SB Nation - Graham Zug

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

Top Five All-Big Ten Football Team Errors

Pete Rossman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:04:01 -0000

The picks are here.

And here are the travesties:

5. Jared Odrick, Coaches' Defensive Player of the Year. There's no doubt that Odrick was one of the top five or six defensive linemen in the conference. However, here were the other All-Big ten first team defensive linemen named by the coaches: Adrian Clayborn, Brandon Graham, and O'Brien Schofield. If I gave you those names, where would you rank Odrick? Third? Fourth? And he's the one the coaches named defensive player of the year?

4. Eric Decker, Coaches' First team Wide Receiver. If Decker had stayed healthy all year, I'd have no problem with this placement. However, he only played two-thirds of the season, and I'm certain that there are least two wide receivers out there - Keith Smith of Purdue and Darrell Johnson-Koulianos of Iowa - who deserved the honor more than Decker.

3. Seriously, Jared Odrick? I mean, Pat Angerer can't get some love? Tyler Sash? If you were asking me, "Name two players on the same team who deserved the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award", those would've been the first two names out of my mouth.

2. Brett Swenson, non-unanimous selection. I promise this is the only section where I'll be a homer. Apparently making 90% of your field goals and being far and away the most consistent kicker in the Big Ten wasn't clear cut enough. Was it that extra point he missed in September? Is it because his kickoffs only made it to the ten? I don't get it.

1. JARED ODRICK? I don't want to bash Odrick, he's been a great player for Penn State all season. I'm happy that Greg Jones got the honor from the media, but I would've understood if he didn't receive the award. After all, I'm pretty sure Graham Zug scored again on a wheel route, and the failures of the MSU secondary drags the whole defense down, fair or unfair. However, I would've named Schofield, Graham, Angerer, Sash, Amari Speivey, Navarro Bowman, or Sean Lee DPOY before Odrick. Once again, Odrick deserved the honors he received as All-Big Ten, but there were several more deserving players this year in the Big Ten to be defensive player of the year.

Too Easy, Drill Sergeant! Penn State 42, Michigan State 14

Kevin HD — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:49:18 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

Zug levitates into the endzone for one of his two touchdowns yesterday. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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Michigan State was doing something right early. The Penn State play calls weren't designed to pick up the blitz, and so when it came Clark was usually helpless to ward off an untouched attacker. It didn't help that Clark was often under center or not in a designed roll out. The coaches weren't adding extra blockers or even giving Clark a chance to out-run them.

So the first half was a struggle that included two missed Collin Wagner field goals, although one would have been a career long. Penn State was moving the ball but not finishing drives. Combined, there were ten scoreless drives between the two teams. Penn State put one together late, and thenTom Bradley - who for the most part called a very good game - went into a miserably pathetic prevent that literally gave away a touchdown before the end of the half.

But then this happened:

The Drake play pass was a beautiful spiral and excellent catch by Quarless. Daryll found time and rhythm. Zug, Quarless, and Moye all had four catches for over 50 yards. The running game opened up to the tune of 8.8 yards per carry from Royster. It became a blowout.

Newsome came in, wasn't allowed to throw, and the teams traded garbage touchdowns. In the end, though, it was exactly what we needed to start the Great Debate with Iowa, who sputtered to a 12-0 win against a Decker-less Minnesota that has given up at least 20 points to every FBS team on the schedule.

But for now let's enjoy the success brought to you by the end-of-game scoreboard: Penn State 42, Michigan State 14, and three timeouts remaining.

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

2 months 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.

Malicious Internet Interrogation: The Only Colors

Run Up The Score — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:29:20 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

8 months ago: Peanut the dog, dressed in a Michigan State Spartan costume, is seen outside Ford Field before the semifinal game between Michigan State and Connecticut during the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament Saturday, April 4, 2009, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

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Part one of an exchange between myself and LVS of SBNation's fine Michigan State blog, "The Only Colors". His questions, my answers. The other half of Malicious Internet Interrogation will likely be up later today or tomorrow. And don't forget this afternoon's basketball game against UNC-Wilmington. Tip-off is at 4:00 p.m., game to be broadcast on ESPNU (and ~~presumably, ESPN360~~ yeah, apparently not). We'll have an open thread.

1. 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?

2. 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.

[For the rest of our Q&A, including discussion of SPECIAL TEAMS FAIL and much more, please head over to The Only Colors.]

Game 10: Indiana Hoosiers at Penn State Nittany Lions.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:38:40 -0000

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Penn State Nittany Lions

2009 record: 8-2 (4-2)

2008 record: 11-2 (7-1), Big Ten Champions; lost to USC in Rose Bowl

2008 Sagarin: 8

2009 Sagarin: 19

Coach: Joe Paterno (44th season, 391-129-3)

Series: Penn State leads 12-0.

TV: noon, Big Ten Network

Blogs: Black Shoe Diaries, Zombie Nation, The Nittany Line.

IU must win out to become bowl eligible, and the next obstacle is a team that IU has never defeated. Despite the 0-12 record, IU has been reasonably competitive with Penn State when playing at home. Of the five games played in Bloomington (plus the one game played in Indianapolis), four have been decided by a touchdown or less (although the 1994 game wasn't really that close). Of the six games in State College, only IU's first trip, a 38-31 loss in 1993, was competitive.

Penn State began the season with national championship hopes, but the Nittany Lions have dropped two home games, to Iowa and to Ohio State. The Penn State offense has been respectable, but a dominant defense has been the key to the Lions' 8-2 record. Penn State allows only 262 yards per game and barely ten points per game, both top ten figures. In the 21-10 loss to Iowa and the 24-7 loss to Ohio State, the Penn State offense has failed, not the defense. Quarterback Daryll Clark has been respectable as a passer, completing 61 percent of his passes and throwing for 18 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also has run for 168 yards and 6 touchdowns. Evan Royster leads the Lions with 895 yards and an incredible 5.7 yards per carry. Penn State spreads things around with the passing game: wide receivers Graham Zug, Derek Moye, and Chaz Powell, and tight end Andrew Quarless all have between 347 and 648 receiving yards. On defense, as always, there are too many to name for the Nittany Lions, but linebacker Josh Hull averages nearly 10 tackles per game.

The Hoosiers have struggled to run the ball, and despite moving the ball reasonably well in the air, have struggled to score. The Penn State defense has excelled at both stopping the run and keeping opponents out of the end zone. There's really no positive gloss to put on this game. IU is a decided underdog, and a win would be a big surprise. Despite a mostly competitive season, the Hoosiers have no more margin for error.

Linebacker Who?

Law Buckeye — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:03:34 -0000

On Saturday, I left the creature comforts of the village by the Olentangy with friends and a fiance in toe, to head to State College for Ohio State's showdown with Penn State. What follows is a brief re-count of our trip to Penn's Woods.

11:46 a.m.: We leave Columbus late after sitting for the morning MPRE exam. Things started an hour and four minutes behind schedule, resulting in a stressful change of vehicle in front of M's carriage house. She greets us with a box of fresh pastries from a local French bakery. I change into my uniform: the Nike "Tressel" sweater-vest, complete with a Brooks Brother's undershirt and grab a cranberry scone. We point the navigation to State College, PA, and learn that our projected arrival time is 5:04 p.m., some ninety minutes after kickoff. We're down, but we're not out. We've got a perfectly good second half to live for.

12:45 p.m.: Barreling down I-70, we learn -- first over the radio, and later from a phone call from Graham, that Iowa's Ricky Stanzi has gone down whilst rolling out on a naked bootleg against Northwestern. The prognosis is negative.

3:01 p.m.: The sky is blue as we bolt through a tunnel into downtown Pittsburgh. There's an unexpected commotion near Heinz Field, and we remember that there's another team in Pennsylvania that owns a one-loss record. Alas, we have bigger fish to fry.

3:34 p.m.: With kickoff looming we scan the AM dial desperately for some resemblance of a broadcast. Finally, we hit an undulating signal from a local Happy Valley station. The signal rate drops in and out, replaced by a unrelated jazz overture. Ohio State returns the opening kickoff to the 25 and it's on.

3:49 p.m.: Terrelle Pryor skips through a fold in the pressure and burns Navarro Bowman for a 7 yard rushing touchdown. I smack my knuckles on the sunroof in jubilation. After the Buckeyes force Penn State to another 3 and out, I declare to my passengers that we've come to play. We're weaving through orange foothills and soft mountains, the open landscape punctuated by power lines. It sounds like Ohio State's defensive front is having a field day with the Nittany Lions, a fact that makes me swell with hope. An embarrassingly partisan radio announcer admits another Ohio State 12 yard gain.

4:14 p.m.: Graham Zug knifes through the Ohio State secondary for a 31-yard gain setting up a goalline standoff that ends when Daryll Clark holds the ball across the hash on fourth down. I get a text immediately from a friend's girlfriend that the score is suspect. We hold our breath, as the announcer concedes that "It's a close call." The ruling on the field is confirmed. It's a tie game, and I immediately second guess Tressel's decision to punt from the 29.

4:59 p.m.: With less than 3:00 minutes to play in the second half, and the Goodyear Blimp hovering like a winged seraph on the horizon, M announces that she has to pee. We swing into a local Outback Steakhouse to do the deed. The hostess comments on our choice attire, but lets us in. Ohio State forces a Jeremy Boone punt with approximately 2:10 left. I put my hands in my pockets, convinced we're headed to half up by three.

5:11 p.m.: Just off the exit we get our first glimpse of Beaver Stadium, a spaceship-like fortress nestled in a pastoral embankment beside the interstate. The sun is glancing off the mountains, painting the landscape in a brilliant orange halo. We swing into a non-permit space in the grass beside a local Hospital and bundle up as the clock expires on the first half. We march off through farm land for the quarter-mile walk to the stadium.

5:19 p.m.: We check in on the north end and are greeted by a labyrinth of steel buttresses and concrete. The sounds of the marching band move through the portals as we shuffle for the ramp to head to the upper deck. I'm trying to be objective here, but I've got to say, the traffic management of this stadium sucks. We've forced to zig-zag back and forth through the packed concourse, smashed between iron girders and chain link safety fences. The air is sweet and stale with sweat and hot dog buns. We earn our way to Section NKU, and finally, break out into the open space. Beaver Stadium is alive with madness, a white brimmed monster of hollow sound and fury. We climb up to the 92nd row and are greeted by the familiar faces of friends. I survey the twin-press boxes, and the natural grass surface. A colleague hands me a Camel Pak filled with rum and tells me to "Bite and Suck." I do, and am warmed to the core. The steel bleachers move with the swell of anxiousness.

5:39 p.m.: The second half kicks off and it's us against the whiteout. We hold the Nittany Lions on another series and I comment to a friend about the play of linebacker Brian Rolle. "He's everywhere," my friend responds. Ohio State gets the ball back and after a string of rushes and an incomplete pass pins Penn State at their own 13. "Ten points," says my buddy "won't be enough to win this." I agree without hesitation. Turns out, we were both wrong.

6:17 p.m.: Pryor steps up in the pocket, turns his shoulders and heaves a "Hail Mary" up into the sky. I immediately go numb -- wasn't it Woody Hayes that said only three things can happen when you throw the ball and two of them are bad? The long ball floats and bobs, as a free safety and cornerback close on the left side of the field. DeVier Posey waits and STEALS THE PASS AT THE LAST SECOND, I jump with estranged joy as Posey darts through the secondary and INTO THE ENDZONE. We roar from the high decks, trading high fives and singing low taunts of elation. We're up 10 points, and for the first time I think we just might have the game. The thought is electric. Our D is back on the field and they're playing off the momentum, dancing jigs behind the line of scrimmage. Beaver Stadium belongs to us.

Happy Valley Indeed...

6:27 p.m.: And just like that Ray Small blows through another leaky Nittany Lion coverage scheme for 45 yards back to the Penn State 47. Jeremy Boone makes a killer knee-cap tackle that saves the touchdown. Pryor takes the reins again, and after a short handoff and incomplete pass we're facing 3rd and 11. The student section is re-energized after the Buckeyes call a timeout, and I let doubt eclipse my mind for a brief second as we line up 4 wide. Pryor moves forward on the keep, and as he charts the open space to the left hash I see an outside linebacker is keyed in on the play. Pryor glides, flashing his trademark motionless moonwalk, and beats the defender to the sideline for the first down. Seven plays later we're in the endzone, after Pryor dishes the ball to a leaping Brandon Saine. It's right in front of the visitor's section, and we go nuts as Penn State fans fill the aisles. Confident in the seventeen point lead I throw out a few hypothetical titles for this article to a friend, including the admittedly insensitive: "You Are...Losers."

Ultimately, "Linebacker Who?" sticks.

7:01 p.m.: After an Ohio State interception, and the usual clock-killing pleasantries, I wait for the clock to hit zero before snapping the iconic scoreboard photograph.

That would be this one...

7:25 p.m.: We file out of the stadium, singing "We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan." (Love it or hate it, Ohio State is probably the only fan base that would rip Rival A, after beating Rival B). With the advice of a few helpful locals we wonder over to College Avenue, the backbone of a handsome New England downtown with shops, restaurants, and (of course) bars. We wait in line for a table at Bill Pickles Tap Room, a game day oasis with tudor-stylings, plentiful LCD feeds, and craft-beer by the pitcher. I drink a Leinenkugel's, and scarf down a soft pretzel, while we draw envious stares. The locals are friendly, even concilatory, and it's clear everyone is all in for the Big Ten.

11:48 p.m.: With designated driver M at the helm, we hop into the car and head east to Altoona -- the nearest available lodging. We buy a six-pack of Yuengling from a bowling-alley bar, and settle down at a local inn, strangely complacent with the Big Ten championship just a week away.

Wha Happened? Week Ten

RossWB — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:00:30 -0000

I'm told there were other games going on during and after just Northwestern successfully executed their gameplan of "knock out Iowa's best offensive player" for the second consecutive season. So Wha Happened?

Nice tune, but it needs more Caruso.

Ohio State 24, Penn State 7
Sigh. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. All Penn State needed to do to ensure that Ohio State's reign of terror atop the Big Ten over the last five years (and their accompanying pratfalls in BCS games: 1-3, including two humiliating beatdowns in National Championship Games) was truly done, to drive a stake through their cold, unfeeling, blackened hearts, to send them to a Florida bowl game... was just win this one fucking game. Alas, the Penn State offense coughed up a hairball of a performance (Daryll Clark went 12/28, 125 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 20 yards rushing, 1 TD on the ground, though he didn't get much help from his offensive line or any receivers not named Graham Zug) and the Nittany Lions just never appeared to be in sync. Maybe Clark needs Creepy Sex Offender Lion to console him.

His counterpart, the boy wonder Terrelle Pryor, contributed the sort of confounding stat line that's becoming typical of his play: 8/17, 125 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, five carries, 50 yards, 1 TD on the ground. Looking at it purely in terms of black and white numbers, it's not exactly impressive stuff. And yet... he did guide them to a decisive victory and he did make some big plays when OSU needed them -- the 62-yard bomb he threw to DeVier Posey (fast becoming one of the best big-play receiver in the Big Ten) was a key play in opening up the game. It gave Ohio State some much needed breathing room and the two-score margin seemed to make Clark press even more, with predictably disastrous results against the Buckeye defense. Still, the Ohio State win did have the effect of dramatically simplifying the Big Ten title race: whoever wins next week's Iowa-Ohio State tilt will be smelling the roses in Pasadena. So no pressure or anything in that one.

Not even Mike Barweis' brutal fitness regimens can save Michigan from the knife that is Big Ten conference play.

Purdue 38, Michigan 36
Life among the peasants sucks, doesn't it, Big Blue? It was a lot easier when you were a member of the aristocracy and teams like this just rolled over for you. Shame the peasants don't do that when you're down rolling around in the filth with them. The numbers for Michigan are grisly: losses to middling Purdue teams in back-to-back years, five consecutive Big Ten losses (which is actually worse than any losing streak they had in-conference during last year's horrorshow of a season), and eleven conference losses (and counting) over the past two years -- with games against Wisconsin (in Madison) and Ohio State (in Ann Arbor) still to come. Losses in both of those games would lead to perhaps the grisliest stat of all: a second consecutive season without a bowl game. The culprit, as it has been pretty much the entire season, was largely the GERG-led defense. The LOLverine defense conceded nearly 500 yards of offense (494, to be exact) for the second straight week, with most of the damage coming through the air: Joey Elliot went 28/39 for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns (and a pair of interceptions). RichRod may or may not be burning up on the hot seat this year, but it would be stupefying if Greg Robinson was back as defensive coordinator next year.

Meanwhile, Danny Hope's maiden voyage on the SS Boilermaker continues to be a long, strange trip. Three weeks ago, they had a season-defining upset of Ohio State in West Lafayette. A week ago, they got blanked by Wisconsin, 37-0, in a game in which virtually nothing went right. And now they go into Ann Arbor and pick up their first win there since 1966. And all this is after the crazy first part of the season, in which they lost a series of nail-biters and bizarre, turnover-filled games. Yet in spite of all the ups and downs they've endured this season, Purdue finds themselves still alive for a possible bowl game (they just need wins over Michigan State and Indiana), which would be a helluva way to cap off Danny Hope's crazy first season.

BHGP salutes Tiger Woods for his stance on gophers.

Illinois 35, Minnesota 32
Remember what we wrote about Adam Weber's offensive explosion last week?

But what to make of the TRY FIGHT WIN HEAVILY PENALIZED Gophers a week after losing their top offensive weapon (Decker) and nearly getting shut out in back-to-back games by Penn State and Ohio State (only a garbage-time touchdown against OSU's reserves prevented that ignominious fate)? Was this an aberration? A sign that the Gopher offense may not be quite as woeful as we thought? Considering that Weber hadn't thrown for a TD pass since the Wisconsin game 28 days ago and that he nearly doubled his season total for TD passes in one game, we lean towards the former explanation.

Yeah, we're gonna go with "last week was a mirage" for $1000, thanks. Weber's first half this week:

5/17, 74 yards, 0 TD, 1 fumble, 1 pick-six ("That's an interception returned for a touchdown." (c) Pat Harty).

Now that's more like the Weber we've come to know and love this season. All told, the Golden Gopher offense managed only 288 yards (just 66 on the ground) against an Illinois defense not previously known for its stopping power. Meanwhile, the Save the Zooker's Job Tour continued with... yet another win? Huh. That still doesn't sound right. Juice Williams' ankle got tweaked, but Jacob Charest proved to be an able fill-in (10/19, 195 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) and Jason Ford tacked on 82 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. With the win, the Illini retain their unlikely bid for a bowl appearance and a desire for revenge by proxy demands that this corner of BHGP will be cheering them on when they take on that other Big Ten team from Illinois next week. And, fuck, if you can't root for a mustache like this you have no soul.

Don't pretend you care about this game.

Wisconsin 31, Indiana 28
John Clay ran wild in the first half (15 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD), but got concussed; freshman Montee Ball came in and picked up right were Clay left off (27 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD), including the game-icing touchdown with eight minutes to go in the game. It was classic Wisconsin football: 294 punishing yards on the ground and just enough passing (194 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) to keep the opposing defense honest. The only difference between this week and last is that the defense was a bit looser and let Indiana get enough points to keep it interesting. Indiana is now in "win or stay home during bowl season" mode for the final two games; sadly next week involves a trip to Happy Valley to play a pissed-off Penn State team. Ouch.

Your recommended daily dose of surreality.

Michigan State 49, Western Michigan 14
Sparty jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and never looked back, ensuring that Western Michigan wouldn't add a Big Ten scalp to their collection for a third straight year. WMU had no answers for the Spartan offense -- Kirk Cousins dissected their pass defense (22/25, 353 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT), while Ashton Leggett gashed them on the ground (14 carries, 110 yards, 4 TD); all told, Sparty rolled up 602 yards of offense. With the win, MSU moves to 5-5, needing just one more win to get to bowl eligibility. A difficult game with Penn State awaits at the end of the season, so next week's game at Purdue could be a virtual elimination game for bowl contention.

Happy Valley indeed

Sam @ WWAHT — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:41:18 -0000

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What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

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Mea culpa: I didn't really think we had much of a chance. The mismatches seemed to be few and far between, but the one that seemed to matter most - the Buckeye offense versus Penn State's defense - was in Penn State's favor by such a wide margin, I thought it invalidated the overall evenness of the two teams.

I was wrong. And I couldn't be happier about it.

There's so much credit to give to so many different people, I'm not sure where to begin. Who thought we wouldn't turn the ball over once, against one of the ballhawkin'est defenses in the country? Who thought we'd total 200 yards rushing against far and away the best rushing defense we've played all year? Who thought we'd have any sort of passing game whatsoever?

I imagine a few of you über-homers out there thought we did, but going into this game, what exactly did you base that on, you mad bastards? I submit that it was absolutely nothing, other than mindless faith in your team. Well, you were right this time.

The Good

- First things first: I have to give it up for the playcalling, but can I at least only do it in isolated instances? It's not like anything between the field goal drive and Pryor's first passing TD was revolutionary. What was new and interesting wasn't executed right in the first place. Didn't even look practiced. But outside of that? It was the best-called offensive gameplan since.... Happy Valley 2007. Hey, Penn State, can we trade stadiums?

- This is Terrelle Pryor's signature "Terrelle Pryor" win. He was not amazing. For an entire half, he wasn't even particularly good. But on two out of three instances when Ohio State badly, badly needed him to just be a competent quarterback, he actually did it. Against an excellent defense, no less. He nailed that bomb to Posey perfectly, did an excellent job of hitting his checkdown on Brandon Saine's receiving TD, and he juuuust overshot Sanzenbacher before the half. There were arm punts here and there, but the fact that they didn't land in the hands of some greedy DB has to count as some bit of progress. Overall, I don't think you can deny that he did the best job yet in his young career of "managing the game", as the cliché goes. For once, he didn't force anything. Had those first down drops been brought in by usually-surehanded Devier Posey and Duron Carter, it might have been considered the unquestioned best performance of his career.

- I thought the Ohio State offensive line did an excellent job, considering, in both pass and run pro. Even without JB Shugarts, they made the Penn State front four largely irrelevant for much of the game. I was not expecting Ohio State to gash PSU like they did, and the line played the biggest part. It's not like Herron was having the greatest day seeing the holes that developed, but the Buckeyes were still able to pick up 4-5 yards on the ground consistently enough to take pressure off of Pryor. These guys deserve all the crap they've gotten these past few years, just as much as they deserve the bulk of the credit for today's offensive success.

- The defensive line has completely recovered from the Purdue loss. Cameron Heyward might have made himself a 1st round pick this year with the job he did today. That sucks, but it's tough to deny that he looked like the best player on either team today. I feel like a complete jackass for suggesting he move back to DT over the summer. He's an excellent strongside DE.

- I thought Herron and Saine both finally lived up to the hype, even if it was only in fits and starts. Both looked far quicker against Penn State than they have at any time this year. Hope Herron can get healthy in time for Iowa, but I wouldn't count on it.

- I think it's safe to say Ray Small, while not living up to expectations by any stretch, isn't quite a bust. First, he saves our bacon against Ohio U, and today, his punt returns changed the dynamic of the whole game. I can't help but wonder what might have been if the dude had kept his head straight for his first three years in Columbus.

- I thought Devin Barclay looked calm, cool and collected in such a raucous environment. He's no Mike Nugent, and probably not even Josh Huston, but he came up pretty big in his first road start.

The Bad

I can't believe this, but this is going to be rather short.

- Let's not make Jake Ballard block anybody the rest of the season. Dude just can't do it. Relying on him to stop a DE is like asking a paraplegic to stop a freight train. It's just not fair.

- Graham Zug getting loose in the secondary so consistently was worrisome. Seemed like he was the only reason Penn State was driving most of the time. Luckily, this was mostly a first half problem, and seemed to get sewn up fine after that.

- I still consider anything-and-short automatic for most teams against our defensive interior. Our DTs are good, but they just can't push the opposing interior back in these critical situations. Not with any consistency anyway.

The Downright Confusing

- The Wildcat was deployed in the first half at the most confusing time possible, and was appropriately stuffed. It was deployed in the second half, and worked. What? Did Jim Tressel really wait nine games to use this? I suppose this is more ammo for the "he's holding stuff back" crowd, but man, this was shocking. If we're going to use it again, let's put someone back there who might actually be a threat to pass at some point (Posey? Some former high school QB?)

- I don't think Penn State fans repped particularly well at all. Booing their own team, leaving early when the game was still technically in doubt.... not pretty. I'm not enough of a jackass to make any grand proclamations about their "classlessness" or something, but... I was disappointed. For the record, I don't think any fan should ever boo their own team.

- I guess we didn't need it that much in the end, but the lack of play-action is perplexing. Especially when we're running on almost every first down.

If you read the live thread, you'll remember me saying that Purdue changed my entire perspective on this season. Well, this is just as much of a gamechanger. While it doesn't wholly make up for the Purdue loss, it shows us definitively that things are actually trending up, the offense is getting better, and this defense is more than a beneficiary of having played bad offensive teams. Remember that one maxim about Jim Tressel teams always getting better? I'm close to rechristening it The Grand Theory of Ohio State Football in post-Cooper Era. Today was about as much proof as one will ever need. Still, Iowa, even without Ricky Stanzi, will be no slouch, and Michigan is Michigan. Ohio State will have to guard against a letdown in both games. The road to Pasadena is winding, if not particularly long. I guess I can't blame you for smelling roses after today's game. Let's just hope the team isn't quite yet.