Our Wife: Their Wife

THEIR WIFE:

Yahoo Sports reported that a pizza delivery guy was fired from his job after delivering a pizza to Buckeye Assistant Coach Luke Fickell's house.  The man "joked" to Mrs. Fickell that the Buckeye defense needs to improve its tackling (which, apparently, it does.)  This angered her and after a call to the pizza shop, the man is now unemployed.

But according to Lost Letterman, Ohio State has a different story.  (Those are not our tattoos.  There is no video issue.  You saw nothing.)

Ohio State refuted that claim in a statement: “The manager found out about the incident. The manager called the Fickells. Just like they did not place a call to complain, they also did not ask that anyone be fired. All they did was order pizza.”

So who do you believe?

OUR WIFE:

Coach Mac McWorther's wife helps out preparing Penn State players.  According to the Altoona Mirror:

Part of coach Bill O'Brien's coaching philosophy is to have a family orientated program. O'Brien sometimes allows coaches' children and spouses to attend practice, and he tries to make the team have a family friendly feel to it.

Becky McWorther, or Mamma Hog as she is affectionately known to the offensive linemen, is one of the wives that loves being around the players.

McWorther said on a conference call Wednesday that his wife even hugs every linemen after practice, no matter how sweaty or smelly they are.

Mamma Hog has a Friday ritual where she cooks up what McWorther described as hot treats for the linemen for them to have before the next day's game.

The ingredients in those treats remain a mystery, however.

"There are some things that she cooks up, and there are special ingredients in those things that allow them to play at a high level," McWorther joked on a conference call Wednesday. "I would really have to kill you if I told you what was in them, it is that secret."

In addition to cooking the treats for her hogs, Mamma Hog also prepares a speech for the players that tells them what the food will allow them to do the following day's game.

So which would you rather have?  A humorless cut throat, or hot tasty treats and a hug?

Weekly Game Guide: Bye Week Edition

Penn State has the week off.  I hope this goes well.  The last bye week Penn State had was the weekend of Nov. 5th--when the Grand Jury Presentment was "leaked" and Paterno was subsequently fired before the next home game.  This bye week HAS to be better.

Arizona State is taking on Colorado tonight.  Pick whomever you want in this one, for I care not.  (I'm actually watching the Steeler game and my beloved Steelers are down 16-10 at the half, so good mood and I are not in the same room right now.)

In the Big Ten:

The mighty (annoying) Buckeyes look to pound Indiana and are favored by 17.5.  Last week I said that Indiana was bound to win a conference game sooner or later and I'd rather they beat Michigan State than us.  Indiana almost upset the Spartans.  So, let's try again.  Indiana is bound to beat someone in the Big Ten.  It might as well be Ohio State.  GO HOOSIERS!

THEM is favored by 24.5 over Illinois.  I'll throw the Illini a bone.  GO POACHERS!

Northwestern ( favored by 3.5)  looks to rebound against Minnesota.  GO WILDCATS!

What is this?  Purdue is favored by two over Wisconsin?  Can that be?  We play both, and both are in our division, so in the great, grand scheme of things, it matters not.  GO BOILERS!

The Spartans are favored by 7.5 over our next opponent, Iowa.  GO HAWKEYES!  But don't get too confident!

Nebraska joins Penn State in the bye week. 

In games featuring past opponents:

Virginia is favored by 1 over Maryland.  GO CAVS!

Ohio is favored by 20 over Akron.  GO BOBCATS!

Connecticut is a 5.5 point favorite over Temple.  GO OWLS!

Navy is a two point dog in a Friday night game that does not feature Pitt.  GO NAVY!

In other games of interest:

The Irish are favored by 7 over Stanford.  GO TREE!

USC is favored by 13.5 over Washington.  GO HUSKIES!

Texas and Oklahoma play each other.  Oklahoma is a three point home favorite.  I don't care who wins, but Schadenfreude hopes the loss is because Brown drops a sure TD pass or Fera misses another kick.

Purple Slain

Words will fail me. 

In the great, grand scheme of things, this game was fairly meaningless.  Penn State is not playing for a national championship.  They're not playing for a conference title.  There is no bowl game on the horizon.  Virginia lost today, but no one really cares about our strength of schedule.  Northwestern cared; they were ranked and 5-0.  Key word there is were.

But to the people that still care about Penn State football . . .  the players, their coaches, the alumni and all the loyal fans . . . this was an amazingly emotional and gratifying win.  It can't compare to games like the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, the 1983 Sugar Bowl, the 48-14 thumping of #1 Pitt, or the 2005 victory over Ohio State, to name a few, but make no mistake about it, this was a special win.

It almost brought tears to my eyes, and it did bring a lump in my throat.  I am losing my voice from yelling.

Even if I could speak, words would fail me.

Make no mistake about it, what started as a wet, overcast day, got more raw and cold as the crowd watched Alex Butterworth uncork a 54 yard punt (and really, let's be honest here, we were just ecstatic that he didn't shank it again) that would then be returned 75 yards to put the boys in purple up 28-17 with less than a minute to go in the third quarter.  Things looked bleak, indeed.

But then a funny thing happened on the way to an imminent loss.  McGloin took control of his team, and Penn State needed him to step up.  He wasn't helped by four or five drops by his receivers, nor his less than laser sharp throws in the game to this point.  The sharks were circling and he was bleeding in the water.

But he capped off an 18 play, 82 yard drive with an 8 yard strike to his favorite target, Allen Robinson.  And then O'Brien opted to go for the two point conversion.  Certainly, this makes a lot of sense because a field goal will tie the game if you are successful.  But that assumes we can kick another field goal, and if Northwestern holds, you are four points down and forced to score 6, since two safeties would be a ridiculous extrapolation of this thought process.

Penn State converted the two point conversion and you could feel the emotion shift in the stadium.  Although the stadium was no where near capacity, it was perhaps as loud as it has ever been as Northwestern was humbled by the Penn State defense into a three and out.

This was a team on a mission, and it was a team effort.

Under a punishing rush attack by Zach Zwinak ("Z Rally Wheels!"), McGloin led this team on an 85 yard, 15 play drive capped off by his own scamper into the corner of the south endzone to put the Lions on top 32-28.  Unfortunately for us, there was still 2:37 on the clock.

But before the thundering crowd, the defense rose to the occasion like the sun rising over this game as it emerged from the darkness like a phoenix born again from ashes.  Northwestern turned the ball over on four downs, leaving 1:48 on the clock. 

All Penn State had to do was run out the clock, and run they did.  Northwestern held on first down and then called a time out.  They had enough time outs to possibly get the ball back and threaten to ruin this day once again, but the football Gods were angered by this impudence, and Zordich broke the line of scrimmage to the left on the next play, bouncing it outside and up the sideline to the three yard line.  Zordich then scored on the next play, and a Sam Ficken who was perfect on the day gave the final score of 39-28 and finished a 22 point turn around in the fourth quarter.

Yet, the purple monster wouldn't die.  Northwestern managed a single first down (the only one of the fourth quarter for the Wildcats,) before Gerald Hodges said no more of this, knocking the ball on the turf so that Da'Quan Davis could recover it.  Game.  Set.  Match.

McGloin took a knee and sprinted across the field to shake hands with Pat Fitzgerald.

Ohio State players may not want to go to class, but Penn State players are all class.

Congratulations, Nittany Lions.  And thanks for a great game!

BY THE NUMBERS:

A week after the Wildcats gained 700 yards against Indiana, Penn State held them to 247, well below their season average.  PSU amassed 443 yards with 161 on the ground and controlled time of possession 39:17 to 20:43.  Northwestern had the ball on 3:15 in the fourth quarter, and gained only 26 yards in the final 16 minutes of play.

Penn State had only three penalties, one of which was a befuddling phantom PI that kept a Wildcat drive alive for a TD, brought boos from the crowd, and brought O'Brien out on the field in righteous indignation.  His fire ignited the team though, and may have been crucial spark to the offensive explosion that Penn State produced in the final quarter.

Northwestern's best plays were the phantom PI and the muffed punt by PSU.

INTANGIBLES:

The Blue Band Drum Major stuck both flips and the Alumni Band performed for the 50th straight year.

Penn State won the toss and took the ball first.

The listed crowd of 95,769 looked much less than that.  What is wrong with everyone?  This is an exciting team that is FUN TO WATCH.  You want to be dissatisfied with the BOT and administration, so be it.  But get your ass in that stadium and cheer on these young men.  Although it took until the second quarter, the students finally managed to make it to the game.  We need to step up for O'Brien, Mauti, McGloin and all the rest.  JUST.  DO.  IT.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The Spartans were almost but not quite upset by the pesky Hoosiers.  Sparty prevailed 31-27, scoring two TDs in the fourth.

THEM dominated Purdue 44-13.

Urban Meyer won his second Big Ten game, pasting Nebraska 63-38.  But then, the Buckeyes did go there to play football, not to go to classes.

Illinois tussled with Wisconsin, but came up short, losing 31-14.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  F$U--beaten by the Wolfpack 17-16 late in the game.
2.  Pitt--lost to Syracuse 17-16 in that coveted Friday night spot.
3.  Irish fans who had to see those God awful helmets with the split personality.  Seriously, is there a prize for the team that comes up with the worst uniforms????
4.  Texas--lost to West Virginia 48-45 with Fera missing a field goal.  Schadenfreude.
5.  LSU--swamped by Florida 14-6.  Twenty points in the SEC?  And the lowest scoring Big Ten game featured 45 points this weekend, with one game over a 100!
6.  Georgia--romped by South Carolina 35-7. 

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State has a bye week next week before heading to Iowa.

Weekly Game Guide: Northwestern GPS Edition

It's Friday night. The bands are playing. The teams are playing. The crowds are cheering. There's nothing like high school football!

Pitt's playing too, and the crowd in the Carrier Dome won't be cheering for them.  The panthers are a 3 point favorite.  And Friday night is their night.  The great thing about playing for Pitt is that you always get to watch football on Saturday!  GO ORANGE!

Penn State remains about a 3.5 point favorite at home over ranked Northwestern.

Just what is Northwestern northwestern of?  Seattle is northwestern.  For an academic institution, you would expect better directions.

Northwestern . . .of Cincinnati?

The people in purple apparently had a quaint tradition of dumping the goal posts into Lake Michigan following a win.  According to the Urban Dictionary:

Lake the Post
	At Northwestern University, it refers to old tradition of dragging the field goal posts from the football field to Lake Michigan in order to dump them. This happened in the period of time when NU had one of the worst football teams in the nation, and laking the posts was done during the occasional victory or notable defeat.

Apparently "lake" can be used as a verb. I did not know that.  And why one would want to pollute a lake in this manner, one can only guess.  But Northwestern is known for their geniuses--they are the Michigan of Chicago, the Michicago--so the event must be something special.

I hope they have a notable defeat this Saturday.  It will be fun to see them drag those goalposts across the country to Lake Michigan.  They may have to settle for Lake Raystown, though.  Or they might just skip it altogether, and no one would notice.  GO STATE!  BEAT WILDCATS!

Ross Went to Northwestern.  Rachel went . . . elsewhere.

IN THE BIG TEN:

The Spartans are 14.5 point favorites at Indiana.  What the heck!  Let's root for the Hoosiers.  Sooner or later they are going to beat a Big Ten team, and I'd just as soon it not be us.  Michigan State's season has already descended into Greek purgatory.  GO HOOSIERS!

Denard Robinson takes on the Boilermakers at Purdue.  He's favored by 3.  No brainer here.  GO BOILERS!

The Badgers try to rebound from wearing ugly uniforms last week to play at Illinois.  Bucky is favored by 14.5.  We still don't like Beckman and his merry band of recruiters.  GO BADGERS!


Julia Louis-Dreyfus learned to dance
. . . at Northwestern!

The Big Bad Buckeyes are 5 point favorites over Nebraska in Columbus.  I'll have to give this some thou . .. GO HUSKERS!

MINNESOTA and IOWA are off.  Well, we all knew that.  But they're not playing football this weekend either.  Maybe practicing.  Didn't they play each other last week?  Now they are off.  Together.  This is more than a little suspicious.  I think they're fooling around.  Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

Previous Opponents:

Ohio is a 16 point home favorite over Buffalo.  GO BOBCATS!

Navy is a 10 point dog to the Air Force.  GO NAVY!

I didn't see a line for Duke hosting Virginia.  GO CAVS!

South Florida is a 5 point favorite over the Temple Owls.  GO HOOTERS!

Jerry Springer went to Northwestern
. . .  and he's still smiling!

Around the Nation:

USC beat Utah last night, but the Utes scared them a bit, jumping out ot a 14 point lead.  The prophylactics won 38-28.  Did you know if you rearrange the letters S-I-L-A-S-R-E-D-D, it also spells Ass Riddle?  Or Reads Lids?  Sad Slider?  Dried Lass?  But I digress.

LSU is favored by 3 over Florida.  GO GATORS!

The Irish are 13 point favorites over Miami (FL).  The game is in Chicago.  Go figure.  GO CANES!

Oklahoma is a 4.5 point fave over Texas Tech.  GO RED RAIDERS!

Texas is a 6.5 point favorite over the Mountaineers.  I can't believe I'm typing this, but., GO WVU!

The pro team in Tuscaloosa is off this week.

Move Along Buddy . . .

Upon Further Review

Did you watch the end of the Nebraska-Wisconsin game on Saturday night?

Nebraska took the lead 30-27 in the fourth quarter.  On their last possession, the Badgers were driving and came up with a 3rd and 11.  O'Brien (the QB, not the coach) completed a pass to Frederick but on camera he appeared to be short of the first down by a good yard.  The refs--those near and dear and lovable Big Ten zebras of honor--spotted the ball a yard further.  The spot was so clearly botched I was having flashbacks to Ann Arbor in 2005.

Now this may seem innocuous, but the circumstances were really more bizarre and nefarious than that.  The line judge, who improperly spotted the ball, signalled to move the chains without a measurement and without the head referee signalling for a first down.  No one else even looked at the spot as the chain gang moved on.  Remember, they can't see the unofficial yellow line on the field that we see.

It was only after a review, that it was confirmed that the ball had not been spotted properly, and this brought up a fourth and one situation.  Late in the game with time running out, the Badgers elected to go for it, fumbled, and the rest, shall we say, is history.

But I ask you?  How is that these competent referees mis-spot a ball by a yard?

And why, in a crucial situation, even with the added yardage, when the spot was still close enough to demand a measurement, would you move the flags before such a measurement?  Obviously, the Badgers wanted to save time because the clock was running down (1:11 when Nebraska took over after the fumble). . . so why not stop the clock and check the measurement?

It truly appeared as if the refs, or at least the one spotting the ball and moving the chains in a damned big hurry, was intent on helping Wisconsin.  Why else would you not measure if your real desire is to get the correct call?

Even more astonishing to me, though, is that the ref in the video replay booth chose to stop play and review it.  (He probably had to at that point since the spot was so ridiculously wrong.)  Had he not done that, the Badgers would have had a first down, and the next play likely wouldn't have been a handoff, botched or otherwise, to Montee Ball.  The outcome of that game could have been different without replay.  If the fix was on to help the Badgers, the replay booth botched the opportunity, so that argues against a conspiracy.  But how many refs does it take to conspire???  If I were in charge of officiating, I think punitive action against the ref on the field moving the chains prematurely would be in order.

I bring this up because of that 2005 debacle in Ann Arbor.  I'm sure I still have the tape around here somewhere collecting dust.  While everyone remembers the heel-toe controversy and the infamous two seconds, most people don't recall the multiple favorable spots the wolverines got all game long.  And for the record, the heel-toe should have been reviewed, but perhaps not over turned.  You might wonder why that is important, but it would have stopped play and allowed our defense to rest and regroup while a legitimately close play was re-evaluated.  Lord, we added four extra minutes to Saturday's game to review QB sneaks where you couldn't even see the ball on the replay!

Reviewing a play, even if it stands, can have unforeseen effects on the outcome of a game.  In this game in Lincoln, one blogger felt that reviewing a potential scoring play for the Badgers, gave Bielema time to rethink his strategy:

Bad break: On third-and-goal in the first quarter, Nebraska’s defense stopped Montee Ball one foot shy of the end zone. Bret Bielema sent his kicking team on to the field. But officials interrupted action to review the third-down play. That allowed Bielema to re-think his fourth-down strategy. Officials confirmed the call and Ball scored on fourth down. If officials don’t review the call, Wisconsin settles for three points.

And, if Ficken were kicken, there might be no points!  But I digress.

Getting back to spotting the ball in 2005, there were at least two times I recall watching the line judge come running in from the sideline to mark the ball, and drifting forward like a drunken sailor as he did so, adding almost two yards onto the final spot of the ball and assuring that the wolverines made a first down.

And as Wisconsin proved on Saturday night, spotting the ball properly is important.  The game just might hinge on those precious inches of turf.

And what if they hadn't stopped play to review it? 

We will never know.  But at least the correct call was made in 2012, if not in 2005.

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!