SB Nation - Brett Brackett

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

Preview: Michigan State vs. Penn State

LVS — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:20:02 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

about 1 month ago: Michigan State's Keshawn Martin (82) scores a touchdown on a 48-yard pass reception during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Western Michigan, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 49-14. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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Your MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. the PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS

SPARTAN STADIUM, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN

3:30 (ET), ABC (coverage map)

WEATHER: 52 DEGREES AT KICKOFF, TEMPERATURE FALLING AFTER DUSK.

Hey, a game that's not the most important of the season! Your Spartans obviously did the heavy lifting last week against Purdue; in all likelihood, this game is not about whether MSU will make a bowl, but rather, about whether we're going to San Antonio or Orlando or, of course, rollin' down Woodward to Ford Field (!). Penn State, after a season that has to be characterized as quite disappointing, amazingly still has a shot at a BCS berth. You know the backstory: last season, PSU absolutely demolished us; the season before, however, was good times:

It appears that the play-by-play guy attended the Joe Buck school of announcing excitement. Also, I miss Devin Thomas.

So, here cometh TEH GREATEST RIVALRY GAME IN ALL TEH LAND, and the opportunity to beat a team with a pulse for the first time this season. (Says the guy whose team's best win is against Temple. w00t.) The 8-million member PSU blogosphere and commentariat seems surprisingly reticent about this game. But, after last week's defensive fiasco I'm simply not comfortable picking us to win against teams with competent offenses. Penn State is such a team. I'd love to be proven wrong.

More, after the jump.

Big game plz, Colin.

WHEN MICHIGAN STATE IS ON DEFENSE: At this point, I think the secondary is probably going to suck no matter what we do, so we might as well stack the box to try to stop the run and get as much pressure on Darryl Clark as possible. Indeed, as RUTS told us, this is what you want to do with Clark:

He's like about any other good, but not great, quarterback. If he has a clean pocket and can set his feet, he's as good as anyone in the country. If he gets hit too much, he gets rattled and starts making bad decisions with the ball. In that sense, he can be knocked back into looking like a talented quarterback in his second or third start -- he thinks he can make throws that he can't actually pull off.

Clark struggled mightily in the Iowa and Ohio State games--and even in the Illinois game--because he was under pressure (ding ding ding da da ding ding). Pressuring him may allow Clark some opportunities to scramble (as Brian said earlier this year, he's "not Michael Vick but isn't John Navarre, either."), but it's probably the best chance to contain the PSU offense. PSU partisans seem to think that our defensive line will have success against their offensive line, and pressure Clark heavily; I'm not so certain. Many anticipated that Penn State's offensive line was going to be the downfall of the team this year, as it was the most inexperienced group in the conference. PSU has allowed only 12 sacks on the season, although it looked overmatched against Adrian Clayborn and Cameron Heyward, among others. But, uh, we don't have Clayborn or Heyward; we've got a defensive line which failed to pressure Joey Elliott (until the last play, of course), and hasn't proven the ability to apply pressure on its own. My suspicion is that, if PSU is content to throw from three-step drops, they'll have a lot of success: we won't have the ability to get to Clark that quickly, and our secondary is obviously vulnerable. Bottom line: stack the box, try to get pressure, hope for the best.

And, about those guys Clark will be throwing to: RUTS sez . . .

Starting WR Chaz Powell is out for the game with a shoulder injury. In his place, you'll see a rotating group including the very tall Brett Brackett and the very quick Curtis Drake. Maybe true freshman Justin Brown gets in the game, but I doubt it. Graham Zug had a nightmare game against Indiana last week, but that was mostly due to fumbling punts. He runs good routes and gets open against passive zone coverages. Really, that goes for the whole group -- if you can press and bump them, they become ineffective quickly. [ . . . ]

Derek Moye is probably our best receiver, but he was totally shut out by Ohio State's press coverage and only had two catches for 28 yards against Indiana. Because of that, I suspect PSU will make an effort to get him involved quickly.

Moye is indeed good: 41 catches for 676 yards and 5 touchdowns this season. He's 6'5", 195 pounds . . . and if you're thinking, "holy hell, he's Mike Floyd in disguise," well, yeah, me too. He's not quite there, talent-wise, but, erm, I wouldn't want to be fighting for a jump ball against him. I suspect that our cornerbacks wouldn't want to be, either. And, yeah, about that Quarless guy: he reminds me a lot of Kellen Davis in that he's ludicrous athletically, but the results don't quite meet the expectations. But, the same could be said of Garrett Graham, and that didn't end so well for us earlier this year.

This is probably Evan Royster's last regular season game for Penn State, as most expect him to jump to the NFL.
Last year, he only carried the ball 12 times against MSU, but those carries were relatively successful, as he averaged 6.6 yards per game. This season, he's been a bit up-and-down: he had big games against Northwestern and Minnesota, but not-so-good efforts against Iowa and Ohio State. MSU's rush defense has been mostly a positive this season, although last week was a bit of a regression. I suspect that Royster will approach 100 yards but not be the deciding factor in this game. His backup, Stephfon Green, has intermittently battled injuries and hasn't played much or well since the Illinois game much earlier this season.

Safe to say at this point: one of my all-time favorite Spartan football players.

WHEN MICHIGAN STATE IS ON OFFENSE: . . . we need for Kirk Cousins to have the best game of his career. As a preliminary matter, let's stipulate that we're going to get basically nothing against Penn State on the ground: the Lions are 8th nationally against the run, and our rushing offense is not good. The goal in this game should be to do just enough to semi-effectively set up play action.

Ah, so the main event: MSU's passing offense vs. Penn State's pass defense. It starts wtih the offensive line, obviously. Penn State doesn't have Tamba Hali or Courtney Brown or anyone of similar fear-producing ability, but the stats are certainly there: they lead the conference in sacks, and while Brian noted that:

[t]he numbers are impressive—PSU is 11th nationally with three sacks per game—but there is the whole schedule thing to take into account. Jack Crawford has four sacks, all of which come against the Akrons and Temples on the schedule. In Penn State's three real-ish games, they acquired one sack (Odrick) against Minnesota, three (Crawford, Latimore, Stanley) against Illinois, and two (Hull and Crawford/Lynn) against Iowa.

. . . Penn State sacked Forcier/Robinson 5 times, and then, the next week, sacked Mike Kafka 6 times. Since then, things have cooled down a bit: they weren't able to sack Terrelle Pryor (although Pryor is surely one of the most difficult sacks in the country), and were only able to get to Ben Chappell twice last week. Nonetheless, this is an impressive line; they're led by scary beast Jared Odrick, who has 6 sacks, and the aforementioned Jack Crawford, who now has 5.5. RUTS says that:

Penn State loves to just send the defensive line if they can get away with it. The defensive scheme actually depends on it, but PSU's defensive ends have been several notches below their predecessors. There's no Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans, or Tamba Hali on this defensive line, so they'll send linebackers on occasion, and maybe mix in a corner blitz once or twice per game, but that's it.

We can't let them get tons of pressure from the front four alone. I know it's tempting disaster to say that I *want* Navorro Bowman, Sean Lee, and the corners to blitz, but Penn State blitzing and leaving the secondary exposed is how Cousins will be able to throw for lots of yards.

Penn State's defense is statistically impressive against the pass: 16th nationally in pass efficiency defense, and 17th nationally in pass defense. Once again, I'll let RUTS write my preview for me:

Penn State can be thrown on, but they do their best to protect any obvious liabilities in the secondary. Free Safety Nick Sukay has steadily improved throughout the year. Drew Astorino (#28) plays the other safety position, and it's no secret that he's trying to fight through a shoulder injury. CB A.J. Wallace sustained a concussion last week, he's listed as "possible" for Sparty. So there may be opportunities for you in the passing game.

So, PSU is good, but they're not scary in the way that Iowa is: this season, the Lions have allowed 252 yards passing to Northwestern, 263 to Illinois (!), and 298 last week to Indiana. (Note that they won all three of those games, however.) Quite frankly, our passing offense is better than any of those teams'. I think Cousins has a big day, and throws for at least 250 yards; look for B.J. Cunningham to play the Devin Thomas role this time around. If he's able to deliver, Cousins stands in line for first team all-conference honors, so there should be some personal motivation, too.

FINAL PREDICTION: Cut and paste, for starters:

Clark picked our defense apart last year, and while you don't have Derrick Williams anymore, our pass defense is even worse this time around. Also, I have distressing visions of Jared Odrick pwning whoever's blocking him and not giving Cousins enough time to be comfortable.

More generally, Dantonio has done a lot of good things during his time at MSU, but beating teams with appreciably more talent certainly hasn't been one of those things. So, I'll remain skeptical until we finally win one of these games. It's at home, which is good, and I could definitely see the special teams stats ending up very lopsided in our favor. But PSU is the better team, and you're playing for more: a win for us would upgrade our bowl game slightly, but a win for PSU might send you guys to the BCS. So, an upset isn't out of the possibility, but I'm not particularly optimistic.

I wrote that yesterday morning, and honestly, I'm a bit more optimistic now. Penn State fans seem quite worried about this game, and one columnist even questions whether Penn State's players even have their hearts into the game anymore. Which, like, what? Even if that's true, you're playing for the BCS! I'd dismiss it out of hand if the sentiment didn't seem to be a common one across the PSU internets.

One thing that doesn't fit into my normal preview format: if you've been reading previews of this game anywhere else, you'll know that PSU's special teams have been an unmitigated disaster this year, and ours have been very good. I'm normally skeptical that special teams play has any predictive value, but here the discrepancy between the teams seems so great that it may indeed be relevant this week. Keshawn Martin, Brett Swenson, Aaron Bates: keep on doing what you do so well. kthx.

Nonetheless, this is a pretty talented football team we're playing. PSU is excellent on defense, and the offense -- with many of the same players -- ripped us apart last year. It seems that I'm saying this every week now, but truly, our defense will determine whether we win this game. If they show up, we have a chance. If they play like they did last week, we don't. It's awfully tempting to say that MSU wins this game on the strength of the passing game and special teams play. But, visions of Quarless and Zug running rampant across the middle of the field prevent me from tempting fate, for now. Penn State 31, Michigan State 27.

Your thoughts welcome, of course.

Conversations With the Enemy: Talking Penn State with Run Up The Score

LVS — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:07:03 -0000

More photos » by TONY DING - AP

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

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Hello again. I traded a few questions about Saturday's EPIC rivalry game with Run Up The Score from Black Shoe Diaries, SBN's leviathan Penn State blog. My answers to his questions should be up at BSD shortly.

Below, I'm in bold.

MSU-PSU: great rivalry or greatest rivalry?

Greatest, of course! How else could you explain two teams fighting over a pre-school arts and crafts monstrosity like the Land Grant Trophy?

Penn State allowed almost 300 yards passing against Indiana last Saturday; that statistic alone gives MSU fans at least some hope, as our offense is essentially pass-or-bust this year. How has PSU's pass defense been this season? Are there any clear vulnerabilities in the secondary?

Keep in mind that Indiana threw the ball 51 times and was playing from behind in the second half last week, but yes, the larger point is that teams know it's better to throw on Penn State than attempt to run. I would not be remotely surprised if MSU attempts close to 50 passes on Saturday, although I doubt they'll reach the 61 passes thrown by Brian Hoyer against PSU back in 2006 -- and that was in a 17-13 game. Penn State can be thrown on, but they do their best to protect any obvious liabilities in the secondary. Free Safety Nick Sukay has steadily improved throughout the year. Drew Astorino (#28) plays the other safety position, and it's no secret that he's trying to fight through a shoulder injury. CB A.J. Wallace sustained a concussion last week, he's listed as "possible" for Sparty. So there may be opportunities for you in the passing game.

[More, after the jump.]

PSU leads the conference in sacks. Does the pressure come primarily from the defensive line, or will the Lions regularly mix in blitz packages?

Penn State loves to just send the defensive line if they can get away with it. The defensive scheme actually depends on it, but PSU's defensive ends have been several notches below their predecessors. There's no Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans, or Tamba Hali on this defensive line, so they'll send linebackers on occasion, and maybe mix in a corner blitz once or twice per game, but that's it.

The book on Darryl Clark seems to be that he's fantastic if given time, but quickly becomes very average if he's subjected to pressure. Is that mostly correct? What are his major strengths and weaknesses?

He's like about any other good, but not great, quarterback. If he has a clean pocket and can set his feet, he's as good as anyone in the country. If he gets hit too much, he gets rattled and starts making bad decisions with the ball. In that sense, he can be knocked back into looking like a talented quarterback in his second or third start -- he thinks he can make throws that he can't actually pull off.

Can you tell us a bit about PSU's receivers and tight ends? Our pass defense has been atrocious, and Andrew Quarless, in particular, worries me greatly.

Starting WR Chaz Powell is out for the game with a shoulder injury. In his place, you'll see a rotating group including the very tall Brett Brackett and the very quick Curtis Drake. Maybe true freshman Justin Brown gets in the game, but I doubt it. Graham Zug had a nightmare game against Indiana last week, but that was mostly due to fumbling punts. He runs good routes and gets open against passive zone coverages. Really, that goes for the whole group -- if you can press and bump them, they become ineffective quickly.

As for Quarless, he has all the talent in the world but had squandered it until this season with various off-field issues. He scares a lot of teams, although he's only broken 50 yards receiving once this year, due to a 60 yard touchdown catch against Michigan. Derek Moye is probably our best receiver, but he was totally shut out by Ohio State's press coverage and only had two catches for 28 yards against Indiana. Because of that, I suspect PSU will make an effort to get him involved quickly.

Special teams have seemed to be a major problem all season long for PSU. Have things improved at all in recent weeks? If not, which areas are the most dire? (Happily enough, MSU's special teams have been mostly fantastic all season long.)

Improved? No, no. It's a worsening nightmare by the week. Penn State is 113th in kickoff returns, 107th in punt returns, 114th in net punting, 57th in kickoff coverage, and 117th in punt return yardage allowed. On top of that, our punt returners (Zug and Astorino) went from being Designated Fair Catchers to dropping everything in sight last week. So relatively speaking, we're downright awesome in covering kickoffs. In our two losses, the game turned on a blocked punt for a touchdown against Iowa and a punt return inside the 10 yard line by Ohio State's Ray Small.

Is there anyone on offense or defense for PSU that MSU fans probably haven't heard of, but that we should keep an eye on?

Curtis Drake is a good candidate on offense. He's a true freshman receiver, and is extremely elusive with the ball in his hands. Last week, PSU's offense was jumpstarted by a long gainer on an end-around by Drake. Defensively, freshman Stephon Morris has seen a lot of time in Penn State's nickel package and has played well beyond anyone's expectations. Given Michigan State's propensity to throw the ball, you'll see a lot of him Saturday.

Finally, generally speaking, how are you feeling about the game?

Justifiably nervous. I don't like hearing that Michigan State excels on special teams -- that's a huge point that can't be overlooked. Penn State tends to start slowly, especially on the road, and that seems to be an especially bad idea this week with a possible BCS at-large bid on the line. Michigan State will be plenty motivated, given the beating they received last year at Beaver Stadium and Mark Dantonio's pissy-pants antics of calling two defensive timeouts during the waning seconds of the game in sub-freezing temperatures. And every Penn State fan is expecting a minimum of two special teams disasters.

Thanks to RUTS, and I wish his team only the absolute worst luck this Saturday.

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)

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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

Grading The Offense: Tighten Up

Run Up The Score — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

3 months ago: Penn State running back Evan Royster (22) stretches for a touchdown against Temple defenders Muhammad Wilkerson (96) and John Hayley (46) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Thirty-one points against the Temple Owls, after putting up 28 on Syracuse and 31 on Akron. If nothing else, the offensive output has been rather consistent over the first three games. Exciting or dominating? Meh. But yes, consistent. Time to break out the red pen and grade the offense against Temple.

Quarterback Grade: B+. The numbers for Daryll Clark: 16/26 (61.5%), 167 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT. We're essentially at the point where Clark gets the snap, drops back, and I think, "thank God, we're throwing the ball again." He looks confident, decisive, and generally makes good things happen with his arm. He's still forcing some occasional passes into double/triple coverage. Specifically, Clark's first half interception against Temple was an absolute disaster. As he was being hit, he tried to thread a ball to Royster between three defenders in the middle of the field. Bad, bad idea. We still haven't seen him run with the ball yet. Undoubtedly, this is by design, but here's hoping that he doesn't get locked into a Donovan McNabb mindset where he stubbornly refuses to run when the opportunity arises.

Running Backs Grade: B+. Evan Royster (19-134) and Stephfon Green (6-19) improved throughout the game, although Green's ypc is still abysmal (2.6). I'm slowly losing hope in Green being more than our designated screen pass receiver, but not closing the book on him quite yet. Royster was clearly affected by the flu bug and wasn't seeing the field as well as he usually does. They missed a few blitz pickups that resulted in hits on Clark or hurried throws. Still, solid effort given the circumstances.

Tight Ends / Receivers Grade: A-. Easily the most pleasant surprise of the young season. They're generally getting open, not dropping passes, and making positive things happen after the catch. Andrew Quarless continues his redemption (3 rec, 45 yds, and one really long TD called back on penalty). Chaz Powell's straight line speed really sets him apart from everyone else on the field, and it's easy to love the continued integration of freshman Devon Smith (and even Curtis Drake) into the offense. Has anyone seen Brett Brackett lately?

Offensive Line Grade: B. Improved on run blocking, as evidenced by Royster's totals. After plenty of rewinding, it's easy to see that they're often one block away from some enormous plays. It seems that Johnnie Troutman has finally taken hold of the guard position opposite of Lou Eliades. Dennis Landolt got beat once, but was usually the guy opening up big running lanes for Royster. The unit was generally solid on pass protection, but let Clark get hit way too much on Temple blitzes. That's a cohesion issue, and the last big hurdle facing the line. Temple was blitzing a lot. Linebackers, safeties, nickels, you name it. If Iowa figures out that their best chance at winning is to blitz Clark (and it probably is), it could be a long, difficult night.

Archie Bell & The Drells, "Tighten Up" (via MecanicBionic)

Coaching Grade: B. Hard to criticize, given the improvements in the running game, but Clark simply can't be taking hits like that against Temple without some adjustments in protection. The team continues to spread the ball around (eight receivers accounted for the 17 receptions) and the coaches are giving future opponents plenty to think about with various end-arounds and the use of specialty personnel and formations. Give Temple credit, they played very hard and didn't let up.

Comments: No alarms and no surprises. Honestly, the first three games played out how most fans wanted. No major injuries, plenty of experience for new personnel, and the knowledge that there's a lot of work left to do if Penn State is going to live up to their #4 ranking. When you look at this team from afar, it's hard to picture them as the fourth-best team in the nation, but how many teams don't have major flaws? In reality, Penn State has a bunch of minor flaws -- they're still inexperienced in the secondary, but more athletic than in previous years. Collin Wagner's a bit shaky on kickoffs, which is worrisome. The lack of competence on blitz pickups is a big concern. But other than that, I don't see a reason to be overly concerned at this juncture. They played three games very close to the vest, against obviously inferior competition, and won them all in similar fashion.

Now, Iowa.

Potential Penn State Problem #4: Catching On

Run Up The Score — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:30:09 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

8 months ago: Penn State wide receiver Brett Brackett, left, leaps with tackle DeOn'tae Pannell to celebrate after Brackett caught a touchdown pass during the first half of the Blue and White spring scrimmage football game at Penn State in State College, Pa., Saturday, April, 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Continuing our countdown of concerns heading into the 2009 season.

Innovative offensive systems are great and everything, but you can't just replace three of the all-time leading receivers in school history without missing a beat. Can't happen, especially considering that two of those three former receivers are locks to make NFL teams and the third is making a hell of a run at a roster spot in Cleveland despite being the smallest guy in camp. Essentially, Penn State is trying to replace four years of starting experience (not to mention a ton of talent) at each of its top three receiver spots.

Just looking at last year's statistics, here's what we're trying to replace:

RECEIVING	GP	No.	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Butler, Deon	13	47	810	17.2	7	70	62.3
Williams, D.	13	44	485	11.0	4	39	37.3
Norwood, Jordan	11	41	637	15.5	6	55	57.9

None of the returning players (including the returning tight ends) averaged more than one catch per game. One! Here's what is coming back:

RECEIVING

No.

Yards

Avg

Long

Avg/G

Brackett, Brett	13	13	160	12.3	1	20	12.3
Zug, Graham	13	11	174	15.8	2	49	13.4
Quarless, A.	12	11	117	10.6	1	17	9.8
Shuler, Mickey	13	9	120	13.3	1	24	9.2
~~McDonald, James~~	10	5	72	~~14.4~~	0	25	~~7.2~~
Moye, Derek	10	3	71	23.7	1	33	7.1
Powell, Chaz	13	2	37	18.5	0	22	2.8

This is not exactly inspiring. Not when our quarterback is adjusting to life behind three new offensive linemen and two others who are playing new positions. But let's take a look at the returning personnel, and see if we can't find some light in the darkness:

#5 Graham Zug (Jr., 6'2" 183) - Former walk-on, vaporizer of all that is evil, caught two touchdowns last year (Temple, MIchigan State) and a 49 yard bomb that set up PSU's opening field goal at Ohio State. The type of player you love to have on the field as a third or fourth option, but not exactly a guy who you expect to beat the other team's #1 or #2 corners with his quickness. Sure-handed and smart. Really, he's a less-quick version of Jordan Norwood who can find the soft spot in a defense and catch the ball.

#83 Brett Brackett (Jr., 6'6" 232) - Obviously, the sheer size is Brackett's main attribute. He scored one touchdown last year, a tough catch over the middle for Penn State's first touchdown against Temple (2:20 of this video). He's quicker than most people probably realize, but for all practical purposes he's a fast tight end. Like Zug, he has good hands, but also has the advantage of creating mismatches with his height. Also caught three short passes (all on first down, curiously) against USC in the Rose Bowl.

Zug and Brackett are both possession types whose success mostly depends on other offensive threats to stretch the defense. Bypassing the tight ends on the list (they should actually be a strength of this year's team, assuming Andrew Quarless seizes upon his last chance as a collegiate player), we find two guys who can be those explosive offensive threats.

#6 Derek Moye (So., 6'5" 198) - Caught three whole passes last year, none of which meant anything. Only one of the receptions was in Big Ten play, and it was in garbage time against Indiana. It's hard to underestimate how badly Penn State needs Moye to be a reliable target this year. His height will be quite useful, but Moye is also deceptively fast and is likely to end up at Penn State's primary deep threat in 2009. He might not break a cornerback's ankles on a ten yard out pattern, but should fly by most safeties if he has a 10-15 yard running start.

#2 Chaz Powell (So. 6'1" 197) - Fast as anything, but can he catch? That's the main concern with Powell, who was moved from defense to offense for good after he took a short pass 55 yards for a touchdown against Coastal Carolina. That was pretty much the extent of Powell's offensive contributions last season -- two catches and eight rushes. He's extremely likely to be one of PSU's kickoff returners, having averaged nearly 29 yards on nine returns.

These are your top four wide receivers for 2009 -- not exactly a group that strikes fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators across the country. Having Daryll Clark at quarterback helps, and they'll have a few games in which to settle into their new roles, but will they be able to get open and catch the ball when Iowa comes to town? Will any of the speedy freshmen, including Curtis Drake (#7, 5'11" 169), Justin Brown (#19, 6'3" 208), Shawney Kersey (#4, 6'1" 187), and Devon Smith (#20, 5'nothin" 100&nothin'), be getting any playing time by then? Maybe, but considering the experience in front of them on the depth chart, don't count on those guys being major contributors anytime soon.

Five Reasons For Hope For Penn State In 2009

BSD — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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I love this time of year. Another college football season is just around the corner. Everyone is 0-0 and full of hopes and dreams for a National Championship. But everyone has their holes to fill as well, and Penn State is no exception. So with that we'll start a series that has kind of become a BSD preseason tradition: Five Reasons for Hope and Five Reasons for Concern for Penn State. Since I'm the heavy Kool-Aide drinker I'll be handling the Hope end of things while RUTS will be playing the part of Debbie Downer. We'll count down starting today with...

Reason for Hope #5: The Spread HD Offense

In the spring of 2008 it was a running punch line that started just after the Alamo Bowl when Jay Paterno described the offense Penn State planned to employ in 2008 as the "Spread HD" offense. Penn State was going into the season with a new quarterback, a new running back, and a group of wide receivers that nobody outside of the Penn State family could find much of anything good to say about. But after a few games the critics were silenced as Penn State's offense showed it could light up the scoreboard with the best of them.

In a lot of ways the Penn State offense reminds me of Purdue. Stick with me here for a second. Year in and year out the Boilermakers rank near the top of the conference in passing offense. But who was the last Purdue wide receiver to go in the NFL draft? (Answer: Vinny Sutherland in 2001 - 5th Round to Atlanta) They don't overwhelm you with amazing athletes. They just spread the ball around and mix up the play calling to keep the defense guessing.

There isn't anything particularly innovative about the Spread HD offense. A lot of people, including Joe Paterno, have drawn comparisons to the Wing-T offense of the 1940's. It's just an offense that is highly diverse in its personnel and play calling. They spread the defense and distrubute the ball getting everyone involved. The defense can't just focus on shutting down Evan Royster.

A main talking point for those who doubt the Nittany Lions this year is the new receiving corps. They say Daryll Clark will not be the same quarterback without Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood. These same people were the ones calling Butler and Norwood average at best and Williams a bust a year ago. And I suspect they were the same people who said Michael Robinson wouldn't have any receivers back in 2005.

But I say Penn State doesn't need a Michael Crabtree that can catch 12 passes a game for 185 yards and three touchdowns. When you look back at Penn State's stats the past few years, we didn't have a dominating wide receiver. But all three guys would usually finish the day with three or four catches for 50-70 yards. At the end of the day none of their stats jumped out at you, but Daryll Clark would get his 250 yards and two touchdowns. This is what made Penn State so effective.

When I look at this team this year I see plenty of talent for Clark to work with. Chaz Powell will play the Derrick Williams role with the quick slants, screens, and crossing patterns. Graham Zug will be the mid-range to deep threats. Though he lacks Butler's speed, he runs precise routes and has good hands. Brett Brackett will be the guy in the middle replacing Norwood. He's not as shifty, but he's a big physical presence that can fight off linebackers and safeties with his body. Add to this mix some of the talented freshmen like Justin Brown and Curtis Drake and I think there will be plenty of weapons for Clark to work with.

I'm The Luckiest Man Here. My Hearing Aid Doesn't Work.

Run Up The Score — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:45:38 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

4 months ago: Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, center, laughs with quarterback Daryll Clark, left, and linebacker Sean Lee, right, during Penn State Football Media Day in State College, Pa, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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That quote is from former Penn State football radio broadcaster Fran Fisher, as he sat in the back of the media room inside Beaver Stadium yesterday. Yeah, I miss Frannie too:

Enis scores the game winner in the '97 PSU vs. OSU game (via BeltwayLandLion)

Anyway, Fisher's quote could not have been more appropriate for a Joe Paterno preseason press conference. If you've paid attention to these things at any point during the last 25 years, you already know Paterno's answers. We're not very good right now. I'm just worried about [name of first opponent]. They have a [totally obscure skill position player] who can really give us trouble. I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't coaching. I don't know why you guys care about this stuff. I'm just happy to not be dead. You shut up.

Okay, okay, here's the actual quote:

Nothing excites me yet. I'll be honest with you, we're lousy. I have nothing to be excited about right now as a team. I'm serious about that. We got too many things we got to get accomplished. I mean, we got a lot of work ahead of us to be a good football team. So I'm excited to be alive. That's about it.

If you really care, FOS provides a handy audio file of Paterno's presser.

As for actual news, there was some:

A.J. Wallace -- Supposedly could be suspended by Paterno for a few games to start the season for cutting classes:

"Yeah, I told A.J. I might not play him in a game or two because he cut classes," Paterno said. "If he cuts any more classes, he won’t play. I think you gotta send a message. No sense sending a message if somebody isn’t a player. He’s obviously one of our better players.

"I think he’ll be all right. Now, when I’ll play him will depend on what I hear back from our academic advisors, and find out whether he’s going to class and he’s doing what he’s supposed to do academically. If he does, then we’ll think about when we want to play him."

In my view, Wallace is the most important player to the defense this season. If he plays up to his potential -- and haven't we been saying that since he arrived? -- he could be a tremendous asset to a Nittany Lion secondary which is rightfully perceived as a weakness in 2009, and spent a good portion of 2008 doing this:

Suck! Suck! Suck! (via 3Honks)

Whatever A.J. Wallace's issues are (and I'm afraid to even guess at this point), if Penn State is going to be even remotely competent in the secondary, he needs to get on the field and be productive. To this point in his career as a defensive back, he hasn't done much of either. And he's supposed to be our good cornerback.

Daryll Clark -- Supposedly has "more swagger". Hard to know what the hell that even means, because he wasn't exactly a shrinking violet last year. Every Clark article inevitably includes the required "must not get another concussion" warning, but the York Daily Record article gets to the heart of his other big problem in 2008:

So what can Clark do better, do differently?

One is limiting his knack for fumbling. He said carrying the ball higher and tighter against his chest should help.

Isn't "oh crap, you better not get hit" a bad thing to endlessly drill into the head of a quarterback?

The Offensive Line -- Rightfully has Paterno worried. DeOnt'ae Pannell is your starter at right tackle, due to the coaches' desire to have Dennis Landolt protect Clark's blind side:

The Pannell-Landolt switch leads one to believe that the staff is not entirely comfortable yet with more than just the instability at left guard, where Johnnie Troutman and his sore hamstring had a summer of training that underwhelmed Paterno and thrust redshirt freshman Matt Stankiewitch onto the first team as of Wednesday.

Pannell needs time and work to acquire what football players always call "game speed."
"He's already used to the speed of the game," admitted Pannell of Landolt. "I'm still getting comfortable with it. I think that's the main reason they're doing it."

Navarro Bowman -- I'll just lift this from Mark Wogenrich's excellent Morning Call blog entry this morning:

The linebacker said his offseason trouble is behind him and he’s doing the community service that was an issue at his parole violation hearing last spring. "I think that he realized that he's wasting a great opportunity in his life," Paterno said.

Bowman said he and Paterno met, with each explaining his side. Bowman said he wanted the coach to understand how the recent deaths of his father and high school coach affected him. Asked if Paterno did, Bowman said, "I’m still here, so I think he did understand."

And while we're on that Morning Call blog, a bit about Brandon Ware:

Every time someone brings up the intriguing redshirt freshman defensive end from Harrisburg, Paterno mentions his weight. "Brandon Ware is 20 pounds away from even coming close to being a football player," Paterno said Thursday. "He’s just too heavy."

Ware checks in at 340, about 45 pounds lighter than last year. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. pegged Ware’s weight closer to 5-10 pounds too much. But Paterno’s point went more to discipline than to size.

Poor guy. I hope we see him on the field this season, because he apparently has a ton of skill and quickness for a big boy (and his Twitter/Facebook pages are hilarious -- he's truly a legend in waiting).

Wide receivers -- Not causing Paterno nearly as much worry because most of them have playing experience, as opposed to the offensive linemen. We know that Graham Zug, Brett Brackett, Chaz Powell, and Derek Moye return for Penn State, but that hasn't stopped the coaching staff from trying some formations with Stephfon Green at running back and Evan Royster in the slot.

If the guys moving up the depth chart stumble, and if Royster's occasionally sliding over to slotback proves to be more of a gimmick than a staple of the offense, Paterno and McQueary could take longer looks at a couple of true freshmen who could work their way into the rotation. [Justin] Brown, a 6-3, 210-pounder from Wilmington, was widely considered the best prep player in Delaware a year ago, and it'll be interesting to see whether super-quick Devon Smith, just 5-7 and 153 pounds, can find his way onto the field in some capacity. Smith, from Waldorf, Md., ran the fastest 55- and 60-meter dashes in the nation during the 2009 high school indoor season and he won the 60-meter national title in March in a time of 6.63 seconds.

That's not a misprint, of course: 5'7", 153 pounds. To see this in action, just do yourself a favor and skip to 2:15 of this video:

Devon Smith Returns Kickoff for Touchdown (via allinbroadcasting)

Finally, the guys over at the Patriot-News would like to know, what's up with Joe Paterno's tooth?

A Way Too Early Look At The 2009 Schedule - Week 7 - Penn State

JG2112 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

6 months ago: Penn State football coach Joe Paterno pauses after he talked to media, Thursday, June 11, 2009, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Penn State: At a glance:

Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Beaver Stadium (size: 107,282)
Expected Attendance: about 109,000.
Undergraduate population: 44,512.
First season: 1887
Number of Big Ten Titles: 3
All-time record: 800-349-32
All-time bowl record: 26-13-2.

Most awesome alum: undoubtedly Jonathan Frakes, better known as William T. Riker and "#1" on the new Star Trek series.

Most awesome Penn State fan site: Red, er, Black Shoe Diaries of course.

And here comes the Big Ten buzzsaw.

Much has changed since the last time these two teams played in 2006, a referee-assisted 28-27 overtime victory for the Nittany Lions at Metrodump. The Gophers have a new coach, a new stadium, and have switched offensive philosophies twice. For Penn State...errr......Joe Pa...errr....Darryl Cla......good linebac......okay, so much has changed for Minnesota since 2006.

This year Indiana and Michigan drop off the Gophers' schedule. It looks pretty bad, however, when one realizes that Penn State (11-2 in 2008) and Michigan State (9-4 in 2008) rotate on to the schedule. The Gophers get the "good" fortune to play their seventh game in 2009, and their second conference road game, in the pale fury of University Park, PA against the Fighting Paternos.

Why good? Well, Minnesota should be 5-1 or 4-2 going into the game (um, right?). If so, perhaps a repeat of the stirring victory over then #2 Penn State in 1999 could be in the offing. Whether that happens depends a lot upon injuries, morale, and players. Speaking of players, we're going to fly solo and analyze the Nittany Lions, starting with....

More after the jump.....

Penn State on Offense - You may have heard of Darryl Clark. Heck, your grandparents may have seen him play in the ‘40s. Clark returns as a fifth-year senior, but is six years' removed from high school, so he's closer to legally renting a car than he is to gaining the right to vote. In 2008, he completed almost 60% of his passes, throwing 19 TDs against only 6 INTs. He also ran for 10 TDs. His backup, Paul Devlin, transferred to Joe Flacco U., so true freshman (as well as Michigan and Virginia de-commit) Kevin Newsome backs him up. Seeing how Newsome struggled in the Lions' spring game, Penn State is an injury away from quarterbacking incompetence.

Penn State's five top rushing threats return, highlighted by Evan Royster and Stephon Green. Royster gained 1236 yards at 6.47 ypc, and Green gained 578 yards at 5.50 ypc. This will be the obvious focal point for the Gophers' defense, because.....

.....Penn State's three senior receivers (Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams) all graduated, taking a majority of the receptions with them. Top returning wideouts include Graham Zug, Brett Brackett, and James "DUI" McDonald. This part of the offense will likely be functional but non-threatening at the time of the Gopher game. The wideouts' inexperience should allow Traye Simmons to help the run defense, hopefully neutralizing Royster and Green.

The Lions also lose three all Big Ten offensive linemen, though they have Stefen Wisniewski moving to center and Dennis Landolt at right tackle. New 6'5", 313-pound left tackle (and gloriously named) DeOn'tae Pannell will have to step in and perform at a high level to ensure the rushing game does not stall.

Bottom Line - Penn State's Offense: The offense will likely take a step back from its production in 2008. If Clark, Royster, and/or Wisniewski spend any significant period of time out injured, the offense will have significant production issues. Minnesota's large defensive line and mobile linebackers should be able to at least hang with the rushing attack, and the defensive backfield should handle the Lions' inexperienced wideouts. Due to Tramaine Brock's departure, however, we can count on at least one video replay with Ryan Collado trailing a wideout into the end zone.

Penn State on Defense: Linebacker U., right? Shane Conlan, Paul Pozlusny, Leapin' LaVar Arrington. Lately, Penn State has also churned out a number of solid defensive linemen, including 2009 draftees Aaron Maybin and Maurice Evans.

Well, wait a moment. Evans wasn't drafted, which begs a couple of questions. Was the NFL correct in determining Evans made a mistake in coming out early? Did Evans consider himself too good for college? What is left in State College? Well, Jared Odrick for one. Odrick had 41 tackles last year, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Also, Jack Crawford is new to the sport, being British and all (check that name), but he is highly regarded in Pennsylvania (as well as Portsmouth, for that matter) and will be expected to contribute. Ollie Ogbu and Abe Koroma are also returning linemen.

As for linebackers, well, if you follow a police blotter, you may have read some stuff about Navorro Bowman this off-season (all the action should serve Bowman well: he's a Crime, Law and Justice major, which I presume is University-Speak for "Wants to Be a Cop or District Attorney if he tears his knee up"). It seems JoePa is satisfied Bowman is ready to play football instead of smoking spliffs or beating up coeds. This is too bad for Duane Bennett, et al, as Bowman had 106 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 4 INT's last year.

Also returning after a year out due to injury is LB Sean Lee. He was all Big Ten in 2007 before tearing his ACL, and will undoubtedly be a tough block for the Gophers' O-line.

Wide receivers are the big question mark on offense. On defense, it's the defensive backfield. All starters have moved on, leaving CBs AJ Wallace and (really?) Knowledge Timmons and Ss Drew Astorino and Cedric Jeffries, as well as a cavalcade of 2009 signees, to take their place. This is where Gophers Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch should be picking on the defense, if he is the offensive genius Coach Brewster has made him out to be.

Bottom line - Penn State's Defense: The defense will step back this year from their dominating 2008 performance. Odrick, Bowman and Lee form about 40 % of a solid front seven. However, the defensive secondary is untested and has little experience. The Gophers should abandon any pretense of balance in their offensive attack in this game, spread five wideouts, get Pittman, Stoudermire, Brandon, McKnight, Kuznia, Decker, and Carpenter in space against the untested secondary, and pick them apart.

Penn State on Special Teams: 4-year starter Kevin Kelly departs, with either (Michigan de-commit) Anthony Fera or Colin Wagner assuming the kicking duties for Penn State's all-time leading scorer. Jeremy Boone, a senior returns as punter with a 43.03 ypk average from 2008.

One additional point bears mentioning regarding PSU's special teams. The youngest and most inexperienced areas of Penn State's team are their wideouts and defensive backfield. Kickoff return teams normally field some reserve players from these units. As the starters for Penn State are younger, the backups are even younger. Troy Stoudermire should be able to exploit these players' inexperience and youth and have some big returns at Beaver Stadium.

Bottom Line: What to Expect

Minnesota is Penn State's Homecoming opponent. We are sandwiched between a home game against Eastern Illinois (heh?) and a road game against Michigan. We could be the beneficiary of a team which wasn't really tested the prior week. Also, if the Wolverines improve, Minnesota could be the beneficiary of a team looking ahead to a 3-game stretch including Michigan, Northwestern and Ohio State.

As for the Gophers, this is the start of what looks to be a bad stretch of games, including a road game at Ohio State, home games against Michigan State and Illinois, an off week against South Dakota State, and then the battle for the Pig. This is the best chance to beat one of those scheduled "rough games." Penn State has little experience at wideout, even less in the defensive backfield, and is exploitable in special teams. If the Gophers spread the field and pick on Penn State's defense, the Gophers could walk out of Pennsylvania with a victory.

Minnesota 38
Penn State 34

Your say....

Poll

Who will win on October 17th?

Minnesota

41 votes

Penn State

369 votes

410 votes | Poll has closed

Penn State Lift For Life Recap

BSD — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:15:30 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 8, 2008, file photo Penn State wide receiver Brett Brackett - President of the PSU Chapter for Uplifting Athletes.. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

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Yesterday was the annual Lift for Life at Holuba Hall, and the Penn State players teamed up to set a new record for money raised for kidney cancer treatment and research.

The Seventh Annual Uplifting Athletes "Lift for Life" event held Friday at Holuba Hall was another unprecedented success with large crowds and a record total of more than $81,000 raised for the Kidney Cancer Association. The event has now raised nearly $400,000 in its seven years of existence.

Kudos to Brett Brackett who serves as the president of the Penn State Chapter of Uplifting Athletes for putting together this great event.

"In the past seven years, they've developed three new treatments for kidney cancer, in that time we've raised over $300,000," Brackett said. "We take pride and like to think we've played a little bit of a part in that happening.
"One of the cool things is that we look back and see who's donated in years past and the majority of the people that have donated in years past continue to donate. I think they just have such a great feel for what we do, they know the money's going toward a good thing, and with the economy the way it is, people aren't going to donate to something they're not confident in."

Team LBU consisting of Sean Lee, Navorro Bowman, Josh Hull, and Mickey Shuler won the competition. Behold as Lord Zug explains why Team LBU performed so well.

Still, some players are more cut out for the challenge than others.

"The linebackers," said 178-pound wide receiver Graham Zug, with little hesitation. "They’re big, strong and fast. Being big, strong and fast usually helps you out a lot. Being a receiver, not as much. It’s tough for smaller guys who can’t carry as much."

Zug's team finished third. Regretfully, his teammates were instantly vaporized. Chris Colasanti, James McDonald, and Kevin Newsome will be missed.

The other benefit of the Lift for Life is that it gives the media a chance to interview the players which gives us some good football-related reading material in the middle of July. Here are some of the more interesting articles I've come across.