They Beat the Spread, Anyway
2 days ago
Showing posts with label Video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2014
NCAA Meeting
Please Note: This video is RATED R (sexual language.) Don't blame me. I didn't make the video. But I really enjoyed it!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
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:
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:
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!
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 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!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Dublin or Nothing
With the college football season already started, and Penn State's first game of the James Franklin Era literally hours away from kick-off, I realized that I have not officially prognosticated in public.
My emotions swing from 5-7 to 11-1. There was that one moment when I toyed with the idea of predicting a 12-0 season (which flashed through my mind when I read that Braxton Miller was out for the season), but I am officially going to settle on 10-2.
Don't ask me why. Don't ask me which two games I think we will lose.
There is no more merit in my forecast than any weatherman out there right now.
But with kick-off nearing in Dublin at Croke Park, I will predict a victory for the blue and white over George O'Leary's Golden Knights.
And here are my reasons, in no particular order.
1. Lee Corso picked UCF to wax Penn State.
2. No Bortles.
3. James Franklin.
4. Christian Hackenberg.
5. Come on people, it's UCF. Sure they went 12-1 last season, but this ain't Florida State. I think people are underestimating how important Bortles was to the offense, and are over-estimating what kind of defense the Knights will have this year.
6. James Franklin
7. Clucko the Chicken picks Penn State.
8. Five of six Harrisburg writers pick UCF
9. James Franklin Seriously. This man is a dynamo. And he brings with him a complete staff that he has already worked with and developed chemistry with. THIS IS CRUCIAL. This is not Bill O'Brien parachuting into a war zone with a rag tag team of old friends assembled at the last minute. This is a well oiled machine that managed to post back to back 9 win seasons at Vanderbilt, a school that had not had a 9 win season since 1915.
10. George O'Leary, undefeated ND head coach, who will be toasted to no end at every pub in the country and pickled in free drinks by the time kick-off rolls around.
11. Because WE ARE . . .
PENN STATE!
My emotions swing from 5-7 to 11-1. There was that one moment when I toyed with the idea of predicting a 12-0 season (which flashed through my mind when I read that Braxton Miller was out for the season), but I am officially going to settle on 10-2.
Don't ask me why. Don't ask me which two games I think we will lose.
There is no more merit in my forecast than any weatherman out there right now.
But with kick-off nearing in Dublin at Croke Park, I will predict a victory for the blue and white over George O'Leary's Golden Knights.
And here are my reasons, in no particular order.
1. Lee Corso picked UCF to wax Penn State.
2. No Bortles.
3. James Franklin.
4. Christian Hackenberg.
5. Come on people, it's UCF. Sure they went 12-1 last season, but this ain't Florida State. I think people are underestimating how important Bortles was to the offense, and are over-estimating what kind of defense the Knights will have this year.
6. James Franklin
7. Clucko the Chicken picks Penn State.
8. Five of six Harrisburg writers pick UCF
9. James Franklin Seriously. This man is a dynamo. And he brings with him a complete staff that he has already worked with and developed chemistry with. THIS IS CRUCIAL. This is not Bill O'Brien parachuting into a war zone with a rag tag team of old friends assembled at the last minute. This is a well oiled machine that managed to post back to back 9 win seasons at Vanderbilt, a school that had not had a 9 win season since 1915.
10. George O'Leary, undefeated ND head coach, who will be toasted to no end at every pub in the country and pickled in free drinks by the time kick-off rolls around.
11. Because WE ARE . . .
PENN STATE!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Oasis on Ice
The 2014 Coaches Caravan kicked off at Pegula Ice Arena on May 1st.
Yours truly was there.
 |
| I should have brought a stool or something to stand on! |
I also ran into Carolyn Todd, another blogger. She's a Penn State professor who has recently lost her husband to cancer.
And here I am taking a piece of coconut chicken. My bowling buddies are at the table with me.
And here I am taking a piece of coconut chicken. My bowling buddies are at the table with me.
So what do I think?
I am really excited to get this season going. The recruiting has been fun--still is--but it won't be anything compared to watching Coach Franklin lead his team onto the field September 6th in Beaver Stadium.
The main ceremony took place on a carpeted area on the ice rink.
Franklin was joined by Russ Rose and Bob Warming. Assistant coaches Brent Pry, Bob Shoop, Josh Gattis, and Charles Huff also mingled with the crowd of around 450 guests before hand. Bob Shoop offered another buddy of mine and his son a chance to come to a practice sometime. Coach Chambers was also there but did not speak in the main program.
Once again, Franklin got choked up talking about being the head coach of the Nittany Lions. He has gotten choked up before. Genuine emotion, or hamming it up for the crowd? You decide. I think it's for real, but I have been known to be wrong before. It certainly sounds like this is his dream job.
"For a lot of people, this is a job," Franklin said. "This is personal for me. This means the world to me. For a guy growing up in the state of Pennsylvania to come back and be the head football coach at Penn State is unbelievably special."
"I love that the expectation here is for the head coach to be here for 80 years," Franklin joked.
And it was with a heavy heart, that I suddenly realized that I am probably older (and shorter) than all of the football coaches at Penn State now. I've always been shorter. I might have Spider Caldwell beat!
WE ARE . . . PENN STATE!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
THON sets new record!
After totals over ten million dollars in 2012 and $12.3 million last year, THON raised an unbelievable $13,343,517.33 for the Four Diamonds Fund that benefits families battling pediatric cancer.
CONGRATULATIONS!
But who gave 33 cents?
I'm just kidding, but it reminds me of the joke about the father that finds a box full of money under his teenage daughter's bed. There's a wad of bills--totaling over a hundred dollars--and a single quarter. Since she didn't have a job, and suspecting she had stolen it, he confronted her. She broke down in tears and finally admitted that she took the money from guys in exchange for sex. The father hadn't anticipated this turn of events, and was even more upset. Finally, looking back and forth between her and the money, he demanded, "Who gave you a quarter?!"
Still sobbing uncontrollably, she answered, "they all did, daddy!"
THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED, and to all the students that devoted their time and energy to THON!
Here are videos of the football team and the award winning swimming team . . .
CONGRATULATIONS!
But who gave 33 cents?
I'm just kidding, but it reminds me of the joke about the father that finds a box full of money under his teenage daughter's bed. There's a wad of bills--totaling over a hundred dollars--and a single quarter. Since she didn't have a job, and suspecting she had stolen it, he confronted her. She broke down in tears and finally admitted that she took the money from guys in exchange for sex. The father hadn't anticipated this turn of events, and was even more upset. Finally, looking back and forth between her and the money, he demanded, "Who gave you a quarter?!"
Still sobbing uncontrollably, she answered, "they all did, daddy!"
THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED, and to all the students that devoted their time and energy to THON!
Here are videos of the football team and the award winning swimming team . . .
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
May I Have This Dance?
What day is it?
Come on Mike, I know you can hear me!
A little Hump Day Humor . . . from the Florida Gators, who lost to Georgia Southern this past weekend.
Come on Mike, I know you can hear me!
A little Hump Day Humor . . . from the Florida Gators, who lost to Georgia Southern this past weekend.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Weekly Game Guide: Bye Bye Week Edition
But Virginia Tech is taking on Georgia Tech tonight, currently leading the Rambling Wreck 14-3. GaTech was favored by 7.5 points. Go figure. Still rooting for Georgia Tech in the second half.
In the Big Ten this week . . .
The Ohio $tate $eyes take on da Badgers of Wisconsin. The bucks are favored by 7, apparently regardless of quarterback. Actually, the way the bucks have been scoring, one might wonder if Braxton lost his job. Probably not. Either way, gotta root for da Badgers.
Iowa, who lost to Northern Illinois is favored by 1 over the Gophers in Minnesota. Go Gophers!
Speaking of Northern Illinois, they are favored by 3.5 over Purdue. I'll give you a minute to stop laughing. Seriously, it's not like a MAC team can't Toledo a team like Penn State . . .but to go into the game FAVORED? That's a whole new level of disrespect right there.
Illinois is favored by 24.5 over Miami (OH). Whatever.
Apparently, this is an official bye week in the Big Ten for half the current teams. Penn State, Indiana, Michigan State, THEM, Northwestern, and Nebraska are all off this weekend.
Not to be left out, future members Maryland and Rutgers are off this week as well. Strange things going on. Has anyone seen College Football Gameday stocking up on black coffins and body bags too?
In Other Games:
Central Florida is a 7 point dog to South Carolina. GO KNIGHTS!
Georgia is a 3 point fave over LSU. GO BULLDOGS!
And on the Lighter Side:
I won't post a picture here, but you can check it out over here, if you want.
On a punt return during the Cardinals loss to New Orleans, the tip of Rashad Johnson’s left middle finger was lopped off when the safety tried to tackle running back Darren Sproles.
Afterwards, the 27-year-old went to the Arizona sideline and took off his glove. The tip of the finger was still inside the glove, according to NFL.com, and Johnson continued to play.
Whoa! Let's not put labels on people here. . .
He's a Zombie!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
We Are . . .
Penn State!
Is there any other response?
Apparently, there is, at least in Orlando, Florida.
My family and I spent a couple of days at Universal Studios Florida while vacationing at Disney World. One of the attractions at Universal Studios is a simulation-type "ride" called Disaster! As an aside here, any attraction billed as a "ride" should actually be a ride, but we did end up in a doomed subway car that shook, so I guess that was pretty much the ride right there. But I digress.
A few members of the audience are selected as cast members, and everyone proceeds through a process of filming a disaster-type movie.
After the casting session, the "associate director" instructs the audience that when he yells "We Are . . ." the audience is supposed to respond by yelling back, "Moving On!" And then you actually move on to the next segment of the "ride."
Was this guy hired by the Board of Trustees?
Of course, much to the horror of my teenage children, I yelled out "Penn State" the first time he yelled "We Are." Well what would you have done? I actually said it every time he yelled it, but at a low enough level that my wife and children wouldn't be embarrassed and desert me.
It's actually very ironic that the response they were looking for was MOVING ON and the film is a disaster flick.
What think you?
Is there any other response?
Apparently, there is, at least in Orlando, Florida.
My family and I spent a couple of days at Universal Studios Florida while vacationing at Disney World. One of the attractions at Universal Studios is a simulation-type "ride" called Disaster! As an aside here, any attraction billed as a "ride" should actually be a ride, but we did end up in a doomed subway car that shook, so I guess that was pretty much the ride right there. But I digress.
A few members of the audience are selected as cast members, and everyone proceeds through a process of filming a disaster-type movie.
After the casting session, the "associate director" instructs the audience that when he yells "We Are . . ." the audience is supposed to respond by yelling back, "Moving On!" And then you actually move on to the next segment of the "ride."
Was this guy hired by the Board of Trustees?
Of course, much to the horror of my teenage children, I yelled out "Penn State" the first time he yelled "We Are." Well what would you have done? I actually said it every time he yelled it, but at a low enough level that my wife and children wouldn't be embarrassed and desert me.
It's actually very ironic that the response they were looking for was MOVING ON and the film is a disaster flick.
What think you?
Sunday, May 5, 2013
I Want to be a Blackhawk!
What's really sad, is that she lost her job over that slip of the tongue.
That's kind of taking things to sexcess, if you ask me.
The Penguins have a commercial (it's actually an ad for UPMC) . . . you can't skate like they do, you can't hit like they do, and you can't shoot like they do . . . but you can be treated by the same doctors.
For the Blackhawks . . . you can't score like they do.
GO PENS!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Something old, new, borrowed and Blue
Something old, new, borrowed and blue--the Spring tradition of the Blue White football game may be old, but Coach O'Brien spiced it up with some personal commentary and play calling in the second half, and Michael Mauti was borrowed, so to speak, to help announce on the air waves, while Blue (the defense) rolled to a 67-47 win over the White (the offense) before an estimated crowd of 28,000 fans who braved the cold and wintry mix of sun and precipitation. This is the second year under O'Brien that Blue has won.
I won't belabor you with analysis of the "game" since the scrimmage is a far cry from the real thing, but I will pass on some first impressions I had from actually being at the game (i.e. not watching it on TV and having the ability to pause and replay.)
I think our running game will be pretty good. Yards right up the middle were tough, and that may be more to the credit of the defensive line than a problem with the running game. But I watched a couple of guys with some speed to the edge and some nifty moves. Akeel Lynch ran for 83 yards and a touchdown and appears to be the "real deal." I was particularly impressed with Deron Thompson (who added another 97 yards rushing.)
As for QBs, Bench came out throwing and looked pretty good in his opening drive. However, he had less success as the game went on. Conversely, Fergusen didn't look particularly good in the early going, but had some nice throws and got into more of a rhythm as the scrimmage progressed. None of the other QBs really left any impression on me.
O'Brien came out in the second half and tried to thaw the crowd out. He got the WE ARE . . . PENN STATE chant going and suggested they start the wave. We complied. He also piped his mic over the PA System for a series so we could hear the play calls. I REALLY like this guy.
Zwinak left early with a hand injury, and Allan Robinson wasn't a major factor as a receiver, but he had a really nice reverse for twenty some yards where he actually doubled back (essentially a double reverse that wasn't drawn up as such.)
All of the players who ran, caught or threw for a score today were freshmen or sophomores. Depth may be an issue in the linebacker area, but I thought the D-line did a pretty decent job, and I thought the secondary held their own.
There were no punts in the game, but an extra point and a mid-range (37-yard?) field goal were missed. Concerned about the kicking game even though Ficken seemed to turn things around the latter part of last season.
Five Nittany Lions were recognized for their efforts during halftime of the game. Rising sophomore cornerback Jordan Lucas and junior defensive end C.J. Olaniyan were presented the Jim O'Hora Award. The defensive award is named in honor of Jim O'Hora, a long-time Penn State assistant coach who was a member of the coaching staff for 31 years.
Senior center Ty Howle earned the Red Worrell Award, presented to the offensive player whose spring contribution is most worthy of special tribute. The Nittany Lion coaching staff singled out Lucas, Olaniyan and Howle as the defensive and offensive players, respectively, who have best demonstrated exemplary conduct, loyalty, interest, attitude and improvement during spring practice.
Junior guard Miles Dieffenbach and junior linebacker Mike Hull were recognized as co-recipients of the Frank Patrick Total Commitment Memorial Award. This award goes to junior class squad members who consistently follow through with their responsibilities in all facets of the football program and do so in exemplary manner. This includes academic pursuits, off-season preparation, in-season commitment, demeanor and community service.
Full descriptions of the awards and some past winners can seen at the Penn State web site.
I won't belabor you with analysis of the "game" since the scrimmage is a far cry from the real thing, but I will pass on some first impressions I had from actually being at the game (i.e. not watching it on TV and having the ability to pause and replay.)
I think our running game will be pretty good. Yards right up the middle were tough, and that may be more to the credit of the defensive line than a problem with the running game. But I watched a couple of guys with some speed to the edge and some nifty moves. Akeel Lynch ran for 83 yards and a touchdown and appears to be the "real deal." I was particularly impressed with Deron Thompson (who added another 97 yards rushing.)
As for QBs, Bench came out throwing and looked pretty good in his opening drive. However, he had less success as the game went on. Conversely, Fergusen didn't look particularly good in the early going, but had some nice throws and got into more of a rhythm as the scrimmage progressed. None of the other QBs really left any impression on me.
O'Brien came out in the second half and tried to thaw the crowd out. He got the WE ARE . . . PENN STATE chant going and suggested they start the wave. We complied. He also piped his mic over the PA System for a series so we could hear the play calls. I REALLY like this guy.
Zwinak left early with a hand injury, and Allan Robinson wasn't a major factor as a receiver, but he had a really nice reverse for twenty some yards where he actually doubled back (essentially a double reverse that wasn't drawn up as such.)
All of the players who ran, caught or threw for a score today were freshmen or sophomores. Depth may be an issue in the linebacker area, but I thought the D-line did a pretty decent job, and I thought the secondary held their own.
There were no punts in the game, but an extra point and a mid-range (37-yard?) field goal were missed. Concerned about the kicking game even though Ficken seemed to turn things around the latter part of last season.
Five Nittany Lions were recognized for their efforts during halftime of the game. Rising sophomore cornerback Jordan Lucas and junior defensive end C.J. Olaniyan were presented the Jim O'Hora Award. The defensive award is named in honor of Jim O'Hora, a long-time Penn State assistant coach who was a member of the coaching staff for 31 years.
Senior center Ty Howle earned the Red Worrell Award, presented to the offensive player whose spring contribution is most worthy of special tribute. The Nittany Lion coaching staff singled out Lucas, Olaniyan and Howle as the defensive and offensive players, respectively, who have best demonstrated exemplary conduct, loyalty, interest, attitude and improvement during spring practice.
Junior guard Miles Dieffenbach and junior linebacker Mike Hull were recognized as co-recipients of the Frank Patrick Total Commitment Memorial Award. This award goes to junior class squad members who consistently follow through with their responsibilities in all facets of the football program and do so in exemplary manner. This includes academic pursuits, off-season preparation, in-season commitment, demeanor and community service.
Full descriptions of the awards and some past winners can seen at the Penn State web site.
133 more days to go until the opener.
What were your thoughts on the Blue White Game scrimmage???
Monday, April 15, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
BALL Controlled
This team would not quit. This team didn't want to quit. While the NCAA seems to think that punishing these kids somehow helps the victims of Jerry Sandusky, or will change a culture of football when none of those decision makers are even at the University anymore, this team just wanted to play football. And play they did. They were having so much fun, they took this thing to over time.
I debated on the title of this recap for quite a while. The alternative was Ficken Kicken Good, a play on the KFC 'finger lickin good' slogan. And while Mr. Ficken deserves a lot of credit for slipping his 37-yarder inside the upright to seal Penn State's OT victory, I think the key to this win was the defense adjusting after two early scores, including a record breaking 17-yard touchdown run by Monte Ball to put the Badgers up 14-7. Ball was held to 111 yards on 17 carries, which I believe is well below his average.
In the meantime, Zach Zwinak rushed for 179 yards (and exactly 1000 for the season) against the nation's 9th best rushing defense.
Unlike past games, Penn State did not perform well in the first half, but then dominated the second. Adjustments were made on both sides of the ball. O'Brien noted after the game that perhaps he should have rushed the ball even more.
But despite the emotion, and despite the punishing attack of Zwinak, the Badgers fought back. The score board shows fours across the bottom: fourth down, four to go, fourth quarter, ball on the four yard line. And with just 18 ticks left on the clock, the Wisconsin Badgers were still poised to disappoint this emotional and scrappy Penn State team.
Fans in the stadium were grumbling about the previous Penn State possession which opened with an incomplete short pass. Penn State went three and out and failed to milk valuable time off the clock, allowing the Badgers a chance to tie up the game. Personally, I like the call. It was a short, safe pass--almost but not a lateral. Ninety eight times out of a hundred, you complete that pass. If the receiver makes the first guy miss, you get some good yardage. Unfortunately, on this cold blustery night, the pass fell incomplete. Clock stopped. Hearts stopped.
My feet were frozen, and the night seemed to be growing colder with each passing second. Penn State clung to a three point lead in the first OT. But the defense rose to the occasion stifling the first run for a yard by Monte Ball. They sacked and forced a fumble on the next play, but we were unable to recover the fumble. On third down, Glenn Carson should have intercepted the pass and secured the win, but dropped the ball.
Things looked bleak as Wisconsin lined up to kick the field goal. A time out to ice the kicker gave the frozen fans in the stadium the opportunity to reflect on the missed opportunities. A dropped pass and three and out. A field goal in OT. An unrecovered fumble. An un-intercepted pass. How many more chances would the Badgers get to send PSU into the off season on a sour note?
The answer was none. Kyle French yanked his 44-yarder wide worse than me hooking a drive into the trees.
And this team prevailed. The story lines are well known. The walk-on QB that many said would never be able to play for any marquee division I team played lights out all season with 17 TDs and five INTs. He suddenly looked like a D-I QB. Sam Ficken, missing four field goals and an extra point in a one point loss to Virginia, came back to hit his last 10 and the game winner over the Badgers in OT. There was Michael Mauti, outspoken leader of this team and key instrument to keeping this team together when many were heading for what they thought were greener pastures, now sitting on the sideline with a knee injury on Senior Day. And of course, there are those annoying little details like the ignominious firing and subsequent death of a legendary coach, the hiring of Bill O'Brien, and the NCAA over stepping it's charter to severely punish a school, when none of the administrators have yet to be found guilty of any wrong doing. There is no dearth of plot lines in this season.
And although there is no bowl game, perhaps in this final, exciting victory, these student-athletes can find some redemption for their dedication and hard work.
Congratulations, Class of 2012!
BY THE NUMBERS:
There was one turn over in the game, a key interception when Wisconsin was driving just one possession before they tied the game.
Penn State won time of possession 31:45 to 28:15. If you read my pregame statistics, I said it would be crucial for PSU to win this. The Badgers were 6th in the nation in TOP.
Penn State out gained the Badgers 363 to 349 yards, and out-rushed them by 5.
INTANGIBLES:
The Blue Band Drum Major had trouble sticking both flips, and I think he injured himself on the first one as he seemed to limp a bit after that. Hopefully he will heal up before the NCAA Drum Major Flipping Combine.
Penn State won the toss and elected to defer in regulation. The Badgers won the toss in OT. I thought it odd that PSU chose to play in the North Endzone, but let's face it, the student section was rather empty (they didn't even have enough people for the card ceremony which otherwise looked really good) and the bowl of the North end was full and loud. I know. I was there. Of course, it might have had something to do with the wind or other factors. It's just odd that the home team didn't choose to play into its own student section.
The attendance figure of 93,505 obviously reflected tickets sold and not actual bodies in the stadium. I blame STEP for this. I think they even counted the ghost of Joe Paterno, but Rodney Erickson apologized afterward. There were very few empty $100 seats in the lower bowl. I think STEP needs to readjust it's pricing to demand, unless the University is satisfied just having a lot of empty seats on game day.
I actually had trouble giving away 6 tickets. My brother-in-law had two on the 45-yard line that he couldn't give away. So STEP isn't the only culprit here. I don't know what the solution is, but apparently the University doesn't care. But if I were in charge, there would be open admission for any students (no ticket or cost required) to fill in any available seats AFTER the FIRST QUARTER in the student section, providing of course that the section was sold out. Upper decks are $50. I don't care if they have chair backs. Who would want to sit up there, when there are $100 seats in the bowl below? The upper sections at mid field should be half--if on the 50, then $300 instead of $600, $200 instead of $400. At least it would be a start. But silly me . . . it isn't about the fans or the game. It's about money.
Did O'Brien refer to his team as F%&KERS or FIGHTERS? Come on. Why would he call them that? It was cold, his voice cracked. Move on people. Move on.
THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:
What is the real cost of a FREE TATTOO? Apparently one national championship. The Buckeyes finish undefeated after a 26-21 win over their arch nemesis from Up North, but they will sit at home with Penn State for the bowl season. Happy Holidays!
Nebraska punched their ticket to Indy with an uninspired 13-7 win over Iowa, who isn't even bowl eligible.
Northwestern put up 50 to Illinois' 14. Nice season there, Illini. Go ahead. make our day. Try to poach some more athletes. Losers. I don't carry a grudge. I wear it with pride.
Purdue steamrolled Indiana 56-35. The Spartans managed to get to bowl eligibility with a 26-10 win over the 6-6 Gophers.
Both future Big Ten teams lost: Rutgers fell to Pitt 27-6 and Marlyand lost to UNC 45-38.
SHEDDING TEARS:
1. For college football, as ND continues to pretend to be relevant.
2. For Oregon--no title game for you!
3. For Auburn--3-9 and pounded 49-0 by Bama.
4. For Championship games--Stanford beat UCLA, setting up a title game between, um, Stanford and UCLA. Nebraska has to play Wisconsin again. Woo Hoo! Why? Oh yeah, I forgot again. It's about the money.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Blue White Game.
I debated on the title of this recap for quite a while. The alternative was Ficken Kicken Good, a play on the KFC 'finger lickin good' slogan. And while Mr. Ficken deserves a lot of credit for slipping his 37-yarder inside the upright to seal Penn State's OT victory, I think the key to this win was the defense adjusting after two early scores, including a record breaking 17-yard touchdown run by Monte Ball to put the Badgers up 14-7. Ball was held to 111 yards on 17 carries, which I believe is well below his average.
Unlike past games, Penn State did not perform well in the first half, but then dominated the second. Adjustments were made on both sides of the ball. O'Brien noted after the game that perhaps he should have rushed the ball even more.
But despite the emotion, and despite the punishing attack of Zwinak, the Badgers fought back. The score board shows fours across the bottom: fourth down, four to go, fourth quarter, ball on the four yard line. And with just 18 ticks left on the clock, the Wisconsin Badgers were still poised to disappoint this emotional and scrappy Penn State team.
Fans in the stadium were grumbling about the previous Penn State possession which opened with an incomplete short pass. Penn State went three and out and failed to milk valuable time off the clock, allowing the Badgers a chance to tie up the game. Personally, I like the call. It was a short, safe pass--almost but not a lateral. Ninety eight times out of a hundred, you complete that pass. If the receiver makes the first guy miss, you get some good yardage. Unfortunately, on this cold blustery night, the pass fell incomplete. Clock stopped. Hearts stopped.
My feet were frozen, and the night seemed to be growing colder with each passing second. Penn State clung to a three point lead in the first OT. But the defense rose to the occasion stifling the first run for a yard by Monte Ball. They sacked and forced a fumble on the next play, but we were unable to recover the fumble. On third down, Glenn Carson should have intercepted the pass and secured the win, but dropped the ball.
Things looked bleak as Wisconsin lined up to kick the field goal. A time out to ice the kicker gave the frozen fans in the stadium the opportunity to reflect on the missed opportunities. A dropped pass and three and out. A field goal in OT. An unrecovered fumble. An un-intercepted pass. How many more chances would the Badgers get to send PSU into the off season on a sour note?
The answer was none. Kyle French yanked his 44-yarder wide worse than me hooking a drive into the trees.
And this team prevailed. The story lines are well known. The walk-on QB that many said would never be able to play for any marquee division I team played lights out all season with 17 TDs and five INTs. He suddenly looked like a D-I QB. Sam Ficken, missing four field goals and an extra point in a one point loss to Virginia, came back to hit his last 10 and the game winner over the Badgers in OT. There was Michael Mauti, outspoken leader of this team and key instrument to keeping this team together when many were heading for what they thought were greener pastures, now sitting on the sideline with a knee injury on Senior Day. And of course, there are those annoying little details like the ignominious firing and subsequent death of a legendary coach, the hiring of Bill O'Brien, and the NCAA over stepping it's charter to severely punish a school, when none of the administrators have yet to be found guilty of any wrong doing. There is no dearth of plot lines in this season.
And although there is no bowl game, perhaps in this final, exciting victory, these student-athletes can find some redemption for their dedication and hard work.
Congratulations, Class of 2012!
BY THE NUMBERS:
There was one turn over in the game, a key interception when Wisconsin was driving just one possession before they tied the game.
Penn State won time of possession 31:45 to 28:15. If you read my pregame statistics, I said it would be crucial for PSU to win this. The Badgers were 6th in the nation in TOP.
Penn State out gained the Badgers 363 to 349 yards, and out-rushed them by 5.
The Blue Band Drum Major had trouble sticking both flips, and I think he injured himself on the first one as he seemed to limp a bit after that. Hopefully he will heal up before the NCAA Drum Major Flipping Combine.
Penn State won the toss and elected to defer in regulation. The Badgers won the toss in OT. I thought it odd that PSU chose to play in the North Endzone, but let's face it, the student section was rather empty (they didn't even have enough people for the card ceremony which otherwise looked really good) and the bowl of the North end was full and loud. I know. I was there. Of course, it might have had something to do with the wind or other factors. It's just odd that the home team didn't choose to play into its own student section.
The attendance figure of 93,505 obviously reflected tickets sold and not actual bodies in the stadium. I blame STEP for this. I think they even counted the ghost of Joe Paterno, but Rodney Erickson apologized afterward. There were very few empty $100 seats in the lower bowl. I think STEP needs to readjust it's pricing to demand, unless the University is satisfied just having a lot of empty seats on game day.
I actually had trouble giving away 6 tickets. My brother-in-law had two on the 45-yard line that he couldn't give away. So STEP isn't the only culprit here. I don't know what the solution is, but apparently the University doesn't care. But if I were in charge, there would be open admission for any students (no ticket or cost required) to fill in any available seats AFTER the FIRST QUARTER in the student section, providing of course that the section was sold out. Upper decks are $50. I don't care if they have chair backs. Who would want to sit up there, when there are $100 seats in the bowl below? The upper sections at mid field should be half--if on the 50, then $300 instead of $600, $200 instead of $400. At least it would be a start. But silly me . . . it isn't about the fans or the game. It's about money.
Did O'Brien refer to his team as F%&KERS or FIGHTERS? Come on. Why would he call them that? It was cold, his voice cracked. Move on people. Move on.
 |
| O'Brien's favorite band? |
THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:
What is the real cost of a FREE TATTOO? Apparently one national championship. The Buckeyes finish undefeated after a 26-21 win over their arch nemesis from Up North, but they will sit at home with Penn State for the bowl season. Happy Holidays!
Nebraska punched their ticket to Indy with an uninspired 13-7 win over Iowa, who isn't even bowl eligible.
Northwestern put up 50 to Illinois' 14. Nice season there, Illini. Go ahead. make our day. Try to poach some more athletes. Losers. I don't carry a grudge. I wear it with pride.
Purdue steamrolled Indiana 56-35. The Spartans managed to get to bowl eligibility with a 26-10 win over the 6-6 Gophers.
Both future Big Ten teams lost: Rutgers fell to Pitt 27-6 and Marlyand lost to UNC 45-38.
SHEDDING TEARS:
1. For college football, as ND continues to pretend to be relevant.
2. For Oregon--no title game for you!
3. For Auburn--3-9 and pounded 49-0 by Bama.
4. For Championship games--Stanford beat UCLA, setting up a title game between, um, Stanford and UCLA. Nebraska has to play Wisconsin again. Woo Hoo! Why? Oh yeah, I forgot again. It's about the money.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Blue White Game.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Nebraska Fiasca
I have not been so angered by a group of referees since the 2005 game in Ann Arbor that marred Penn State's nearly undefeated season. But thanks to a poorly called--and then more poorly reviewed-- play at the goal line, combined with a safety when it appeared McGloin had left the tackle box, what should have been a close game--perhaps even a Penn State win--was instead a 32-23 decision the other way that was influenced by the stripes more than the solids.
In 2005, I splintered the door frame of our house slamming the door as I stormed out. I learned from that lesson. I went next door to my neighbor's house (he's a Pitt fan) and slammed his door this time.
It's the same old story since joining thisbush league 19 years ago. Sure, we'll get a PI call once in a while--against Minnesota. But name me one game changing call in favor of Penn State against THEM, O$U, Wisconsin, and now Nebraska. Most Penn State fans can rattle off half a dozen without much thought.
Even McGloin called out the league indirectly. From Rudel in the Altoona Mirror:
Other sources question the validity of the call, including Dr. Saturday and the USA Today.
Some fans have suggested that this is "payback" for bad calls against Nebraska in 1982. First of all, that was before replay. Secondly, the situation was magnified by virtue of two undefeated teams clashing for a potential National Championship. Granted, Nebraska has a potential Big Ten Title on the line, but 2012 is hardly an equivalent scenario. On the other hand, if Nebraska fans want to consider the debt paid for a perceived slight in 1982, so be it. We are even.
But if the Big Ten has any integrity left, it would be well served to fire the replay booth official who made this atrocious call.
Yet, despite the thievery of nine points in favor of the Huskers, Penn State continued it's disconcerting trend of playing a great first half, but then following it with a dismal performance in the second act. Penn State actually led this thing 20-6 at the half, but was outscored 26-10 (although only 3 points actually counted) in the second half.
Why is this?
Under the Paterno regime, stale coaching, stubbornness, conservatism, and strength and conditioning were always trotted out by arm chair quarterbacks on Sunday Morning. But you certainly can't accuse this coaching staff of being stale, stubborn or conservative. And while I think our defense did whither in the heat against Ohio, I honestly believe that was the fault of the offense that couldn't move the ball and give the defense a rest. Even well-conditioned athletes can have problems when they overdo things in high heat and humidity.
So now we must create some new excuses, as the old ones simply don't apply. Are O'Brien and Roof simply poor at adjusting at halftime? The evidence seems to point that direction. Yet there were games, such as Northwestern, when we seemed to do better in the second half at adjusting than our opponent. We had no problems with Purdue or Illinois coming back in the second half of those games either.
Also keep in mind that this group of coaches does not have the players that they recruited for their system. They have also lost key players to defections, particularly on offense. And strength and conditioning changes may take several seasons to see optimal results.
In the end, nothing will change. Maybe there isn't a conspiracy against Penn State. Maybe there isn't even a bias against the Nittany Lions. Maybe it is just part of the game and bad luck of the draw. If that is the case, than these things tend to equal out over time. And if that is really true, then Buckeye, Wolverine, Badger and Husker fans better get prepared for a couple of decades of bad calls against them when playing Penn State. I have a feeling they are not all that worried.
And if you are looking for a silver lining in all this . . .Nebraska's win hurts the wolverine's chances of getting into the title game. That's not a bad thing right there.
BY THE NUMBERS:
From GoPSUsports:
I said before this game that Penn State would need to do better on third down conversions (we did not) and control time of possession (we did not) to beat Nebraska. We also needed to control their running game (we did not) which would be a key factor in their conversions and ability to control the ball. The end result . . . we lost. The bad calls certainly didn't help.
INTANGIBLES:
Nebraska won the toss and deferred. By taking the ball in the second half, PSU should have chosen which direction they would have the wind in the fourth quarter. O'Brien either chose to go with the wind in third thinking he could add to their lead, or he made a bad choice, having PSU play into the wind in the fourth. I didn't see too much made about this, but the wind certainly seemed stiff and could have been a factor.
Penn State is 7-8 all time against Big Red.
The crowd was 85,537. Nebraska continues their record of sell-out crowds dating back to the 1300's.
THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:
The league is hell-bent on a Nebraska-Wisconsin match up and that is all but assured, unless the cornhuskers fail against Minnesota or Iowa, which is not likely.
THEM came back against Northwestern, with a Hail Mary-esque pass with seconds remaining to kick a tying field goal. They prevailed in OT. How can you let a receiver make that catch? Take him out. Take the fifteen yards. They still wouldn't be in field goal position--or at least it would be a longer kick. Poor decision by the defensive back or safety. The wolverines won 38-31.
Wisconsin pounded the Hoosiers into submission 62-14 and pretty much sealed up the asterisk filled Leaders division.
Purdue beat Iowa 27-24. Did anyone notice? Or care?
Minnesota beat the Illini 17-3.
SHEDDING TEARS:
1. Alabama--beaten by the Aggies 29-24. Thanks for playing.
2. College Football--the Irish inch to #3 on the Bama loss like a worm crawling through dead meat.
3. Louisiana-Lafayette had a punt blocked and returned in the waning seconds to lose to Florida.
4. Miami (FL) lost to Virginia 41-40
LOOKING AHEAD:
Indiana. Beaver Stadium. Whatever. Refs will probably blow a call in our favor and call it even. Shitheads.
In 2005, I splintered the door frame of our house slamming the door as I stormed out. I learned from that lesson. I went next door to my neighbor's house (he's a Pitt fan) and slammed his door this time.
It's the same old story since joining this
Even McGloin called out the league indirectly. From Rudel in the Altoona Mirror:
"We'll never get that call here," McGloin said after replays showed tight end Matt Lehman appeared to score before fumbling into the end zone with 7:39 remaining and the Lions down 27-23. "We'll never get that call anywhere."If calling a spade a spade is being Yosemite Sam, then McGloin should be proud to be put in that category. The rest--O'Brien included, have to be politically correct. But that doesn't make it correct.
Of the dozen PSU representatives brought to the visitors' media quarters at Memorial Stadium, including Bill O'Brien, only McGloin came off like Yosemite Sam.
Other sources question the validity of the call, including Dr. Saturday and the USA Today.
Some fans have suggested that this is "payback" for bad calls against Nebraska in 1982. First of all, that was before replay. Secondly, the situation was magnified by virtue of two undefeated teams clashing for a potential National Championship. Granted, Nebraska has a potential Big Ten Title on the line, but 2012 is hardly an equivalent scenario. On the other hand, if Nebraska fans want to consider the debt paid for a perceived slight in 1982, so be it. We are even.
But if the Big Ten has any integrity left, it would be well served to fire the replay booth official who made this atrocious call.
Yet, despite the thievery of nine points in favor of the Huskers, Penn State continued it's disconcerting trend of playing a great first half, but then following it with a dismal performance in the second act. Penn State actually led this thing 20-6 at the half, but was outscored 26-10 (although only 3 points actually counted) in the second half.
Why is this?
Under the Paterno regime, stale coaching, stubbornness, conservatism, and strength and conditioning were always trotted out by arm chair quarterbacks on Sunday Morning. But you certainly can't accuse this coaching staff of being stale, stubborn or conservative. And while I think our defense did whither in the heat against Ohio, I honestly believe that was the fault of the offense that couldn't move the ball and give the defense a rest. Even well-conditioned athletes can have problems when they overdo things in high heat and humidity.
So now we must create some new excuses, as the old ones simply don't apply. Are O'Brien and Roof simply poor at adjusting at halftime? The evidence seems to point that direction. Yet there were games, such as Northwestern, when we seemed to do better in the second half at adjusting than our opponent. We had no problems with Purdue or Illinois coming back in the second half of those games either.
Also keep in mind that this group of coaches does not have the players that they recruited for their system. They have also lost key players to defections, particularly on offense. And strength and conditioning changes may take several seasons to see optimal results.
In the end, nothing will change. Maybe there isn't a conspiracy against Penn State. Maybe there isn't even a bias against the Nittany Lions. Maybe it is just part of the game and bad luck of the draw. If that is the case, than these things tend to equal out over time. And if that is really true, then Buckeye, Wolverine, Badger and Husker fans better get prepared for a couple of decades of bad calls against them when playing Penn State. I have a feeling they are not all that worried.
And if you are looking for a silver lining in all this . . .Nebraska's win hurts the wolverine's chances of getting into the title game. That's not a bad thing right there.
BY THE NUMBERS:
From GoPSUsports:
I said before this game that Penn State would need to do better on third down conversions (we did not) and control time of possession (we did not) to beat Nebraska. We also needed to control their running game (we did not) which would be a key factor in their conversions and ability to control the ball. The end result . . . we lost. The bad calls certainly didn't help.
INTANGIBLES:
Nebraska won the toss and deferred. By taking the ball in the second half, PSU should have chosen which direction they would have the wind in the fourth quarter. O'Brien either chose to go with the wind in third thinking he could add to their lead, or he made a bad choice, having PSU play into the wind in the fourth. I didn't see too much made about this, but the wind certainly seemed stiff and could have been a factor.Penn State is 7-8 all time against Big Red.
The crowd was 85,537. Nebraska continues their record of sell-out crowds dating back to the 1300's.
THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:
The league is hell-bent on a Nebraska-Wisconsin match up and that is all but assured, unless the cornhuskers fail against Minnesota or Iowa, which is not likely.
THEM came back against Northwestern, with a Hail Mary-esque pass with seconds remaining to kick a tying field goal. They prevailed in OT. How can you let a receiver make that catch? Take him out. Take the fifteen yards. They still wouldn't be in field goal position--or at least it would be a longer kick. Poor decision by the defensive back or safety. The wolverines won 38-31.
Wisconsin pounded the Hoosiers into submission 62-14 and pretty much sealed up the asterisk filled Leaders division.
Purdue beat Iowa 27-24. Did anyone notice? Or care?
Minnesota beat the Illini 17-3.
SHEDDING TEARS:
1. Alabama--beaten by the Aggies 29-24. Thanks for playing.
2. College Football--the Irish inch to #3 on the Bama loss like a worm crawling through dead meat.
3. Louisiana-Lafayette had a punt blocked and returned in the waning seconds to lose to Florida.
4. Miami (FL) lost to Virginia 41-40
LOOKING AHEAD:
Indiana. Beaver Stadium. Whatever. Refs will probably blow a call in our favor and call it even. Shitheads.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
We Need THIS Guy
Big Shout out to Tim for emailing me this video!
Now, I don't think any of those field goals were very long (strange that the yard lines were perpendicular to the goal posts rather than parallel, but even if he doesn't have the "leg" for 45 yarders, he certainly looked good for extra points and inside the 20. And, it at least gives O'Brien a reasonable option on fourth down in the red zone. (I must admit, though, I am secretly loving the going for it on fourth down philosophy--I just don't want it to cost us a game!)
And if this guy's already on a soccer scholarship, Ficken wouldn't have to lose his scholie and could still handle kick offs.
Maybe we should email this video to O'Brien? What do you think?????
Now, I don't think any of those field goals were very long (strange that the yard lines were perpendicular to the goal posts rather than parallel, but even if he doesn't have the "leg" for 45 yarders, he certainly looked good for extra points and inside the 20. And, it at least gives O'Brien a reasonable option on fourth down in the red zone. (I must admit, though, I am secretly loving the going for it on fourth down philosophy--I just don't want it to cost us a game!)
And if this guy's already on a soccer scholarship, Ficken wouldn't have to lose his scholie and could still handle kick offs.
Maybe we should email this video to O'Brien? What do you think?????
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