SB Nation - Brandon Beachum

If College Football Had a Playoff: #12 Penn State NIttany Lions @ #5 Florida Gators

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:26 -0000

Continuing the new break out hit of the season "What if College Football had a Playoff" returns for game three of the playoff. Before we get to game three the previous matchup of #9 Georgia Tech at #8 Ohio State was a hotly contested matchup with the fan vote going to Georgia Tech upsetting the higher seeded Buckeyes.

This current matchup of Penn State traveling to the swamp against the Florida Gators will be another good game in this bracket (you hear that BCS). After losing the SEC title game we will all see if Tim Tebow can will the Gators through another four games to repeat as national champions.

Penn State will use their defense that gave up only 11.8 points per game to try to stop the Florida Gators which will only hold up for so long.

Penn State on offense will be the problem they will do their typical clam up into a shell and try to run against Florida. The Gator defense is too much, and will be able to stop the Nittany Lion offense. Neither offense will do much in this game as both have been spotty all year, but as mentioned above the Gator defense will be the key.

To give some help to those who are not sure who would win I turned to What if Sports to simulate this game. The outcome was as I expected which was a low scoring affair with Florida coming from behind to win 16-10. Florida scored the last 13 points after being behind 10 - 3 at the half. From the play by play the Gators were able to run the ball a little more effectively to pull out the win.

The What if Sports is not the decider in this game, you yes you! The readers of this site decide who moves onto the next round.

So gather your friends to stuff the ballot and check back daily at 12 PM eastern time to vote for the next matchup, and voting is only open for 24 hours. As they say in Chicago vote early and vote often.

Penn State Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Daryll Clark	12	93.0	214	337	63.5	2787	232.3	8.3	23	10	73	191	15.9	2.6	7	-	-
Matthew McGloin	1	0.0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-
Kevin Newsome	8	70.0	8	11	72.7	66	8.3	6	0	0	20	95	11.9	4.8	2	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Brandon Beachum	8	24	113	14.1	4.7	1	3	29	3.6	9.7	0
Brent Carter	5	13	46	9.2	3.5	1	0	0	0	0	0
Daryll Clark	12	73	191	15.9	2.6	7	0	0	0	0	0
Curtis Drake	5	3	27	5.4	9	0	7	86	17.2	12.3	0
Stephfon Green	10	64	284	28.4	4.4	3	5	79	7.9	15.8	0
Derek Moye	11	1	-3	-0.3	-3	0	45	732	66.5	16.3	5
Kevin Newsome	8	20	95	11.9	4.8	2	0	0	0	0	0
Chaz Powell	10	9	76	7.6	8.5	0	27	355	35.5	13.1	3
Evan Royster	12	188	1104	92	5.9	6	16	187	15.6	11.7	2
Devon Smith	6	4	33	5.5	8.3	0	4	30	5	7.5	0
Joe Suhey	12	19	59	4.9	3.1	0	21	186	15.5	8.9	1
Shaine Thompson	2	3	14	7	4.7	0	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Brandon Beachum	8	3	29	3.6	9.7	0
Brett Brackett	3	3	13	4.3	4.3	1
Justin Brown	3	5	78	26	15.6	0
Curtis Drake	5	7	86	17.2	12.3	0
Stephfon Green	10	5	79	7.9	15.8	0
Derek Moye	11	45	732	66.5	16.3	5
Chaz Powell	10	27	355	35.5	13.1	3
Andrew Quarless	12	33	448	37.3	13.6	3
Evan Royster	12	16	187	15.6	11.7	2
Mickey Shuler	9	11	89	9.9	8.1	2
Devon Smith	6	4	30	5	7.5	0
Joe Suhey	12	21	186	15.5	8.9	1
Andrew Szczerba	1	1	6	6	6	0
Graham Zug	11	42	549	49.9	13.1	7

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Collin Wagner	12	-	-	-	-	-	11	18	60.0%	45	45	100.0%	78

Florida Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
John Brantley	6	113.0	36	48	75	410	68.3	8.5	7	0	13	67	11.2	5.2	0	-	-
Tim Tebow	13	103.0	182	279	65.2	2413	185.6	8.6	18	5	203	859	66.1	4.2	13	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Andrew Blaylock	1	4	6	6	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Brantley	6	13	67	11.2	5.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vincent Brown	2	3	1	.500	.300	0	0	0	0	0	0
Riley Cooper	13	1	14	1.1	14	0	44	780	60	17.7	8
Mike Gillislee	5	26	189	37.8	7.3	1	1	6	1.2	6	1
Aaron Hernandez	12	1	16	1.3	16	0	59	729	60.8	12.4	4
Emmanuel Moody	11	50	364	33.1	7.3	1	4	26	2.4	6.5	0
Chris Rainey	13	85	548	42.2	6.4	4	6	90	6.9	15	1
Christopher Scott	1	9	26	26	2.9	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tim Tebow	13	203	859	66.1	4.2	13	0	0	0	0	0
Deonte Thompson	9	1	-2	-0.2	-2	0	19	280	31.1	14.7	3

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Riley Cooper	13	44	780	60	17.7	8
Mike Gillislee	5	1	6	1.2	6	1
Frankie Hammond Jr	5	4	57	11.4	14.3	1
Aaron Hernandez	12	59	729	60.8	12.4	4
Omarius Hines	5	14	172	34.4	12.3	1
Cade Holliday	4	6	102	25.5	17	1
Emmanuel Moody	11	4	26	2.4	6.5	0
David Nelson	10	23	254	25.4	11	2
Chris Rainey	13	6	90	6.9	15	1
Deonte Thompson	9	19	280	31.1	14.7	3
Justin Williams	4	6	50	12.5	8.3	2

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Caleb Sturgis	12	-	-	-	-	-	21	28	80.0%	38	40	100.0%	101
Jonathan Phillips	3	-	-	-	-	-	0	1	0	14	16	90.0%	14

Poll

Who wins this matchup?

Florida Gators

91 votes

Penn State Nittany Lions

109 votes

200 votes | Poll has closed

The Obligatory Predictions Competition - Week 12

Law Buckeye — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:48:22 -0000

It's hate week. It's also the last chance you'll have to pick Big Ten matchups before the bowls.

1. No. 10 OHIO STATE at MICHIGAN, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/21), ABC

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts OHIO STATE by 14

Vegas seems to understand the possible game flow here. Law Buck wrote two articles, one decrying the death of UM and one giving the Wolverines hope for Saturday’s showdown. These contrasting perspectives will do fine in tracing Ann Arbor's emotions. The Wolverines can score points against top defenses (28 versus Iowa, 24 versus Wisky), so the zone read runs could be effective enough to keep UM in the game. But the Buck’s give up points grudgingly and Pryor has been less mistake prone of late, signifying that the better team should run away. I’ll be holding my breath in the first quarter, hoping for a close contest.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts OHIO STATE by 10

If you try to tune into this game, but think you're watching Nebraska don't be confused. It's just Ohio State, ~~participating in a Nike promotional stunt~~ paying homage to the 1954 National Championship team by wearing these modern classic threads. It might be an unintentional hubris, treating an away game with its biggest rival like a fashion show, but these Buckeyes have plenty of motivation. They have the chance to become the first OSU team ever to beat the Wolverines 6 times in a row.

I've already outlined what Michigan needs to do to stay in this game. But what do I really think will happen? A scarlet inside and out rushing attack -- featuring an edge scouter (Dan "Boom" Herron), and a pile pusher (Brandon Saine) -- that rushed for over 200 yards against Iowa, will sustain Ohio State drives. We'll also see a great deal more scripted runs for Terrelle Pryor, who can afford to earn a few bangs and bruises with a 41 day layover before the Rose Bowl. The Achilles Heel for the Wolverines is undoubtedly linebacker play -- which means if the Buckeye offensive line is getting holes, you'll see a gluttonous Ohio State team tear off yardage in chunks.

Michigan plays inspired, and keeps the lid on the pot for the first half, but eventually its offense wears down and makes mistakes. It's going to be another long winter in Ann Arbor.

Go Bucks!

2. MINNESOTA at No. 13 IOWA, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/21), ESPN

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts IOWA by 10

I love this Iowa team, all blood and guts and with their backups playing above their skill level. I dislike this Minnesota team with its lack of offensive cohesion and weak offensive line. We saw what Vandenberg can do with the help of McNutt. We also saw what the Mini offense can do against South Dakota State (zero touchdowns).

LAW BUCKEYE predicts IOWA by 55 14

It's easy to forget if you're talking to a Penn State fan entertaining BCS at-large ambitions, but Iowa is without question the second best team in the conference, and they're a lot closer to the first, than the third. James Vandenberg's valiant efforts in Columbus came up just short -- but that doesn't mean that he'll shrink from the occasion to blast a few pesky rodent rivals. Iowa runs and passes at will on its way to a blowout.

3. No. 16 WISCONSIN at NORTHWESTERN, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/21), Big Ten Network

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts WISCONSIN by 10

Well, if Hmlee was going to have her heart split in two pieces by this matchup, it mine as well be over two improved squads having solid years. I have a growing respect for the Wisconsin defense and it’s linebacking corps…I also have no idea who will block O’Brien Schofield.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts WISCONSIN by 10

The Badgers have rushed for more than 200 yards in three straight games. But don't forget that Scott Tolzien threw 4 touchdown passes in last week's victory over Michigan. Northwestern is vulnerable to the rush, having given up 212 yards to the Illini last week in a closer-than-it-should-have-been win. Wisconsin gains momentum on the ground before blowing the game open in the air.

4. PURDUE at INDIANA, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/21), Big Ten Network

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts PURDUE by 7

An early theme from the Purdue side of things was that if Purdue was a 5 win team and battling to get in a bowl against Indiana, there was no way they would lose. Well the pressure is off for both squads and it will probably result in these effective passing games running roughshod over the horrendous defenses. I loved how Purdue played on the road in East Lansing, but I also respect the fight that Indiana has put up in almost every single conference game. Purdue hasn’t been stopped of late and Bloomington doesn’t afford that much home field advantage.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts PURDUE by 7

Anyone who requires proof that the Big Ten is up in stock need look no further than the Boilermakers and the Hoosiers. These perennial cellar-dwellers have provided to be dedicated and dynamic gunners, with colorful offenses and inspired defenses. Purdue is the slightly better team, and has two more conference wins to prove it. They'll get their fourth Saturday. Neither team will go bowling, but both should keep their heads high -- there's promise for the future.

5. No. 14 PENN STATE at MICHIGAN STATE, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/21), ABC

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts PENN STATE by 10

I love Michigan State’s linebacking corps, but their pass defense has been shredded weekly this Fall. How do they slow Daryll Clark with limited pressure from the front four? They don’t. Elliot, Tolzien, Weber, Kafka…all had huge numbers against the staid 4-3 of Narduzzi.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts PENN STATE by 10

Both these teams have been major disappointments in 2009, although one still stands to earn an at large bid to the BCS. Penn State will be without backup tailback Brandon Beachum, and wide receiver Chaz Powell when they enter Spartan Stadium, a place where they're four of six all time. Michigan State, meanwhile is 2-0 in November, on the hands of senior receiver Blair White. If the Nittany Lions can't get their act together on special teams, the Spartans just might be able to pull the upset, but ultimately, Daryll Clark gets in rhythm, and Penn State carries the day.

Brandon Beachum (Officially) Tears ACL

Run Up The Score — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:07:26 -0000

So sayeth The Daily Collegian:

Brandon Beachum will miss the remainder of the 2009 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee on Saturday, according to a release issued by the Penn State football program.

Beachum, a true sophomore running back, hurt his knee while attempting to recover a Jerome Hayes fumble on a kickoff return on the first play of the third quarter in Penn State's 31-20 win over Indiana on Saturday.

Special Teams Coach: Located And Free

Run Up The Score — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:52:39 -0000

Well, this wasn't difficult. God bless the internets.

Lost in yesterday's crapfest -- Navorro Bowman has likely played his last game at Beaver Stadium. As for injuries, Brandon Beachum sustained what appeared to be a very serious knee injury on the second half kickoff. A.J. Wallace left the game with a concussion, and Chaz Powell left the game with what was preliminarily described as a sprain of his AC shoulder joint.

Despite Penn State's lazy performance, they're likely to nudge even closer to the magical top 14 of the BCS standings. Penn State started the day ranked #18 in the rankings, but #9 USC, #10 Iowa, #14 Miami, #15 Houston, #16 Utah, and #17 Arizona all lost.

And Here Come The Pretzels

Run Up The Score — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:42:59 -0000

On yesterday's ESPN GameDay show, Chris Fowler and the crew passed along information that Penn State coaches indicated their offensive playbook would be uncharacteristically open against Ohio State. The coaching staff trusted the improved offensive line, and especially trusted Daryll Clark to win the game for Penn State. If such a strategy was ever in place for the Penn State offense, it was scrapped after their first offensive play of the game as defensive end Cameron Heyward bolted through Dennis Landolt and Evan Royster, defensive tackle Todd Denlinger spun around Johnnie Troutman, and defensive end Thaddeus Gibson hopped over a weak chop attempt by Ako Poti. The result, 2nd and 16, and 59 minutes of puckering.

And shame on you for not fighting through your doubleteam, Doug Worthington!

Sifting through the rubble this morning, and nothing has changed. Yesterday's game was an absolute owning of the home team -- coaches, players, fans, offense, defense, special teams -- from beginning to end. Cameron Heyward is an unblockable monster. No matter which Penn State offensive lineman he lined up against, they were quickly and embarrassingly thrown aside. Daryll Clark was hit and hurried, and again unable to carry the team in those circumstances.

Clark will take some justified heat for this loss. Fair or not, his place in Penn State quarterbacking history will be roughly alongside Wally Richardson's 1995-1996 run -- fondly remembered, but nowhere approaching legendary. Daryll will leave Penn State with a shared Big Ten title, love and respect from a vast majority of the fanbase, and gaudy stats against awful teams. People will be happy to see him when he returns to campus in 5, 10, 20 years. But he won't be a Penn State legend or anything close to it.

I suspect the coaching staff feels embarrassed this morning. There's absolutely zero excuse for the ongoing clusterfrick that is Penn State's special teams unit. If Joe Paterno expects to win games with defense and special teams, it's probably a fine idea to actually have good special teams. Given the athletes on this team, are we supposed to believe that Drew Astorino is our best ~~punt returner~~ designated fair catcher? Penn State's punt team practically handed Ohio State their first touchdown and took the life out of the crowd. And it's clearly not a matter of putting bad athletes on the field for kicking plays -- the players chasing Ray Small down the field on his first punt return are A.J. Wallace, Knowledge Timmons, Josh Hull, Chris Colasanti, Navorro Bowman, Brandon Beachum, and Andrew Quarless. And they were put in a bad position by an awful Jeremy Boone punt.

The playcalling was atrocious. If you don't have enough confidence to throw the ball on 3rd and 5, do us all a favor and kneel on the ball three straight plays and punt. Your defense will get the same amount of rest, and there's no risk at all! Beats the hell out of running the same tired crap right at Ohio State's strengths, or letting your quarterback get battered play after play.

Tom Bradley and the defense don't get a pass for this either -- they let the team down repeatedly on some crucial third downs. D'anton Lynn blew a coverage that led to DeVier Posey's long touchdown. On Pryor's rushing touchdown, Bowman had him dead in the backfield and was shaken off. They had their chances to turn the game around, or even just get off the damned field, and failed.

Finally, man up and give credit to Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State. This can't be stressed enough: they dominated every single aspect of the game. As for Penn State, they had their two toughest opponents at home and blew it. While 10-2 is still within reach and sounds great, this season has already been cast upon the disappointment heap. Penn State will end up in some middle-tier bowl with a cheesy sponsor. Don't worry. We'll pretend to care about it.

Grading the Penn State Offense Against Northwestern

BSD — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:15:14 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

about 1 month ago: Penn State's Evan Royster(22) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. Penn State won 34-13. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Browse more photos »

It was slow to get started, but eventually the Penn State offense came to life in the fourth quarter and scored three touchdowns on three consecutive offensive snaps.

Quarterbacks

Another fantastic stat line for the senior captain.

vs Northwestern / 10.31.09	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Daryll Clark	22	31	70.0	274	1	6	16	2.7	1

It shocks me to see commentary on some of the Penn State message boards about Daryll Clark not looking very impressive. Excuse me, but, what else do you want? He's on pace to smash just about every single season passing record in Penn State history. He's about to take the career passing touchdown record. He's leading the conference in passing efficiency, and he's No. 14 in the nation. He has now gone three games without throwing an interception, and he's only thrown one interception in his past five games. I don't see how he can play much better than this.

On Saturday, I can't think of any glaring mistakes. He made good decisions. His throws were right on time with the pattern. He tucked the ball and ran when he needed to. He spread the ball around completing passes to ten different recievers. Even his fakes score points. Royster's long touchdown run was set up by a pump fake to a wide receiver in the flat. It froze the linebackers and pulled the safeties out of position opening up the middle for Royster's scamper. Clark is just playing at an incredibly high level right now.

Final Grade: A

Receivers

It's hard to believe that Derek Moye is just a sophomore. Saturday was his third 100 yard receiving game of the season. He and Daryll Clark appear to be completely in sync right now. Take a look at his stats for the season.

	Receiving
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
9	39	648	72.0	16.6	5

With three games and a bowl game, he only needs 88 yards per game to eclipse 1000 yards on the year. He can pass the mark in the regular season with 117 yards per game. If you're counting at home, Bobby Engram has the school record for single season receiving yards with 1084. It's a difficult mark to reach from here, but it's achievable.

Graham Zug had an off day. He had four catches for 34 yards, but he also dropped a wide open pass that would have gone for a big gain, and dropped an easy touchdown in the endzone. Also, what's up with fair catching a punt at the six yard line?

Eight other guys caught passes in the game. It was a really good team effort.

Final Grade: B+

Running Backs

Royster had trouble finding room to run through much of the game. Northwestern was stuffing the box with eight defenders to slow him down. Many of his early yards came when he ran away from the designed direction of the play. But the deep pass to Moye loosened things up. Northwestern was paying a ton of attention to the flankers, so when Clark pump faked a bubble screen and handed Royster the ball on a draw play, there was nothing but 69 yards of grass between him and the endzone.

vs Northwestern / 10.31.09	Rushing				Receiving
	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Evan Royster	15	118	7.9	1	1	7	7	0

Brandon Beachumeven got in the game for a few carries to give Royster a rest. He finished with an impressive 25 yards and a touchdown on only four carries.

Final Grade: A

Offensive Line

Once again I was not impressed. I mentioned that many of Roysters yards came on his own. They did a lot of pulling with Landolt and Troutman, but Wisniewski and Eliades weren't getting much push so the end effect was Landolt and Troutman just getting in Royster's way. But then Northwestern only recorded three TFL and one sack, and the Wildcats were stuffing the box, and Penn State did manage 163 yards rushing, so maybe it's not as bad as I think it is. But I'm scared as Hell thinking about the Buckeye defensive line this Saturday.

Final Grade: B

Offensive Coaching

I wasn't impressed with the play calling in the early going. It was a lot of running into the eight man brick wall and short passes designed to pick up six or seven yards. This was partly due to Penn State's poor starting position on the field the entire first half. We all know Joe Paterno hates to take chances on his 20 yard line.

But the key drive started with just under seven minutes to go in the second quarter. That's when Penn State said, "Screw it. We're done trying to run the ball." They took over at their own 7 yard line and tried to pass the ball on every play of a 93 yard drive that ended in a touchdown. They came out and tried to pass on three straight plays of their next drive. Though that drive went three and out, the message was sent loud and clear to Northwestern. If you are going to stack the box, we will throw on every single down if we have to. Penn State found the Northwestern defense much easier to work with in the second half because of it.

The touchdown pass to Moye and the draw play to Royster were brilliantly set up and executed.

Final Grade: B

Joe Paterno Press Conference Notes

BSD — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:00:40 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

about 1 month ago: Penn State head coach Joe Paterno watches from the sidelines during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

Here are your bullet points from Joe Paterno's weekly press conference.

Joe thinks they are a pretty good football team. He wouldn't say if they're as good as they thought he would be at this point. He's not pleased with the block punts, but considering the things they had to overcome with injuries and inexperience, he thinks they're doing a good job.
Joe called Navorro Bowman "one of the better linebackers in the country". But he also knocked him a bit on his conditioning.
He remembered Pat Fitzgerald when he was a linebacker at Northwestern. Called him "aheckuvaplayer". Also noted that Ron Vanderlinden was his coach at Northwestern. That was when he first noticed Ron and why Joe went after him after he got let go at Maryland.
Joe called the Iowa block a "fluke" because it was a blown assignment by a blocker. But the block against Michigan should not have happened. He called out Boone for being too long in his steps. He's scared about Northwestern because they blocked a punt against Indiana last week. They are going to spend a lot of time on the punting game this week.
Joe doesn't think they will get caught looking past Northwestern.
Joe is impressed with the job Fitzgerald has done at Northwestern considering the circumstances in which he inherited the job.
He had a lot of praise for Odrick saying he's not getting the credit he deserves. In fact, Joe spent a lot of this press conference talking up his players and team. If I didn't know better, I would say Joe is lobbying for a better ranking and recognition.

Some idiot reporter asked Joe if he though Northwestern would focus on defending the run or the pass. He got a predictable, "I haven't got the slightest idea" in response. Way to waste your question, doofus.

Pannell is still not 100%. McCormack is ok, and he will battle Poti for the starting right tackle spot this week. Pannell is now practicing at left tackle as Landolt's backup.

Joe seemed really insulted about Daryll Clark getting snubbed by the media. He pointed out that the focus in the media leading up to the game last week was all about the freshman quarterbacks at Michigan, and Clark had to show how he could compare to them. I'm glad to see Joe sticking up for his players like this. It truly is a rare sight.

Joe said walk ons have always been a big part of the program. He's pleased with Graham Zug, but he wasn't sure in the beginning of his career. Joe thought he was a step slow, but he works hard and he's tough.

Though Joe didn't come out and say it, it sounds like Stephfon Green is out again this week. Brent Carter and Brandon Beachum will back up Royster again.

Joe seemed concerned about Northwesterns pace of the game. He noted they run about 90 plays per game while Penn State only runs about 70. Said they will spread you out and pick you apart with their passing game.

A lot of praise for Brandon Beachum. Said he's a smart and tough football player. Reminds him a lot of Mike Archie. Personally, I don't see that. Mike Archie couldn't play fullback or linebacker.

Joe said traveling in back-to-back road games isn't that tiring. He got home by 9:30 on Saturday night (and I'll bet he was in bed by 10). This week he's worried about tiring them out because he wants to do some extra work on the kicking game, but they still have to work on all the normal stuff too.

Joe called the 4th and 3 punt decision a "no-brainer". Michigan had the wind at their back so Joe didn't want to give them the ball at the 30 yard line. Their center got injured earlier in the game and they were playing a guard in his place. Joe thought they might make a mistake down there and they did.

Sukay is doing well, but he needs to turn those breakups into interceptions.

Joe said the team had a nice mix of senior leadership that coached the younger players into a solid football team. He said it has really come together.

Finally, a reporter asked about the Northwestern game in 2005 which gives us our pwnage of the week.

Your last trip to Northwestern, you had the big drive at the end with Smolko on fourth down and the touchdown to Derrick Williams. That was early in that season. How much of a turning point do you think winning the game the way you did late helped turn around that season and maybe, even larger perspective, the 2005 season?

I don't even know what you're talking about.

You had fourth down and Michael Robinson hit Smolko.

Was that at Northwestern?

Yes, then you had the late touchdown.

I'm glad Smolko caught it. I probably didn't know he was in the game.

It was early in the season.

Geez, you guys, when I write my book I'll put all that stuff in it. I don't know. That's 100 years ago to me. I don't go to bed thinking about what we did 20 years ago. I go to bed thinking what we've got to do this Saturday. All right. Hope it doesn't come down to the fourth. But it might. It might come down we're just trying to hang on for our lives.

Grading the Penn State Offense Against Michigan

BSD — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:17:30 -0000

More photos » by TONY DING - AP

about 1 month ago: Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless (10) catches a 60-yard pass to score a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game agianst Michigan, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Browse more photos »

Before this game we heard a lot of things about the Penn State offense. They hadn't played anybody. The offensive line was teh suck. The wide receivers weren't as good as last year. Daryll Clark never shows up in a big game. I hope they put a lot of that talk to rest on Saturday. Let's grade out the offense.

Quarterbacks

Some people are saying this was Daryll Clark's most complete game as a starter. I'm not sure about that. He was pretty good against Michigan State last year. But he was damn good on Saturday against Michigan.

vs Michigan / 10.24.09	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Daryll Clark	16	27	60.0	230	4	7	13	1.9	0

And there were no interceptions to go with those numbers. It was a performance worthy of Big Ten Player of the Weekhonors. He made good decisions and showed some tremendous touch on fade pass to Zug in the corner of the endzone and on the 60 yard touchdown to Quarless. He was in complete control of the game. Michigan had no answer for the screen passes to Moye. And when they tried to cheat the safeties up to stop the run, Clark made them pay like a good quarterback does with a perfectly thrown ball to Andrew Quarless on the 60 yard touchdown. But he was a bit erratic at times especially in the second half.

Clark now has 17 touchdown passes on the season which ranks him third nationally. He is five touchowns away from tying the single season school record of 22 set by Todd Blackledge in 1982. I know I took some flak for saying this just before the Iowa debacle, but is it time we start mentioning Clark in the Heisman chase again? Here are his season stats.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2009 - Daryll Clark	8	93.0	144	223	64.6	1884	235.5	8.4	17	7	42	132	16.5	3.1	4	-	-

In a season lacking any clear Heisman front runners, I would put Clark's numbers up against anyone. I'm not saying he deserves the trophy at this point, because he's not the quarterback on a team ranked in the top five which is apparently etched as a requirement somewhere on the base of the trophy. But right now, barring another Iowa-type meltdown, I think he has earned a seat at the Downtown Athletic Club in December. And I sooooo want to pwn Eleven Warriors for a day.

Final Grade: B+

Running Backs

Another solid day for Evan Royster.

vs Michigan / 10.24.09	Rushing				Receiving
	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Evan Royster	20	100	5	0	2	24	12	0

It didn't look he did much after that 40 yard gain on the opening drive, but he earned every yard he got. The offensive line didn't do him a ton of favors often getting beat at the point of attack, but Royster used his vision and cutback ability to turn no gains into four or five yard gains. But this is the third game in a row he hasn't found the endzone. He only has four touchdowns on the year with only one in Big Ten play. That's a bit disappointing.

Brandon Beachum got in the game and carried the ball seven times for 23 yards. He had some nice carries and gained 24 yards on Penn State's marathon 10 minute drive in the fourth quarter.

Final Grade: A

Receivers

I suspected Michigan might pay extra attention to Derek Moye after his performance against Minnesota, and that they did blanketing him with their best cover corner. Still, he managed to gain 53 yards on 6 catches. He could have had more if not for some slips and poorly thrown balls by Clark. He was pretty much open all day.

I figured the attention on Moye would open up opportunities for some other guys, and Zug and Quarless took advantage. The tiny white possession receiver torched the Michigan secondary for 5 catches, 59 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

And of course Andrew Quarless is making that late push to be a high NFL draft pick. Besides 60 yard touchdown, Quarless also had that 31 yard catch that set up the touchdown right after the half. He was a key factor in taking a 12-7 game and breaking it open into a 25-10 game.

Final Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Here's where things turn ugly in this review. I was not at all impressed with the offensive line. Ako Poti looked terrible at right tackle. Brandon Grahampretty much owned him whenever he lined up on that side. Actually, it didn't matter who lined up over there, Poti got abused. I hope McCormack can come back next week.

Johnnie Troutmandidn't impress me much either. He had a few nice blocks, but he had equally as many not-so-great one. He single handedly killed the drive right before the half with two offsides penalties and two missed blocks.

And can someone explain to me our ineptitude at running a screen pass? There were three white shirts out there against one Michigan linebacker, and they let the guy make the tackle. How does that happen? This isn't the first time either. It's been like this all season. Our down field blocking leaves much to be desired.

Final Grade: D

Offensive Coaching

I have a few bones to pick this week. What was up with punting the ball from the Michigan 33 yard line on fourth and three? Boone managed to pin them inside the ten, and Joe later looked like a genius when Michigan snapped the ball out the back of the endzone. But I think you have to go for it there. Your offense is having a lot of success in moving the ball there. The sooner you can break the game open and force Michigan's offense to abandon the running game the better off you will be. It was classic Joe pucking up on the road, and I didn't agree with the call.

My second beef came after Penn State scored the first touchdown after the half to take a 25-10 lead. I did not agree with going for two points there. I know they were thinking a 17 point lead meant Michigan needed two touchdowns and a field goal to tie, but the extra point forces them to score two touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie. Put the onus on them to make the two point conversions. It was too early in the game to be playing that kind of numbers game. On the road, just take the extra point.

Finally, after the final touchdown I thought the offense went too conservative. You could just tell that Joe told them to run between the tackles and that's it. The first drive got stopped in three plays, and then Boone had the punt blocked. So do you think they would come out on the next drive and be a little more aggressive? Nope. In fact, let's just feature a bigger running back this time. Up the middle to Royster. Up the middle to Suhey for a two yard loss. Short pass to Suhey short of the sticks. Let's give them another shot to block a punt.

That blocked punt scared me to death. It was just the kind of play Michigan needed to get a spark. The next time we got the ball I would have done everything I could to gain some big chunks of yards. Especially with Michigan stacking the box looking for the run. But Penn State was undeterred and even came out on the next drive in conservative mode. They pounded away for 10 minutes to kill the clock, but needed a roughing the kicker penalty to keep the drive going. Thankfully Michigan got a little too aggressive in trying to block another one.

Final Grade: C

Grading the Penn State Offense Against Eastern Illinois

BSD — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:05:49 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

2 months ago: Penn State quarterback Kevin Newsome (12) runs for a gain through Eastern Illinois defenders Nathan Galan (95) and Sean Campbell (49) during the second half of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Penn State won 52-3. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Browse more photos »

You all get lucky today. My kid's soccer game got cancelled, so I watched the Penn State game. So you all get a review today. Let's get to it.

Quarterbacks

Daryll Clark was sensational completing 13 of 19 passes for 234 yards and 3 TD. But then I would be worried if he were anything less than sensational against Eastern Illinois. Other than being a little erratic in the redzone on Penn State's second possession, his lone mistake was the interception, and it was an ugly play. He recognized the blitz was coming and looked at Quarless for the short outlet. And he looked. And he looked. And he looked some more. Then I think he even pointed at Quarless and yelled, "Hey, I'm going to throw it there!" Then he threw it and it was intercepted. Let's try not to do that next time, mmmkay?

But let's talk about Mr. Newsome who saw his most extended action of the year. Saturday was more confirmation about some things we already suspected. Newsome is an electrifying runner. It seems like he can go from standing still to top speed in about two steps. And he's a big kid that's tough to bring down. I must admit, when I see him running in that No. 12 jersey, I see a lot of Michael Robinson. Having him in the backfield next year with Evan Royster and Stephfon Green with an experienced offensive line just might be unstoppable. That's the good part.

On the flip side, I saw something else that reminded me of Michael Robinson, but this isn't a good thing. Newsome has a long way to go in refining his mechanics. He throws off his back foot a lot, and he's a little partial to doing the sidearm wrist-flick-thing. And yes, I saw a lot of arm punts. The other thing that bothered me is the way he carries the ball. He had two fumbles in his short time on the field, and there were a few other carries where he let ball separate from his body leaving him susceptible to another fumble. Just looking at the picture to the right makes me nervous with the way he's carrying the ball. He's got to tighten that up, or else that electrifying running ability will be quickly negated.

Final Grade: B

Running Backs

I can't think of anything particularly spectacular the running backs did. They didn't fumble, so that's good. I think Royster did a good job of reading his blocks and making the right cuts this week. He looked more like 2008 Royster than 2009 Royster. It looks like he's starting to gain confidence in his offensive line again. He finished the day with 94 yards on 8 carries for a whopping 11.8 yards per carry.

Stephfon Green and Brandon Beachum looked equally impressive averaging 7.2 and 7.0 yards per carry respectively. I still don't know what to think about Green though. It just seems like he either gets impatient and runs past his blockers or he gets too patient and just dances until somebody tackles him. But when he times it correctly and puts it all together it almost seems like he's going to take it to the house on every play. More of that, please.

Final Grade: A

Wide Receivers

Unquestionably, the most pleasant surprise for me this year has been Chaz Powell. I must admit, I was not expecting much from him when the season began. My estimation was based on his performance last year when all I saw was a kid that ran end arounds and dropped half the passes thrown his way. But he has made a lot of progress and he's looking like a regular Derrick Williams out there. Saturday he had four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. I was really impressed with his 51 yard touchdown pass. The throw from Clark was short, but Powell did a good job of adjusting to the ball and shielding the defender with his body. Then he showed some great concentration to catch the ball while the defender was hanging on him. And does anyone think Deon Butler or Derrick Williams could have fended off that contact and remained on their feet to walk in the endzone? I don't.

From what I saw Saturday, Justin Brown is going to be a star before his career is over. He caught everything thrown his way including a nice diving catch out of bounds. He threw a key block on Stephfon Green's 26 yard touchdown, and he even had Penn State's biggest punt return of the season for 18 yards. I think he has definitely earned the right to see more playing time going forward.

I felt great for Brett Brackett. After struggling to see the field and break out of his slump all season, he finally caught a touchdown pass. But then I felt bad for him because the announcer credited it to Mickey Shuler.

Final Grade: A

Offensive Line

Nothing special here. You expect a Div. IA offensive line to dominate an FCS team, and that's what Penn State did. But there were a couple of false starts, including one that killed the second drive forcing State to kick a field goal. So no perfect grade this week, guys.

Final Grade: B

Offensive Coaching

Eh, it's Eastern Illinois. But I was impressed with the motivation. It would have been easy for the team to pack it in and just go through the motions against this team. Credit the coaches for getting them motivated and focused to play this team. It looks like the team did a good job of shaking off the Iowa loss and coming together.

I was glad to see a lot of younger players get in the game, but I felt like they could have got Newsome in there earlier. He really should have started the second half, but Paterno went with Clark. The offense went 3-and-out, and I think Paterno didn't want them ending on a bad note like that, so Clark took the next series. I kind of predicted this was going to happen somewhere in the comments. Clark took a nasty shot on that last drive which pretty much infuriated me. There was no need to have him in there when they were up 38-3. It's not like Eastern Illinois was coming back.

Final Grade: B

Mauti Suffers Knee Injury

Run Up The Score — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:31:47 -0000

Puppies everywhere are crying. FightOnState.com says it's an ACL. Collegian with some details:

Sophomore linebacker Mike Mauti suffered a knee injury in Sunday's scrimmage at Beaver Stadium, his father Rich Mauti confirmed Sunday night.

While the elder Mauti would not comment on the extent of his son's injury until doctors did more tests, he said the linebacker would probably undergo an MRI Monday for further evaluation.

"It's the ugliest part of football," said Rich Mauti, a Penn State wide receiver in the mid 1970s. "He's pretty disappointed, just trying to figure out what it all means. He needs time just to let this thing sink and digest."

Rich Mauti said his son was pursuing running back Brandon Beachum on a sweep play, and when Beachum cut back, the younger Mauti went to cut and tangled his knee up.