Temple In Ruins

The Nittany Lions took care of business, defeating the Temple Owls 24-13.  Stormy weathered threatened the day, but never materialized beyond a light drizzle now and then.  In fact, the westering sun came out late in the second quarter as Penn State wisely used its time outs to get the ball back and score a touchdown as time ticked away.  A rainbow appeared over the south deck and the Lions were walking on sunshine.  For Temple, there was no pot of gold to be found.

Attendance was down--93,680--and I don't know whether that is due to fading interest by the fans, the threat of wet weather, or a lack of enthusiasm for playing an opponent who has not beaten Penn State in 71 years.  I applaud those fans that joined me in supporting this team and the players who chose to stay.

In fact, I couldn't even give tickets away this week, and one of my tickets went to an old friend of mine from Williamsport . . . who also happens to be a Temple fan.  I recommended he wear blue . . .to fit in.  He did not.  He wore a red Temple shirt, but he called it cherry.  I didn't know he was an interior decorator or a hair stylist, if you know what I mean.  Men call it red.  Women call it cherry.  Let's just leave it at that.

But his son wore Penn State gear, embarrassed by his father.  His dad said this was payback for when he took him to a Phillies game wearing a Mets shirt.



"I will not harm you friends of Lions Den, but I cannot deny 100,000 of our fans fresh meat"

At least he brought a jacket.  A Flyers jacket.  I'm a Penguins fan.  I'd rather see the Temple shirt.

Anyway, the hapless Owls were unable to mount any significant threat against the Lions.  Matt McGloin put together a career high 318 yards passing, scoring two touchdowns on sneaks, and even Sam Ficken, the Ficken Foot of Fate, kicked in with a 31-yard field goal late in the fourth.

While the kicking game is still shaky--the punting was actually worse than the place kicking this week--this team is showing improvement offensively and defensively each week.  Whether this will translate into being competitive in the conference remains to be seen, but aside from the Huskers, there doesn't appear to be a game left that the Lions couldn't win.

I am a little concerned about the number of penalties.  The late hits out of bounds were borderline at best, at least without the benefit of slow motion replay.  But let's be honest . . .if you need replay to be sure, then it was a call that could have gone either way.  And no--the refs don't always flag those so don't even try to use that lame justification.

Penn State had 9 penalties for 100 yards.  An entire football field of basically offense for Temple, moving the ball the other way.  And that doesn't take into account the loss of yardage on a couple of those plays which was significant.  A Penn State fan complaining about the refs?  Some things never change!

O'Brien has made his way down the roster and has nothing but Z names left at running back, but Zordich is playing his heart out and Zwinak led the team with 95 yards and a 5.2 yards per carry average.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Penn State won time of possession 36:52 to 23:08.  The Lions out gained Temple 491 yards to 237.  On the ground, the Owls were held to 113 yards.  The Owls were 3 of 12 on third down conversions while PSU was 8 of 15.  McGloin threw one pick, the only turn over in the game.

INTANGIBLES:

The drum major stuck both flips.

Temple won the toss and deferred.

Win #2 for O'Brien.  407 more to go.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Let's start with the BIG losers:

Iowa lost to Central Michigan 32-31.

ND defeated Denard Robinson 13-6.

Illinois fell to La Tech 52-24.

Among those teams in the conference that won . . .

Ohio State beat UAB 29-15.

Wisconsin defeated UTEP 37-26.

Nebraska made mashed potatoes of Idaho State 73-7.

The Spartans slapped EMU silly, 23-7.

The Gophers squeezed the Orangemen 17-10.

Northwestern tromped South Dakota 38-7.

Purdue and Indiana were both off.  Do you think there might be something going on between them?

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Clemson fans--tomahawk chopped 49-37.
2.  Oklahoma lost to Kansas State 24-19.  Justin Brown .  More schadenfreude, baby.
3.  La-Monroe--nearly upset Baylor after defeating Arkansas in OT and losing to Auburn in OT.
4.  Speaking of Arkansas, they lost to Rutgers.  Razorbacks are 1-3.  Thank God for Jacksonville St.!

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State will start Big Ten play on the road against Illinois.

The season to date for Illinois . . .

W Western Michigan 24-7
L  Arizona State 45-14
W Charleston Southern 44-0
L  La Tech 52-24.

So basically they have two wins against unimpressive teams, and any team with a pulse has resulted in a rather lopsided loss.  Does Penn State have a pulse?  Of course we do.  It's a kicker we lack.  And depth at running back.  And our secondary.

I think this is a very winnable game for Penn State, even on the road.  A two-game win streak with some confidence against a team that was just taken out to the woodshed by an unranked team from Louisiana that is not located in Monroe, should spell a victory for the Blue and White.  But I have been wrong before.

GO STATE!   BEAT ILLINI!

Penn State is Credible

This conclusion is drawn by Temple Football Forever.  Truth be told, there aren't many blogs about Temple football (and there is probably a really good reason for this.)  Doesn't forever seem like a terribly long time?  Almost reminds one of purgatory, only it lasts longer.  But I digress.

According to TFF:

Penn State is largely an outsider getting insider treatment. [from the Philadelphia media] 

I have a feeling Penn State will be an afterthought very soon, but the Lions' 34-7 win over a solid Navy program gave them some credibility that it did not have after losses to Ohio and Virginia. 

Penn State is credible now. 

I don't think they will be by the time the Owls next face them on Aug. 30, 2014. Two years of 15 scholarships will do that to a program. 

So this is the year to beat Penn State.

Get your after-thoughts here!  I would think that 2014 would be the year, since PSU will supposedly be less credible then, but I guess that won't be a marquee victory for the Hooters like this year should be.  Either way, I think the plan is to kick us when we're down.  Reading on confirms their evil plan--win now while we're on the way down, not after we've crashed at the bottom . . .

The Lions can still lose to Temple this year and finish with a respectable season in the Big 10.

Despite the defections, they have enough talent leftover to be dangerous the rest of the way.

More defections and lack of scholarships will take a larger toll in ensuing years.

The next time they lose to Temple, they will be struggling to 1- and 2-win seasons.

If the Owls want a win over Penn State to mean anything, they better take advantage of the opportunity now.

This is pretty heavy prognostication from the supporter of a team that just returned to the Big Least conference in time to celebrate its demise.  Temple is like the stranded castaway being saved by a boat that ultimately crashes on the reef as it leaves the island.  They'll be sitting in the dust watching the tail lights as Pitt and Syracuse move on as fast as they can get out of Dodge.  But do you see what I've done here again?  I've gone and digressed.

And don't think I didn't notice that little gem about PSU having a respectable season in the Big Ten even if they lose to Temple.  While Temple might be able to handle Indiana with no problem, I don't see any other Big Ten team that would consider the Mighty Owls a threat to their season.  If Penn State can't beat Temple, I don't think it follows that we could have a good Big Ten season.  If I can't beat my amateur neighbor at golf, I surely wouldn't have a good season on the tour against the likes of Tiger Woods if you catch my drift.

My faith in my football team is my weakness.  His overconfidence is his.

In his Monday post, he writes about their "secret weapons."

Temple travels to Penn State on Saturday afternoon (3:30, ABC Regional) and brings with it a couple of "secret" weapons in Kevin Newsome and Montel Harris. 

Secret to Temple fans because they only saw Harris play a couple of downs against Villanova and Newsome hasn't played a down yet on offense or defense. 

Both, though, are great athletes and potential playmakers who can make a difference against Penn State.

So that's where Newsome ended up.  I guess it was a secret.  Or I didn't care.  If he hasn't played defense since high school, I really can't say that I am concerned about him becoming an All-American safety by this Saturday.  In fact, that might work to our benefit.  Can they also convert a punter to defensive back?  But shhhh.  I'd keep that a secret too.

So did Penn State's win over a solid Navy team lend it credibility, or is that just rhetoric for "I'm worried about Temple having a chance now?"

Post Game Reactions: Broken TV Edition

Are we being too hard on our offense?

I think not.

We struggled against Indiana State, despite putting 41 points on the board.  ISU won their next two games over Butler (48-34) and Western Kentucky (44-16).

We managed only 11 points against a stiff Bama defense.

Should we have put more points on the board versus Temple?  We certainly COULD have, if we had had a field goal kicker.

But I didn't credit Temple's defense a bit, even though the Owls gave up a total of 10 points in the two previous games (Villanova and Akron.)

Personally, I don't think our offense can blame Temple's defense for the problems we are having scoring points.

But then I read a Temple fan's recap of the game.  Do you know why Temple lost?  It wasn't because the Penn State defense mauled them in the second half.  It is because Temple's Offense lost the game for them.

A team that has Bernard Pierce, Mike Gerardi, Joey Jones, Evan Rodriguez, Rod Streater, Matty Brown, Alex Jackson and Deon Miller should not be struggling to put points on the board, no matter who the opponent.

Seriously?  Are Temple fans as poor at football analysis as their team is at playing the game?  You expect your offense to generate the same points against Oklahoma (or say, Penn State) as you would against Akron????

To me, that lack of offensive help is the most disappointing thing.
A team that has a 6-5, 320-pound offensive line, should be able to get a push from time to time and protect the quarterback with regularity, no matter who the opponent.

If size were all that mattered, Wisconsin would never lose a game.

I am somewhat offended that no credit was even given to the Penn State D.  Even I admitted that Bama was the better team last week.  Didn't change the fact that our offense sucks, but a good D magnifies that problem.

Maybe Temple has a better D than we expected.

I don't know much about that, but my hair is fierce.

And I know looking at Temple's remaining schedule--Maryland, Toledo, Ball State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Ohio, Miami (OH),  Army and Kent State--they won't face a tougher defense than they saw this past Saturday.  Unfortunately for the Owls, they'll probably face a few better offenses.

Surely Temple

Surely Temple can't beat Penn State.

No.  They can't. And please don't call me Shirley.

Let's replay my recap from LAST YEAR:

It was not the greatest upset in college football history and not even the most amazing upset in the program’s storied history, but in the end, Penn State managed to upset the Temple Owls 22-13 14-10.

The Mighty and Most-annoying Owls came into Beaver Stadium Lincoln Financial Field as if they already had the game won. They were actually disappointed that they did not win. They couldn’t believe they didn’t win. They were already reserving tickets for a BCS game (they already had the rest of the season won as well.)

But that is why we play these games. The heavily favored (in their own minds) Owls came out swinging. THEY CAME TO PLAY. (If I hear that one more time I may just have to kill someone.) And for almost three four quarters, the Cherry and Vanilla played like they were going to win. THEY DESERVED TO WIN. (If you say that one more time, you are next on my list.) But like any great team that gets upset, they let a pesky opponent—WHO ALSO CAME TO PLAY—hang around too long and the Lions snatched away victory in the final quarter of play.

It's deja blue and white all over again.

Temple has not beaten Penn State since 1941.  There was a tie in 1950, and the Owls have not won in the last 29 meetings.  Joe Paterno has never lost to Temple.

So why does Temple not understand their role in this drama?  We don't play them every year because we need more competition.  Are not all the checks and the third largest crowd in your team's history not enough for you?  Do you really need to actually win one of these scrimmages?

You would probably like to hear about how I fretted over this game.  Or how I threw small articles and pets at my TV screen in anger.  Or perhaps that I have bitten my nails down to the bone and am typing with blood dripping all over my keyboard from the stumps.

The truth is . . . I DVR'd the game and was at my son's hockey game when this travesty occurred.  My daughter's boyfriend texted her the final score before I got home.

I knew you couldn't do it,
even when you've got nothing to lose.
You're weak. And I've outgrown you.

I can't say that I am surprised.  Penn State was coming off an emotional loss.  Temple had absolutely nothing to lose.  Penn State's offense has been sputtering worse than a '71 GMC Pacer on cheap gas.

Penn State turned the ball over once, missed two field goals and had a third one blocked, had a touchdown called back for holding, and had a punt blocked--and TEMPLE STILL COULDN'T WIN THE GAME with perhaps their best team ever.


Our defense played the kind of game it needed to play to win this game.  The offense played the kind of game Penn State needed to play to barely win this game.  The special teams played the kind of game the team needed to lose this game.

Even knowing the outcome, this game was painful to watch.  I still tossed small pets at the TV and pulled out what little hair I had left.  If it weren't for defense, we'd have no team at all . . . gloom, despair, and agony for us.

Thank Heavens Temple didn't hire Bradley.  They might have won this game.

By The Numbers:

From GoPSUsports:

Turnovers, as in most cases, were huge in this game.  Two interceptions late in the game killed the Owls chance to pull off the impossible upset.

Penn State held Bernard Pierce to 54 yards on 17 carries.  Some Owl fans think his injury and inability to finish the game last season helped Penn State pull out the win.  Well, he played this whole game and they STILL didn't pull out the win.

INTANGIBLES:

It was a small crowd by PSU standards, with 57,323 fans in attendance.

Temple won the toss and elected to defer.

The Owl screeching after a Temple moral victory was quite annoying on the TV.  I can't imagine how headache-inducing it was to endure in person.  Yet another reason to not actually go to one of these "away" games.

Joe Paterno is rambling after Grambling, with win number 403, just 5 behind Eddie Robinson on the all-time list.

People with more time on their hands than I counted the number of times ESPN showed the closed windows behind which Joe Paterno apparently coached.  Thirteen, in case you are wondering.  But they did not show Dan Persa's mom once.  According to the announcers, the Penn State coaches didn't know how to open the windows.  No wonder they can't coach the offense!

Pay no attention to that man behind the windows!

I almost spewed my beer when the announcers said that Steve Addazio thinks Temple could be the Boise of the East.

Penn State is now tied for fourth on the all-time list of consecutive win streaks over a single opponent, and the highest one that is currently active.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The contenders:

Nebraska beat Washington 51-38.

Wisconsin rolled over Northern Illinois 49-7.

Illinois upset Arizona State 17-14.

THEM softened up EMU for us, beating their intrastate rival 31-3.

Iowa edged the Panthers 31-27.

Purdue crushed SE Missouri State 59-0.

Indiana beat South Carolina . . .wait for it . . . State 38-21.

The pretenders:

Miami (FL) under Al Golden knock off the Buckeyes, 24-6.

Army beat Northwestern 21-14.

The Irish notched their first win of the year against the Spartans, 31-13.

The Gophers beat Miami (OH) 29-22.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Sparty--spanked by a win-less ND team
2.  Navy--upset bid over the gamecocks comes up 3 points short
3.  Auburn--winning streak snapped by Clemson
4.  Loser of the F$U - Oklahoma game
5.  the ACC--Pitt and Syracuse apparently banging on the door.  If I were them, I'd pretend I wasn't home!

LOOKING AHEAD:

EMU comes to Beaver Stadium next Saturday.

The Eagles are 2-1 with wins over Howard (41-9) and Alabama State (14-7).  They lost today in Ann Arbor 31-3.

The last time these two teams faced each other, 1992, Penn State won 52-7.

I don't think we can score 52, but we should win.  It's not like we're playing a powerhouse like Shirley Temple.

Angry Owls?

The opening line for Penn State against Temple was 10 points.  Depending on who you ask now, that line ranges from 6.5 to 8.  A lot of money and faith is being put on Temple.

Or, more specifically, bettors are turning against dear old state.

It's not that Temple is such a great pick, it's just that the Lions aren't looking so good right now.

Temple Football Forever (talk about your purgatory there) predicts a 24-20 victory by the angry birds.

There's a buzz about Temple vs. Penn State this year that I don't ever remember in my Temple vs. Penn State lifetime and that's half of Joe Paterno's years.

I really feel the stars are perfectly aligned for a Temple win over Penn State this time.

I've never felt this strongly before.

Strange, but that is the feeling I had before we played Bama last Saturday.

We'll go into those details later in the week but suffice it to say that Temple has a healthy NFL first-round draft pick and a stone-cold stud carrying the ball (Penn State doesn't), Temple has a defensive coordinator who was 12-0 as a DC on a BCS bowl team (Penn State doesn't), Temple has a relatively youthful head coach who is a master motivator (and Penn State doesn't) and Temple has an offensive coordinator who developed Tom Brady and Tim Tebow (and Penn State doesn't).

Apparently, the Buzz extends to people named Buzz.

Not just any Buzz, mind you, the most famous person in the world named Buzz, Pulitizer Prize winning author Buzz Bissinger who correctly predicts a Temple victory over Penn State here. You've got to figure someone who writes about football with that kind of insight and lives in Pennsylvania knows a little about the state of the two programs at this time.

Temple also has a massive offensive line that averages 6-5, 320 (and PSU doesn't) and a Big 33 MVP (Adrian Robinson) and Penn State does not.

What will Temple have on Saturday that Penn State doesn't have?

A win that day, 24-20.

The stars are perfectly aligned.

And the Hale-Bop Comet is the way to salvation!  Can I get a great big Amen!  Pass that Kool Aid, brother!

I wonder if Silas Redd gives a hoot about not being a stone-cold stud?  I'd rather have a red hot thoroughbred--thorough-redd--myself, but that's just me.

Dan Stamm asks whether this could be Temple's year?

Will this finally be the year of the Owl? Maybe but the fact that they are even being considered on the same level as the mighty Penn State show’s how far the Temple program has come under former coach Al Golden and current coach Steve Addazio.

“There’s a buzz around our program, it’s great for our program, we’re playing well,” Addazio said. “Who knows what that outcome’s going to be but you wouldn’t want it any other way.”

There's that buzz word again.  BUZZ.  Sounds like they have a bee problem.  I had a hard drive that buzzed one time right before it crashed forever.  But I digress.

I'm sorry, but this isn't about how far Temple has come.  It is about how far Penn State has fallen.  This discussion wouldn't even be happening if we had some offensive coaches.

And if beating a Penn State team for the first time in over half a cenury when we're struggling is what your program needs to justify itself, then so be it.  That doesn't make you as good as Penn State.  That brings you up to the level of Pitt.

Angry Owls Hope Penn State lays an EGG.

Pre-Season Countdown: #10

So let's recap. 

We started with the easiest game/opponent on the schedule at #12 with Indiana State University.  Number 11 was Eastern Michigan University. 

The nominees for #10 include Indiana, Temple, Ohio State and Illinois.  Well, even without Pryor and Tressel, I don't think the Buckeyes have a chance at coming in at #10.  So without further ado . . .

TEMPLE.

I almost declared a tie between the Hoosiers and the Owls.  Let's face it, we're talking six of one and half a dozen of the other here.  More interesting is that both schools are sporting new coaches this season.  Former offensive coordinators are all the rage on the fashion runways in the NCAA this fall.  The Owls have Steve Addazio, erstwhile offensive coordinator from Florida and the Hoosiers hired Kevin Wilson from Oklahoma where he was, coincidentally enough, their offensive coordinator.

In the end, I had to give the nod to Temple, though.  Big Ten lower tier trumps mid-level MAC team.  Both are road games, although the Temple game will essentially be an Eastern Home Game for Penn State.

The Owls went 8-4 last season and gave Penn State a bit of a scare with a 22-13 contest at Beaver Stadium.  Truth be told, many Temple faithful believed that last year was THE YEAR they would finally beat Penn State.  Maybe the Hoosiers thought that way as well.  Neither team took the Cinderella title and lived happily ever after.

The big question is what kind of team will this be in the post-Golden Age?

Offensively, Temple should be okay.  They have an offensive coordinator from an offensively strong program like Florida, which incidentally pasted quite a few points against us in the bowl game.

But according to Greg Doyle of CBSsports, the Addazio hire is not a good thing.

In one fell swoop, Temple football is back to being Temple football. Which is to say, Temple football returned to irrelevance today by hiring a man who did the impossible: failing to score points with Urban Meyer's offense and Florida's recruits.

Hold the presses, Nellie.  That was with the talent that FLORIDA and URBAN MEYER accumulated.  Can Addazio be able to replicate his success with what Al Golden was able to assemble?  Doyle doubts it and I'm inclined to agree.

My gut feeling?  Addazio won't be successful right away.  Give him a few years to recruit "his people" for "his system" and maybe he'll enjoy some success.  I've also never been impressed that former OC's do well defensively, and as we shall see in the next paragraph, that could be a problem.

But while Temple may have some good running backs (Brown and Pierce) and experienced quarterbacks (Stewart and Gerardi), they will have to find some way to plug the defensive losses to the NFL.  Muhammad Wilkerson was a first-rounder to the Jets and Jaiquawn Jarrett, a free safety, went in the second round to the Eagles.

In case you are wondering, Addazio hired former Florida defensive co-coordinator Chuck Heater to be his defensive coordinator.  But unlike the offense that may have some talent to work with, Heater will not have the level of athletes he was accustomed to with the Gators.  Can you say rebuilding year(s)?

Overall, the Owls return 15 players--8 on offense, 6 on defense and the kicker.  But their kicker was only 13-20 on field goals last year and 5-9 from 40+ yards.  They will have a new punter.

As for scheduling, this game follows the Alabama game.  IF--and that's a big IF--the Lions can find a way to win that game, this could certainly become a trap/let-down game.  The talent at Temple won't fall dramatically because Golden left.  But, the next game is Eastern Michigan, so the Lions won't be looking ahead at anything.  If Penn State loses badly to Bama, this could be bad for Temple, who may get beat up out of frustration.  A close emotional loss to the Tide, though, might bode well for the Owls, who could capitalize on the emotional down.

So many ifs, so few ands or buts.

My prediction:  Temple will not be as good this year under a new head coach and a new system.  They don't have the talent level that Florida has.  Addazio has yet to prove he can be a head coach.  I think Penn State wins this game, but if we are sloppy and come out sluggish, the final score could be close like last year.  Personally, I think it won't be that close, though.

As an interesting side note, did anyone notice who the offensive coordinator is for the Owls?

Scot Loeffler.  Yes, that Scot Loeffler.  The same one that convinced Chad Henne to go to THEM.  Since leaving THEM, he has been on the staff at Florida, and came with Addazio to Temple.

THEM to Florida to . . . Temple?  What direction is his career going?

No Golden Moment

It was not the greatest upset in college football history and not even the most amazing upset in the program’s storied history, but in the end, Penn State managed to upset the Temple Owls 22-13.

The Mighty and Most-annoying Owls came into Beaver Stadium as if they already had the game won. They were actually disappointed that they did not win. They couldn’t believe they didn’t win. They were already reserving tickets for a BCS game (they already had the rest of the season won as well.)

But that is why we play these games. The heavily favored (in their own minds) Owls came out swinging. THEY CAME TO PLAY. (If I hear that one more time I may just have to kill someone.) And for almost three quarters, the Cherry and Vanilla played like they were going to win. THEY DESERVED TO WIN. (If you say that one more time, you are next on my list.) But like any great team that gets upset, they let a pesky opponent—WHO ALSO CAME TO PLAY—hang around too long and the Lions snatched away victory in the final quarter of play.

Colin Wagner booted five field goals and missed a sixth that would have set a school record. Therein was the problem for the Nittany Lions.

Apparently we suffer from erythrozonophobia (“fear of the red zone”). Even the announcers noted that the play-calling seems to get more conservative in the red zone. Obviously, it is more difficult for any offense at that point on the field because the defense has less field to cover. But play-calling aside, even our execution is poor, as demonstrated by the many red zone turnovers we have had this season, most notably against Alabama. This week, we couldn’t even convert a short yardage situation on fourth down, though technically that was at the 25 and not “in” the red zone. But it would have been a fairly sure FG, or at least as sure as they can be. For the first time in a long time, it looked like maybe we should have kicked the field goal instead.

But the Lion defense tightened up in the second half and did not allow the Owls to score another point. In fact, all 13 Owl points came in the first quarter.  And we managed a late 96-yard drive to seal the game at a point where a three and out would have put the Owls in the perfect position to win with a field goal, ala Minnesota 1999.

I was thrilled to see Zordich come in late in the game and carry Owls with him as he strained to score. He played with some fire that I have not seen in any of our running backs to date. (Or any of the other players for that matter.) And he actually scored the lone touchdown for our team from one yard out. I know I would have lost it had we kicked ANOTHER field goal, or worse yet came away with no points. I can only hope we see more of him and that his energy and drive are infectious.

What is wrong with this team and punching the ball in? This is not something new. We have struggled with this issue other seasons. We are like the pimply nerd trying to ask the gorgeous Homecoming Queen out on a date. We get close, but then we get all tongue tied and start to stutter like blithering idiots.

Statistically, we out played the Owls. We had more first downs (20 to 8) and more total yardage (439-202) and won time of possession (34:31 to 25:29). Both teams lost a fumble but we made 3 interceptions. It was like watching the Titans have 7 turnovers and still have a chance to win the game against the Steelers.

In the end, I really do hope Temple does well from here on out. They played a lot better than I would have given them credit for beforehand—I didn’t give them any credit, so anything would be more. And we played a sloppy and inconsistent game and still won by nine points. But while Temple probably played the toughest team on their schedule this week, we have many more games that will be tougher than Temple. Sorry, Owls, but that’s reality.

INTANGIBLES:

The drum major stuck both flips.

Temple won the toss and deferred.

The Temple band made an appearance. Three bands have visited Beaver Stadium—none have been allegedly pelted with urine. Go figure.

Attendance was 104,840. The weather was fantastic!

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The Ohio Pryors pasted Eastern Michigan 73-20 while Wisconsin ran it up on Austin Peay 70-3. The wolverines bowled over Bowling Green 65-21. Iowa bounced back against Ball State, pitching a 45-0 shutout. Indiana zipped past Akron 35-20 and the Spartans topped Northern Colorado 45-7. Northwestern edged Central Michigan 30-25.

But not every Big Ten team won on cupcake week as Minnesota fell to Northern Illinois 34-24 and Purdue got beat by Holy Toledo 31-20.

Illinois managed not to lose this week—they had a bye.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Texas—stunned by UCLA in Austin 34-12
2. Arkansas—almost upset the Big Bad Bama
3. ND—Irish eyes are crying as Stanford pounded the Domers
4. Pitt—embarrassed on Thursday night at home by the Canes.
5. WVU—came up short against the Bayou Tigers

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State starts the Big Ten season on the Road at Iowa. The game will be a night game, but I wonder if that might help us. We seem to start slow and an 11 am Central Time start might be hard to overcome.

What has Iowa done so far, besides produce corn?

W Eastern Illinois 37-7
W Iowa State 35-7
L Arizona 27-34
W Ball State 45-0

Iowa currently leads the nation in Total Defense (1), Rushing Defense (3) and Scoring Defense (5). Our offense is 67th overall and suffers erythrozonophobia. This does not bode well for a difficult road trip. They are only 21st in passing defense, so that may be their weakness if there is one.

I look for this to be a low scoring game, as I don’t think either offense is all that special. We did get the running game going a bit against Temple, but well, it was against Temple.

This game was one of my preseason losses. I stand by that prediction, but I would not be surprised if we pull out a win. We’re due for some luck in this series.

GO STATE! FRY HAWKS!

Thursday Night Football

Pitt trails Miami (FL) 10-0 at the half thanks to turnovers by Miami that has kept Pitt in the game.

But let's face it, the best teams in PA will square off at Beaver Stadium this weekend.  Well, at least one of them will be there.

JoePa's Doghouse is pumped.

Let's face it: Temple is now our traditional in-state rival.  Forget looking westward to Pittsburgh.  The series with the Panthers is done.  Over.  Wannstachted'ed.  The Owls are our team now.

Penn State now has a 27-game winning streak against Temple University. . . It's the longest active streak in the country.

We're just one Charlie Weis-at-ND-versus-Navy from dropping this one. But let's be honest, barring a massive letdown this is all there is in terms of history in this series. Lopsidedness.

It's hard to muster up hate to avenge a loss that occurred during the FDR administration.

And this is what makes Temple so annoying.  There is nothing new to report.  It's the same team we've seen since 2006, a team Penn State has outscored 154-9 in that time span.  Yes, they may be a little older and a little better, but are they so good they can defeat Penn State?   Let there be no misunderstanding--this team is not better, they just suck less.  Their struggles against Villanova tell you all that you want to know.  This is just another dull paycheck game for the athletic department.

I couldn't have said it better myself.  Come on people--it's Temple.  T-E-M-P-L-E. 
 Southernnitt1974 asks the question, what is wrong with our fanbase? 

Temple is improved but they are still Temple for god's sake! We will beat Temple soundly.

But MH55 thinks it's "time."

I wont be there Saturday. I'm going to enjoy this landmark Temple win from the safety and comfort of my home. This is the time.

Time Magazine?  Time for what?  Another beatdown?  R U SERIOUS?
 
LikemikePSU writes:

Over on the Temple board they are talking psu win, top 25, and even an undefeated season??? Are they insane? They beat Uconn and now all of a sudden they are relevant. I hope we take this game seriously and run the score up to show the nation we havent fallen that far from greatness. I know were young and all but I cant stand how Temple isnt the slightest bit intimidated by us. This is a statement game for our team and the rest of the nation before we go to Iowa under the lights in primetime!

fortheglory94 responded:

Wait, there's a Temple board?!?

I know!  I was surprised too!  So I went looking for this.  And I found this:
ShawnOwl typed:

Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but in all the talk leading up to this week's game, I'm still not sure whether people understand that we could be two days away from the biggest win in Temple football history. This is not hyperbole. It's a fact. The Owls have beaten a few nationally-ranked teams over the years. They won a bowl game 30 years ago. They've had some big wins here and there. But this would be the biggest. The BIGGEST!

OK, Mr. Obvious, considering Temple hasn't beaten PSU since 1941, I would think any win would be BIG.  But just when you get us all excited about Owl Football, you mention winning a bowl game . . . THIRTY years ago.  I don't care who you are--that's funny!  It reminds me of the coach at Rydell High that wants to finally ring that victory bell.  But that's not the BIGGEST ding-a-ling here.

wotan seems to be more on top of things:

Some have predicted a Temple victory. It seems the team is developing. . . 35-3-1. And we had some "developed" teams in those 35 loses. Just give us the money and send us home healthy. Can't imagine who those "some" would be, but 15 points isn't enough for me.

I guess we'll just have to actually play this game and find out, won't we?

Nothing to Hoot About

On a sun-splashed Saturday in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions continued their dominance over the Temple Owls, winning 31-6. The Lion defense kept the Owls from scoring a touchdown—Temple has not reached the endzone against Penn State in the last four games. No team has scored a TD in the first half this year.

But the story is still the inconsistent offense. The good news: the running game looked better. Royster crossed the century mark for the first time this season (138 yds on 19 carries) despite fighting off the flu. The team logged 186 yards but on 36 carries for a 5.2 average. The Lions rushed for only 31 yards in the second half, continuing the trend of only playing one half of the game.

Was the line any better? The pass protection for Clark was worse and he suffered a shoulder stinger. Could it be that Temple didn’t sell out to stop the run as Syracuse and Akron had done previously?

It is certainly possible that Temple is not as bad as their loss to Nova would indicate. They have a decent defensive line, anchored by Andre Neblett who is on the watchlist for the Bronko Nagurski Award. They also ranked high in the nation in pass sacks, albeit after one game.

But after three supposedly cupcake games, fans are starting to get nervous about this team. I think a large part of it is the lack of intensity and focus simply because they are cupcakes. I don’t care how great a coach you are, or how good your senior leadership is, everyone knows who they are playing and that they are supposed to win.

At this point last season, the Lions had decimated Coastal Carolina 66-10, Oregon State 45-14, Syracuse 55-13 and Temple 45-3. The Beavers were certainly no cupcake team. And one might argue that Syracuse is better than last year, perhaps even Temple is, although I personally can’t overlook the loss to Villanova. Akron is certainly arguably better than Coastal Carolina and there is no 2009 counterpart to Oregon State. In the final analysis, things might be a wash.

Even the fans were suffering sugar overload as the stadium—and tailgates—seemed even emptier than the previous two games, despite an “official” attendance of 105,514. I don’t even think there were 100,000 bodies in the stadium unless you also count the bees.
In addition to Clark’s stinger, Sean Lee suffered an injury to his leg/knee as well.
We fell prey to an on-sides kick and what was most disappointing was not that Temple recovered, but that the Penn State player seemed to make no effort, completely caught of guard.
Could it be were looking ahead to Iowa? That is certainly possible, but that wouldn’t explain the lack of focus and ennui against Akron and Syracuse. There simply has not been a lot of emotion shown in the last few games. Maybe the ultimate blame lies on whoever scheduled these teams in the first place.

Aside all that, though, is another specter that haunts this team . . . special teams. We still seem quite vulnerable to kick-off returns, giving the Owls pretty good field position on most drives, while unable to generate any decent return on our own. Part of the problem is a kicker that can’t consistently boom the ball into the endzone. But a large part of both problems seems to be blocking.

On kick-offs, our guys don’t seem to be able to shed blocks (something the O-line seems to share; perhaps it is contagious?) and on returns, we don’t seem to be able to get an initial blocking. For that matter, our receivers don’t seem to make key blocks downfield on plays either. What is the problem here? Blocking is a basic fundamental of football. How can the entire team be unable to do this? Are the coaches not spending enough time on this aspect of the game? It sure would help to have a special teams coach, but we have been praying for that for decades.

With the Hawkeyes coming to Beaver Stadium next week, for a White House game in primetime, there will be no excuses. The student section should be full. The stadium will be loud. The opponent destroyed the dream of a perfect season last year—the players should be focused and ready. We will see what this team is made of next Saturday night. I really feel the potential is there for a breakout game, like Minnesota in 2005. But I have seen nothing on the field or in the stats to support that. It is only a feeling. Maybe I’ve had too many cupcakes.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From GoPSUsports:

	TEM	PSU
FIRST DOWNS...................	12	21
Rushing.....................	5	13
Passing.....................	6	6
Penalty.....................	1	2
NET YARDS RUSHING.............	46	186
Rushing Attempts............	29	36
Average Per Rush............	1.6	5.2
Rushing Touchdowns..........	0	2
Yards Gained Rushing........	86	213
Yards Lost Rushing..........	40	27
NET YARDS PASSING.............	205	173
Completions-Attempts-Int....	15-34-0	17-29-1
Average Per Attempt.........	6	6
Average Per Completion......	13.7	10.2
Passing Touchdowns..........	0	2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........	251	359
Total offense plays.........	63	65
Average Gain Per Play.......	4	5.5
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........	1-1	1-0
Penalties: Number-Yards.......	8-65	6-55
PUNTS-YARDS...................	6-217	4-191
Average Yards Per Punt......	36.2	47.8
Net Yards Per Punt..........	35.8	39.2
Inside 20...................	1	2
50+ Yards...................	0	2
Touchbacks..................	0	1
Fair catch..................	3	1
KICKOFFS-YARDS................	2-120	6-383
Average Yards Per Kickoff...	60	63.8
Net Yards Per Kickoff.......	46	39.8
Touchbacks..................	0	1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.	2-14-0	2-2-0
Average Per Return..........	7	1
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	5-124-0	2-28-0
Average Per Return..........	24.8	14
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..	1-0-0	0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards...........	0	0
Possession Time...............	29:01	30:58
1st Quarter.................	9:15	5:45
2nd Quarter.................	5:55	9:04
3rd Quarter.................	6:06	8:54
4th Quarter.................	7:45	7:15
Third-Down Conversions........	5 of 17	7 of 13
Fourth-Down Conversions.......	1 of 3	0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......	2-3	5-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards........	2-6	4-18
PAT Kicks.....................	0-0	4-4
Field Goals...................	2-2	1-1

INTANGIBLES:

Penn State lost the coin toss for the third straight game. Temple deferred.

The Drum Major remains perfect on the season.

Paterno racks up win #386, two or more ahead of Bowden depending on the asterisks.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Ohio State took care of business, beating Toledo 38-0. Indian defeated Akron 38-21. Iowa held off Zona, winning 27-23. Wisconsin beat Wofford 44-14 and THEM beat Western Michigan 45-17.

But all was not well in the conference. Notre Dame edged Sparty 33-30, but MSU blew a chance to tie/win on a late INT in the red zone. Minnesota hung tough with Cal, but lost by two late scores, 35-21. Northern Illinois beat the Boilers 28-21 and ‘Cuse edged Northwestern 37-34.

Next week conference play begins, while Purdue takes on the Irish.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Southern Cal—thanks once again for playing. See you in the Rose Bowl.
2. Nebraska—lost to VaTech with 11 secs on the clock
3. BYU—a promising season ends abruptly. Good Bye BCS. Hello Pumpkin.
4. Georgia Tech—loss to Miami kicks them out of the rankings
5. Utah—nations longest winning streak snapped by the ducks

LOOKING AHEAD:

Iowa comes to Beaver Stadium, September 26 @ 8:00 PM.

Whoa Nellie! This is a biggun. White Out. Prime Time. Night game in the Beav. Zombie Nation. Revenge for last year. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

Will we be prepared? Will we unveil the HD offense that we have been waiting for? Will we play four quarters of football?

GO STATE! BEAT HAWKS!

By The Numbers: Temple

From the NCAA stats page:

NCAA Stats Comparison
Category:	Penn St.	Temple
Rushing	94	67
Passing Offense	14	12
Total Offense	39	28
Scoring Offense	53	78
Rushing Defense	10	23
Turnovers Gained	69	105
Passes Had Intercepted	59	93
Pass Defense	28	107
Net Punting	67	24
Punt Returns	90	84
Kickoff Returns	112	43
Turnover Margin	94	120
Fumbles Recovered	99	64
Passes Intercepted	15	104
Fumbles Lost	93	53
Turnovers Lost	86	86
Passing Efficiency	24	16
Pass Efficiency Defense	52	104
Total Defense	12	74
Scoring Defense	9	83
Fewest Penalties Per Game	2	7
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	2	8
Punt Return Yardage Defense	94	5
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	106	114
Offense Third-down Efficiency	6	13
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	51	50
Defense Third-down Efficiency	31	50
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	1	50
Tackles for Loss	11	3
Offense Tackles for Loss	43	2
Pass Sacks	18	2
Pass Sacks Allowed	47	1
Time of Possession	19	96
First Downs	19	34
First Downs Allowed	9	66
Red Zone Efficiency	110	95
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	2	80
Average NCAA Rank:	045.49	056.19
Weighted Avg. Rank:	040.67	064.42

Keep in mind that Penn State's numbers reflect games against Bowl Subdivision Teams-Akron and Syracuse. Temple has only played FCS Villanova.

So to say that Temple's offense is better statistically than the Lions is misleading. But what really separates these two is the scoring offense--while neither offense is overwhelming, Penn State converts yard to points better.

Temple is actually worse than Penn State in turnover margin. Penn State defensively is better (rush, pass, scoring and total.) Temple is pretty good in sacks--both made and allowed. Neither team is very good at defending kickoffs.

Penn State is also much better in time of possession which is really amazing when you consider how poorly we run the ball.

Overall, I think the stats indicate a closer game than what we will see on the field.

Sagarin has PSU ranked 17th in the nation. Penn State is 5th in both the USA Today and AP poll. Temple is unranked in the polls and is 146th. (Eastern Illinois is 145th.)

I look for Penn State to dominate the game overall, but like the first two games, they may not light up the scoreboard so much. It will be interesting to see if we can get the running game moving against a Temple defense with a decent D-line and whatever changes on the offensive line the staff tries this week.

GO STATE! BEAT OWLS!

This Week's Game Guide

Penn State is about a 29 point favorite over the Owls. Temple has played only one game, losing on a late field goal to Villanova. I expect this week to be more of the same old, same old, although there is a chance the staff might want to practice plays they intend to use against Iowa when they open Big Ten play to a primetime WhiteHouse.

There's two ways of looking at it. Practice is nice--but is practicing against the likes of Temple really going to prepare you for the Hawkeye defense? The flip side is that you show Iowa something on film they can prepare for. I think we stay ultraconservative this week.


Looking around the nation:


Pitt's a 9 point fav over the midshipmen of Navy. Navy played OSU almost to a tie. I'd be a little worried if I were a Pitt fan (a little worried and a lot demented.) Upset in the making? Could be.


Northwestern is a field Goal favorite over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Orange almost pulled the upset over Minny but were never in the game against us. I think NW is somewhere in between and will win. The spread might be close on this one.


Iowa plays Arizona and is a 6 point home fav. Zona has a 19-6 win over Central Michigan (who just beat the Spartans) and a 34-17 win over Northern Arizona. Iowa had to block a FG (twice thanks to a penalty) to preserve a win over Northern Iowa, but then coasted to a 35-3 win over Iowa State. This will not be a cakewalk for the Hawkeyes, who might be caught looking ahead to opening conference play against us.


Utah (my #1 team in the blogpoll) has their first real test of the year @ Oregon. The Ducks are a 6 point favorite. If Utah loses, rest assured they will not be #1 next week. But if they win, by even a point on a questionable call--they will still be king of the poll hill.


Notre Dame is an 11 point home favorite against Sparty who tanked against Central Michigan last week. But Sparty is the kind of team that can't play their way out of a paper bag one week and look like the toughest team in the nation the next. Let's hope that's the case this week.


Florida plays Tennessee. If you think PSU playing Akron and Syracuse is bad--you should take a look at the competition Florida has been feasting on: Charleston Southern and Troy. Sagarin ranks Florida 11th with a strength of schedule of 162. (PSU is 17th with a schedule ranked 116th.) But the Vols are coming off a 19-15 loss to UCLA and may not have the firepower to beat the Gators--they're a 28 point dog in this match-up in the Swamp. Gators roll, but I hope Rocky Tops them.


Va Tech takes on Nebraska at home. The Huskers are 2.5 point dogs, but I think they will pull this one out. Beamer Ball, like Tressel Ball, just can't win the big ones.


Speaking of Tressel Ball, the Buckeyes are 21 point favorites over Toledo. This is supposed to be a home game for Toledo, but I think I read where it will be played in Cleveland--so it's basically a homer for the Bucks. Will there be an emotional letdown? Toledo has knocked off PSU and THEM in this decade, and added a struggling Colorado team to their list of BCS conference wins. I think the Buckeyes will win, but it may not be a walk in the park.


BYU plays F$U, who somehow managed to come from behind after three quarters to beat Jacksonville State. The Cougars are 7.5 point favorites at home. GO Cougars.


In case you are wondering, Texas faces off against Texas Tech and is a 17.5 point favorite. Can Tech find that magic again? You just never know.


Minnesota faces a difficult Cal team at home--13.5 point underdogs in their new stadium. I gotta root for the Big Ten on this one, but I don't think they have a prayer since the Cuse took them to OT in week one.


Other close match-ups to watch: Georgia vs. Arkansas, Auburn vs. WVU, Orgeon State vs. Cincinnati, and Akron is a 4 point favorite over Indiana.

Opening Day Wrap Up

Thursday night football was back last night--and Pitt didn't play!

Well, the Steelers played, and thankfully so, as it gave viewers of the South Carolina-NC State snoozefest (or the Indiana-Eastern Kentucky game on the Big Ten Network) a chance to actually watch some football.

The gamecocks eked out a 7-3 victory that despite the score was far from a defensive struggle. It was an epic offensive struggle as both teams tried to be more inept than the other.

Indiana beat Eastern Kentucky 19-13. WoooHooo Big Ten!

Temple tripped out of the gate, dropping a game to Nova 27-24. (Thank God we don't play Nova!)

Eastern Illinois pounded Illinois State 31-6 in their opener. Like to see that . . . helps our strength of schedule, especially since Temple let us down.

Utah beat Utah State 35-17, and in the marquee match-up of the night, #16 Boise State beat #14 Oregon 19-8 on a blue field that hurts the eyes. How about that Blount from Oregon? Is he going to be some boxer or what?

Counting Down the Season - Part One

Strap on your helmets, here we go.

Each year, I preview the season by starting with what appears--in my estimation--to be the easiest game on our schedule to win, and finishing up 12 games later with the game that I perceive as being the toughest to win.

This analysis is completely scientific. It's as dependable as photosynthesis and as right as an angle in the Pythagorean Theorem. And if you believe that, I also have some lovely swampland in Florida I'd like to sell you.

Most of my analysis is not based on numbers or fact, but on gut instincts. As such, I might be right, or it just might be gas. Sometimes I have appendicitis.

Normally I would start the countdown with one team, but let's face it, this year's schedule does not lend itself well to that. Most people with any modicum of football knowledge would know that Eastern Illinois is the easiest game on the schedule, and that game alone is probably not worth an entire post.

In fact, the schedule lends itself to thirds--one third that are almost definite wins (as definite as you can get in an era when "on any given Saturday" can bite you in the grass)--one third that should be wins, and one third that could go either way.

The first third shakes out like this . . .

12. Eastern Illinois

11. Syracuse

10. Akron

9. Temple

Is it coincidence that the four easiest games are also the out of conference schedule? I was sorely tempted to add Indiana to this mix, but you can rest easily knowing they will appear at #8, not because there's much chance we will lose to them, but because I couldn't really argue that they are any worse than the above teams either. And five teams does not constitute a third unless you round down or are really bad at math.

EASTERN ILLINOIS

This FCS team hails from the Ohio Valley Conference which includes such teams as Murray State, Jacksonville State, and Austin Peay. I know of these only from the ticker that runs across the bottom of ESPN updating scores of games no one cares about.

The Panthers went 5-7 last year and 3-5 in their conference. Their offense ranked sixth--in their league. Their 2008 Sagarin ranking was 200. (Sagarin rankings are between the games played by 245 teams, so they were 45th from dead last.)

I have already spent more time on this game than is worth the bandwidth, so we shall move on.

SYRACUSE

While the Orangeman somehow found a way to beat the bowl-bound Irish, their 3-9 season (1-6 in the Big Least) was a dismal parting gift for Greg Robinson who jumped ship to be defensive coordinator for another 3 win program in the Big Ten.

The Orange will return their senior signal caller, but that's kind of like being on a boat and having the captain of the Titanic back.

The Lions pasted the Orange 55-13 on their turf. It won't be any prettier in Beaver Stadium.

Interestingly, the Orange open with Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern. Paterno recently threw Syracuse's name out there in regard to expansion. Coincidence? This could be a crucial interview period and pretest for Syracuse IF the Big Ten ever expands and IF Syracuse would be given any consideration by someone other than Paterno.

AKRON

The things that will make this game interesting are 1) it is the season opener --woo hoo!, and 2) it will feature one of the few competent QBs on our schedule versus our rebuilt and suspect secondary.

Chris Jacquemain passed for over 2,700 yards, 57.9% completions, 20 TDs and 14 INTs. His two favorite targets are both back. Virtually all his line returns except for All-MAC lineman Kemme, but they will be breaking in a new running back. This will be an excellent opening test for our defense.

But even with a decent passing game, the Zips were only 5-7 last year and 3-5 in the MAC. None of the preseason publications I have read have them challenging for the MAC title.

Mark it down: If we can control Akron's passing game, that bodes very well for the season. If we give up a lot of passing yardage in the first three quarters, it shifts the balance of confidence for future games negatively.

TEMPLE

Temple will be chasing defending MAC Champion Buffalo and Bowling Green in their conference, let alone hoping to make a respectable showing in Beaver Stadium. Last year, I read a lot of positive things about the Owls--not enough to worry me about our game with them, but enough to wonder if Al Golden really could turn the program around. Some Tem,ple fans were even dreaming BOWL. Alas, when the dust settled, the Owls were 5-7 (4-4) and the dream of a bowl game dashed in the ashes of failure.

But it's all in how you look at it. Temple's five wins were the most in 18 seasons. Eighteen! Unfortunately, the Owls have some rebuilding to do on offense, beginning with replacing one time PSU recruit and starting QB Adam DiMichele. New QB + Beaver Stadium = disaster.

On the plus side, they return nine starters on defense--a defense that gave up 45 points to our HD offense last season on the road so to speak.

The Owls open with Villanova and have a bye before coming to University Park. They can't afford not to look ahead because they open MAC play against Buffalo the following week--yeah, a win against PSU would be a feather in their cap, but they need to concentrate on competing in their own conference before they set out to conquer the world.

Penn State ought to be 4-0 after these games. No excuses.