Weekly Game Day: O'Leary, O'Brien, O My! Edition

Penn State clings to about a five point favorite by the odds makers, when the Orlando Golden

Knights of UCF invade Beaver Stadium this Saturday at 6pm.

This will be an interesting test for a 2-0 Nittany Lion squad that has not really been challenged yet.  But this is still not the Knights of Columbus or the wolvereenies of Ann Arbor either.  This is a very winnable game.

Statistically, here are how the two teams match up (from the NCAA website):

		UCF		PSU
3rd Down Conversion Pct		24		123
3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense		54		16
4th Down Conversion Pct.				1
4th Down Conversion Pct. Defense		70
Fewest Penalties Per Game		11		30
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game		10		29
First Downs Defense		20		11		20		11
First Downs Offense		67		67		67		67
Fumbles Lost		1		106
Fumbles Recovered		22		56
Kickoff Return Defense		57		100
Kickoff Returns		100		55
Net Punting		58		96
Pass Sacks Allowed		90		110
Passes Had Intercepted		1		95
Passes Intercepted		65		36
Passing Offense		42		24
Passing Yards Allowed		13		24
Passing Yards Per Completion		9		45
Punt Return defense		38		83
Punt Returns		30		22
Red Zone Defense		5		75
Red Zone Offense		44		1
Rushing Defense		16		8		16		8
Rushing Offense		68		73		68		73
Scoring Defense		4		20		4		20
Scoring Offense		38		53		38		53
Tackles for Loss Allowed		88		63
Team Pass Sacks		67		34
Team Passing Efficiency		11		36
Team Passing Efficiency Defense		45		16
Team Tackles for Loss		15		39
Time of Possession		40		58
Total Defense		7		10		7		10
Total Offense		59		45		59		45
Turnover Margin		20		113
Turnovers Gained		54		54
Turnovers Lost		1		113
Winning Percentage		1		1
Averages		35.00		49.77		34.88		35.88

As we can see, the Golden Knights have a decided edge in overall statistics, 35.92 to 51.08 for the average NCAA ranking in all these categories.

But wait just a minute.  Total Defense is about even.  PSU has a slight edge in Total Offense, and even better in passing offense.  We suck really bad in just about any turnover category, but we are ranked right there with UCF in turnovers gained.  Our third down percentage is dead last.  L-O-U-S-Y.  Yet, we score points and win games, so does that stat really matter?

If you look just at the major offensive and defensive stats, and pretty much ignore special teams, penalties and turnovers, you can see the two teams are pretty evenly matched.

It is pretty clear that PSU has to stop turning the ball over, and improve on third down conversions.  Do those two things, and throw in home field advantage, and PSU wins this in a nail biter. 

USA Today ranked all 125 teams preseason, with PSU at 37.  UCF was 42.  Both are 2-0.

You can't coach turnovers.  What will happen will happen.  But I think PSU will turn that around.  Special teams struggled early last season, and got better as the season went on.  I still worry about Ficken, but the young man has done nothing to suggest he can't get the job done.  Punting is always an adventure, but I will be surprised if the outcome of this game turns on a single punt or two.

Many people don't remember how often Michael Robinson turned the ball over during the early games of the 2005 season.  He practiced with a football covered in silk to try and train himself to hang onto the ball better.  And he did.  In the Ohio State game, it was the Buckeye fumble that sealed the game for Penn State.  Now this is not 2005.  UCF is not Ohio State, and Hackenberg is not Michael Robinson.  But my point is that teams that are turning the ball over, frequently correct that problem for no rhyme or reason.  Some continue to fumble things away.

I think Penn State wins and beats the spread.  That and a call to Geico can save you 15% on your car insurance.

In the Big Ten this week:

Minnesota takes on Western Illinois (NL.)  GO GOPHERS!

Illinois will play Washington at Soldier Field.  Washington is a 9.5 point favorite.  GO HUSKIES!

Nebraska is a 4.5 point favorite over UCLA at home.  GO HUSKERS!

Iowa is a 2.5 point favorite over cross state rival Iowa State.  GO HAWKS!

Indiana hosts Bowling Green and is favored by 2.5.  GO HOOSIERS!

Akron (37 point dogs) travels to the Big OutHouse to take on THEM.  Whatever.

The Buckeyes actual leave Columbus in September to play Cal.  (NL due to the status of Braxton.)  GO CAL!

The Spartans warm-up against Youngstown State, in prep for the Irish next week.  GO SPARTY!

Speaking of the Irish, they are favored over Purdue by 20.5.  GO BOILERS!

Northwestern is a 31 point favorite over Western Michigan.  GO CATS!

And Wisconsin travels to the desert to play ASU.  The Sun Devils are favored by 5.5.  I can see that happening.  GO DEVILS!

Maryland is a touchdown favorite over UConn.  GO TERPS!

Buttgers will mop up EMU, favored by 27.5 over our most recent opponent.  GO SCARLET KNIGHTS!

And in the GAME OF THE WEEK . . .

Johnny Football will host the Alabama Crimson Tide who are favored by 7.5.  Odds give a 30% chance that Johnny signs autographs during the game.  ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Facing off With Bill O'Brien

From a BWI poster.

Can You Hear Me Now?

WARNING:  This is a rant.  If that is not your thing, please scroll down to the next entry, or try another web site.  Perhaps this one that shows every plane that is currently flying.  Or this one which shows a random cat picture and plays a random song.  Or you can find out if your computer is on or off at this site.

The stadium experience has certainly changed over the years.  Of course, what hasn't changed over the years?  Have these changes been positive?

I like the Jumbo-Tron picture.  That's a plus.

But how about showing more scores continuously on the scroll bar under each of the upper decks?  Yeah, I know we have to sell some Berks Hot Dogs and the like to pay the bills, but can't we run a crawl like ESPN and most sports networks do continuously?  You already have us here.  In the seats.  Who cares if we're interested in how well Sacramento State is doing against Podunk U?  Shows us the scores!

I don't like the nearly continuous stream of background music that won't stay in the background.  It's like we're living in a movie soundtrack.  Every play, emotion or pause has to be highlighted with a sound clip.  This is not a plus.

Now I fully understand that the University is trying (or maybe not) to cater to the students and the "younger" crowd.  And if you are in that category, I'm sorry that I don't understand your constant need for external auditory stimulation.  In case you haven't noticed, and you probably haven't if it isn't posted on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Vine, but those of us that are more bald fat wrinkled mature don't walk around with ear buds in our ears 24/7.

I liked Sweet Caroline. I'm sorry, but BOM BOM BOM I do.  I liked the crowd singing and the guy on the video screen swaying and directing with his arms.  Oh, like you don't have a guilty pleasure!

I like Zombie Nation.  I like some of the music played to pump up the crowd.

I just don't need it continuously.  Even when the stadium announcer was talking, the music was trying to overcome his voice.  It's not that I need to hear him announce that it is third down (when it was really fourth down, although you can't be sure because YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY HEAR HIM!), because I can see the scoreboard through my early cataracts and I can even see the marker on the sideline.  But why do we have to play music while he's talking?  Maybe he should just stop.

When you watch a game on TV at home, there isn't a constant soundtrack.  Do you blare your stereo while watching the game?  If you do, WHY? 

This year, the University has been sending me emails to choose a song for the Blue Band to play during the game from a pre-arranged list.  Okay.  That's nice, I suppose.  For 60 seconds, we have control over what is played.  Woo Hoo!  (Did we even hear a woo hoo! last week after a big play?)  The other 3 and a half hours we are deafened by noise that makes waterboarding seem humane.

No Sweet Caroline!  BOM BOM BOM!

And what is with the new bag policy?  I can't bring my stadium cushion with the pocket that holds a poncho and my game program into the game?  It has a Penn State logo on it (someone paid for a license the cost of which was passed on to me) and yet Penn State won't allow it in their stadium?  Because of security?  Give me a break!

Raise your hands . . . who feels more secure at the game knowing that little old ladies have to keep their pills and extra depends in a clear plastic bag?  Like you couldn't bring a handgun or some C4 explosives in your pocket?  I'm sorry.  It doesn't make me feel safer, and in fact, it annoys the living shit out of me.  When did I start living in Russia?  If you feel you have to infringe on my rights to be safe, then stay at home and watch it on TV.  I guess I could do that too, but then my rant wouldn't be much of a rant.  I'd be waving the white flag alongside Rodney Erickson.

The University appears, at a time when stadium attendance across the nation in general is declining, to be trying to turn fans away; to discourage people from coming.  Fancy videos and pleas by O'Brien to fill the stadium aren't going to bring people to watch Penn State beat EMU 45-7.  There is no fan loyalty anymore because the University threw loyalty out the window like a baby with the bathwater when it adopted the STEP program.

I'm sorry Mr. Fan who has sat on the 50-yard line for half a century at ticket face value.  You now owe us $600.  Per year.  And oh, by the way, you still have to buy the ticket.  What did they think would happen to their fan base when they treated people like that?

Our marketing gurus apparently think loud music and obnoxious stadium policies are more attractive than making the fan happy.

There has been a steady erosion of the stadium experience over the years.  No re-entry after half-time.  Brilliant!  No alcohol at the tailgates during the games.  Brilliant!  No bags!  No silence!  No fun!  No soup for us!

I had five extra tickets this past weekend that I couldn't GIVE AWAY for free.  Apparently the stadium experience just doesn't beat an HDTV and the comforts of home, where you can control the sound and take a bag in the house if you want to because this is America dammit!

As an aside, I can't fathom not being able to give away a ticket.  Had someone called me Sunday morning and said they had an extra ticket to the Steeler game, I would have been there.  (I'm glad I wasn't after the way they played, but that's another rant altogether!)  Seriously?  I would go to a game with appendicitis if I had the chance at a free seat.  I have skipped weddings and numerous family functions over the years to be at Penn State games.  I don't understand how any plans are so set in stone you couldn't be there.  Okay--if you are on a beach in Hawaii, then I'll forgive you for declining.  But you wanted to get some yard work done?  You have to visit your niece?  That's about as transparent as the girl who turns you down for a date Saturday night because she has to wash her hair!

And maybe that is the big problem.  The stadium experience isn't attractive.  Why wash your hair and get all dolled up for that?

I'm not arguing to worm hole our way back to the seventies with ONLY the band playing and no replay or entertainment whatsoever.  But I think it needs to be done in moderation.  If you want to have alumni/ticket holders vote, let's ask some real questions . . .

Do we want all this security bullshit?

Do we want to be able to re-enter the stadium at halftime with a hand stamp and ticket stub?

Do we want to have bottled beer at tailgates?

Do we want to bring our own stadium cushions WITH or WITHOUT pockets?

And then, change your policy accordingly.

Until then, I guess we have to just be happy picking a song.  Unless it's Sweet Caroline.

Lynch Mob

On a perfect, sunny September afternoon, the Nittany Lions struggled against themselves in the first quarter, and only led 17-7 at the half.  The defense pitched a shut-out, but the scoreboard was marred by an unearned TD when true Freshman Christian Hackenberg let the ball slip through his fingers on an unforced fumble error which gave the Eagles their only points of the day.

The offense eventually produced 574 yards, but sputtered early in the game.  Hackenberg made an early mistake, throwing into double coverage that killed a promising drive with an INT.  But the kid bounced back, maintained his composure, and went on to set a record for a freshman quarterback at Penn State.

Lynch debuted in the second quarter, and immediately showed the crowd that he was the "real deal."  He sealed the real deal in the second half with a dominate performance and 108 total yards on the day, joining fellow running back Belton who also made a buck eight for the game, thanks largely to a highlight reel run up the middle for 51 yards and a score in the fourth quarter.

Lynch's performance was fitting, given that his #22 was retired in honor of Penn State's only Heisman Trophy Winner, John Cappalletti.  In a locker room address to the team, Cappalletti told Lynch to keep wearing the number . . . but he has to give it back to him at the end of the season!



So let's look at the big picture.  It was only EMU--a team ranked near the bottom of the FBS schools.  And while we struggled offensively early on, that is to be expected to some degree given the level of excitement about the opponent (pretty low compared to Syracuse last week I would think) and a freshman quarterback who is bound to make mistakes.  The Lions were only 1-10 on third downs this week (2 for 26 on the season!) but it didn't keep them from rolling up the yardage and scoring points. 

Statistics are just damned lies!  Here's the one that counts:  Penn State is 2-0 on the season with what looks like a lot of potential on offense and a defense that shut out an opponent.  And while Syracuse lost to Northwestern 48-27, Penn State held the Orangemen to 17 points, and you have to wonder if the close loss last week emotionally drained Syracuse a bit which contributed to the larger margin of loss this week.  Now we're really reading tea leaves here!  My Magic Eight Ball tells me to MOVE ON.  Where have I heard that before????

Sam Ficken has set a school record by successfully kicking his 14th consecutive field goal in a streak that started last year after an abysmal start.

I will address some other gameday issues in a separate post (the music and the new ban on bags.)

BY THE NUMBERS:

From the GoPSUSports site:

	EMU	PSU
FIRST DOWNS...................	11	25
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............	35-61	39-251
PASSING YDS (NET).............	122	323
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........	28-18-0	35-25-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....	63-183	74-574
Fumble Returns-Yards..........	1-11	0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............	2-20	3-43
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........	5-111	2-44
Interception Returns-Yards....	1-10	0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............	11-41.9	5-41.4
Fumbles-Lost..................	2-0	2-1
Penalties-Yards...............	2-8	5-46
Possession Time...............	31:43	28:17
Third-Down Conversions........	3 of 16	1 of 10
Fourth-Down Conversions.......	0 of 1	2 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......	0-0	4-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards........	4-35	3-21

EMU had a slight edge in time of possession, which obviously didn't make a damned bit of difference.  But in the first quarter, they actually had the ball for 10 and a half minutes.  This was a combination of our own offensive inconsistency early on (PSU did not get a first down until the clock was below 4 minutes and we were already down 7 on the scoreboard!)  I also felt the Eagles were doing really well on first down plays, which put our defense at a disadvantage. 

But be that as it may, the defense allowed no points, held a second opponent to under 100 yards rushing, and held EMU to 3 of 16 on third down conversions.  EMU punted 11 times!

INTANGIBLES:

The Drum major stuck both flips.

Cappalletti's number 22 was retired at halftime in a ceremony that featured the 1973 undefeated squad, now celebrating their 40th anniversary of that milestone.

Bill O'Brien is 10-4 as head coach.

The Lions are 3-0 over EMU.  I don't give an Emmert's ass about vacated crap.  I was at both those previous games and we WON.  You can draw your own asterisk here if that's the kind of person you are.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

THEM held on to defeat the Irish 41-30 in the match-up of the week.  However, the real surprise was Illinois taking out Cincinnati 45-17.  Couple this with a Purdue "win" over Indiana State 20-14 (Indiana beat Indiana State 73-35 last week) and we can safely conclude that Purdue is not very good.  Add to that the fact that the Hoosiers Cinderella season was shattered early when Navy sank the Battleship Indiana, 35-41, making the Hoosiers the lone losers this past weekend.

Wisconsin rolled out the barrel all over Tennessee Tech, 48-0, and have won 93-0 in the first two cupcake games.  The Buckeyes got a fright as Toni Braxton went out with a knee, but the Columbus Titans beat the crap out of San Diego State 42-7.  The Gophers are 2-0 with a win over New Mexico State 44-21.  The Huskers shucked Southern Miss 56-13 and Michigan State hung on to beat the South Florida Bulls 21-6.

Future members Maryland and Rutgers both posted wins with the Terps beating Old Dominion 47-10 and Buttgers bouncing back with a 38-0 win over Norfolk State.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  USC--lost to WSU 10-7. 
2.  Texas lost to BYU 40-21.
3.  Florida lost to Miami 21-16.
4.  West Virginia--almost beat Oklahoma but came up short 16-7.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Beaver Stadium becomes the site of a UCF Cage Fight next week at 6pm.

The magic number for UCF is 38.

They beat Akron 38-7 and Florida International Airport 38-0.

I don't think they will score 38 this week.

GO STATE!  BEAT KNIGHTS!

Weekly Game Guide: Lesser of Two Evils Edition

Week two of the college football season brings us another slate of must see or die trying to see football games.

Purdue won the rock-paper-scissors battle for the chance to get a win over Indiana State.  Last week the Hoosiers destroyed the Sycamores 73-35.  Purdue lost to Cincinnati 42-7, presumably caught looking ahead to Indiana State.  We'll throw the Boilers a bone here . . . GO PURDUE!

Speaking of Indiana, the mighty Hoosiers are going to try and prove week one wasn't a fluke.  They are favored by about two touchdowns over Navy.  I'd pick the Hoosiers to win, but that might make it look like I care.  And I don't.

The big, bad Badgers who beat UMass 45-0, will turn their football power against the incredibly unlucky Tennessee Tech.  Maybe they'll be looking ahead to Arizona State, but I don't think there's much hope that Wisconsin will lose this game.  And it would make our conference look bad. :(   So On Wisconsin!

After squeaking by Wyoming 37-34, Nebraska will take on Southern Miss.  The Huskers were favored by 31 in the opening line.  That doesn't say much for Southern Miss.  GO HUSKERS!

Illinois managed to beat Southern Illinois last week, but they will face Cincinnati this week.  That's two Big Ten teams in a row for the Bearcats.  Who do they think they are?  Notre Dame?  The Bearcats are a 7.5 point favorite over the Illini.  After their little recruiting fiasco on the Penn State campus last year, I'd be fine if Illinois lost every game they play.  GO BEARCATS!

I'm sorry, would that be bad for the Big Ten?  :)

Minnesota is favored by 15 against New Mexico State.  At New Mexico State.  Can you imagine PSU playing a game AT Mexico State?  Ay! Caramba!  But gophers are kinda cute, so we'll root for the little varmints.  This week.

Iowa will take on Missouri . . . wait for it . . . State.  Good chance to win here chickenhawks.  Just don't let that loss to a directional Illinois team get in your feathered heads. 

The Spartans will host the Bulls of South Florida.  Sparty is a 24.5 point fave.  I can go green.  And white.  GO MSU!

The Buckeyes will entertain San Diego State in Columbus this weekend.  'Entertain' as in beat the senseless pulp out of them.  The Columbus Pro Team is favored by 28.5 points.  I can't root for the Buckeyes.  I don't let friends root for the Buckeyes. 

Northwestern faces a familiar foe as Syracuse travels to Evanston for a night game.  Pat Fitzgerald apparently made the claim this week--TWICE--that Syracuse should have and could have beaten Penn State.  Oh really!  Scott Shafer for Syracuse apparently agreed.  Isn't that special?  Well Pat, I think Syracuse can and will beat your team.  GO ORANGE!

In all honesty, Fitzgerald is probably just playing up the other team and using that statement to warn his team about how good Syracuse might be, as in 'good enough to almost beat Penn State.'  But that's not what he said.  See, he could have said they were almost good enough to beat PSU, but he chose to say--TWICE--that Syracuse should have beaten Penn State.  Scoreboard buddy.  Look at the scoreboard.

Future Big Ten Brethren Rutgers and Maryland will face Norfolk State and Old Dominion respectively.  Yawwwwwn.  GO RUTGERS.  GO TERPS.  After all, it will look better for the Big Ten, right?  ;)

Which brings us to the "marquee" match-up of the week.  THEM vs. Notre Lame.  A stress-inducing three and a half hours if ever there was.  I can't stand either team.  I don't want either one to win.  There's no chance of a tie.  It's like watching two of your kids drowning, but you can save only one.  Even when one wins, there is pain.

I simply can't risk Notre Dame going to a BCS Bowl that they don't deserve again.  If you want to play in a BCS Bowl with the Big Boys, you should damn well be in a BCS conference like the Big Boys.  Tradition didn't mean anything when you terminated your series with THEM, but I thank you, so that we will be spared this match-up in the future.  And while the Irish still have to navigate a schedule with Oklahoma, USC, and Stanford, we as a nation simply cannot chance the Irish going undefeated again.  Beat them now.  Beat them badly.  GO WOLVERINES!

I can't believe I just typed that.  I have to go sterilize my keyboard now.

EM-Who?

Penn State opens the home season at Beaver Stadium against the Emus of Eagle University.  Um, strike that.  Reverse it.  The Eagles of EMU.

I haven't seen an official line yet, and am too damned lazy to look one up, but I suspect we will be favored.  And we all know how accurate those odds ratings are.  Good grief, what odds maker had a stroke and made Pitt only a 10 point underdog???

According to USA Today Sports, EMU is ranked 117th out of 125 teams.  Very impressive indeed.

Eastern Michigan has created some separation between itself and conference rivals like Massachusetts and Akron, though the Eagles remain football fields removed from being mentioned in the same breath as Mid-American Conference frontrunners like Toledo, Northern Illinois and Ohio. At the very least, EMU can continue to hover between two and four wins and remain one step above the bottom rung of the MAC's ladder – which is fine, and certainly familiar ground for a program now more than 25 years removed from its last postseason appearance.

And by the way, Ohio got pasted by Louisville on Sunday.  So if EMU is football fields removed from them, I don't see Saturday being a problem.  Of course, I didn't see Ohio being a problem last year, so maybe I need my glasses checked.  Any one know a good eye doctor?

Thomas Bieszk of The Eastern Echo -cho, -cho, -cho, writes about EMU's victory over Howard (Cosell?  Schnellenberger?  Hughes?  Stern?) this past weekend.

The first half started off slow, as each team drove the ball to midfield only to have the drives stall. . .  The Eagles followed that with a touchdown drive of their own, capped by a 33-yard touchdown pass from Benz to junior wide receiver Demarius Reed. The extra point was blocked and the Eagles went into halftime with a 13-10 lead. 

The start of the second half was frustrating to say the least. Howard opened up the half with an 80-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard catch and run by sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Booker for the score and the recapture of the lead. The play was an eight-yard out route, but a couple missed tackles opened up the long run afterwards.

Do you think ARob might make them miss a few tackles?    Our game versus Syracuse started out slow . . .I think it was 6-3 at the half and I was beginning to wonder if someone was going to intentionally take a safety to secure the win!

An EMU football blogger (yes!  I Know!  AN EMU football blog actually exists!) writes about their moral victory . . .

Remember when I told you that the  closest Howard had ever come to a Division I-A/FBS school was 23 points?

I almost wanted to just end this recap there. If there is such a thing as a moral victory, then there also must be such a thing as a moral loss, and if so, this was surely one.

It was almost worse, though; it was almost an actual loss. With EMU trailing 17-13 midway through the third quarter, I suggested to a friend that a loss to Howard should result in an immediate firing.  Moments later, the Bison scored again, taking a double-digit lead and I was ready for the entire coaching staff to lose their jobs on the spot. Let’s face it, if they had proven unable to coach the team to a win over Howard, they probably wouldn’t have been able to find any other wins on the schedule this year either; the Bison are expected to be far and away the worst team the Eagles will face this fall.

Fortunately, EMU came back with 21 unanswered points to turn an 11-point deficit into a 10-point win. Plus, I’m not the one making that decision anyway, and let’s face it, that’s probably a good thing too.

Looking at that score, looking at how the Eagles fell behind, I have to say that it’s hard to see this year ending any better than 4-8, and 1-11 is not unimaginable.

There were actually a number of vocal Penn State posters expressing concern about how close our game was, but keep in mind folks, PSU turned the ball over FOUR times, went 1-16 on third down conversions with a freshman quarterback, and gained less than 60 yards rushing . . . AND STILL WON THE GAME against an opponent that actually went to and WON a bowl game last year, thrashing West Virginia 38-14 in the Pinstrip Bowl (intentionally misspelled.)  Oh wait, is that the same WVU that almost tanked to William and Mary?  Whatever.  Syracuse was bowling and Howard was, well, whatever Howard was doing.  And I don't think we even want to go there.

The EMU blogger notes that the Eagle's running game never really got going (good luck against us) and their defense is very young and still learning. 

All kidding aside, I do expect EMU to come out fighting.  After all, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  This ain't the NCAA of 1982.  Eastern Washington's and Appalachian State's can win.  They can haz cheezeburgers!  Even Western Kentucky taught Kentucky a thing or two about football this past weekend.

So on any given day . . .but this Saturday is not a given day.  Not in Happy Valley.  The Eagles will be grounded.

And in other news, Ficken and Hackenberg were named Big Ten Players of the Week.

GO STATE!  BEAT EMU!

The Siege of Syracuse

The Siege of Syracuse by the Romans in 214 BC took two years.  Yesterday, the Nittany Lions besieged Syracuse in three and a half hours before a partisan crowd of 61,202.  It was a war in the trenches, with the Orange stacking the line and daring true freshman Quarterback, Christian Hackenberg, to beat them through the air.  And Hackenberg did not disappoint in his debut.



Syracuse had the Claw of mathematician Archimedes . . .
Penn State had the heart of John Urschel

While the rookie signal caller had two interceptions, he also threw for two touchdowns, went 22-31 for 278 yards, and gave Penn State it's first real deep threat since, well, probably Clark is the closest in 2008-9.  And I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest Hack was more accurate in those throws already as a freshman, which will put him way ahead of the curve at this point.  And his second interception was by a defensive end that dropped back into linebacker coverage.  Are you kidding me?

And while the paucity of points, especially in the first half is concerning, the score does not accurately reflect the dominance of Penn State over a Syracuse team that I will now admit is better than I thought.  The alleged "fumble" by Allan Robinson resulted in a flip-flop of field position when the Lions seemed to be clicking on offense and had gotten to the Syracuse 27.  Fortunately, the defense held and Syracuse missed the potential tying field goal at that point.  It's a good thing they didn't review the kick or they probably would have given Syracuse 3 points after further review.

In fact, I think the defense played a heck of a game.  Don't forget, that on top of the depth issues, injuries, sanctions, and the like, the defense has a new coordinator on the headset, Ted Roof having left for Ga Tech. 

I fully expected our offense to be more prolific than it was, and our defense to be more porous.  The final result was a satisfying mix, as both units, injuries not withstanding, will improve and benefit from this close game.  I don't imagine Wisconsin's head coach learned a whole lot about his team in a 45-0 win over UMass.  UMass should be thankful that Bielema wasn't still on the sideline, or that figure might have approached 70.  But I digress.

While the Nittany Lion rushing game managed only a paltry 57 yards, the Syracuse running game didn't do a whole lot better, gaining just 71 yards on the day.   Our rushing game started slow last year, and I think the potential is still there.  And as I said above, the Syracuse game plan was pretty obvious--stack the line and stop the run.  They succeeded, but that is not necessarily a poor reflection on our offensive line.  Even veteran lines have trouble opening holes when the opponent stacks the box against the run.

It is also quite evident that the Penn State offense is a different (and better) beast with ARob in the game.  For whatever reason, O'Brien sat him on the bench for the first half.  But then his first two touches in the second half keyed a two play scoring drive.

Unfortunately, the Orange weren't going to be squeezed so easily, answering back with a two play scoring drive that kept the PSU margin at 3.

In the end, the officiating sucked.  We didn't cover the spread.  Despite the offensive ballyhoo and hype of Hackenberg, it was still a defensive play that won the day.  Joe Paterno must be smiling.  Fergusen didn't look as comfortable in the game in his lone series, and he fumbled.  It's too small a data set to draw any conclusions from that. 

But I was also a little concerned about the late game play calling.  I liked the aggressive fourth down call on the first drive.  But then the last possession looked like Paterno has somehow come back from the dead and called running plays which not only didn't gain any yardage, but didn't even bleed much time off the clock.  I'm not sure why O'Brien suddenly became so conservative--maybe it was the two picks by Hack and a tired offensive line on a hot humid day that caused him to lean more to the conservative side.  It worked and we still won, but it was more of a nail biter than I would have liked it to have been.

I also want to throw in, and here is as good a point as any, but I don't think we are seeing the full Hackenberg package yet.  The fourth down play aside, the tight ends were not dramatically involved in the offense as I would have expected.  Lehman and James had two catches apiece and Carter none.

I think we will see the tight ends used more as the season goes on.  Brenneman was in the game on special teams.  I am very glad we have three more games before the conference schedule to fine tune this offensive machine.  Hackenberg looks to be the real deal.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From the GoPSUsports site:

	PSU	SU
FIRST DOWNS...................	14	11
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............	38-57	37-71
PASSING YDS (NET).............	296	189
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........	32-23-2	37-16-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....	70-353	74-260
Fumble Returns-Yards..........	0-0	1-46
Punt Returns-Yards............	3-44	2-16
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........	3-66	2-70
Interception Returns-Yards....	2-4	2-52
Punts (Number-Avg)............	7-39.0	7-42.1
Fumbles-Lost..................	2-2	1-1
Penalties-Yards...............	4-20	8-70
Possession Time...............	30:45	29:15
Third-Down Conversions........	1 of 16	6 of 20
Fourth-Down Conversions.......	2 of 2	0 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......	2-2	3-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards........	2-17	3-22

Penn State was perfect in fourth down conversions, but abysmal in third down plays.  The lack of a running game and not wanting to put too much pressure on Hackenberg were probably contributing factors.

Penn State outgained the Orange by about a 100, and time of possession was about equal, with a minute edge to the Lions.

The punting game is still meh, but hang me up and paint me surprised, but I was impressed with Ficken.  Three field goals including a 46-yarder (he didn't make one over 40 last year!) is more than I would have expected.  I still got queasy when he trotted out on the field, but he sure did knock 'em through.  One of the kicks was low and ugly, but the snap was high, I think.  Overall, give that guy a gold star.  He also put most of his kicks deep with no returns which is also a great plus.

INTANGIBLES:

O'Brien won his first season opener. 

Christian Hackenberg became the second freshman to start a season at Penn State at quarterback since 1910.

Syracuse won the toss and deferred.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The 2nd. ranked Buckeyes rolled over Buffalo 40-20.  Wisconsin badgered UMass 45-0.  In the battles of the Great Lakes State, THEM beat Central Michigan 59-9 and the Spartans defeated Western Michigan 26-13.  Northwestern beat Cal 44-30.  Indiana crushed Indiana State 73-35, and Minnesota gnawed on UNLV for a 51-23 final score.  The Huskers survived against Wyoming, winning 37-34, and Illinois managed a win against Southern Illinois, 42-34.

Losers include Iowa (there's a surprise!) losing to Northern Illinois 30-27 and Purdue being steamrolled by Cincy 42-7.

Future Big Ten members Maryland and Rutgers did thus:  The Terps beat Florida International Airport 43-10 while Buttgers lost a wild one 52-51 against Fresno State.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  For Texas A and M--what a disgrace.  Johnny Football mocked signing an autograph--which was not flagged, but than was later penalized for taunting in the only half of football he played.  The Aggies won big, but at what price?

2.  For Elon--blasted 70-0 by the Rambling Wreck of Georgia Tech.

3.  For K-state--shocked in Manhattan by North Dakota State.

4.  For the Beavers--Oregon State lost to Eastern Washington 49-46, the first time a FCS school beat a ranked FBS school since James Madison took out Va Tech in 2010.

5.  For Georgia--lost a close battle to Clemson in a match-up of Top Ten teams.

6.  For Frank Beamer--did anyone get the license plate of that Elephant?

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State opens the season at home against Eastern Michigan next Saturday at high noon.

EMU won its first game against Howard (the duck?) 34-24.  Penn state won their last meeting 34-6 in 2011 . . . Joes were the days, boys.

I look to see both quarterbacks getting playing time again, with Hack starting.  We will probably try tuning up the running game some more, but I think O'Brien is still a pass first kind of guy so we'll see some more ARob highlights.

GO STATE!  BEAT EMU!