Penn State Homecomers:
The football gods are shining upon us. The pieces are falling into place for us to win the Big 11 and go to a BCS bowl, with that $13 Million payout (of course we have to share that with the rest of the Little 10).
But first and foremost we need to take care of our business. Here is a quick review of how we do it:
Beat Purdue…more on that later
TOUGH game at HOME vs. Wisconsin. They will also be 8-1 (as they get to whip Illinois this week) and trying to win the Big 11. They will play very tough. But we are the more complete team on both sides of the ball. And we have much better balance on Offense. And the Beaver Stadium crowd better be ready to bounce!
Go on the ROAD to Michigan St. They are in the process of folding their tents and leaving camp, like they do most years. In addition, we will finally get a week of rest and preparation before the game. With our motivation and their tendency to quit we should roll in this one.
Key FACT of the week:
As many of you know, I am a bit crazy about Penn State in two ways:
- First, I love to analyze statistics about the team
- Second, I have an overblown opinion about my influence on the team’s performance.
So, let me deliver my latest “FACT”..as I truly affected the team’s performance by residing in Texas. Here is the data:
Performance while Erik resided in Texas (1998 – October 31, 2004)
43-38 in 81 games = 53% winning percentage
Record after Erik moved back North (November 1, 2004 – Present)
9-2 in 11 games = 82% winning percentage
Therefore, the case is closed about the effect of living in “enemy” territory!!!
Give them some Love:
Hope you haven’t missed some of the other Penn State teams having a great fall season:
Women’s Field Hockey team is #6 in the country and won the Big 11 title
Women’s Soccer team has the #1 ranking and won the Big 11
Men’s Soccer team has won the Big 11 regular season crown
Great job to those teams. Now let’s look at this past week’s game…or as I like the say “Penn State’s 30 minutes of Fury!”
Illibad Recap:
Wow, what a show put on by the Lions. It looked like a game for 4 minutes, then Penn State took Illinois behind the wood shed and gave them many more than 13 lashings with a wet noodle!!
In fact, Joepa’s new nickname should be “Joseph the Merciful”! This game provided many record setting events; M-Rob tied for Touchdowns in a game and set the record for touchdowns in a half, most Penn State points in a half, etc. But if Joe didn’t stop the Offense (we did not throw a pass in the second half) and replace the Defense (did anyone else catch Matt Rice get mad for being taken out and then sneak back in for a 3rd down play later in the game) we could have looked like one of those schools from the Big 12 by running up the score.
From my point of view there were only 2 positives that could come from a game like this:
The Starters sat for the entire second half.
This gave them a well deserved rest, since the Big 11 Office is making us play 10 straight games. And you can’t get hurt while sitting on the sidelines…as injuries are beginning to creep up on the Lions (Jordan Norwood did not make the trip to Illinois)
Maybe Illinois will finally play mad…against Wisconsin!
Zook had a week to prepare his team for us…and that was the result??? They really can’t be that bad…and let’s hope they decide to fight this upcoming week and make Wisconsin work for a win.
The grades are pretty obvious in a game like this….
Grades:
Coaching: A
The most important aspect was that the team was over the emotional and physical drain from the prior three weeks. They came ready to play and that bodes well for the remainder of the year.
It appears that I was wrong about Justin King. He will be playing more Offense the rest of the year and Donnie Johnson will man the nickel spot. The question is, will this just for the easy games vs. playing better passing teams like Michigan State later in the year.
Offense: A
We scored an Offensive touchdown the first 6 times we had the ball. We gained as many yards in the first half as Illinois had for the game. Enough said about production.
Mickey Robinson looked great. He made the few tough throws look easy.
Austin Scott….I just don’t get this guy. He has definitely regressed while at Penn State. Just blow on the guy and he falls like a sack of potatoes. And he does not have any explosive speed or power. Maybe that injury was worse than reported, but clearly Hunt is the man.
Defense: A
If you really want to see a huge man with a big heart just look at Tamba Hali. He could have killed the QB on the unblocked blindside sack in the second quarter...but he pulled up! Yes, a Defensive End eased up on a sack. I just hope it did not cost him a few million in the NFL draft by showing a little class and heart.
Nice adjustment to the no huddle Offense by Illinois. But really this game was the definition of “Shooting fish in a barrel”.
Special Teams : A
Here is THE stat of the game: Calvin Lowry returning punts! In the first 7 games = 140 yards. Against Illinois = 127 yards. Even Calvin looked fast!
Purdue Prediction:
You want to know how much the professional sports experts really know about College Football; almost every major National publication predicted that Purdue would either win or be in the mix for the Big 11 title. Purdue is playing more like “Phew whew” they stink so bad: 2-5 overall, and 0-4 in the Big 11.
How bad is bad….Purdue’s passing defense is rated 117th in the NCAA…out of 117 teams!!
How low is low…Purdue had 5 turnovers against Wisconsin, including 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns.
But, this could be the week they put it all together for the big upset??? Or will Joe Tiller’s team cause him to have a “Boilermaker” after another defeat?
And for the record what kind of mascot is a Boilermaker??? Do you really want to be named after men who built boilers for locomotive engines? What no Indian tribes to ridicule (per the NCAA latest rules) in Indiana….look at the name of the state!!!! Editors Note: The NCAA is based in Indianapolis, Indiana…is that why they are so protective of Indian tribes???
My Prediction is:
Penn State Happy Homecoming: 37
Purdue is anything but perfect: 14
New Feature: Key games and picks of the week:
Boston College at Virginia Tech: Red vs. Blue State, Red wins
Ohio State at Minnesota: Do Beavers eat nuts, no they don’t
Wisconsin at Illinois: Do you need to ask?
Georgia at Florida: No Bulldog QB, the Gators win
Mecheatagain vs. Northwestern: Randy Walker may be the Big 11 coach of the year, Go Wild Wildcats!
Final Rant of the Week: The BCS is such a load of….really stupid analysis. The Texas Shorthorns are now #1 in the country! I feel for USC, because Penn State has been shafted like this in the past. How do you win a game and go backwards in the poll? Bush can’t win another election so quit trying to give Texas another National Championship (Nixon in 1969).
Give us a playoff system or give me death!
Enjoy the EIGTH win of the season,
Erik “I’ll be Happy in Happy Valley this weekend” Rosenstrauch
Web Site of the week: This is a very pre Penn State Big 11 slanted site, but it is fun to read
http://www.collegefootballnews.com/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment