Tough Loss

28-6 was not indicative of the toughness of this game. OSU made the plays they had to when they needed them, and the Lions didn't.

Some recap thoughts:

• False start at the goal line killed the Lions. Chalk it up to fan noise, nerves, whatever, it was fatal.
• Not sure what's happened to the big play receivers. Only thing I can think of is that defenses don't have to worry about MRob breaking a play with his legs...or maybe defenses have started to realize these guys can change a game...or maybe Morelli hasn't learned to be comfortable checking his reads. Deion Butler has all but disappeared from the offense, and did DWill even play today (I know he did...)?
• Tony Hunt is a hoss. If he even had a hint of speed, he'd be a first rounder.
• Poz definitely looks a little slow...YSU was a smokescreen, and his lack of a burst was evident on Smith's scramble-escape-TD pass.
• This team can still go 8-4, but the offense has to show up in big games.

The D played as well as I could have hoped, and the offense was invisible. After Connor's INT, the team HAD to score something. Getting one yard on that possession was laughable.

Oh well, next week is another game...

OSU Gameweek

First, let me get the debacle that was the Eagles game out of the way. Losing a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter is the sign of a poorly coached team, plain and simple. After a dominant 45 minutes, the Eagles decided to play it safe, and it backfired big time. This team sorely needs confidence after last year, and can't afford to take any game for granted...which it seems like they did yesterday. Oh well, on to San Fran, which should be interesting.

PSU got rid of Youngstown St on Saturday, but looked far from sharp doing it. Morelli was dreadful, completing less than 50% of his passes (and not getting any to the sure handed Justin Norwood). Everytime he dropped back, it seemed he was looking big. There is enough speed on the edges of this team that they don't need to do that. Use the underneath stuff to open up the big stuff. Defenses can sit in 3 deep zones all day if they know all you want to do is go deep. What ever happened to the good old out pattern...the cross...the hook? I guarantee that OSU won't be giving up the deep stuff.

The running game looked good, but this was YSU. The special teams was awful, as Kevin Kelley missed 3 of 6 tries, all from less than 40 yards. 9 points off the board right there. Those points won't be a luxury next Saturday. In fact, they may be the only points the Nits get.

37-3 makes the game seem like a bigger rout than it was...but, don't the good D-1 teams put 40+ on the 1-AA schools? We struggled to get on the board until well into the 2nd quarter. Not good, my friends, not good.

More on the OSU game later this week...

On a personal note, I finished my first (and probably only) half marathon. I ran the Philadelphia Distance run yesterday. Nice course, nice weather, and I ran the time I wanted. The race was special to me for three reasons. First, my oldest daughter (Peyton) and I got to spend some good time together. Second, I got to see my sister and her boyfriend. They're the last of the family that still lives in Philly, so it's nice to have some roots there. Thanks for having us, guys. The third reason that the race was special is because my dad ran it a number of times. I remember going out to watch him a couple of times, and I thought it would be nice to keep the legacy going. It made me feel good to know that I was, even at my age, still kind of following in his footsteps. And no, dad, I didn't trip!

On to some other stuff:

Maurice Clarrett agreed to a minimum 3 1/2 year sentence for robbery and weapons charges...seems like yesterday he was leading the Bucks to their latest national championship. Hope he takes this time to get straightened out.

The rules changes this year in college football have a lot of coaches up in arms. In fact, I'm not sure I've heard of any coach that is in favor of the new rules. The rules are designed to speed up games by winding the clock earlier, among other things. I don't know about you, but I wish college football games lasted twice as long. I would be surprised if the rules aren't rescinded next year.

Looks like I was right about Chuck Amato getting the boot at NC State. The loss to Akron was bad. The "non-qualifier" argument was worse, and the blowout vs Southern Miss was disgusting.

In fact the state of college football in all of North Carolina is bleak. NC State is awful, UNC needed a miracle to beat Furman (yes, Furman), and Duke has recently hired Kathy Ireland as their placekicker.

Is there anything better in sports than seeing Notre Dame and Oakland lose in the same weekend? Nope.

Well, that's enough rambling for one post...more later.

For the Glory!

Unreal

And, here they come. Folks who loved the Lions last year, touting every accomplishment as a resurgence of a dormant program have done the predictable about face after yesterday's game.

Some lovely snippets (from the CDT):
-- (on Poz's play) Poz is certainly not the impact player he was last year. The big plays, the jarring tackles in the backfield--they're just not there this year.

Ok, he's started slow, but don't you think that may have to do with opponents game planning for him? I thought he looked good yesterday. He was beat on a seam route by a perfect pass. I think even the great AJ Hawk would have been toast on that one. Leave Poz alone. He's fine.

-- (on the QB play) I think Daryll Clark fits the offense much better than Morelli. The options and QB draws were fatal mistakes.

Wow...off the Morelli bandwagon already. Come ON folks, Clark played well in mop up time. Morelli threw the ball well most of the game and needed some of his WRs to make a catch.

-- (on coaching) Why was State not prepared? Coaching I guess.

There are more on coaching, calling for Joe to retire. Unbelievable. The bottom line is Notre Dame is the No 4 team in the country. They played a solid game at home, and beat a young PSU team. Honestly, this is what should have happened--though maybe not so bad--else it would have been a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR upset.

I thought the Lions would have a shot if they scored early (which they should have done). The D needs to find a pass rush, and the secondary needs some more time working together. This team can still be special, but don't expect an encore of last year. Folks have to be ready for a 9-3, 8-4 year. After 2003/4, is that so bad? This may not be the year, but things are definitely looking bright in the future.

Kudos to AF for giving Tennessee a run for their money. DeBerry going for the win was gutsy, not sure it was wise.

OSU looked tough. There will be no shame in dropping the 23 Sep game to them in Columbus.

FSU looks like the running game is still absent. 50 yards vs Troy? I thought Lorenzo Booker was the next Greg Jones...er...

Way to go Zips!! I turned it off after NCST took the lead with 1:07 to go. Chuckie Amato is gone after this year.

Ron Zook must wonder what the Hell is going on in Champagne. A 33-0 drubbing at the hands of mighty Rutgers?? Can the Big Ten relegate a team (a la the EPL)?

Eagles play the Texans today. Interested to see what kind of passing attack the Birds have. I think they win, but not convincingly.

Folks, relax. PSU will be fine. They will be good, and next year they will be great. This game will help them immeasurably this year. Get off JoePa's back, morons.

For the Glory...

Wow

What a whuppin'. Not exactly what I had in mind...

4 quick observations:

1. Notre Dame is good. Their D is pretty doggone tough.
2. PSU's D line needs work...Quinn had all day to throw.
3. Charlie Weis is an a$$hole--fake punt up 24pts? Going for it on 4th and goal up 24pts? Remember, you have to come to Happy Valley next year.
4. Someone needs to work on the long snapper/holder thing. If PSU scores the FG on their opening drive, I think it's a different game.

Ok...4 more:

5. DWill looked lost out there...two costly drops, and only 4 catches for 12 yards? Return game was non-existent.
6. Play calling? Gadget call with DWill throwing? Going for it on 4th and 16 when your D has been on the field all day?
7. Poz looked good, TDavis looked ok, and Jerome Hayes will be a superstar
8. Daryll Clark looked alot like the old #12.

So this wasn't Akron...still, the boys looked not ready for prime time. If this team is going to be a good one, this week of practice is key. If they stumble, the prospects of a 6 win season are way too likely.

Arrrghhhh.

ND Game is Finally Here!

Ok, there are some things I have to say before we get into the football portion of the program.

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine went missing from a US base in Kyrygyzstan. No one knew where she went. Last night, she was found (alive), and had reportedly been abducted. She got free, the news said, after she struck one of her captors when they brought her food. Thank God she is ok, and I hope that she fully recovers from this awful incident. Jill, my thoughts are with you and your family, and I am overjoyed that you are ok.

Now onto football.

What a Saturday of college football. I am stoked for the Buckeyes/Longhorns game tonight. If it's half as good a game as the one last year, then this should be fun. But first there is the little matter of the Lions' trip to South Bend. Right now the spread is ND -7.5. Some see the game close, others see a pretty convincing ND win, and a few souls see a Penn State upset. Let's break it down, and end with my prediction.

If, as Coach Paterno says, a team improves the most between games 1 and 2, then this could be a fantastic battle. Penn State needs strong play from both lines to be competitive today, and I'm hoping the get it...but not optimistic.

Keys for PSU:
-- Relax. Get over the mystique of ND and play football
-- Take care of the ball. If they turn it over, they lose.
-- Keep the D off the field. Convert on third downs.
-- Someone assert themselves as a dominant run blocker, please. A 76 yard effort on the ground will see PSU get beat by 3 TDs
-- Keep the big plays in front of the D. Sure tackling in the secondary is a must.
-- Pressure Quinn. Follow GT's game plan.
-- Be opportunistic. Take a chance, get a turnover, change the momentum.

Here's how I see it unfolding. The game starts out poorly for Penn State (as most road games do). A 3 and out, or worse a turnover gives the ball to ND in good field position. Quinn tries to exploit the young secondary early with long throws to his WRs. I see ND scoring first, and going into halftime with a TD lead.

The Lions will keep it close through most of the 3rd quarter, but will never really threaten the Irish lead.

The Irish will escape with a 24-17 win, and the Lions will drop out of the Top 20. I hope I'm wrong...in a good way.

Other games:
Akron 30, NC State 21--Zips are better after last week, and Amato's seat gets warmer
Tennesse 42, USAFA 10--Ugh
Florida State 37, Troy 7--D is too fast, and someone is angry after last week
Rutgers 30, Illinois 17--Zook says he wants to be on par with Rutgers??
Michigan 56, E. Michigan 17--Another easy win for THEM.
tOSU 28, Texas 17--Not sure this game is as close as the experts think. OSU pulls away late.

For the Glory...

Notre Dame Gameweek

5 days until Penn State ventures into South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish. Not really sure what to expect. I know Notre Dame struggled vs Ga Tech, but I think that was to be expected. I don't see them that out of synch on Saturday.

I think the fact that the Nits went to a 3-4 defense on Saturday says a lot for the coaching staff's willingness to use the best players as effectively as possible. Sean Lee is going to have a monster career at Penn State, and getting him meaningful game experience will only serve the program well next year.

Some other observations from this past weekend:

• Dan Connor looked awesome. If the coaching staff can keep him off of the phone, he should have a monster campaign.
• I thought Tony Davis looked a little rough, and I was really disappointed with the tackling of Justin King. Jeff Smar....however it's spelled...is a big, physical receiver. King has to show more than he did vs Akron. Davis got beat a couple of times, and Scirotto was left on an island during the Zips final touchdown. I think the D-line is still not good enough to let the secondary play aggressive, so it is key to keep the big plays in front of the DBs.
• I hope Levi Brown's "words of encouragement" were taken to heart by the other O-linemen. These guys are going to see all kinds of blitz packages from defenses a hell of a lot more athletic than Akron. I'm not sure the passing game is going to be able to set up the run if the running game can't get out of the blocks.
• Would it kill Tony Hunt to get a little more emotional? I know he's a quiet, reserved guy, but if I'm getting hit 3 yards deep every time I touch the ball, then someone is going to hear about it. I would think he'd want to be a 1,000 yard rusher again, but you'd never know he was disappointed by the effort on Saturday.
• DWill had more than 100 yards (all purpose) on Saturday. This guy has to get more than three catches per game. I guess it is a result of the wealth of talent they have at WR. And, with Chris Bell playing, it gets more crowded. My fear is that DWill becomes disenfranchised (if he's a team guy, then there is no worry, but...). In order to get Norwood, Butler, Williams, Bell, etc the ball, the game will now be 5 quarters with a minimum 50 pass attempts.
• Ahhh for the days of a pass catching TE. Jordan Lyons had a couple of big drops. Where o where is Troy Drayton?
• Deion Butler, for the first time I can remember, let a pass slip through is hands. It was perfectly thrown, just dropped. Chalk it up to the weather, which from what I hear was worse than it looked on TV.
• I want no more games done by Pam Ward, though the broadcasts are better with Mike Gottfried (and not Dave Norrie).
• AJ Wallace is FAAASSST. The #12 (like Stewart Mandel said) was a bit unnerving, since I immediately thought of MRob...
• Odrick, Wallace, Bell are just some of the talented freshmen to get in the game. I hope this is a wise use of some redshirts--doesn't look like we're going to have a lot of 5th year seniors for the next couple of years. But kudos to the coaching staff on putting the best players on the field.
• I think Penn State may have one of the fastest teams in the conference. And they're young. If they develop at all, speed in Happy Valley will be a luxury, and not centered on one or two players (Ernie Terrell, Chafie Fields).

Watching the ESPN Full Circle presentation of the FSU/Miami game...the matrix screen (ESPN2) almost gave my dog a seizure. And, I like Colin Cowherd, but sometimes it's just nice to watch the game normally...

Some of my predictions this past week were right on, and some were atrocious (USC/Ark). Will put out more this week.

For the Glory...

PSU 34, Akron 16

Not a pretty way to start the campaign, but a win nonetheless.

This time last year, the reaction to a sloppy early season win was "Hey, it's a win..." This year, the reaction should be, "We're going to have to get a lot better to be competitive with Notre Dame next week."

The Good:

DWill: 3 catches for 49 and a TD, a near TD punt return; reverse late in the game was defenses well, but seemed to take too long to develop.

Anthony Morelli: 50% completion rate, 3 TDs, no INTs. Got away with a couple of questionable throws.

D-Line: Coaches used a modified 3-4 for much of the game, using Tim Shaw as a stand up DE. 5 sacks against a veteran offensive line is a good sign. I thought Josh Gaines looked quick.

The Bad:

Poz: Looked a little slow to the ball. I'm sure his knee is 100%, but his mind may not be just yet. Let's see how he practices this week.

Turnovers: Botched play between Morelli and Hunt, fumble by freshman AJ Wallace after a 40 yard kickoff return. Yeah, the weather was a factor, but...

The Ugly:

The Running Game: Aside from a reverse, the running game looked anemic. Hunt was hit in the backfield numerous times. O-line better improve a whole lot this week.

Fake FG: Why? Not sure why you show tricks out of the bag this early in the season.

Jason Ganter: See above...plus the fumbled snap.

Terrell Golden: 4th and 31 and you rough the punter?? I thought PSU had a smart team. That lead to 3 points and a bit of momentum.

In all, an unimpressive win, but a win. I think we're going to be double digit dogs to the Domers next week. If Joe is right, and a team improves the most between the first and second games, then maybe we have a shot. What I saw today doesn't look like a 10 win team.

For the Glory...

Oh No, O-Line

Mid-game observations...

The O-line looks good in pass protection, but awful in run-blocking...Hunt is routinely hit in the backfield. This is a huge matter of concern

Poz looks a little slow out there...maybe a little tentative.

Morelli has made a couple of really bad decisions, and is lucky not to have 2 INTs.

D-line looks ok.

AJ Wallace is FAST.

UnZip Akron

Looks like Ernesto is going to make the 2006 season opener a soggy one tomorrow. While the field will be covered, the footing is sure to be an issue. Who does the bad weather favor? Well, the smart guys say that bad fields help the offense, since their players know where they're making their breaks, while the D has to react.

However, defenses are typically ahead of the game this early in the year, so maybe it's all a "wash."

Things to Look for (that I'm sure are obvious):
Offensively, the Nits will probably be pretty conservative. Look for Morelli's first pass play to be a screen or a similar "easy" throw. That being said, an all-out deep ball wouldn't surprise me...but, I think the former is more likely.

Also, look for the Nits to run and run and run...and run. Lots of off-tackle runs, not too many toss sweeps, and the occasional mis-direction play. Galen and his staff don't want to put too much on tape for the Domers to study.

Key for the offense is to get started quickly. Points on the first possession would be great, but a couple first downs would be pretty good, too.

Defensively, the Nits will also probably play conservatively until they know what they have up on the D-Line. The bend-not-break strategy will get some play early, but I think the D forces an early turnover that turns momentum in the game.

The game will start slowly, and Akron may actually take an early lead. Remember, these aren't the same Zips that got pummeled in 2004; they are the Zips that beat a sound Northern Illinois team in the MAC Championship game. Yes, they lost their skill position players, but they have a QB in Luke Getsy that is capable of distributing the ball effectively. I don't think that the Lions can afford to blitz too much just yet.

However, in the end, the size and talent of the young Nits will be too much. Look for the Lions to pull away early in the second half, with a game changing turnover and quick strike. Prediction (which will differ slightly than the one I gave couple days ago) in a minute.

Some other games of note:
ND 34, Ga Tech 21: Those that think ND loses this week are really optimistic
OSU 27, N Illinois 10: This game will look a lot like the PSU/Akron game
FSU 28, Miami 17: Too much off-the-field stuff for Miami this year; FSU returns a lot of talent.
USC 20, Arkansas 17: The post-Leinart, post-Bush era starts off a little rocky
Wisconsin 30, Bowling Green 23: Bret Bielma gets his first, albeit unimpressive, win.

PSU 35, Akron 14: Not a pretty win, but a good game for the young Lion's to get under their belt.

For the Glory...