URBAN MEYER GOES DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

SPARTANS WIN 34-24!

 

BEST NIGHT OF THE SEASON!

 

THANK YOU MSU!

Crock of B(C)S

 

GO SPARTANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't Spell UNSPORTSMANLIKE without O-S-U

Did you know that Urban Meyer won his Big Ten debut game?

Did you know that Michigan State lodged a complaint against the Buckeyes before the game concerning game tapes?

And yes, I know you can't spell UnSPortsmanlike without a P-S-U either.  But the title is still catchy, doncha think? And in this context, more than alphabetically appropriate.

According to this USA Today report:

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said Ohio State doctored the game film it was required to send to MSU before Saturday's game.

Narduzzi told the Detroit Free Press that Ohio State cut off pre-snap motions and shifts before plays on film of its four games prior to Saturday's 17-16 OSU win at Spartan Stadium.

"We had tape cut off all week, where they changed the tape, I'm not going to lie to you," Narduzzi said outside the MSU locker room. "They send you tape and they've got it all cut off, and you don't get to see shifts or motions or anything else."

Big Ten teams are required to provide game film to each other before they play, with footage shot by their respective video staffs. Narduzzi said MSU contacted Ohio State's non-league opponents and got film from them.

It's good to see that Urban Meyer is taking the high road at THE Ohio State U.  Oh, wait.  It's not his fault!

"I don't know anything about that," Meyer said after his news conference. "I don't handle the video. What are they saying?"

Apparently NCAA and Big Ten head coaches are responsible for former employees and investigating crimes, but are not responsible for the operations of their actual football teams.

Asked if he was concerned about a Big Ten inquiry, Meyer said: "There is no video issue here."

Narduzzi indicated that MSU complained to the Big Ten, but MSU associate athletics director John Lewandowski said MSU athletics director Mark Hollis and Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith settled the issue between them, with no Big Ten involvement.

No cover-up here.  You didn't see anything.  The penguins (and the buckeyes) are psychotic.  Or Gene Smith made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Seriously, is this kind of nonsense really necessary?  This is reminiscent of the Pitt Tape Gate episode where Walt Harris refused to give PSU game tapes back in 1997.  I mean someone had to take the time to edit those tapes before they sent them.  This was a deliberate act--the tapes didn't edit themselves--not an accident.  Would it have made any difference in the outcome?  Who knows?!  It's just kind of sad if this is the kind of sophomoric behavior that Meyer has to stoop to to win games.

But at least he didn't descend on State College to recruit players away from O'Brien!

Better Later Than Gator

I just realized that we have a bowl game tomorrow.  OK, I didn't JUST realize it.  I knew it was coming up.  But with holiday parties (I'm the entertainment for our office party--I also do Bar Mitzvahs and Birthdays), meeting with the accountant to figure out how much money I didn't make this year, Christmas, Christmas cards, running a football pool, watching NASCAR bowl games and drinking beer, I just didn't realize the game was coming up so soon.  I must also admit I've been distracted by all the Paterno rumors, which I do plan to blog about after the game is over so as not to distract myself any further.

But despite everything going on, the game is tomorrow.  PSU V. UF.  Paterno V. Meyer.  North V. South.  Big Ten V. SEC.  Tastes great V. Less Filling.

So how do we match up with these Gators?

Both teams are 7-5.  Like PSU, the Gators did not beat a ranked team on their schedule (PSU did beat THEM when they were ranked 25th in one poll, but who's counting?)

Here's how Florida fared:

Team	Result
Miami(OH)	W 34-12
South Florida	W 38-14
Tennessee	W 31-17
Kentucky	W 48-14
Alabama	L 31-6
LSU	L 33-29
Miss State	L 10-7
Georgia	W 34-31 OT
Vanderbilt	W 55-14
South Carolina	L 36-14
App. State	W 48-10
F$U	L 31-7

In the only common opponent, at Alabama, neither PSU nor Florida fared well.

In terms of NCAA rankings, here are how the two teams compare:

NCAA Stats Comparison
Category:	Penn St.	Florida
Rushing	75	44
Passing Offense	52	85
Total Offense	68	79
Scoring Offense	80	48
Rushing Defense	76	26
Turnovers Gained	104	34
Passes Had Intercepted	55	47
Pass Defense	23	13
Net Punting	24	1
Punt Returns	52	53
Kickoff Returns	55	4
Turnover Margin	62	62
Fumbles Recovered	95	86
Passes Intercepted	83	11
Fumbles Lost	3	107
Turnovers Lost	18	91
Passing Efficiency	66	85
Pass Efficiency Defense	79	23
Total Defense	45	9
Scoring Defense	40	31
Fewest Penalties Per Game	3	111
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	3	94
Punt Return Yardage Defense	43	71
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	42	34
Offense Third-down Efficiency	42	73
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	75	63
Defense Third-down Efficiency	8	54
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	14	86
Tackles for Loss	87	41
Offense Tackles for Loss	6	74
Pass Sacks	101	76
Pass Sacks Allowed	12	60
Time of Possession	44	90
First Downs	66	68
First Downs Allowed	35	26
Red Zone Efficiency	76	116
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	118	53
Average NCAA Rank:	52.16	57.54
Weighted Avg. Rank:	57.5	42.17

Penn State has a slight edge in average overall ranking, but the weighted rank, which gives more weight to important categories like Total Offense and Defense, and less emphasis to categories like total penalties, we see that Florida has the better team on paper.

Neither offense is very good, but PSU has a slight edge, especially in scoring.  Uncharacteristically, the PSU defense is struggling this year and the numbers reflect that.  Florida has the edge here and defense is usually the more important factor in winning these games.

But what about the intangibles?

Will the Florida players be motivated to send Urban off with a win?  Or will the uncertainty of their future and the hoopla surrounding the resignation be a distraction?

For Penn State, are the rumors true?  Will Paterno step down afterward?  (I don't think so.)  Are the rumors a distraction, or will they fire up the team the way it seems to have fired up both Joe AND Sue Paterno?

Paterno has done well in bowl games over his career.  Generally if you give Joe enough time, he will have his team prepared.  There have been exceptions to this rule, including the last bowl game against Florida, although PSU played without two of its star players in that match-up.

Penn State is 0-2 all-time versus Florida.

The line favors Florida by 7.5 points.

I think Paterno finds a way to put things together, hopefully using the bowl game as a springboard to a great season next year.  I pick PSU in a close one--somewhere around 20-17.

GO STATE!  BEAT GATORS!

Urban Renewal--NOT!

Trying to keep up with Pitt and Wannstedt, Urban Meyer has AGAIN announced his retirement from college football, nearly a year from his last retirement.

Per ESPN:

Florida coach Urban Meyer says he is leaving one of the premier jobs in college football for the second time to spend more time with his family.


Meyer's announcement caught players, fans and the rest of college football by surprise.


Meyer called assistant coaches, many of whom were on the road recruiting, earlier this week to relay the news. Quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler told the AP he was "stunned" and that no one saw this coming.

Meyer will coach his last game for Florida in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against Penn State in Tampa.


[This] season ended with an embarrassing 31-7 victory to Florida State, Meyer's first loss to the rival Seminoles.

After that game, Meyer vowed to fix the Gators' problems.

So does that mean the problem is Meyer himself, since he promised to fix the problems . . . or can you just not trust him?  You decide!