SB Nation - Anthony Scirrotto

Potential Penn State Problem #1: Extra Crispy

Run Up The Score — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:21 -0000

A quick look at Penn State's team passing defense statistics from 2008 indicates that things may not have actually been so terrible: 19th in pass efficiency defense, 27th in passing yardage allowed, 16 INT, 10 TD, 56.3% completion rate. Combined with an prolific offense and the #8 rushing defense in the nation, it's easy to see why the team was so successful in 2008.

Even if we look at the conference-only stats from 2008, Penn State fared well. They were #3 in both pass efficiency defense (107.8) and passing yardage allowed (186.8 ypg), and #1 in opponents' 3rd down conversions (32.3%). So, what the hell? Why all the concern?

For one thing, all of this is obvious nitpicking. We're talking about the weaknesses in a team that went to the Rose Bowl last year. They only lost twice, remember? Still, it was the secondary that faltered in the waning minutes in Iowa City* and pretty much throughout the entire Rose Bowl against USC:

QB Mark Sanchez ALL PASS ATTEMPTS USC vs PSU 2008 / 2009 Rose Bowl (via DraftParty)

The failures were equal parts personnel and scheme. We know Mark Rubin was essentially a fourth linebacker playing strong safety and sometimes got lost in coverage. But really, how were Lydell Sargeant and Tony Davis supposed stop anybody when they're constantly instructed to line up 8-10 yards off the line of scrimmage? The scheme is the scheme -- something I labeled "Bend But Don't Suck" years ago -- and it's not changing anytime soon. It's great when the front four can get pressure on the quarterback, and especially brilliant if said quarterback (a) isn't that great and (b) doesn't have much receiving talent. That pretty much included 75% of Penn State's schedule last season. But against a hot quarterback (Iowa, second half) or a really good one (USC), Penn State doesn't have much of a prayer stopping an opposing aerial attack as long as the defensive line is adequately blocked.

So, yes. The BBDS defense returns again, but with entirely new personnel. Rubin, Davis, Sargeant, and Anthony Scirrotto are all gone. A.J. Wallace is the one guy with extensive game experience at corner, and he has the dual distinction of being suspended for the first few games in 2009 and not having played terribly well as a cornerback in the past. Your opening day starters appear to be D'Anton Lynn and Knowledge Timmons at corner, Drew Astorino at free safety, and Nick Sukay at strong safety.

It's truly impossible to predict how the secondary will play. Lynn and Sukay were both highly rated players coming out of high school (so was Wallace, but the clock is really running out on him). Astorino showed last year that he's not afraid of the big stage. And Timmons, well...he's fast. That's practically all we know about him to this point, other than he really loves his iPhone. (Hey, me too.)

Maybe we'll look back at this season in five months and laugh at how needlessly concerned we were about this group. But until then, pucker pucker pucker.

* - Sorry. And we can get into the other 20 reasons we lost that game, but let's focus, mmkay?

And They Say WE'RE The Delusional Ones

BSD — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:32:26 -0000

Whenever something from the Bleacher Report pops up on my Google Alerts I go read it just for the entertainment value. I rarely link to any of the garbage they put out, but sometimes you get some so ridiculous I bring them up for a good laugh. Let's give this one titled Looking Back, Looking Head: Ohio State vs. Penn State the Joe Morgan treatment.

To all PSU fans that think you had the better team and that you dominated and beat Ohio State in Columbus in 2008, and those who say Ohio State was never close to winning that game.

You are truly convinced of that because you think PSU was the better team, but you are all wrong!

Way to set up the straw man so you can knock him down. I would appreciate a link to any PSU blogger or even a raving lunatic on a message board that thinks Penn State "dominated" or suggested that Ohio State was "never close to winning that game." Ohio State carried a 6-3 lead into the fourth quarter and was driving for another score before the Pryor fumble. What person in his right mind would think Penn State dominated the game?

I'm sure you all remember when Pryor fumbled and then PSU scored what ultimately was the game winning TD, right?

Here are two things you may not know about that play.

Again with the straw man. Just get on with it already.

No. 1—It was 3rd and 1 and Pryor was supposed to run up the middle or off tackle and just get the first down, but instead he saw an opening and tried to break a big one.

Yes, we already knew that Terrelle Pryor made a bad decision and tried to break the game open rather than just do the smart thing and get the first down. But go on.

No. 2—You are so lucky he barely fumbled the ball PSU fans.

Ok first of all, how does one "barely" fumble the ball? He either does or he doesn't, and Pryor did. And besides, I prefer to think of it as Mark Rubin making a great play and poking the ball loose. (Did you know Mark Rubin beat Michael Phelps in swimming?)

Here is a screenshot of the exact moment when he lost control of the ball.

Please take note of the field from where he is and then look down field all the way to the endzone.
Had he not fumbled, there is no doubt he would have scored on that play.

There's a screenshot there of the play, and to me it looks like Pryor's momentum has been slowed by Rubin. He's moving toward the sideline with Anthony Scirrotto and Lydell Sargeant closing in fast. But yeah, I guess if I look at it through Scarlett and Gray glasses HE'S TOTALLY GOING TO THE HOUSE DUDE!!!1!!!ONE!!!

Seriously, thank your lucky stars that your team lucked into a win over the Buckeyes.

Were we also lucky later in the fourth quarter? I seem to recall the Buckeyes were driving in the final minutes with a chance to tie it up. That was before Pryor threw that wounded duck of a pass that Lydell Sargeant picked off in the endzone. Or maybe he barely threw a wounded duck that Sargeant barely picked off. I forget. I didn't see the replay because I was running around the house screaming F@&K YEAH!!!

I suppose we were also lucky to mount those two final scoring drives with our backup quarterback. Lady luck sure was shining on us that day indeed.

They will not be so fortunate this season. That's right, I'm already letting you know that Ohio State WILL win in Happy Valley this coming season.

We have been warned. Oooooo....

I know some of you like to mouth off that you played better vs. USC.

Actually, we did. Ohio State was never in that game and lost 35-3. Penn State had one bad quarter but was competitive throughout the rest of the game only losing 38-24. Last time I checked 32>14.

Well either way, (BSD - So you're saying I'm right!) it was a thumping at the hands of Trojans and your team was completely healthy, and all your best players were on the field.

He's right there. We had all of our best players. Except for Evan Royster who got injured in the first quarter and didn't return. And his backup Stephfon Green who broke his ankle later on. Oh, and also Sean Lee, our best linebacker. But other than that, we were completely healthy.

But missing our best player didn't seem to hurt us in the fourth quarter against the Buckeyes, did it?

Remember, Ohio State lost to USC in Los Angeles (not Pasadena) without Beanie Wells and with Todd Boeckman at QB.

Los Angeles vs. Pasadena? Seriously? That's like saying let's play the next game against the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions in Dublin, OH and call it a neutral field. You can't be that obtuse, can you?

And you're complaining about having to play with Todd Boeckman? The same Todd Boeckman that torched Penn State in Happy Valley in 2007 and took you to the national championship game? Yeah. He sucks.

Let's just close this out with more idle threats and call it a day.

Your "We are, State Penn" chant won't save you and it is a day game.

So sorry Nits, there will be no night game whiteout either to help your clawless lions.

This year the young but mighty and talented Buckeyes are going to bring you back to reality and best of all, on your own field!

I prefer to think of it this way: We beat you by seven points in front of a hostile crowd in a night game. Imagine what we'll do to you on our own field.

This whole article smells like sour grapes. "Boo-hoo we had the better team and should have won." And it's full of idle threats with poor gramar and punctuation. I suppose that makes it perfect for the Bleacher Report.

I look forward to November.

Nitt Picks Brings You Back From The Dead

Run Up The Score — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:39:02 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

6 months ago: Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, center, drops into a three-point stance with Matthew Rauscher, left, and Frankie Rauscher, right, before the "Evening With Joe" event Wednesday, May 27, 2009, in Fogelsville, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Some items to ponder while mourning the tragic loss of a worldwide cultural icon who brought millions of people joy with his unique voice and unusual stage performances. Billy Mays, you'll be missed.

As you've seen, recruiting is the main source of news right now. It appears that Manheim Central defensive end Dakota Royer seems close to making a decision:

Royer has well over 20 Division I-A college offers, thanks to a process he largely initiated himself, by making his own highlight DVDs and going off to combines (and winning position-group MVP awards at the combines) as early as his freshman year. "I still remember sitting at home, waiting for that first letter [from a college]," Royer said Wednesday. "Now I get 20 letters a day."

He's created a monster.

"You'd think it would be awesome getting recruited," he said. "I thought it would be, even though guys told me you get tired of it. You do get tired of it. It's so stressful."

There's also a little background on the swimming pool stunt, which Royer nailed on the fourth take.

As for those who have recently joined PSU's recruiting class, their local papers have had a day or two to provide the full write-up. First, Evan Hailes:

Hailes, a two-time all-state and two-time All-Tidewater selection, said he chose the Nittany Lions over such schools as Tennessee, LSU and Virginia Tech because he liked what Penn State had to offer.

"The thing I liked most about them is that they emphasized academics more than football," said Hailes as he drove from State College on his way back to Chesapeake following his visit to the school.

What also helped was his relationship with defensive line coach Larry Johnson. This is his 14th season on the staff and ninth year coaching the defensive line. In that span, he has been instrumental in the development of five first-team All-Americans, including three first-round NFL draft choices.

"He's a real good guy and everything he says is backed up by the players," Hailes said. "He sealed the deal for me."

A chance to play for Penn State coach Joe Paterno was icing on the cake.

"It's like playing basketball with Michael Jordan," he said. "You're with a legend. A lot of people wish they could play for him but I'm going to get a chance to do it."

And then there's DaQuan Jones:

Jones, who will sign his NLI in February, said he was also looking at Boston College, Maryland, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. But his visit to Penn State, in State College, Pa., made him feel at home.

"Just me going down there, the environment around the school and outside the school, it's just great," Jones said. "I'm excited about it. I'm really just taking it all in."

Beats the hell out of Amway: Anthony Scirrotto is a long shot to make the Carolina Panthers' roster this season, but he now has an official backup plan:

Scirrotto wasn't thinking about baseball anymore, but his former high school coach kept his name alive in baseball circles.

While Sean McKenna had since become a police detective in West Deptford, he remained close with Picollo, whom he played baseball against in high school and was now Kansas City's assistant general manager for scouting and player development.

Just over a month ago Scirrotto got a call from a Royals scout, saying they might draft him.

"We had set out at the beginning of the year to target some football players who maybe had a chance to play in the NFL but had baseball backgrounds," Picollo said. "Anthony sounded open to it. Obviously his first priority is trying to make the Panthers and in no way do we want to impede what he's doing there."

But when Thursday came, late on the last day of the draft and a day off with the Panthers, Scirrotto decided to go golfing — just before he was the 1,502nd pick in a 1,521-player draft.

Commence Jurassic Joe jokes...now: Penn State scientists have revived a strain of bacteria that has been buried deep within a glacier for 120,000 years:

The scientists found the bacteria, named Herminiimonas glaciei, buried under nearly 2 miles worth of ice in Greenland. Scientists think that, since it's small even for bacteria, it survives on nutrients trapped in veins of ice and uses its flagella to move within veins to seek food.

It took the scientists almost a year to revive the bacteria and coax it to grow; once it did, it yielded small colonies of purple-brown bacteria. Although not as old as the 8 million year old bacteria resurrected from Antarctic ice in 2007, it does lead the Penn State scientists to believe that they might be able to find and re-grow bacteria from Mars or Jupiter's moon Europa.

In Scores Of Other Games: The Cincy Enquirer catches up with Nittany Network's Bill Kurelic for a discussion of the confluence of technology, self-promotion, and recruiting. A good read. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader details the ongoing education of Little Red, Matt McGloin. The CDT has a story on the budding bromance between Paul Posluszny and Terrell Owens in Buffalo. Finally, Graham Spanier may need to hold a bake sale, because Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is shaving an additional $41 million from what the Commonwealth originally planned to give Penn State.

And okay, okay, fine. This was quite appropriately posted in the FanShots, but...

The Thriller of the Nittany Lion (VS Michigan) 2008 (via countfortunado)

Nitt Picks is Ready for the Weekend

BSD — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:04:23 -0000

Penn State is hosting their annual fantasy camp this week which gave the media an opportunity to have a chat with Paterno and senior captains Sean Lee and Daryll Clark. So this morning we have a panoply (my new word...learn it.) of articles to read through. They're mostly fluff articles so I'm just going to throw them at you with no commentary.

Sean Lee is inspiring his teammates. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Wait is Almost Over for Sean Lee - PennLive.com
Sean Lee can't wait for the opener - Philly.com
Joe Paterno is Happy with Navorro Bowman - Philly.com
Pressure mounting on Penn State - Centre Daily Times
Quick Hits on Paterno Presser - Fight On State
Clark and Lee Stay Focused - Times Leader

And here are some other links I thought you might find interesting to read.

Lions are making inroads into the WPIAL - Post Gazette
Cory Wine and Anthony Scirrotto were both taken in the Major Leage Baseball draft - Centre Daily Times
Kenny Stills plans to visit PSU - ESPN
Alabama is once again on probation - Pitt TribLive
Star Ohio State recruit Jaamal Berry got busted - ESPN
Tim Brewster is embellishing his resume just a little bit. - Dr. Saturday
Akron Preview - Zombie Nation
Can I get the musty smell of the stacks in a bottle please?

We're All Growns Up, And Making Bryce Paup References

Kevin HD — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:32:06 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

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I've always found the draft a bit of an odd thing. On one hand fans typically like to see their players to get drafted early and take pride in how many players were taken by teams in The League. But then again, fans dread and seethe scorn when a player jumps for the cash, and also can't feel good about so many talented players not being around for the next college football season.

Anyway, five Penn State players were taken in the seven round draft, second most in the conference to Ohio State, and another nine guys were signed as of the time of this post.

Aaron Maybin - Pick 11, Round 1 (11) - Bills

Project Mayhem, who came out of nowhere in 2008, did The Pass Rush Factory well on Saturday, confirming the jump was indeed a pretty good move.

There were early rumors that Maybin could go as high as five with the Browns looking at so many holes, but most of the recent projections had him in the 10-12 range. The 'experts' can score this one as correct, and Buffalo Rumblings is pleased:

On paper, Buffalo has its most explosive pass rusher since Bryce Paup...What makes this pick better is the fact that they took the right player. No DE displayed a quicker first step in college or at the Combine than Maybin. I had him rated as the top DE on the board the moment he declared for the draft, and the Bills clearly followed suit, if only at the most critical juncture. I think he's the best pass rusher in the draft. The Bills, too, think he's the best pass rusher in the draft, and his upside is tremendous.

Derrick Williams - Pick 18, Round 3 (82) - Lions

No one deserves a little draft luck like Williams, the former #1 rated recruit in the land was taken in the third round and, for the second time in his career, will be tasked with helping to rebuild a program in distraught.

The Pride of Detroit gives the pick a D+, which is, well not even a real grade if I remember right. Regardless, they didn't like the pick, although I think that had a lot to do with Williams not really filling one of their copious amounts of needs like some of the other players who were still on the board.

The Lions have a history of dismissing important needs and picking wide receivers, and as bad as a D+ is, I have to give him credit for his optimism. If I was cursed with being a Lions fan for the past several years, every decision that organization made would get an F- by default until something dramatic happens. I would probably just be that bitter.

The Free Press has a couple of quotes about the pick:

Kiper's response:

"He came into Penn State and he was supposed to wow everybody. He didn't initially, but came on. ... He doesn't have the great 40 time, but he's quick out of his burst, out of his cuts. He has that burst you look for and has the ability to score in a lot of ways -- in the return game, on reverses, catching the football. He's very good after the catch in the open field."

You hear things like this all the time and I gave up a long time ago trying to argue about it. Williams was no Reggie Bush or Tim Tebow, but he was important, in a way that the occasional observer wouldn't recognize. I don't blame anyone for this, I completely understand how his stats can be seen as underwhelming, but let's drop the whole "never lived up to the hype" thing, because to be frank it's a stupid comment.

Mayock's response:

"II thought he had an excellent Senior Bowl, but he followed it up with a poor Combine, running a 4.67 -- very slow for an elite receiver. Great Senior Bowl, but too many drops in his career. ... I watched him catch punts one day (at the Senior Bowl) and this is supposed to be an elite punt returner and that day if the football had been a harpoon, he'd have been dead. It'd have pierced his chest."

He was reportedly pretty sick the week of the combine and told by his agent to sit the thing out. He worked out anyway, which was indeed a bad decision, but as we've talked about before here at BSD looked great in the Senior Bowl.

And I have no idea where he's going with that harpoon analogy.

Deon Butler - Pick 27, Round 3 (91) - Seahawks

About four picks before Butler was drafted by Seattle, a commenter who shall remain nameless set the over/under at pick 114 in the open thread, a fourth round choice. I too was a bit surprised to see him go so early, but his blazing 40 at the combine apparently helped the draft stock of one of the most under-the-radar receivers in the nation last year.

Seattle loves them some record setting Penn State receivers, of course, and so we all saw this coming:

"He has some of the same traits as far as route-running goes," Seahawks offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said when asked to compare Butler to his fellow PSU alumnus. "He's not as polished, obviously, as Bobby is."

Rich Ohrnberger - Pick 23, Round 4 (123) - Patriots

Ohrnberger was probably the biggest surprise from a Penn State perspective, who many thought wouldn't go until after Shipley and Cadogan. Not true, of course. Ohrnberger will be buried on the depth chart this season, but was part of an effort to hedge against an aging line:

Ohrnberger, a player who took a pre-draft visit to Gillette Stadium, adds youth to the interior of the offensive line and provides a fallback, longer-term option with starting guards Logan Mankins (left) and Stephen Neal (right) entering the final year of their contracts.

PatsBlog likes the pick, even if it did cost them a well respected cornerback in Ellis Hobbs:

Ohrnberger is a guy I actually like. Although he is undersized, he plays with a good motor, is quick out of his stance, and is good in pass protection and pulling. Solid pick who could eventually take over for Stephen Neal at right guard.

A.Q. Shipley - Pick 17, Round 7 (226) - Steelers

There was a time when I though A.Q. might not get drafted, and at that time I was thinking it would be the most bewildering event (or non-event?) of the weekend.

He is undersized, and probably slid because of it, but once picked I found it hard to feel bad for a guy who gets to play for his hometown team. The Steelers earned overall "grades" as low as an F and as high as an A+, further lending credibility to the practice of grading drafts.

Naturally the local papers loved it. Not everyone was sold, though:

Can't say I'm too big a fan of Big 10 football so I can't comment on whether or not Shipley is so adored for his local product status, his ability on the field, or some combination of the two. Probably headed for the practice squad as well, but there's an interesting discussion to be had about the future of our offensive line - especially for those who have an opinion one way or another as to whether or not Shipley legitimately could be a better than average starting center....

I'm not sure if he's upset the Steelers picked a kid from the Big Ten or if he simply doesn't know much about A.Q. It's not like the Big Ten hasn't produced some decent linemen in the last five years. Besides, as far as risk and reward go, there's nothing wrong with picking the conference's best center in the seventh round and hoping it works out.

Quickly: Signed but undrafted...

It's easy to pile on Maurice Evans at this point; he goes undrafted but signs with the Giants. As disappointed as I am in his 2008 production and decision to leave, I can unconditionally say I wish him all the best.

Jordan Norwood will join the Browns, and Facebook Stalking H/T to NittanyWhiteOut, who was all over this one.

Gerald Cadogan was a major surprise as an undrafed free agent. He'll go to Carolina.

Lydell Sargeant will move north to help build Penn State another satellite campus in Buffalo. Front page promotion for the best photoshop of this one in the comments.

Tyrell Sales signs with the Colts.

Josh Gaines stays in-state with the Eagles.

Dan Lawlor signs with the Redskins.

Mark Rubin signed with the Rams.

Anthony Scirrotto signs with the Panthers.

Chicago Bears Draft Update

Adam T — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:00:45 -0000

With the Cutler deal over most it is a bit harder to project what and where the Bears will go with their 2nd round pick (#49 overall). Most think that wide reciever is a must, but what if all the guys worth this pick are off the board? Do they go safety, defensive line?

Here is a look at known or expected visits and workouts .

Friday - Juaquin Iglesias, WR, Oklahoma

Pre-draft visits

Al Afalava, Safety, Oregon State
ADDED APRIL 4 Aaron Brown, Running back, TCU
Jason Chery, Wide receiver, Louisiana-Lafayette
Maurice Crum Jr., Linebacker, Notre Dame
Derek Kinder, Wide receiver, Pitt
T.J. Lang, Offensive lineman, Eastern Michigan
ADDED APRIL 4 Ellis Lankster, Cornerback, West Virginia
Henry Melton, Defensive end, Texas
Brandon Myers, Tight end, Iowa
Rich Ohrnberger, Guard, Penn State
Anthony Scirrotto, Safety, Penn State
Jamaal Westerman, Defensive end, Rutgers
Nathan Williams, Linebacker, Murray State

Private workouts

Russell Allen, Linebacker, San Diego State
Eben Britton, Offensive tackle, Arizona
Kenny Britt, Wide receiver, Rutgers
John Gill, Defensive tackle, Northwestern
~~Darrius Heyward-Bey, Wide receiver, Maryland~~ canceled
ADDED APRIL 4 Juaquin Iglesias, Wide receiver, Oklahoma
Phil Loadholt, Offensive tackle, Oklahoma
Lance Louis, Guard, San Diego State
Sherrod Martin, Safety, Troy
Mohamed Massaquoi, Wide receiver, Georgia
Michael Mitchell, Safety, Ohio
Hakeem Nicks, Wide receiver, North Carolina
Richard Quinn, Tight end, North Carolina
Mike Wallace, Wide receiver, Ole Miss*

Get together (we're not sure if these will be visits or private workouts)

Todd Boeckman, Quarterback, Ohio State*
Brian Robiskie, Wide receiver, Ohio State

Grading The Defense: College Avenue Freezeout

Run Up The Score — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:37:20 -0000

Another great performance from the Nittany Lion defense. For its deficiencies, it must be said that this unit has not only overachieved this season, but dominated. Looking only at Big Ten games, Penn State was in the top two in the following categories: scoring defense, pass defense, turnover margin, rushing defense, total defense, pass efficiency defense, and first downs allowed.

(And a fun thing I just noticed? Your Big Ten leader in assisted tackles is James Laurinaitis. Seriously.)

She received four Buckeye stickers and one tackle for loss.

And while we're on the subject, let's bring in ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg:

James Laurinaitis is a future College Football Hall of Famer and a sure-fire first-round NFL draft pick. He's an excellent football player. He should not have been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. That award should have gone to Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin. No one else is really in the discussion. Maybin was flat-out dominant this season. I don't care if he's just a sophomore. Base the award on merit, not on reputation or name recognition or having a nice back story.

Not sure Maybin is the best player on PSU's defense this year -- that honor goes to Jared Odrick, in my opinion -- but it's nice to see Laurinaitis knocked down a peg or two in a widely-viewed forum. He's a good player. He is not that good. Anyone who watches an Ohio State game with a semi-critical eye knows this. There's been a lot of argument between Ohio State and Penn State fans over who has produced the better linebackers over the past few years, and there's really no losing side. A.J. Hawk was simply awesome. Same with Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor. James Laurinaitis isn't remotely close to any of them.

In the spirit of being Fair And Balanced, Rittenberg also says that Joe Paterno should not have been Big Ten Coach of the Year, which I happen to agree with.

If there was an award to give an entire coaching staff, than Penn State's staff should get it. But it's a single award, and one that should have gone to Michigan State's Mark Dantonio or Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald. You can't tell me Paterno had as much influence in shaping his team as Dantonio or Fitzgerald. This vote was based on sentimentality, not by looking at what each man actually accomplished.

Given that Dantonio has officially cemented his status as The Jolly Green Douchebag, my vote would be for Fitzgerald. And while the college football world will continue to pay tribute to Paterno over the next few weeks, nobody can legitimately argue that working from home and silently sitting in the press box qualifies as coaching, not when other guys are busting their asses every day and trying to win nine games at freakin' Northwestern. They had one hiccup against Indiana, otherwise they'd be a 10-2 team and this vote wouldn't be remotely close.

Anyway, the game.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A+

Tremendous all day long. They were able to generate a pass rush with four players, something that the scheme depends upon for success. When it works, it's usually a long day for the opposing offense. They also received a little help from Sparty. Down 14-0 halfway through the second quarter, Michigan State was moving the ball on the ground and reached the PSU 45 yard line. They tried to get cute with a playaction pass, and Maurice Evans blew by the tackle and fullback for a sack of Brian Hoyer. With 21 yards to go for a first down, they went with another useless playaction pass -- nobody in the stadium believed it for a second -- and a screen pass which even I called in Section NC ten seconds before the snap.

Jared Odrick was great again, and was in Brian Hoyer's face when he threw an interception to Anthony Scirrotto before halftime. As Todd Blackledge noticed, Josh Hull also provided great coverage on that play.

Also, if you spotted #71 on the field during MSU's final offensive efforts, your eyes weren't deceiving you. That was Devon Still.

LINEBACKERS: A-

As you might expect from the previous paragraphs, their jobs were made exceptionally easy by the defensive line. Hull was surprisingly good in pass coverage, not only on the play mentioned above, but he also tipped a pass that led to Anthony Scirrotto dusting a guy across the middle in the first quarter. Tyrell Sales had a great tackle for loss against Ringer in the first half. Special mention for Navarro Bowman absolutely sawing Brian Hoyer in half on Sparty's third quarter trick play.

Personally, I ragged on this group throughout the year, although I don't think it was unwarranted. When they were bad, they were really awful. When they were good, the defense was just killing dudes out there. Still, they generally played well in the biggest games (at Ohio State, especially), and there's plenty to be said for that.

(Oh, and we get Sean Lee back next year.)

SECONDARY: A-

Held Hoyer to five yards per attempt, and never really allowed him to settle in. Now, go back a few months ago and imagine me writing this: I have no idea how we're going to replace Mark Rubin next year. Scary, but true -- he's gone from utter liability to one of the most dependable players on the Penn State defense. Nice to see Anthony Scirrotto have some great plays in his final Beaver Stadium game, and let's show some appreciation for Tony Davis' effort this season. How many times did you hear his name throughout the year? Good sign for a cornerback. Also, Lydell Sargeant vastly improved this season. After a while, people just stopped asking, "Why isn't A.J. Wallace in the game?"

And poor D'Anton Lynn thought he had his very first interception on the last play of the game, but the pass was ruled incomplete.

COACHING: A

Was there a more entertaining sight than Sean Lee trying to get Tom Bradley to accept the rose during Sparty's last drive? Give all of the defensive coaches a ton of credit for Penn State's dominant defense. They were thin along the defensive line after the knuckleheads were sent packing before the season. The secondary that I personally thought would be a disaster held up pretty well.

Your Sparty drives:

That's one meaningful drive while the game was actually in question. Excellent work, all around.

Grading the Defense Against Purdue

BSD — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:07:20 -0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are intercepting in space
(Photo via PennLive.com)

It was a gritty win on the road against an opponent that admittedly has more questions than answers. Let's go through the defense and see how they did.

Defensive Line

Once again it was a solid performance by everyone in the trenches. Kory Sheets was held to half his season average and pretty well contained all day with one or two exceptions. Jared Odrick was a monster in the middle clogging the inside running lanes all day. Abe Koroma was also very impressive.

In the passing game I felt like the line wasn't consistently getting good pressure on Painter. But they had a few moments here and there and Maybin got another sack while Gaines and Odrick split another. But Maybin pretty much disappeared after that early sack and we didn't really hear for him the rest of the day.

Final Grade: B+

Linebackers

Josh Hull easily had his best game of the season recording 11 tackles, all solo. He looked much more decisive than he did against Illinois and had two tackles for loss to show for it. But then, last week you had to guess whether the option was going to Juice Williams, Daniel Dufrene, or Arrelious Benn. This week the option was between Curtis Painter or Kory Sheets. It's a safe bet to assume Sheets was getting the ball 90% of the time. But regardless, Hull played a great game.

The coaches rested Navorro Bowman a few days during the week leading up to the game to allow him to heal up some bumps and bruises. Maybe he was a bit rusty because of it since he didn't seem his explosive self. But he did manage a few big tackles.

Bani Gbadyu was flying all over the field like a pinball...fast and out of control. He ran by a few plays and missed a few tackles. But every once in a while he hits his target and it's pretty impressive when he does.

Final Grade: B

Secondary

I was really afraid that Curtis Painter was going to torch us for 350 yards in this game. I'm pleasantly surprised to admit I was wrong. The secondary looked a lot more like the group we saw in 2006 rather than 2007. They held the highly efficient Purdue passing attack to just 158 yards. It's great to see Tony Davis out on the wing making plays again. We really missed him last year. His counterpart, A.J. Wallace, is coming together nicely in pass coverage, but when asked to tackle someone he misses more than he hits. After dropping an interception in the third quarter he was yanked in favor of Lydell Sargeant. But I think it's safe to say Wallace has a firm grasp on the starting job going forward.

Anthony Scirrotto looked like his old self laying out people crossing the middle and crashing the line hard in run support. And while we're on the topic of crashing run support, how about Drew Astorino. The redshirt freshman was flying all over the field sacrificing his body and making hits that could be heard from Nebraska. He also forced the only turnover of the game in reading Painter perfectly to make an interception. He did get a little too aggressive in drawing a pass interference penalty, but personally I didn't think the ball was catchable.

Final Grade: A

Special Teams

Kevin Kelly was solid, even if a hobbled Joe Paterno could have made those chip shots from 20 and 25 yards. His kickoffs, however, are completely unpredictable. You never know if they are going to go out the back of the endzone, land on the 20, or go out of bounds. This week he had one go in the endzone for a touchback while the others landed at the 9, 8, and the 5. Not bad.

Is it me or does Jeremy Boone not look as good as last year. Granted he's not getting as many chances, but his kicks seem to be noticeably shorter. And he's been terrible at landing kicks inside the 20 all season. This week he had two kicks land in the endzone. Remember a few weeks ago they had Kelly pooch punting when they had a short field? I'm starting to wonder if something is up with Boone.

The return game was awful. Chaz Powell replaced Wallace on kickoffs and returned his one chance just eight yards to the 22 yard line. Derrick Williams wasn't much better. He returned his kickoff chance just ten yards to the 14 yard line. He also fair caught a punt he probably could have gained some yardage on. Annoying, but after the recent mishaps I think it's smart to just catch the ball and let this high powered offense do their thing.

Final Grade: C

Defensive Coaching

To all those who claim the coaches are loyal to their seniors to a fault, take note that A.J. Wallace (junior) started ahead of Lydell Sargeant (senior) and Drew Astorino (redshirt freshman) played the entire game. They are getting their best talent on the field and for this they deserve credit.

The coaches played nickel defense almost exclusively on first down with Bowman and Hull as the linebackers, Astorino at Hero, and Rubin in the nickel. They rarely blitzed and asked the front four to provide all the pressure. Sometimes they did, and sometimes they didn't. Painter had some success here and there finding the holes in the zone between the linebackers for seven or eight yards. This led to some frustrating moments in the first half when the defense kept finding itself in 2nd and 3 and 3rd and 1 situations. But they came in with the classic Penn State "Bend-Don't-Break" philosophy hoping Purdue would make mistakes. A good bet against Purdue. Their biggest mistake was trying to run the ball on first down. When they did, they often got stuffed for little or no gain forcing long yardage on second down. When Painter is asked to gain five or six yards through the air he can be an effective quarterback. Ask him to gain you 15 yards on third and 10 and he's awful. The coaches realized this and formed the perfect gameplan to beat them.

As for the long drive surrendered to Elliot, Penn State switched to their base 4-3 defense when he came in the game. Perhaps thinking they could rattle the new kid they called a few blitzes and he made them pay with short passes over the middle that gained yards after the catch. It was like Purdue was waiting for us to blitz all day and finally got their chance when Painter came out of the game. We should probably not do this anymore. But I'm willing to give the coaches a break here since the game was in hand and I'm always in favor of pressuring young quarterbacks.

Final Grade: A

Poll

Who was the defensive MVP of the Purdue Game?

Josh Hull

216 votes

Jared Odrick

60 votes

Navorro Bowman

29 votes

Anthony Scirrotto

15 votes

Drew Astorino

161 votes

481 votes | Poll has closed

Grading The Defense: Not So Fast, My Friend

Run Up The Score — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:06:21 -0000

After a quick review of Saturday's game:

Defensive Line: Let's call it a solid B. The rushing numbers looked great (2.9 ypc), but something was just off when watching the game a second time. Josh Gaines was obviously magnificent in every regard, and while Aaron Maybin continues to get into the opponent's backfield, he still struggles quite a bit against the run. The defensive tackles were surprisingly soft, no doubt due to the lack of depth at the position. Ollie Ogbu and Jared Odrick made some plays, but they were completely blown out of the play on multiple occasions. Freshman Jack Crawford is not only attempting to adjust to the college game, he's still trying to learn the game. He's seen action in both games this season, and hasn't performed particularly well. It's just a fact of being an undersized true freshman defensive tackle. Tom McEowen and Eric Latimore were okay in the second half, at best. It may not have been apparent on the scoreboard, but the defensive line desperately needs Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma back when Illinois comes to town.

Linebackers: B+. Navarro Bowman and Tyrell Sales racked up a ton of tackles. Josh Hull played better and made an easy interception, but Tom Bradley isn't helping his defense by sending Hull on blitzes. He's not a good enough athlete to disrupt the play in a blitzing role, not to mention how poorly disguised the blitzes are in the first place. Still, he was better this week than against Coastal Carolina. Bani Gbadyu allegedly played on Saturday. Nathan Stupar looked quite good in his limited action.

Secondary: B+. Mark Rubin, better. Not great, but better. He was caught up in traffic a few times on running plays, but otherwise did a fine job shedding some blocks and making the tackle. Nice interception, too. Tony Davis played very well. Outside of the clusterfrick that was Oregon State's first touchdown, Anthony Scirrotto had a nice game. Good to see Drew Astorino in the game early and breaking up a pass. I don't recall Lydell Sargeant doing anything great or awful.

I already know what many of you are thinking. We held them to 7 meaningful points, and even if you take away the sacks, Oregon State only had 116 yards rushing. I know. I know. But I saw what I saw: many defensive tackles being abused far too often, and average but effective play from the defense as a whole. They'll look great against Syracuse and Temple. After that, we'll probably have Evans and Koroma back in the rotation, which will certainly help against Illinois.

Too harsh? Just right? Your comments are always welcome.

Grading The Defense - Coastal Carolina

BSD — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:06:10 -0000

We were all pleased with the results on Saturday I'm sure, but there were definitely some things to work on. Let's take a look at the defense and see how each unit did.

Defensive Line

You would be hard pressed to ask for a better game from the defensive line. The Chanticleers were held to just 52 yards on 32 attempts for a puny 1.6 yards per carry. The defensive tackles were stuffing the middle and the ends were getting good pressure off the edge. Aaron Maybin was a beast coming around the left tackle all day like the kid was standing in a foot of mud. He recorded 2 sacks and five tackles. Not bad for a guy that wasn't even listed on the depth chart earlier in the week. Jared Odrick was credited with a sack, though I could have sworn he had two by my count. Redshirt freshman Eric Latimore also got a sack on the day.

The only knock I have on them is they were a little too aggressive at times. The Chants were letting them go on the jailbreak screen and we were still falling for it late in the game. The quarterback sucked them in and dunked the ball over their heads for a 15 yard gain. They have to learn to read that and adjust. That guy in front of you isn't putting up a fight for a reason.

Final Grade: B+

Linebackers

I didn't come away from this game feeling any better about our linebacker situation. Coastal Carolina was killing us on screens and dump passes throughout the first half. But I don't blame the linebackers for this entirely. The coaches were calling a lot of blitzes early in the game and the Chanticleers were making us pay for it. That tells me we're not very good at disguising and timing our blitzes which is partly a coaching issue and partly a player ability issue.

Josh Hull looks like a serviceable run stopper, but he's not a blitzer. He was a step late in getting to the quarterback every time. Sales and Gbadyu have tons of athletic ability but don't seem to have the anticipation we're used to seeing in Sean Lee or Paul Posluszny, though Bani did snag the only interception on the day. The only linebacker that appeared to have any play making ability was Navarro Bowman. He was probably the most disruptive of the linebackers and was also a major factor on special teams when he wasn't trying to pick up fumbles instead of falling on them.

Final Grade: B-

Defensive Backs

I was really expecting a better showing from our secondary. We should never give up 198 yards passing against a team like Coastal Carolina. There were just too many blown coverages. Rubin and Scirrotto completely blew it on the touchdown pass. Looking at the tape it appeared the defense was in man-to-man and they both covered the same guy. Clearly one of them was wrong. Couple it with the fact Hull was blitzing on the play and you have a guy running down the field all by himself.

And all day long it just seemed like they weren't getting a good jump on the ball. Scirrotto had the best chance at an interception and he just plain dropped it. But in their defense the coaches were calling just two very basic coverages so as not to give too much away on film.

Final Grade: C

Defensive Coaching

Tough to say in a game like this. The coverages were very basic throughout the game. They were very aggressive early and Coastal Carolina made them pay. But after giving up long drives in the first half they adjusted and toned it down keeping the linebackers at home. From there the Chanticleers didn't do much. When the game was well in hand they did a good job of getting younger players in the game. Jack Crawford and Mike Mauti both played meaning they will not be redshirted this year.

The Chants ran a lot of no huddle and the players didn't look like they were ready for it. We get a few teams in the coming weeks like Oregon State, Illinois, and Indiana who like to go no huddle so we'll have to tighten that up.

Final Grade: B

Special Teams

I can't say I have any complaints here. Boone only had one punt but he boomed it 46 yards witha one yard return. Kelly only had one chip shot field goal attempt from 21 yards. I would have liked to see him get a no pressure attempt from 45 or 50 yards to build some confidence but it didn't work out that way.

The kick return game was outstanding with Wallace getting a 35 yard return and of course Williams taking one the distance. Several people commented in the open thread that Williams looks a step faster this year and I have to agree. Last year he would catch a ball and studder step his way to a 15 yard return. This year he appears to make an effort to just get up field first and then find a hole to shoot through. If he can keep doing this he could have a big year. He also had a nice 14-yard punt return he almost broke open.

The kickoff coverage team looked much improved, but I'm not getting too excited. It's just Coastal Carolina. But I feel better seeing players out there like Bowman, Timmons, Stupar, and Mauti. We're putting some good athletes out there unlike last year so I'm confident we'll be alright.

Final Grade: A