SB Nation - Michael Mauti

Analysis of Big Ten Player Injuries and Suspensions

grahamfiller10 — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:35:18 -0000

Law Buck cannot remember the last time so many important players got injured before a Big Ten season. I think it's just a product of the increased coverage on Fall practice. Either way, a bunch of solid players face questions over their health or eligibility status. Let's take a quick look at the impact of the latest injuries and suspensions:

Tyler Moeller, LB, OSU

What Happened: He was going to start until getting conked on the head in a Florida bar.

Diagnosis: Early reports said he was out for the year, but according to 11 Warriors, he's chomping at the bit to get back on the field.

Impact: As 11 Warriors points out, this was one of OSU's deepest positions. And since the Buckeye's reload at LB anyways, I can't imagine this being a monstrous loss.

Justin Boren, OL, OSU

What Happened: Sprained his knee badly in practice, will miss three weeks at the most.

Diagnosis: Will not miss any games, but will miss valuable time to gel with the other members of the offensive line.

Impact: He's on Phil Steele's First Team All-Big Ten team and supposed to be an anchor for this talented OSU line. Not the guy you want to be surrounded by injury questions.

Michael Mauti, LB, PSU

What Happened: As BSD describes, Mauti tangled his knee up and tore an ACL while chasing a running back during practice.

Diagnosis: He's done, by all accounts. Mauti's father is talking MRI's and doom and gloom.

Impact: Minimal, but that's not a denigration on Mauti. It's just that Penn State's LB corps is so nasty this year with Lee and Bowman.

Aubrey Pleasant and Shane Carter, Safeties, Wisconsin

What Happened: Bielema suspended these two veterans for the remaining preseasons camp. No word on what exactly happened, but both safeties have contacted lawyers and are fighting their suspensions.

Diagnosis: Getting kicked out of preseason camp is never good news. I've been unable to find any rumors or news about what their prospect of being reinstated is.

Impact: Wisconsin plays a couple of run focused OOC teams (NIU, Fresno) and avoids Juice Williams and his highly hyped receivers. Losing a couple of backup safeties who were dogging it during practice and had a history of breaking team rules will probably not throw off this teams equilibrium. However, the shady circumstances of their removal will make fans question the way Bielema is running this team.

Jewel Hampton, RB, Iowa

What Happened: Or more accurately, what has been happening. After another recent injury, BHGP wrote:

...this is the third time in 6 months that he's injured the same knee and missed practice time.

Diagnosis: When your stepping in for Shonn Greene, you're going to be under a microscope. Hampton's knees are not reacting well to this scrutiny, as he was recently witnessed walking gingerly on the sidelines at practice.

Impact: Iowa has unproven backups and an offense that ran the ball 60% of the time last year. Hampton's health is probably the biggest question around Iowa's camp right now.

Jordan Bernstine, CB, Iowa

What Happened: Broke his ankle on special teams play in practice, or as his high school coach said, snapped it good. OH GOD that gives me, owner of two previously busted ankles, shivers.

Diagnosis: Will probably miss the whole season.

Impact: As the owner of the Big Ten's hardest in-conference schedule, Iowa needed all the depth they could find in their secondary. The Hawkeyes play two of the the only Big Ten teams that can legitimately wing the football down the field (Ohio State, Penn State), so Bernstine's importance as a possible starting CB or safety was paramount.

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.

Campfire Stories - Hold onto the Ball

Law Buckeye — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:33:27 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

4 months ago: Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford walk off the field during Penn State Football Media Day in State College, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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I spent last night watching the dog at my parent's house -- they're on a weekend excursion in Chicago. With nothing to do, and none of my choice DVR programming on call, I cracked open a Samuel Smith's and wondered over to the Big Ten Network.

Five hours later, I reluctantly cut myself off, with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Ohio State at Penn State 2001. Before that, I caught Penn State's win over Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl for the school's first national championship, last year's Ohio State/Penn State game trench warfare at the Shoe, and Penn State's segment of the Big Ten Football Tour 2009.

It was a great night.

Anyway, watching clips from the Nittany Lion's first three practices left a few impressions. First, the good. Linebacker play looks outstanding, with the unit a virtual regiment of wide-shouldered soldiers. Sean Lee, Navorro Bowman, and Michael Mauti looked fast, fit, and solid in isolation. I don't have any concerns here, and neither should you. Up front, Defensive End Jack Crawford hopes to pick up where Aaron Maybin left off. The defensive line ran a ton of turn and burn drills, and player after player showed solid arm control and explosiveness.

Now, the bad. Penn State's secondary continues to struggle. One of the few things Joe Paterno was willing to admit about his team is that "We're still looking for a couple of defensive backs." Although a leaky secondary is less of a sin in this league than in others, the Nittany Lions are at risk of paying homage to a unit that gave up 413 yards in the air in last year's Rose Bowl Game.

Then there's the receivers. I don't think I saw a single person pull down a single pass in drills. Derek Moye, Chaz Powell, and Graham Zug rotated through a carnival-like show of slaps, gropes, and fumbles. Sure, it's small data pool, but still -- not a single catch? In drills?

The broadcast can't be encouraging for the Lion faithful, who hope to see Daryll Clark back in his 2008 form. Speaking of Clark, the guy really needs to stay healthy -- his backup Kevin Newsome is a true freshman.

Team Barometer:

Announcing: "We Are Penn State" Preseason Magazine

BSD — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:23:17 -0000

So I've been trying to keep this under wraps to surprise you all ninja-style, but there have been a few leaks here and there. If it seems like I've been preoccupied and not posting as much the past few months, it's because I've been busy as the editor of We Are Penn State, a 2009 Penn State football preview magazine being published by Maple Street Press that is due to hit book shelves this July. I've handed in the last of the material for print, and I see Maple Street is offering pre-orders, so I figure this is as good a time as any to make the big announcement.

We Are Penn State is 128 pages of Penn State coverage with information, stories, stats, and pictures without a single advertisement. In putting this together I assembled an amazing list of authors to cover Penn State football from every angle. Here's a list of what you'll read after the jump.

Yours truly breaks down each position on the offense and defense telling you who we lost from last year and who the major players are going to be this season.
BSD's own Kevin HD breaks down each team on the schedule to let you know what Penn State is up against in the Big Ten.
RUTS recaps the 2008 Big Ten Championship season in his usual wit.
Recruiting analyst Sean Fitz from BlueWhite Illustrated breaks down the incoming freshmen letting you know who the future stars will be and which kids have a chance to make an immediate impact in 2009.
Eric Thomas from Read Between the Lions tells you which five underclassmen are poised to have a breakout season.
RUTS pens another article detailing the fall of the Big Ten and gives you the formula the conference members must follow in order to regain the respect we once had.
Former Penn State football beat writer for the Daily Collegian, Travis Johnson, gives you an amazing look at the personal struggles Daryll Clark overcame to become "The Man" in charge of the Spread HD.
BlueWhite Illustrated contributor Andy Elder profiles Mike Mauti and Nate Stupar and their battle for the open linebacker spot.
Your humble blogger breaks down Penn State's recruiting efforts this year telling you which positions are major needs and detailing some of the kids who have already given their verbal commitment.
Travis Johnson chips in with another riveting article about the other senior captain, Sean Lee, and the difficulty he had in watching the 2008 season from the sidelines.
Jeff McLane, the former PSU beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and former author of the blog Lion Eyes, recaps the amazing year Joe Paterno had last season essentially going from a vote of no confidence to a three year contract extension while dealing with an injured hip.
Then, Josh Lagenbacher, another former PSU football beat writer for the Daily Collegian, takes you on the inside to give you an up close look at Larry Johnson Sr. and what he means to the people around him.

Sound interesting yet? Well that's not all. In fact there is a lot more. The magazine concludes with a special section devoted to the history and tradition of Penn State football. Whether you have been a fan for five years or fifty years, this section is going to bring back memories and fill you with Penn State pride. You will want to cherish this magazine as a keepsake just for this section alone.

Kevin talks about the storied rivalry with Pitt and Penn State's ongoing search for a new rival to fill the void that was created when Penn State joined the Big Ten.
I personally give you a detailed lineage of the greatest Penn State linebackers of all time.
Long time BSD reader jesse tells you how Penn State dug itself out of the hole it was in a few years ago and rebuilt the program in a perenial Big Ten contender.
Famed Penn State football historian Lou Prato relives the Syracuse rivalry and tells you why this short series with the Orange brings back so many memories to so many Penn State fans. Lou has authored several books devoted to Penn State football including The Penn State Football Encyclopedia and What It Means To Be A Nittany Lion.
Former Penn State cornerback Tony Pittman relives the amazing 1994 season and tells you what it takes for a team to go undefeated. Tony operates the Penn State Football Podcast along with former teammate Phil Collins and is also the co-author of Playing for Paterno along with his father, Charlie.
And finally, all of you and your comments are featured inside the back cover in a touching piece about What It Means To Be A Penn Stater.

You can probably tell I'm pretty excited about this project. It was a lot of work, but like this blog it is a labor of love for my fellow Nittany Lion fans. There is truly something for every Penn State fan in this magazine. This is the first year it's coming out, so I'm hoping it sells well and they ask me to do it again next year.

The publication will be sold regionally in the PA area, so look for it on bookshelves July 21st. If you live outside of the PA area or you just want to get your copy a few weeks early, please go preorder your copy now.

Nitt Picks Is Running Like Hell

Run Up The Score — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:02:55 -0000

More photos » by PAT LITTLE - AP

8 months ago: Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) talks with teammate Chris Colasanti during spring football practice on Friday, March 27, 2009 in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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Okay, back to football.

Penn State recently held its annual Coaches' Clinic -- this year it was indoors at Holuba Hall due to the windy conditions. For the uninitiated, it's an event attended by hundreds of high school coaches from across the state. There are instructional presentations by the PSU coaches, but the big news always comes out of the live scrimmage.

Last year, the highly unusual news was the offense performing quite well against the defense. This year, things seem to have reverted to the defense just mauling its adversaries. Some reports from across the state:

Mark Wogenrich, Allentown Morning Call (which also has a two-deep depth chart):

On the very first play of the scrimmage, tight end Andrew Quarless jumped offsides. Head coach Joe Paterno was all over him.

Paterno also worked over cornerback Knowledge Timmons, who seemed physical but uncertain when to turn it on and off. He looked like a perpetual pass-interference flag waiting to happen.

Running back Evan Royster is effortlessly smooth. He scored on a 40-yard run that didn’t seem to require much energy expenditure.

Bit of a surprise to see Andrew Dailey at strong safety. Dailey, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore, spent last season at receiver and linebacker. True freshman Gerald Hodges was at third-team safety.

Sophomore receiver A.J. Price is listed at 173 pounds.That has to include pads.

[More from Wogenrich here.]

Bob Flounders, Harrisburg Patriot-News:

Penn State is rebuilding an offensive line that lost three first-team All-Big Ten choices to graduation. By the time the Big Ten season rolls around next falll, the unit might be solid enough to hold its own. ... There were few surprises. Senior Knowledge Timmons started at the one cornerback spot opposite A.J. Wallace and sophomore Andrew Dailey -- listed as a linebacker on the roster -- worked at one of the safety spots along with Drew Astorino.

[And from a different Flounders PennLive.com link: Harrisburg High redshirt freshman defensive tackle Brandon Ware, who is rumored to be down to 341 pounds after spending much of 2008 in the 360s, worked with the third-team defense and was a handful when an O-lineman tried to engage him one-on-one. ... Shuler caught a touchdown pass from Clark, one of the rare shining moments for the offense. ... Sophomore Jon Ditto, listed as a wideout on the roster, is working at outside linebacker. ... Other notables who were held out of practice were defensive end Jerome Hayes (knee) and tailbacks Stephfon Green (ankle) and Brent Carter (knee)]

Eric Thomas, Carlisle Sentinel:

Judging by one scrimmage in limited work against the first team defense, it appears redshirt freshman walk-on Matt McGloin may have the edge over Kevin Newsome. Newsome looked tentative under center, had a pass batted down at the line and was mugged by defensive end Kevion Latham and was off on deep balls during the scrimmage. The true freshman from Virginia who enrolled in January also had trouble handling some snaps both with the first and second string offensive line and appeared to be off on his timing when under center. On one play Newsome appeared to have trouble with a three-step drop. At first glance he appeared to throw the ball a lot of like Michael Robinson did, a side-armed somewhat inaccurate style.

The first team offensive line had DeOn’Tae Pannell at left tackle, Matt Stankiewitch at left guard, Stefen Wisniewski at center, Lou Eliades at right guard and Dennis Landolt at right tackle.

First team defense was Latham and Jack Crawford at the ends, Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu inside. Mike Mauti, Josh Hull and Navarro Bowman were the linebackers.

Sean Lee was held out of contact during the scrimmage and will do so all spring.

The secondary had A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons at the corners with Andrew Dailey at free safety and Drew Astorino at strong safety.

The second team defensive line had Pete Massaro and Eric Latimore at the ends with Devon Still and Abe Koroma inside. Bani Gbadyu, Chris Colasanti and Nate Stupar at the linebackers and a secondary of D’Anton Lynn and Devin Fentress at the corners and Cedric Jeffries and Nick Sukay at the safety spots.

Jon Ditto, a one-time tight end, worked out with the linebackers.

On the first play the first team offense ran, tight end Andrew Quarless jumped. It appears the starting tight end spot is up for grabs between Quarless and East Pennsboro’s Mickey Shuler. Shuler made a nice grab on a throw from McGloin and later on a beautiful throw from Clark scored. Chaz Powell has inherited the Derrick Williams role, even his No. 2. Powell lined up in the backfield on several snaps.

Harrisburg’s Brandon Ware had a strong showing taking down reserve lineman Jonathan Stewart to pressure the quarterback and later knocking down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

The takeaways? No surprise that the defensive line is going to be amazing, and with the return of Sean Lee, Penn State will probably have the best front seven in the conference. Pray to whatever gods you believe in for the health of Daryll Clark, because Newsome isn't even close to being ready for live action. If Clark goes down, we're officially in "entering a world of pain" territory unless Newsome or McGloin improve greatly. Be afraid, again, about the defensive secondary, although Penn State can (for the second straight year) take comfort in the fact that they won't face many prolific passing attacks in the Big Ten. The coaching staff is quite obviously looking at various defensive back combinations -- let's hope they come up with a winning superfecta by October. Finally, the wide receiver position remains problematic. Zug jokes aside, they're not scaring anybody with a competent pass defense, and that means we're going to need a hell of a lot more from Mickey Shuler and...gulp...Andrew Quarless.

Penn State Kicks Off Spring Practice

BSD — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:00:08 -0000

Lost in all the publicity from the basketball team's NIT run, among other, uh, distractions, is the fact that the Penn State football team kicked off spring practice this Wednesday. They'll be be putting on the pads and sorting things out over the next few weeks until spring practice concludes with the Blue-White Game on April 25. So I guess we should probable devote some coverage to that. Here are the top five questions for the football team as I see them this spring.

Wide Receivers

Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, and Jordan Norwood leave Penn State as three of the most prolific receivers in Penn State history. They have been the most consistent part of the offense over the past four years. And now we have to replace all three of them at once.

This spring the most likely candidates to fill in the first team receiver roles are a walk on, a converted quarterback, a converted safety, and a sophomore that hasn't shown much to date. Graham Zug and Brett Bracket have shown good hands, but neither one of them possess elite speed. Chaz Powell has shown a good burst, but we haven't seen enough catches to determine if he has hands good enough to play receiver. Last year he mostly got the ball on end arounds, and you have to think he started as a safety for a reason.

Derek Moye has the most potential to be a play maker. He was a high school track star so you know he's fast. And he's got good size. This is a golden opportunity for him.

Of course later this summer when the freshmen come on board everything changes and guys like Justin Brown and Shawney Kersey may prove to be the next freshmen sensations.

Defensive Backs

All four starters from the Rose Bowl are gone leaving Penn State with huge questions in the last line of defense. A.J. Wallace gets one more shot to prove he was worthy of all those stars coming out of high school and will most likely lock up one of the starting cornerback spots. Drew Astorino looked impressive as the nickel back last season and has the inside track toward landing the free safety spot. After that it's anyone's guess. D'Anton Lynn, Knowledge Timmons, Andrew Dailey, Cedric Jefferies, Devin Fentress, and Nick Sukay are going to battle it out for the other two spots. Outside of Lynn who saw playing time last year as a true freshman, none of these guys have looked impressive during their Penn State careers. Many of the incoming freshmen like Stephon Morris, Gerald Hodges, and Malcolm Willis will have an excellent opportunity to see immediate playing time.

Offensive Line

Though losing three All-Big Ten selections on the offensive line to graduation is normally a huge concern, I'm not overly concerned about Penn State's situation. Dennis Landolt should have the right tackle spot nailed down. Wisniewski is moving over to center and I fully expect him to make an outstanding field general. Deon'tae Pannell moved up to #2 on the depth chart behind Cadogen last year as a true freshman. That is highly impressive, so he should have the inside track at left tackle.

The two guard positions will be a battle between Jonnie Troutman, Matt Stankiewitch, Lou Eliades, J.B. Walton, and James Terry. I've heard good things abotu some of these guys and there is enough bodies to promote healthy competition. I think the offensive line will be ok this season, but it may take them some time to play well as a unit. Nailing down the starting five as soon as possible will be key so they can work on building that cohesion.

Defensive Ends

Penn State has to replace their top three defensive ends from last year. I'm sure the coaches expected to have Maybin and probably Evans back when they started recruiting last spring, so we got caught a bit behind the eight ball in recruiting without a ton of bodies to fill in.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Jack Crawford will be the starting strong side defensive end. He's a freak of an athlete and saw playing time last season as a true freshman. His main competition will come from Eric Latimore, a lanky sophomore that has trouble staying healthy in his career.

The weakside end is the huge question. Right now there is Kevion Latham and a bunch of guys you never have and never will hear of. Look for Penn State to once again pluck someone from the overcrowded linebacker group and go with the standup defensive end like we ran with Tim Shaw back in 2006. Jerome Hayes is coming back but probably won't get much work this spring. Maybe Stupar and Mauti get bulked up and moved down.

Weakside Linebacker

This position has kind of been vacant for two years now since we had Poz, Connor, and Lee roaming the field all at the same time. Since 2006 the position has been a rotation of Ty Sales, Josh Hull, Mike Mauti, and Bani Gbadyu. This year it should be a fantastic battle to keep an eye on as Mauti, Stupar, and Mike Yancich will all fight it out to claim the spot. As I said before, look for whoever comes in second to hit the training table hard and get slid down to defensive end this fall due to the lack of depth there.

Other Position Battles of Note

Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin will compete to be Daryll Clark's backup. McGloin is going to have to really shine to beat him out though. Newsome has the higher flexibility and potential in the Spread HD offense, so the coaches are going to give him the nod if it's close just to give him more reps.

The place kicking job is also up for grabs. Anthony Fera, David Soldner and Colin Wagner will compete there.

Grading the Defense Against Michigan

BSD — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:00:06 -0000

C'mon, people. Give me something to work with here.

It was a little sketchy in the beginning, but the defense finally clamped down and stopped the bleeding. I watched the tape again last night so I'll try to describe what happened and the adjustments that were made during the game. Let's start right off with the defensive coaching.

Defensive Coaching

Penn State started the game in nickel defense with Hull and Bowman as the linebackers. When you look at most of the plays on the first drive, Michigan spread them out with four wide receivers and Brandon Minor in the backfield forcing Penn State to pull Hull back into coverage leaving just five guys to defend in the box. This gave Michigan two options in the backfield (Threet and Minor) with five guys to block our five guys. This was clearly a good matchup for Michigan, and due to the fact they were going no-huddle we couldn't get an opportunity to change personnel. Michigan almost exclusively ran left away from Evans and Bowman choosing to attack Gaines and Hull. Obviously this paid off with a touchdown.

On the second drive Penn State moved Hull back into the box, but Michigan still moved the ball well. So midway through the drive they abandoned the nickel and went to the base 4-3 with Ty Sales coming in the game. Michigan continued to attack the left with success, but Penn State managed to hold them to a field goal.

On the third drive Penn State started in the 4-3 again with Hull, Bowman and Sales at linebacker. On this drive Michigan went to the passing game with Threet connecting on two long passes to get into Penn State territory. But then they finished it off with a touchdown by just continuing to smash through the left side of the line. Toward the end of this drive was when Hull and Sales were pulled for Gbadyu and Mauti. They also turned Bowman loose to just start attacking the line of scrimmage since the Wolverines were obviously not running his direction. This was when Bowman and Odrick hit Minor three yards deep in the backfield seemingly stopping him only to have him roll off and fall forward for the first down.

On the fourth drive they went with the 4-3 with Gbadyu and Mauti instead of Hull and Sales. We'll get into the play of these guys later on, but this was when the Michigan defense was effectively shut down. Michigan continued running left into this defense with little effect. In the second half they brought McGuffie in the game to provide a lead blocker as they ran left. Penn State countered by cheating the linebackers in that direction, and they even switched the defensive ends to have Bowman and Evans on opposite sides.

Overall the defensive coaches did a good job of adjusting. But early in the game I think they obviously underestimated Michigan's offensive line. I suspect they were planning on seeing the darting McGuffie to start the game. Seeing the more physical Minor in the backfield may have had them playing back on their heels taking a "wait-and-see" approach. Michigan's no-huddle may have prevented them from making personnel decisions quicker than they would have liked. But ultimately they figured it out and fixed it. They're just lucky because last year spotting the opponent 17 points in the first half would have been disasterous. This is an ultra one dimensional offense that should have never had that much success.

Final Grade: B-

Defensive Line

In the early going they were just getting blown off the ball. The Michigan offensive line is pathetic and they were beating us up. They eventually came around and realized Michigan wasn't as easy as they thought it was going to be. In the second half Michigan fell behind and had to start throwing the ball. That allowed the coaches to start doing some stunting and the Michigan offensive line was completely confused. Evans, Odrick, and Maybin all got a sack with Odrick recording the safety and Maybin forcing a fumble that Abe Koroma was quick to fall on. So it ended up being a good day despite the slow uninspired start.

Final Grade: B-

Linebackers

Illinois Josh Hull showed up instead of Purdue Josh Hull. He looked completely confused and was consistently getting wrapped up by blockers. Getting pulled for Gbadyu seemed to get his attention as he played a lot better in the second half.

Bowman had to cover a lot of ground to make his tackles since Michigan was avoiding him like the plague. But he still led the team with 11 tackles. Truly impressive when you watch the film and see how far he had to run to get to the ball carriers.

If Mike Mauti doesn't start every game for the rest of his Penn State career the coaching staff will be the subject of much criticism in this space. This kid can play. I watched one play were Michigan had what looked like a tight end split wide with Mauti lined up one on one with him. Of course it was a running play coming Mike's way. I watched the tight end run down to block Mauti and just get blown up. I mean Mauti hit him head on and put him on his ass. Then he tackled the ball carrier. I think he and Bowman have a competition going to see who can hit the hardest, because every hit he made could be heard from the top of the stadium.

Bani Gbadyu didn't impress me. He's fast in open space but he gets gobbled up in traffic. He has no business playing middle linebacker. His time on the field was short as he was soon replaced with Hull early in the second half. I just don't understand why Colasanti isn't seeing the field at this point. I've very disappointed in that.

Like the defensive line, the unit started slow but eventually came along. Slow starts can't happen against Ohio State.

Final Grade: B

Secondary

The backfield wasn't really tested in this game. Michigan managed to get a mismatch where Odom caught a deep ball against Rubin. Watching the tape it looked like they were supposed to be in zone coverage and Astorino followed his man inside opening up the deep sideline to Odom. After the play Rubin looked at Astorino and stuck his hands out as if to say "WTF?"

But in all Michigan only had 22 passing attempts with most of them coming in the second half when they were behind. The secondary did well holding them to only 89 yards passing, but they were never really tested.

Final Grade: Incomplete

Special Teams

The only miscue I can point to was Kelly clanking the upright from 45 yards out. The kick was straight and just hooked at the end. A lot better than last year when he would have shanked a kick like that 20 yards wide or hit a line drive that landed at the 10 yard line. He's definitely much improved and a slight miss from 45 yards is to be expected from time to time. He did make three shorter field goals on the day, and all time leading scorer and blah blah blah.

It was obvious Michigan didn't want anything to do with Derrick Williams in the return game. Chaz Powell did well with returns of 32 and 43 yards. The kickoff coverage continues to rock with Nate Stupar and Mike Mauti blowing up blockers and ball carreirs left and right. Michigan was actually so concerned about Stupar they were doubling him with two blockers. That's respect.

Jeremy Boone seems to have figured out something in his punting stroke as he's looking like 2007 Jeremy Boone again. He kicked three punts averaging over 44 yards per punt with a long of 53. He greatly outplayed the great Zoltan Mesko - Space Emperor (of Space!) who shanked two kicks (including the free kick off the safety) and had a kick blocked by Nate Stupar.

Final Grade: A+

Late Night Squib Kicks

Run Up The Score — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 01:34:39 -0000

Some immediate post-game thoughts while passively hating on #1 Texas, currently throttling that fraud, Missouri, 28-0 35-0:

The turning point of the game followed Michigan's second touchdown, as Josh Hull and Tyrell Sales were replaced by Bani Gbadyu and Mike Mauti. The results were impossible to ignore:

Yes, the appearance of the eternally comical Nick Sheridan had a bit to do with the second half drives. Still, note the number of plays Michigan ran after the second touchdown. When Penn State's defense was on its heels in the second quarter, Michigan had a 29-10 advantage in plays run. The final tally? Penn State 70, Michigan 68.

Hull and Sales each bounced back from their exiles. Once Gbadyu was obliterated on big Michigan ground gain early in the third quarter, Hull was back in the game on the next play and went on to an amazing third quarter. Sales absolutely busted his ass on special teams in the second half. They could've sulked, and didn't.

Gbadyu is still in a bit of a "headless chicken" phase. He's always fast, and always in kind of the wrong direction. Nate Stupar and Chris Colasanti got some work on Michigan's last drive. Neither did anything noteworthy.

What does it mean for Ohio State next week? The coaching staff seemed to settle on the combination of Mauti, Hull, and Bowman in the second half, and I'm guessing that's what you'll see in Columbus. Everybody has to hope that Good Hull shows up as opposed to his evil twin. Gbadyu could give someone a breather, but he's simply not a middle linebacker.

Random points:

Nice to see Nathan Stupar finally get to a punt. He's been tantalizingly close all season, and it was just a matter of time before he his hands on one.
We all likely screamed "WHY, JESUS, WHY?" when Derrick Williams threw a wounded duck into the end zone (saved by an excellent play by former defensive back, Deon Butler), but the play was wide open if Williams had just thrown it toward the sideline.
Michigan had 22 passing attempts for 88 yards. This is bad. For them.
Stephfon Green has a long way to go as a running back, but why in the world won't the coaches have him run to the outside? We're well past the point of the season where a simple option or pitch to the outside would be buried in the playbook for reasons of sneakiness. Stop running Stephfon into the line, dammit.
Keep throwing him those screen passes, though. Stefen Wisniewski just buried a guy on Green's 80-yard screen touchdown.

What were your hidden gems from this afternoon's 46-17 victory?

Syracuse Preview: Upstate, Down Times

Run Up The Score — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:57:59 -0000

Who Shot Who In The What, Now? Penn State (2-0) at Syracuse (0-2). The Orange lost to Akron last week by two touchdowns. That followed a 20-point loss at Northwestern. Penn State, as you may have heard, obliterated Oregon State last week, 45-14. Kickoff at 3:30 p.m. The teams have not played since 1990. Penn State leads the all-time series 40-23-5. They met every year between 1922 and 1990.

Dubious Statistical Achievements. The Syracuse Athletics page notes that RB Curtis Brinkley led Syracuse last year in rushing with 371 yards on 111 carries. He's a good player, however, and clearly Syracuse's best offensive weapon. He also majors in communications and rhetorical studies. Does an Orange rot if it's not properly handled for six years?

So, You Enjoy Weird Sports Trivia? Syracuse will start Cameron Dantley at quarterback against Penn State. He's the son of former NBA star Adrian Dantley, which leads us to the following trivia. The rookies of the year in 1977 in the NBA, MLB, and NFL all had initials of A.D. Adrian Dantley is one of them. Who are the others? Answers to be provided whenever you Google them.

Before Donovan, Don. Some Syracuse relevance from the late 80's:

Encouraging! Through two games in 2008, Syracuse ranks 112th nationally (out of 118 teams) in rushing defense. This should work well for them on Saturday, because Penn State never runs the ball. And yes, Syracuse's first game was against traditionally pass-happy Northwestern.

The Disembowlment Will Be Televised. ABC for most of you in the northeast. Coverage map may be found herrrre.

A Fool And His Money. Penn State is roughly a 27-point favorite.

While You Wait. Not that this item is automatically going to be a Black Heart Gold Pants link every week, but you could bring the JoePa Chronicles to your own PSU tailgate with this lovely shirt. Then again, it being 9/11 and all, you could always go with The Leman.

No, But Seriously, This Game Is Going To Suck. Let's not kid ourselves. This game is essentially target practice, but could conceivably reap mild benefits for Penn State. It's a road game. Penn State doesn't play well in road games, a trend which generally persists regardless of the opponent. So putting on those obnoxiously plain white uniforms and stomping a team in their own building isn't necessarily a bad thing. You'll probably see plenty of Pat Devlin handing the ball off to Brent Carter in the second half. On a more intriguing note, take particular notice of the defensive substitutions once the game is out of hand. How much action will Nate Stupar, Mike Mauti, and Chris Colasanti get at linebacker? Will James Terry or Brandon Ware get reps at defensive tackle? They're both a bit too, uh, puffy for Joe Paterno's liking right now, but given the attrition along the defensive line, Paterno's hand may be forced into giving them a little playing time. We shall see.

Meet the Freshmen, Part II

Kevin HD — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:37:06 -0000

Freshmen: They walk around campus wearing their high school letterman jackets and using a map to find their classes. They aren't good for much, but in a few years they will be the leaders of your football team. This is the second in a three part series to introduce you to the freshman class of 2008.

(part one here)

Mike Mauti

Position: Linebacker
Hometown: Mandeville, LA
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215

Bio: Mike finished high school as a four star recruit, ranked the 8th best player in his state and the 16th best linebacker in the nation (Rivals.com). By all accounts he is your classic Penn State linebacker: good instincts, hard hitting, and hard working. Said his high school coach, Guy LeCompte:

"He goes full throttle both on and off the field. If you ask him to go get you a glass of water he will give you 110 percent to go get you that glass of water."

Quite possibly the best quote I've ever read...I mean if you are thirsty, there is no better linebacker in the Big Ten, quite possibly the nation, to be standing next to than Mike Mauti.

He enrolled early in order to start working out with the team and appears to have performed well.

Chances of Playing This Year: Very likely on special teams and probable at likebacker. He appeared on the depth chart as an OLB and appears to have the size to step in right away. With any additional injuries to the already think linebacker position and he is looking at significant time.

Deon'tae Pannell

Position: Offensive Tackle
Hometown: Birmingham, MI
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 300

Bio: Deon'tae was listed as a three star on Rivals and four star on Scouts out of Michigan. He choose Penn State over offers from Michigan and Michigan State, amongst others. He played center is high school and was a very important pickup for Penn State.

He also appears to have been very close with his high school coach, Brendan Flaherty:

"Coach Flaherty was kind of like a second father, since mine wasn’t around," Pannell said. "He taught me lessons about being trustworthy and being a leader. He set examples of being a good person no matter where you are. [Because of his lessons] I always try and be a leader wherever I am and no matter what I’m doing."

His coach has equally compelling things to say about his former player:

"He's the best player and best person I have ever coached in 15 years. He has it all. I think he's going to play offense in college. With the way he moves they might consider him for defense."

So besides being a good kid, he appears to be a very mobile player and fills an important void on an OL depth chart that gets real thin after this season.

Chances of Playing This Year: Because of the talent Penn State currently has on the line, he probably isn't looking at much time in 2008. While he appears to be a great player, he has a great opportunity to learn under the veteran line before being called on heavily in 2009.

A.J. Price

Position: Wide Receiver
Hometown: Reston, VA
Height: 6'4"
Weight:175

Bio: A.J. was rated a three star by Scouts and a two star by Rivals. He doesn't appear to have much mass, but given his height, I can help but wonder if he was picked up as a project. He did receive an offer from Michigan, so he must have shown something in high school. He does appear to run well:

"I got first place in the 200 and the 400 and the long jump in districts and regionals," said Price. "We have states on Friday and Saturday. I'm just doing the 400, long jump and our relays. I can't do the 200 because we're only allowed to do three running events."

Youtubery shows a great knack for kickoff returns and stretching out the defense.

Chances of Playing This Year: Similar to Pannell, he was brought on to fill a monster void that will be left when the current senior class graduates. He probably isn't looking at much time on the field this season, but if the coaches and work on his route running, he could end up a very productive receiver in a couple of years.

Andrew Radakovich

Position: Offensive Line
Hometown: Steubenville, OH
Height: 6'4"
Weight:285

Bio: Andrew's scholarship offer at a major D1 program seems unusual considering the other schools interested. It's also unusual because the story involves another man name Radakovich, who somehow is not related to Andrew:

Andrew Radakovich's road to a full-ride scholarship to play football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno came thanks to Dan Radakovich, who is no relation, but is the assistant head football coach at Robert Morris University - a place that Andrew Radakovich turned down.

Radakovich, who is retiring after 48 years of coaching, passed tapes of the Steubenville High School graduate onto to Bill Kenney, who is the offensive tackles and tight ends coach at Penn State, where Radakovich played, graduated from in 1957 and coached from 1957-1969.

I mean seriously, two Radakovich's?!? (Read the rest of that story for more quirky lines, including the unveiling of the nick name "Bad Rad" and the use of the word stupendous.) There are a lot of questions about this kid, but he appears to have made his way in the game by working his tail off and those are often the type of players who are able to make the most improvements at the collegiate level.

Chances of Playing This Year: Again, lineman=unlikely, compounded further by him probably needing a lot of work.

Matt Stankiewitch

Position: Center
Hometown: Schuylkill Haven, PA
Height: 6'4"
Weight:295

Bio: Matt was rated the eight best center in the nation by Rivals and chose Penn State over offers from Pitt, Rutgers and WVU. He was selected to the first team AAA All-State team his senior year and appears to have blue collar mentality that will fit in well with the current group of linemen. His favorite song is "Your Love" by The Outfield's (I can't seem to find a video to embed, link to funny looking hair here).

Chances of Playing This Year: I've covered a lot of linemen in this post and the story is pretty much the same: there just isn't room. Most project him as a center, and as a result he has some adjustments to make in his playing style. Look for him next year.