Indiana has Its Hoosiers

It's very simple. They are not good. We are playing at home. If PSU comes out less than ready for some angry homicide, I will have lost some faith in the senior leadership on this team.

Unleash the HD!!!!!

Indiana - 13
PSU - 48

I turned 29 on Thursday. Again. Every time I turn 29 it hurts just a little bit more. The communion I go through every Saturday with PSU brings me back to younger days, and the pain of age goes away. I can drink whiskey with impunity. I can smoke 300 packs of cigarettes. I can play 80 minutes of MARFU rugby. I can go an entire tailgate without using the port-o-johns. These are but a small few of the feats I am fully capable of on gameday.

Enjoy the game, and LET'S GO STATE.

Indiana Wrappup

Figure 1-1: They aren't exactly who I thought they were

Before I sharpshoot this game in my "analysis", I first and foremost would like to say I was dead wrong about this Indiana team. Why? As I stated last week, I mailed it in. I didn't do my homework, so imagine the surprise when Indiana marched down the field and scored on their first drive. Other positives for Indiana include the 6-7" manchild, Jay Hardy, dismantling Justin King. Offensively, this team only lacks a good running back. The Hoosiers WILL be getting a bowl game, so bully to them.

The Good

• Anthony Morelli, the offensive line the running game. Jay and Galen have these guys firing on all cylinders, and the play calling still is refreshing. The only caveat here is the 3 FGs in the second half, all from the goal line. Do NOT make FGs a habit within the ten yard line. Look what happenned to the Eagles yesterday.
• We won a close game on the road. We have accomplished neither of those two this season.
  
• Maurice Evans. This guy is an absolute terror. And is a sophmore.

The Bad

• The rest of the d-line. No pressure from anywhere but Evans.
• Our defensive strategy. They passed 48 times. I would say 24 of them, we played the run. As a result, Indiana aired it out and torched us.
• Justin King. He got straight beaten. I understand that he was covering a 6-7" force of nature, and the QB had the brains to throw the jump ball (a la the Randy Moss method), but he is relying on just his presence near the receiver to discourage the pass attempt in his direction.

The Ugly

• We finally got the full-blown injury bug. Losing Hahn could be a devastating blow for the running game. Additionally, he is a senior, and he shredded his ACL. That is not the way for a guy who plays so hard to end his career. It just isn't fair.
• Losing Odrick with a broken ankle for the season. 6'5" DTs with ability are rare. Luckily, we have very competant reserves in Abe Koroma, McKeown, etc. Additionally, he will be back next season.
• The reffing. Or as all call it, "The Effing".

We got the win. The offense was good. The D was not. We lost 2 good starters. Indiana is a good team. There is now parity in the B10.

Indiana has its Hoosiers

Figure 1-3: Better than sucky this year

I actually got to watch some of the IND/MSU matchup on saturday after our glory. It looked like the MSU offense was running Madden drills on them.

Short preview this week, because there really is nothing really to preview. In other words, I am lazy . PSU is favored, and holds the advantage in almost every facet of the game. The only question marks for this PSU team is:

1. Can we win on the road against a team with a winning record? Or more generally, can we win on the road?

2. Indiana is #1 in the NCAA in sacks pergame (thanks Turkey !). Can our offensive line hold them?

3. Can we handle a lesser option offense?

Illinois taught the Lions how to defend the option-they have seen this type of offense before and adjusted perfectly. This answers question #3.

Our offensive line is extremely cohesive right now. In the last three games, they have opened up massive running holes for our backs. Word out of practice this week is that Quarless is working his ass off to get back into the lineup after being benched for half-assing blocks last Saturday, so all signs are pointing toward the positive.

Can PSU win on the road? Depends. If we use the game plan from Michigan, this game will be a tossup, at most an ugly win. If we use the game plan from the last few weeks, the score will only be close at the opening whistle.

So two out of three questions are answered in the positive, one is a maybe, leaning toward the positive.

PSU 45 Ind 7. The seven comes in garbage time. This team is hungry, pissed, and clicking.

Final thoughts

• I still feel horrible for Hayes. This kid has to work hard for the next 9-11 months to get himself back to a usuable condition, and even then he still might have lost a step.


• Will Morelli pass on first? Will we run? I don't know, and neither do the Indiana coaches. This puts us at an extreme advantage in that our strategy is now totally hidden, which means our strategy can succeed.


• PSU never "looks ahead" to the following game. This team always focusses on the task at hand.