, this was the LONGEST game in Big Ten history.

The drum major stuck both flips and the half time show featured the a cappella group, The Statesmen, as well as the Alumni Band.

One of the people in our group wore a THEM jersey (at least it was white!)  He is a student at PSU Altoona.  Don't ask me.  My daughter brought him.  Some girls bring home dead beat derelicts with tattoos and piercings.  My daughter brought home a THEM fan.  What can I say?  She tells me he is just a friend--not a boyfriend.  So I've got that going for me.

Why do opposing fans have to be so obnoxious?  Such as asking all the white-clad PSU fans why they are no longer standing and cheering after the wolverines made a play?  You can't possibly be THAT stupid, so it must be asked for the sole purpose of being annoying.  My brother-in-law's friend was behind us, and he asked my daughter's "friend" what his name was.  After telling him, he said.  "Nice to meet you, ___.  Now shut the [bleep] up."  He felt sorry, though--he thought he was only thinking it, but he actually said it out loud.  Our win made the trip home much more tolerable, although his tears were annoying at times.

The Goodyear Blimp sailed over Beaver Stadium in a rare appearance.  This must have been a B1G game!

Penn State is 4-3 in OT games, riding a four game winning streak in post-regulation play.

The B1G PICTURE:

The Cornhuskers threshed and thrashed Purdue 44-7.  Michigan State had no problem against the Hoosiers, winning 42-28.  And Wisconsin went all Bret Bielema over Northwestern, running up a 35-6 victory over the Wildcan'ts.

Speaking of Bielema, Arkansas was smothered by South Carolina 52-7.  Schaudenfreude, baby.

Illinois, Iowa, the Suckeyes, and Minnesota were all off.

SHEDDING TEARS:  (plenty to go around this week--"upset" Saturday)

1.  Stanford falls to Utah, 27-21.
2.  Georgia falls to Mizzou 41-26.  Five offensive starters for Georgia were out.  Boo Hoo.  Try playing with 65 scholarships, bulldogs.
3.  Oklahoma lost the Red River Rivalry to Texas, 36-20.
4.  Virginia Tech beat Pitt 19-9.  Oh, wait.  That wasn't an upset.
5.  Temple (0-6) loses to Cincy 38-20.
6.  Rutgers falls to Louisville 24-10.
7.  Virginia loses to Maryland 27-26.  Hope they missed an extra point! ;)

LOOKING AHEAD:



This is a big one, Billy!

Bye Week.

The Buckeyes at Columbus are on deck.  The Bucks face Iowa next week in Columbus.

This is a big one.  Gotta pull out the old Billy (O'Brien) Baroo.  Oooo, Billy, Billy, Billy.

Weekly Game Guide: Us vs. THEM

For those who have followed this blog, THEM refers to the Wolverines.  That "team Up North" was already taken by Woody Hayes, and from a Penn State point of view, Ann Arbor is Up Northwestern.  And there's already a Northwestern, so that didn't make any sense.

Hence, THEM.  As in, THE M.  You know--that big block "M" that marches to the fight song that makes 110,000 idiots pump their fists in the air while yelling about concrete heroes and liters of the best.  They are too sexy for their helmets.  Their helmets have wings.  Like a maxipad.  Whatever.

THEM is favored by 2 over the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.  Two weeks ago, I thought this was a pretty sure win.  We seemed to be improving each week.  Our defense seemed capable.  THEM was struggling to beat the likes of Akron and UConn. 

But then a funny thing happened on the way to that sure thing.  We played one of our worst games top to bottom of the Bill O'Brien era.  Nothing seemed to go right in Bloomingdale.  I racked my brain to come up with a positive and this is the best I could do:  We didn't have any serious injuries in a TWENTY point loss to a team that had never beaten us in the history of college football.

Now, I'm not so sure how we'll handle THEM.  But with a few beers and watching Louisville struggle a bit against Rutgers, I'm confident that we are not in Indiana anymore Toto.

I'm not sure where we're at, but I do know this . . . WE ARE . . . PENN STATE!

BEAT THEM!


In the Big Ten (favorite noted in parentheses with points):

Michigan State (9 pts.) is favored over the Hoosiers.  Was last week a fluke, or is Indiana that capable?  The Spartans may have a better defense than PSU, but MSU is averaging 21.5 points per game against FBS schools (they scored 55 against Youngstown State that I didn't include because they are FCS and it didn't help my argument here.)  I'm leaning toward the Hoosiers on this one.  GO INDIANA!

Nebraska (14.5 pts) is favored over the Boilermakers.  GO BIG RED!

Wisconsin (10 pts.) is favored over Northwestern at Camp Randall.  ON WISCONSIN!

The Illini, Iowa, Minnesota, and the Buckeyes are off this week.

In Games from around the country:

Alabama (27 pts) returns to their old Kentucky home.  ROLL TIDE ROLL.

Can Rutgers beat Louisville tonight?  They're down by 10 heading into the fourth quarter.  Looks like Papa's in the house tonight.  The Rutgers QB--Nova?  Shouldn't he be playing for Villanova?  And doesn't Nova mean "it doesn't go" in Spanish?  Hopefully the Cardinals don't speak Spanish.  I hope Rutgers pulls this out.  After watching the Pirates, I've seen way too many happy Cardinals recently.

Maryland take son Virginia (no line.) GO TWERPS!

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, takes on Mack Brown's Texans in Dallas.  GO SOONERS!

LSU (7pts.) plays Florida.  GO GATORS!

Temple (0-5) is playing worse than the Steelers (0-4) at least to this point.  They are 21.5 point dogs to Cincinnati on Friday.  I guess the Owls are hoping for a #1 draft pick next year.

Buckeyes Get Burned

A THEM recruit, Logan Tuley-Tillman, has burned the Buckeyes before he even steps foot in THEM Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Apparently, the whimsical, fun-loving recruit tweeted a picture he took burning an envelope from Ohio State. 

The highly touted offensive tackle from Peoria, Ill., has committed to the Wolverines' 2013 recruiting class, and posted the photo Saturday.

''I wanted to do it and send a message because people kept saying I was going to flip to Ohio,'' Tuley-Tillman said. ''I don't know why they sent me that letter when they know I'm committed to Michigan. I don't like the state of Ohio or that school. I can't wait to play them.''

Don't you just have to love kids these days!  He doesn't even like the state of Ohio!  Michigan is a much nicer state.  Not.

I imagine the Buckeyes can't wait to play you, Logan.

Fox Sports reports on the backlash:

Tuley-Tillman told Yahoo! Sports that he has received death threats from Ohio State fans since posting the photo.

"There have been a couple death threats," he told the website. "And they've been sending my mom messages on Facebook. I just told her you can't listen to it because it's one of the biggest rivalries in [Michigan-Ohio] sports."

Logan talks about his trip to Columbus . . .

He told Yahoo! Sports that his experience with Ohio State fans while in Columbus led to his decision to commit to the Wolverines.

"I was up there and the fans were cussing me out and they were saying '(expletive) you' and stuff like that while I was walking through the mall," he told the website, while admitting that he was wearing a Michigan hat. "It wasn't like in my face. They were like saying things and then would power walk away. One of them actually threw something at me, but it didn't hit me. So, that's how it started."

You wore a THEM hat to your visit in Columbus?  Isn't that just begging inisisting asking for trouble with a capital T? I hope it wasn't the quarterback who threw something at you and missed!

We just have to hope that lighting dog poop isn't illegal in Illinois!

They've Fallen (and they can't get up!)

Matador Sports (Ole!) has composed a list of ten football teams that have fallen from their former greatness.

Revenge of The Fallen

Still, sometimes the stars align in such a way that a great program descends into mediocrity and can’t find its way back. These 10 former powerhouses can attest to the old adage that all glory is fleeting.

1. Notre Dame

No compilation of the greatest college sports dynasties would be complete without mentioning the Fighting Irish at least once. Between 1946 and 1949, the program won three national championships with an incredible 36-0-2 record. This was after winning six national titles from 1919-1930. From 1964 to 1988 they would win four more trophies. It’s now been 24 years and counting since the storied team has won a title. There have been bad losses at home, coaches fired after middling seasons, and repeated failures to make bowl games. Students and fans continue to look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

2. Yale

3. Southern Methodist University

4. Nebraska

Back-to-back national titles in 1970 and 1971 cemented the Cornhuskers into powerhouse status. In 1973, coach Tom Osborne took over and the team won at least nine games in every one of his 25 seasons there, with national championships in ’94 [BOGUS], ’95, and ’97. After Osborne left, the program held on until 2002, then the slide began. The 2004 season was the team’s first losing one in 43 years. In 2007, the Huskers lost five consecutive games for the first time in 49 years. After firing their coach and hiring Bo Pelini, NU has finished 10-4 and 9-4 in two years, and commentators are beginning to wonder if a return to former glory could be on the horizon for one of the winningest programs in history.

5. Miami

6. Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers of the modern era are not a bad team; they made seven bowl games in the 2000s. It’s just that they were once so successful, and then they fell off the map for 40 years. Beginning in 1910, they won at least a share of 13 national titles in 29 seasons, with winnings records in 27 of those seasons. But from 1938 to 1972, they recorded 22 losing seasons and only attended two bowl games. They turned it around in 1973 and won a national championship in ’76, and stayed ranked nearly every year until 1990, when they fell off the map for the entire decade, recording just one winning season. The ’76 title was their last since.

7. Texas A&M

8. Florida State

9. Michigan

Michigan’s legacy of football greatness was rolling right along before the kickoff to the 2007 season. This was the school that had claimed 11 national championships and 42 conference titles in its storied history. Then they lost to Appalachian State at home in the opener. Then they got pummeled by Oregon. They salvaged the season and won their bowl game, but then they got a new coach who overhauled the offense. The result was a 3-9 record, the Wolverines’ first losing season in 41 years, followed by another losing season the next year. A 7-5 record in 2010 was not enough to save the coach’s job. The 10-2 record of last year was promising, but long-time Michigan fans are still awaiting the school’s first national title since 1997.

10. Fordham University

Among the comments, some feel Minnesota and the University of Chicago were slighted.  Oklahoma and Tennessee also received mention. 

The Dust is Settling

THEM has hired Brady Hoke, much to the chagrin of mgoBlog.

This is a stupid hire. It will always be as stupid hire and David Brandon just led the worst coaching search in the history of Michigan football. He managed to chase off half of an already iffy recruiting class, hired a Plan C coach on January 11th, probably ensured the transfer of the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and restricted his "national search" to people who'd spent at least five years in Ann Arbor. Michigan just gave themselves a year of USC-level scholarship reduction voluntarily.

What are the chances that the best available coach is a 52-year-old with a 47-50 career record and no experience as a coordinator?

I'd rather have Rich Rodriguez entering year four with a new defensive staff than this, a total capitulation.

A completely average coach should be able to take 20 returning starters on a 7-6 team that sees the schedule ease considerably and get to 9-3. That's good, because that's probably what we hired. If Denard's out the door all bets are off except "will Brian cut down or across?"

I have to be careful here, as Penn State could very well be in this situation in the foreseeable future.  For the Penn State optimists, that means the end of next season.  For Paterno, well, that could be another 4-5 years, since, well, he hasn't really thought about it.  Seriously?  How can you be 84 years old and NEVER really thought about retirement?  If they ever teach him how to download a jar of peanut butter, he may live forever.

But since we are not in this situation in the foreseeable present, it is rather funny to watch the names like Miles and Harbaugh basically pass--thanks, but no thanks--on what should have been a dream job for them.  But sometimes dreams become nightmares.

And for Tom Bradley, things have gotten no better.  No job at Temple.  No job at Pitt.  And now UConn is in the final stages of securing Mark Whipple.  Mr Whipple????

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!

Trick & Treat

On a dark Halloween evening, with scary ghouls like Denard Robison scaring fans and players alike, it was a wily old coach who pulled a trick out of his bag with a fake field goal to seal the deal on a shoot out that made Beaver Stadium look like the OK Corral.  The Lions out lasted the Wolverines 41-31 before an energetic crowd and student white-out.

For Penn State, it was redemption.  It was a win to salvage an otherwise dismal season.  It was a prime time victory as the underdog going up against a ranked--albeit 25th in only one poll--team.  It was another payback for a string of losses at the hands of the Evil Empire Up North.  A win over THEM is ALWAYS a wonderful and special thing.

We sat near some UM fans, wearing those winged helmet things.  Their attitude summed up the fan base as I have had the displeasure of meeting to date.  Before THEM kicked their field goal, they were mouthing off that UM would NOT kick a field goal.,  They didn't have a field goal kicker.  They would go for it.  When they did line up to kick the field goal, these two buffoons "couldn't watch."  "Here comes the shank."  The guy split the uprights.

These fans of THEM are the same ones that all week talked about how bad their defense was, and how nervous they were about this game . . . . but deep down inside they already had this W chalked up.  It was lip service and nothing less.  They truly expected to win.  They own Penn State after all.  They were stunned that they did not win.

But stunned they should be.  A third string quarterback on a middle of the pack Big Ten team just beat THEM.  The betting line was only 2.5 points, but from reading the message boards and listening to the analysts this week, you would have thought THEM was favored by 7 touchdowns.  I'm surprised Penn State even bothered to show up.

But show up we did.  With our pathetic offensive line that allowed only one sack.  With our struggling running back who set a school record for career yardage.  With our third string QB walk-on, the first walk-on QB to ever start a game at Penn State, who calmly led this team to 41 points and nary an interception or turn-over.  With our addled, elderly and befuddled coach that sadly the game has passed by.

Mere words cannot express the joy and pleasure this game brought to a Penn State fan like me, and I am sure to millions across the country.   The two THEM fans did not return to their seats after halftime.  I didn't miss them.

Penn State won this game in several key areas.  First, they came out pumped and excited and tempered that with confidence.  Granted, our offense performed well because of their poor defense, but we could just as easily have struggled to put up 21 points on the board the way we played against the Illini.  Yes--they have a royally awful, putrid defense.  But we took advantage of that as well as we could.  We brings me to key point number two . . .

We had a great game plan.  We passed on first down!  We didn't force McGloin to hand off the ball and play into what little strength THEM had on defense.  Eight different receivers caught passes.  Other teams torched their secondary, and we likewise took advantage of that.  There are very few games in this particular series where our gameplan helped us win the game.  This was one of them.

McGloin silenced his critics.  He was key to this victory.  He did not flinch.  He attacked.  His run to secure a first down was not as athletic as his counterpart in piss yellow and blue, but it was wonderful to watch and it kept the drive alive.  Is there a QB controversy brewing at Penn State?  Probably not.  I suspect Bolden will be back when medically cleared.  But our depth at that position is no longer a question mark or concern.

Receivers hung onto balls.  Royster twisted and strained and second- and third-efforted his way to a first down on a fourth and short, with a will that could not be denied.  Zordich blew into the end zone like a locomotive on fire.  This was a team that was playing to win and that alone made me proud, regardless of outcome.

Defensively, we held the wolverines to a three and out on their first possession.  This may have been the biggest key to victory--keeping THEM off the board first.

When we scored to make it 21-10, there was over three minutes left on the clock.  I turned to my friend and lamented that we left way too much time for Robinson.  But on the ensuing kick-off, THEM fumbled the ball out of bounds at the two, and our defense pinned back their ears.  They forced a second three and out in the half, and PSU took over with a short field after the punt.  We iced the deal with another score before the half making it 28-10.  This was huge because I think it took THEM out of their gameplan and forced them away from Robinson on the ground as much.

When Robinson pulled his team within a touchdown, Penn State answered back with a field goal that Wagner drilled to keep us up two scores.  Like Michael Myers and Jason, this Penn State team would not die.  But neither did the beast on the other side of the ball.

The fake field goal was another key play.  It did not change the score in the game, but THEM had used their final time out just prior to the snap.  There was 3:44 still on the clock, and plenty of time for a quick Robinson strike and on-side kick that would send the stomach acid level to heart burn proportions.  But Wagner made the first down, and it was not easy.  He had to cut the play outside and sprint to the sideline to make enough yardage, but like so many players before him--Zordich, McGloin, Royster--he willed himself to make the yardage.  Penn State kept possession and the frighteningly quick Robinson never got the chance to try on the glass slipper.

The crowd was fantastic!  Thanks to the crowd noise, Robinson had to burn a timeout early in the third quarter, which left them with only two during crunch time.  On the third and fourth down plays on THEM's final possession, the stadium noise was as loud as any other time, though not as sustained as Nebraska in 2002 or Ohio State in 2005.  This game rates a close third, though.

The only disappointment of the night were the empty seats in the student section.  (And yes, there looked to be some in the upper deck of the south end zone.)  But for the students--the so-called best student section in the country--this is unacceptable.  What are the excuses this week?  Apparently, there must be a lot of tests on Monday for which you had to study.  The senior and junior sections NEVER filled up.  It is NOT a problem of getting in.  There was a facebook movement--Project 7--that apparently failed to get the student section filled before the game.  But to the students who did show up--great job!

All in all, the night was a fabulous night to treasure and remember.  A real sweet Halloween treat!

BY THE NUMBERS:

Penn State only punted twice in the game.

Penn State amassed 27 first downs to 19 for THEM.

Our beleagured D held THEM to 432 yards, nearly 100 less than they were averaging.  We actually outgained them by 12 yards!

NO turn-overs in the game by either squad.

On third down conversions, they were 6 of 13 while we were 10-16.  We were 2-2 on fourth down and held THEM to 1-3 on fourth.

Penn State won time of possession 37:29 to 22:31.  A-maize-ing!

INTANGIBLES:

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

JoePa notched win #399.

Crowd attendance was 108,539.  Imagine if the student section had been full!

Evan Royster took the lead as all-time rusher in Penn State history.  Congratulations Evan!

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Michigan State fell at Iowa 37-6.  Wow.  Just . . . wow.

Illoinois defeated Purdue 44-10.

Northwestern edged Indiana 20-17 but Wildcat QB Persa left the game with an apparent concussion.

The Buckeyes blasted Minnesota 52-10.  Aren't they great?

Wisconsin had a bye.

Four teams have one loss in the conference:  MSU, Iowa, Wisconsin and OSU.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Notre Dame--lost to Tulsa 28-27 after throwing an INT in the endzone with 36 seconds left.
2.  Sparty--whacked by Iowa
3.  Missouri--beaten by Nebraska 31-17
4.  F$U--fumbled away a chance to beat NC State
5.  WVU--lost to UConn for the first time ever.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Northwestern comes to Beaver Stadium next Saturday for a 3:30 kickoff.

Here is how the Wildcats have played to date:

W Vanderbilt 23-21
W Illinois State 37-3
W Rice 30-13
W Central Mich 30-25
W Minnesota 29-28
L Purdue 20-17
L Michigan State 35-27
W Indiana 20-17

In the only common opponent  to date, they struggled more with Minnesota.  They led for much of the game against Sparty, but apparently MSU is reverting back to their old form after losing to Iowa badly this weekend.

None of their wins are against opponents with a winning record (Indiana is at .500).

Granted, our resume is not much better, but Temple has a winning record, as does THEM.  Our team has shown some improvement for the first time this season, and NW may be without their starting QB depending on the concussion injury.

I predicted this a win in the pre-season, and I stand by that.  Of course, I would have had JoePa winning #400 against the wolverines, but better late than never.

GO STATE!  BEAT WILDCATS!

SAVOR THE MOMENT:

ENJOY!

THEM Recap

From PSUFootball1:

The Beatagain Wolverines

Penn State gave up its first touchdown in the first half of a game this entire season, but then outscored the miserable wolverines 35-3 en route to a 7-1 record. And the final score doesn’t even reflect how poor this THEM team really is. Why any recruit would even consider joining that mess in Ann Arbor is beyond me.

Is anyone surprised by the 35-10 outcome? Granted, a lot of Penn State fans were nervous about this game . . . but that was anxiety over whether we would play to win versus playing not to lose or it was angst over the referines who with the flip of a flag or two seconds on the clock could change the outcome of the game. Most of the Penn Staters I talked to did not worry about THEM having the better team. Most were worried about getting screwed.

Even so, there was some clock mayhem before the end of the half when the game clock froze and gave THEM 10-12 extra seconds. It was immaterial as Forcier fumbled and was forced to spike the ball with no time outs, leading to a short field goal. But the game was still relatively close at that point.

Yet the talking heads of sports media anointed Forcier as the best quarterback in the Big Ten. Based on what? Is it because of a single good game against an Irish team that couldn’t stop a nerdy kid with acne and no date from scoring on prom night? Forcier has as much claim to that title as Obama does to a Nobel Peace Prize. I ended up watching most of the game at my sister’s surprise birthday party and thankfully the sound was off. I would have expected better from Millen.

The guys with ugly helmets and piss yellow pants managed just 110 yards on the ground—they were averaging 235 yards per game. The tandem of 4CA and Robinson combined for a less than a-maize-ing 140 passing yards, going 13-33 (39%) and throwing two picks. We already knew their defense was bad, but Graham Zug had a career day being lonely in the THEM endzone. The coverage wasn’t bad—it was non-existent.

The weak spot of our team is obviously special teams, and they did not disappoint. But even when Penn State gift wrapped a possession on the 24 yard line following a blocked punt, the hapless men in yellow fumbled the ball back to us. They lost two fumbles on the day. They recovered a third fumble, but it cost them a chance for a TD before the end of the first half. But on behalf of the special teams, our kick-offs were more productive and included a 54 yard return by Chaz Powell to open the third quarter.

A bad snapped sailed past 4CA for a safety. Penn State capitalized by throwing a 60 yard pass to Quarless two plays later, the only touchdown not thrown to Zug all alone in the endzone. The rout was on and Penn State never looked back.

Penn State fans can only hope that Rich Rod is there to stay.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From GoPSUsports:

Team Totals	PSU	THEM
FIRST DOWNS	18	17
Rushing	9	9
Passing	8	7
Penalty	1	1
NET YARDS RUSHING	166	110
Rushing Attempts	40	40
Average Per Rush	4.2	2.8
Rushing Touchdowns	0	1
Yards Gained Rushing	192	151
Yards Lost Rushing	26	41
NET YARDS PASSING	230	140
Completions-Attempts-Int	16-27-0	13-33-2
Average Per Attempt	8.5	4.2
Average Per Completion	14.4	10.8
Passing Touchdowns	4	0
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	396	250
Total offense plays	67	73
Average Gain Per Play	5.9	3.4
Fumbles: Number-Lost	0-0	3-2
Penalties: Number-Yards	5-35	5-33
PUNTS-YARDS	7-215	7-314
Average Yards Per Punt	30.7	44.9
Net Yards Per Punt	26.9	39.3
Inside 20	4	1
50+ Yards	0	2
Touchbacks	0	1
Fair catch	1	3
KICKOFFS-YARDS	7-421	4-225
Average Yards Per Kickoff	60.1	56.2
Net Yards Per Kickoff	41.7	31.5
Touchbacks	2	0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	3-19-0	2-27-0
Average Per Return	6.3	13.5
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	4-99-0	4-89-0
Average Per Return	24.8	22.2
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	2-43-0	0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	34:48	25:12
1st Quarter	7:54	7:06
2nd Quarter	6:54	8:06
3rd Quarter	9:55	5:05
4th Quarter	10:05	4:55
Third-Down Conversions	5 of 15	3 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 0	1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	5-5	2-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards	5-26	2-12
PAT Kicks	3-3	1-1
Field Goals	2-2	1-1

INTANGIBLES:

Penn State won the toss and deferred.

Penn State has won back to back games in this series for the first time since 1994-96.

Attendance at the Outhouse was 110,377. Kudos to the Penn State fans who made the trip.

JoePa notches win #390, still 5 ahead of Bowden who somehow managed a come from behind win at UNC.


THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

!*w@ somehow managed to remain undefeated as they beat Sparty 15-13 with a TD pass on the final play of the game. It was a play that gave me Henne to Manningham nightmares all over again. It was the first time Ferentz has won at East Lansing. I just shake my head. Is there a luckier undefeated team out there? In history? The Hawks take on Indiana next week.

The Bucks bounced back against the Gophers. The game was close in the first half, 7-0, but a big fourth quarter and multiple turnovers helped Ohio State cruise past Minnesota 38-7 in the second half. The Buckeyes take on New Mexico State next week.

Northwestern had to come from behind to beat the Hoosiers 29-28, having trailed 28-3! The Wildcats will host PSU in Evanston next week.

Purdue continued its winning ways, and Illinois continued its losing ways, as the Spoilermakers won 24-14. Illinois takes on THEM next week.

The Badgers are back in action next week against Purdue.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. For MSU—you should have hired THEM’s clock operator. There wouldn’t have been a second left on that clock.
2. For UNC—dadgummit
3. For Tennessee—missed/blocked field goals huge in two point loss to Bama
4. For Miami—lost in OT to Clemson

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State heads to Evanston next week to take on the Wildcats. Northwestern has not duplicated their bowl season success of a year ago when they took Missouri into OT but came up short. They have struggled more this season than I thought they would.

To date:

Towson W 47-14
Eastern Michigan W 27-24
Syracuse L 37-34
Minnesota L 35-24
Purdue W 27-21
Miami(OH) W 16-6
Michigan State L 24-14
Indiana W 29-28

So their only impressive win was against Purdue, and that was impressive only because Purdue went on to upset the Buckeyes. They have lost to the good teams they have faced, if you assume Syracuse and Minnesota are good. The only quality opponent on that list is Sparty and they lost that game.

Of course, it is possible that Penn State could be caught looking ahead to Ohio State. I don’t think that will happen, and we shouldn’t even need our “A” game to win this one.

Two QB or Not 2 QB

That is the question.

From Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror, THEM may use both QBs in the game today.

Tate Forcier looked so impressive leading Michigan back against Notre Dame in week two that it seemed odd the exciting freshman would be embroiled in a quarterback controversy just four weeks later.

Forcier, two weeks removed from a concussion, will start for the Wolverines on Saturday, but Penn State also must be prepared to face backup Denard Robinson.

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said using two quarterbacks has "been the plan all year," and he will continue to give both freshmen opportunities. Forcier did not play well - 8-of-19 for 94 yards and one interception - two weeks ago in a 30-28 loss at
Iowa. He was pulled late in the game in favor of Robinson, who led the Wolverines to a late touchdown but threw an interception on a final drive with 46 seconds to go.

Michigan's coaches did not know at the time that Forcier had suffered a concussion. The switch in that game, Rodriguez said, was made because of performance.

Forcier, who chose Michigan over Penn State in the recruiting battle, said he's back to 100 percent after the concussion and a shoulder injury suffered in week four against Indiana.

Penn State's defense will see two very different styles between Michigan's two quarterbacks. Forcier is a much more polished passer, while at this point in Robinson's career he is primarily a running threat.

So for Penn State fans, who would we rather see in the backfield? Despite his claims of being one hundred percent, and despite THEM's offensive numbers, Forcier seems to be regressing as the season goes on. But, if we can't collapse the pocket, he could pick us apart all afternoon. The coaches also have more 4CA on film to prepare for than Robinson.

And while Robinson adds another dimension--running, I think that takes some pressure off the secondary (in terms of coverage but possibly at the expense of increased pressure on run support), and we have done well containing the running QBs we have faced, especially Juice Williams. I think we might fare better against Robinson, but if 4CA is not truly 100%, I'd have to think we'd do OK against him as well. A true platoon may be good for us, as each of them tries too hard to outdo the other and forces too many plays. Neither one would have the opportunity to settle into a groove.

DickRod Shining

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy. All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All

Workouts

And

No

Play

Makes

DICK

A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts And No Play Makes Dick A Dull Boy.

All Workouts

And No Play

Makes DICK

A

Dull Boy.

By The Numbers: THEM

Here are the NCAA statistics for Penn State and THEM:





NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Michigan
Rushing	25	8
Passing Offense	37	86
Total Offense	19	25
Scoring Offense	42	9
Rushing Defense	6	58
Turnovers Gained	68	68
Passes Had Intercepted	68	85
Pass Defense	14	80
Net Punting	86	2
Punt Returns	96	71
Kickoff Returns	119	37
Turnover Margin	67	88
Fumbles Recovered	97	85
Passes Intercepted	31	43
Fumbles Lost	39	66
Turnovers Lost	63	82
Passing Efficiency	32	54
Pass Efficiency Defense	12	38
Total Defense	5	64
Scoring Defense	2	46
Fewest Penalties Per Game	9	30
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	5	36
Punt Return Yardage Defense	116	46
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	84	87
Offense Third-down Efficiency	3	44
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	64	49
Defense Third-down Efficiency	21	34
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	4	56
Tackles for Loss	7	33
Offense Tackles for Loss	10	88
Pass Sacks	11	86
Pass Sacks Allowed	16	49
Time of Possession	9	114
First Downs	16	30
First Downs Allowed	3	47
Red Zone Efficiency	67	78
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	1	47
Average NCAA Rank:	37.14	55.38
Weighted Avg. Rank:	28.92	46.5

The only common opponent for both to date is !*w@. Both teams lost, and both teams had late opportunities to tie/win that went for naught on turnovers. For all the talk about how close this game will be, the NCAA stats are heavily in favor of the Lions. THEM leads significantly in a few categories: net punting, punt return yards, kick-off return yards and kickoff return defense. I hope they lead in punting this week as well, since you don't put points on the board if you are punting! They are also better in offensive fourth down conversions, but that is a rather dubious honor since it implies that the team has had to go for it on fourth enough times to pad those stats. When you look at the actual numbers, as opposed to the rank, you see PSU has a 4th down conversion of 50%. That is four attempts with 2 conversions. But for THEM, they rank higher based on a 56% efficiency--NINE attempts with five converted. That said, I really hope this game doesn't come down to whether they are able to convert a fourth down or not.

Another quirky stat is the time of possession, where THEM ranks 114th in the country. Yet they have the 8th ranked rushing defense. You would think that a team that good at running the ball, would be pretty good at chewing up the clock. Apparently not. But their offense does make good use of its time, being 9th ranked in the nation in scoring. The time of possession skewing is probably a combination of turnovers, poor passing, and poor defense. They can stop the run, but not the pass. PSU averages TOP of 32:57 while THEM averages 27:07, so the actual disparity of those ranks is about 6 minutes--give or take a COUPLE OF SECONDS! We really should not bet atlking about time in Ann Arbor.

I think the key stats for a Penn State win on the road is our rush defense against their rush offense. Force THEM to pass, and we will have a good chance to win. If we can't contain their run game, it could be a long, dreary afternoon.

Hot Topics

While I fully understand that we have another game this week, I'm going to take a moment to look at a couple of HOT topics in Nittany Nation this week.

First, do we root for Ohio State against USC?

From NittanyFootball.com:

We'll start with Terrelle Pryor...He goes out and wears black eye stickers with "Mike Vick" on them during the Navy game. In the postgame, he says that he has always looked up to Vick.That should have been it. However, and this is where it gets good, he follows it up with this gem... and I quote:"Not everybody is the perfect person in the world,” Pryor said of Vick. “Everyone does — kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance."

Actually while I hate doing it, and in the unlikely event they win I'm really going to hate that OSU fans are happy- I have a hard time not rooting for them on Saturday. Someone has to do something to make this conference not lame.

How does it do PSU any good for the Buckeyes to get whipped by USC? It might make you feel good, but I guess I'm thinking about what puts us in a better position to have a shot at the national championship game.I know Whitey's theory is that an undefeated team will not be kept out of the BCS championship game. Really? Tell that to Auburn. So if there is a choice among three undefeated teams, or among multiple one loss teams, isn't it better for us to have beaten an OSU team that beat USC? And for that matter, the better the record our opponents have as a whole the better for us as long as we beat them all.

Don't get me wrong - I don't root for other Big 10 teams. I don't have a second favorite Big 10 team. I just recognize the practicality of what it means to PSU when thinking about who beats who.

It kills me to say it, but I hope OSU takes out the Trojans this weekend. I'll need to douse myself in gasoline after I pull for them but I hope they win.USC has zero class. At least an OSU win helps the conference.

On the FightonState Messageboard:

If you're not a Buckeye's fan come Saturday night... Then you are crazy and are not thinking straight. OSU needs to be undefeated when they come to Happy Valley. Our schedule this year requires every team we play to be as highly ranked as possible. I have never been this big of a Big Ten fan as I am this year. You want to see PSU in the BCS Championship game? Then root hard for the Bucks on Saturday night.

No they don't. Penn State has to be undefeated come Nov. 7th.

As much as it pains me, I will be cheering for the Buckeyes come Saturday night. Although if TP keeps up with his nonsense I may have to rethink my position

Now there's the one that I'm torn over. Man, I just cannot root for Michigan. But against ND???

To illustrate the importance of this point... we probably would have won the MNC in 1994 if Michigan had defeated Colorado that season. [Not so sure of that!]

Penn State would have won the National Championship in 1994 if the Big Ten was loyal.Not one state in the Big Ten voted for us. Penn State does not need any team in the Big Ten to be anything. Penn State just needs to be undefeated. Penn State undefeated not playing in the BCS championship game with JoePa as coach will kill the BCS. [Didn't I predict that?]

undefeated Florida, undefeated USC, undefeated PSU.. who plays for the title?

the lame system in place now forces us to go against our natural instincts and root for our conference "brethren."

Screw it, I'm rooting for USC.

sorry,i can't root for TP in anything.....

OK--you get the idea. No one really wants to root for THE OSU, but we don't want to look weak because of our conference. And both USC and ND are worthy of our hatred anyway, so it's really just the lesser of two evils. But there is another way to look at it, as noted on the BWI Messageboard:

No way. The worse they are the better we do in recruiting...and eventually we get better and better, our opponents get worse and worse and we become FSU of the 90's.

That's actually a very good point, although Ohio State's recent losses to USC and Florida don't seem to be hurting their recruiting much.

As for me, I don't like to see the Buckeyes win, but I don't like seeing USC win. Either way, there will be some joy and some tears. I usually root against Notre Dame as well--it's too bad it just can't end in a tie.

And just like 1994, it doesn't do any good to beat them, if the voters and coaches don't rank us #1. All you can do is take each game at a time. The worst scenario in my mind is OSU beating USC and then going undefeated, beating us along the way and making it to the title game. I'd need a ledge to leap off of. Plus, I really believe these teams--especially OSU and THEM--play better when they're cocky and confident. I'd rather have them roughed up with bruised egos, rather than thinking the game was already won.

A second HOT topic is the piped-in music at Beaver Stadium--an entire thread of 110 replies . . .STOP Sweet Caroline!

Can they please stop with the Sweet Caroline at the stadium? First, its not original. The Red Sox have played it for years. Can't we be more creative than that?Second, it stinks as a sports song. Its a chick song. "Hands touching hands..." Yeah, thats exactly what I want to hear 100,000 people sing at a football game.

One of several that I wish they would stop playing. If I hear "Don't stop believing" or "living on a prayer" one more time I might jump off old main.

I actually left at halftime and the music was part of the reason. I couldn't stand it anymore. [Really? I mean, really????]

Before Guido came along, the atmosphere was too bland and boring. All the blue hairs were sitting on their hands all game. Too much marching band. Etc, etc, etc.Now Guido has ruined the atmosphere the we used to have. Too much canned music. Too many cheesy gimmicky types of things.Sheesh. [AMEN]

Best songs for football are ones that increase aggression and anger. I have some studies that show strength increased when listening to heavy metal in the gym as opposed to classical/pop. With that said, may I make a few suggestions? Metallica, Mobb Deep, Scarface, Korn. [Lord help us]

Sorry, but stuff like Mobb Deep, Korn, and Scarface is garbage and has no place where there are young kids. Keep that garbage in the gym on your mp3 player. There's plenty of stuff out there that can be used that's not inappropriate.

Well the worst part is, I think we are in the vast minority. I think most people there (many of them the non-hardcore fans) don't mind. [I know I don't. I like to move it move it.]

And on and on.

Really. This is what we complain about. I have been going to PSU games since the 70's and the stadium atmosphere since Guido took over is light years ahead of those past times. I see people complaining that we're trying to be like the NFL. So we have to act like it's a high school game from the '50s instead? I, for one, think Guido is doing a great job. Imagine trying to make 110,000 people happy at the same time.