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...
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...
posted by HappyValley at 6:33 AM
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