We are still the Big Cat in the Big 11: Volume #4, Issue #7

Penn State Mourners:

Before providing my normal analysis this week, I need to provide a mass apology to everyone.

Last week I may have put the jinx on our Nittany Lion squad:
First, I waxed about why Penn State would NOT go undefeated
Then, I forecasted that if Penn State allowed the Wolverettes to hang in the game we would “lose small”, as in lose a close game.

And now both of these theories have come true! My bad!!! Please accept my Mea Culpa!!!

In an attempt to win back my Penn State friends I am going on the record with these predictions:
Penn State wins the Big 11
Earns a 10-1 record
Plays in a BCS (Bullsh_t Championship Series) Bowl Game

How sure am I of these soon to be facts? Take your money to Vegas and book these bets. Then take your winnings and meet me at the Bowl game. Just buy me a nice Whiskey Bourbon and let’s call it even!!


Mecheatagain Recap:

Really, I promise I am done with those comments!! Good teams don’t let some bad calls beat them….unless of course the Good team also makes too many other mistakes!

We were clearly the better team, but our game broke down in too many areas. So, the grades are NOT good. The game should never have been close….we were shut out in the first half??? On the season Penn State had scored 49% of their points in the first 2 quarters, but we laid an egg on Saturday!!

Bottom line, we loss due these 4 Simple Rules:
Too conservative of Offensive Play calling in the first half
Lost the Turnover game (our 2 vs. their 1). However, they did not score any points off our Turnovers, and we earned a TD
Returned to not so special Special Teams again. The only savior was an botched extra point that turned into a 2 point conversion
Pathetic Defensive Play calling and execution. The strength of our team clearly let everyone down.

That said, let’s hand out the weekly grades…and with this report card the team would be sent to their room and lose Xbox privileges!!!

Grades:
Coaching: C
Somebody please explain the 2nd half Defensive schemes?? We score 15 points in 15 seconds…then allow the Michigan pathetic offense to score and covert the 2 point play on the next series. We let momentum get away!
And on Michigan final drive…..maybe act like you want to mount a pass rush. Once again, the legitimacy of the “Prevent Defense” is proven…..that it PREVENTS getting a win!!!!
Look we can’t cover kick and punt returns. Learn it, Know it and Plan accordingly!!! Don’t kick to really fast people!!! Joe please this lesson.
Let me help the coaching staff with a little fact…Penn State has converted EVERY 4th down play this year. Don’t go for the 40+ field goal on 4th and 1..drive for the first down.
We needed to come out and score early and often in this game…the Offensive Play calling was too conservative for a big game on the road. We reverted back to a plain vanilla Offense…for the second week. Could more trouble be brewing ahead???

Offense: B+
The team did everything but score in the first half.
Yes, Mickey Robinson scares the crap out me…whether he is passing or running the ball. But the guy is PURE leadership…and you can’t coach that. Give the man his props, he led the team to points in the 4th quarter and what should have been another game winning drive in the final seconds.
Another GREAT, yet quiet game from Tony Hunt. He wins my “Hard Hat Award” for the year. Just comes to work, produces, then goes home and pays his taxes. A real workhorse on the team.
D-Wheels with a broken chassis...more on that later.

Defense: F
Talk about a Jekyll and Hyde performance. Solid in the first half only allowing 3 points…then Halloween arrived early and some souls from the grave invaded the White shirts on Defense!!
Outside of the Zemaitis’s strip and touchdown the team did not show up when the game counted…look at these stats
- Three sacks in the first half…none in the second???
- Allowed Henne to look like the second coming of Tom Brady in the fourth quarter.
- Mike Hart….gained precious YAC (yards after contact) the entire game.
- And what type of defense did we run on the last play of the game… Stand around and watch them win???? We executed that one to perfection!
There is the saying, “Live by the sword, die by the sword”. Defense won the game for us against Ohio State….the return isn’t so much fun.

Special Teams : F
The only thing that prevented this unit from earning a “G” is that Kevin Kelly somehow took the botched extra point attempt and ran it into the end zone.



Illinois Prediction:

We have only lost to the “NCAA ban due to an Indian named mascot” team once….in 2001 at their stadium, after they had a bye week and it was Illinois homecoming.

Interesting all those factors are at work again this week. WHATEVER!.

This should be a win going away for the following reasons:
Illinois’ Defense has more holes than Saddam Hussein’s excuses. Really Indiana put up 36 on these guys. (Even Rutgers scored 30 in a loss)
The Politically Incorrect Illinois Offense is not much better, scoring 20 points in the last 2 games combined!
Just how bad are they…in three Big 11 loses they have been outscored by 98 points!!!!


There is only ONE way we lose this game. We don’t come to play. Our heads are still stuck in Ann Arbor.

And I believe Joe and the coaching staff, along with the Team Captains will get everyone refocused and ready to play. Look for plenty of second string players in the late 3rd quarter.

All that is left to answer is what to do about the loss of D-Wheels. First, you can not replace talent like his….so how do we fill in the gap? Earlier in the year I would have expected more Offensive plays for Justin King. But due to Cronin’s drunken party night and subsequent team dismissal we need JK on Defensive side. Especially against Zook’s spread Offense. King will play some Offense, but he will not be the every down replacement.

Therefore our Wideout sets should look like this:
Deon Butler (#3)
Jordan Norwood…if he is ready to go (foot question) (#24)
Terrell Golden (#4)
Ethan Kilmer (#43)
Lydell Sergeant (#16)


My Prediction is:

Penn State Rebounds for the Big 11 Championship run: 37
After this loss they will want to Cook Ron Zook: 17

This is the first step of the upcoming FIVE game winning streak…including the bowl game.

Enjoy watching on the Duece!
Erik “please accept my apologies” Rosenstrauch

Web Site of the week:
http://www.geocities.com/psulionsden/index.html