PSU vs. CC

Right now, every PSU blog is producing some kind of in-depth preview of Coastal Carolina. And that's fine-they all do wonderful jobs in their own right.

You will receive none of that here, for the reasons set forth in the last post. It's ridiculous. Why would I spend my time researching a team I cannot take seriously? Yes, I'm bitter, and TINNOMJ has done a great job already breaking down what our third stringers will be facing.

What do I hope for?

• No injuries.
• Clarke and Devlin show competent execution through the air.
• Good weather.

So welcome to Happy Valley, Chanticleers. Your money is on the dresser. We're done here, whore.

PSU 45 CC -10

EDIT: admittedly, Mike over at BSD gives me some perspective on why I should go to this game. Well played, Mike. You almost sold me. Almost.

Moving on...

Admiral Akbar Award for Week 1

This season's inaugural AAA goes to.....

Nah. Just kidding. Too easy/obvious to be a "trap" game for Michigan. Last year's bedshitting to Appalachian State is still fresh in their minds and noses, and I highly doubt Michigan will be playing conservative football. I fully expect Michigan to come out swinging, DickRod style, minus the token 10 bubble screen gameplan. You don't remember what happened last year? OK, one last time:

Verily, schadenfreude at its best. Still, I am sure this weekend the Michigan faithful will be a little uneasy until the final gun. And for those faithful, I offer comfort in case of defeat: you still get to play Penn State. There is always hope.

No, I hereby award the following matchup into the Order of Akbar:

Why you say? A number of factors. For one, USC has a date with TOSU next week, a #2 vs. #3. I'm pretty sure USC will opt for conservatism in lieu of preparation for upcoming schedule.

Further, as of late, USC usually has one or two head-scratching losses per year. These guys are so loaded with (paid) talent every year, it's near-inconceivable that they drop a game to say, Stanford (2007), Oregon State and UCLA (2006). Why not get their inevitable loss to an unranked team out of the way now, and then run the table to get a shot at the national championship? Why not indeed.

That, and I truly dislike USC. Not as much as Notre Dame, but maybe a distant second.

LOOK OUT USC! ITS A TRAP!

It's a New Year

Thank God.

Below is a recap/update of all my favorite teams from the past year.

-Penn State: Failed expectations. This was supposed to be Morelli's maturing year, the one where he succeeds despite an undersized and under experienced OL. The opposite happened. However, I do feel good about this coming year. We have a favorable schedule, 16 returning starters, a good OL, a maturing DL, great RBs, CBs, S, etc. The pieces are still there. We need a leader and a little luck. And by that I mean a leader, LJ sr. to stay, and Jay to leave.

• Michigan is known for developing QB talent, why can't we?
• It is rumored that Collins at least had the balls to defy the offensive coaching scheme. Any chance we can get him back?
• We need a placekicker. I do not want a game coming down to Kelly trying to make a FG over 40 yards (or any, for that matter). By the end of the year, he couldn't even force a touch back during kickoffs. Inexcusable.

Philadelphia Eagles: Too little, too late. With an OL that struggled the entire year, the Eagles were abysmal in the red zone. The DL was shallow at the ends-Abiarimi is not a starter, and Thomas/Cole had to shoulder the entire burden of the pass rush. We still need a WR.

• Rumor is that the front office is meeting with Westbrook to restructure his contract. Praise Allah. The guy played every down he could and turned into a legitimate MVP candidate. Cancel his debt, give him a raise. Or better yet, overpay him again to make him act like the best damn RB in the league.
• Drafting needs: 1) DE-we are very weak here. 2)OL/WR-i can't tell if this year's poor play was due to age, or just an off year. Everyone knows the Eagles still need a big WR. Curtis falters in press coverage, and Reggie Brown is only a legitimate #2. 3)S/CB-Reed and Hanson were godsends this year. We need depth-Shepphard has missed too many games recently, and Dawkins is on his last foot. The man is 35; Turn him into a coordinator, just keep him near the team. The D responds to him.
• Preliminary draft-the Eagles resigned Gasperson, which means that they feel secure at WR not to draft one. Look for a free agent acquisition.1) Lawrence Jackson (USC), Jeremy Thompson (Wake), or Jason Jones (VT) would be nice fits and could definitely fall to the Eagles at the 19th spot.
• Upside:Jordan, Bradley, Cole, Westbrook, Hanson, McNabb, Bunkley, Patterson, Gaither, Brown, Reed, Celek
• Downside: Justice (even tho it is noted he played better against Buffalo. Wrong team from NY, but I digress), Jackson, LJ Smith(I hate him), Reagor, Kearse, Shepphard(sorry, too injured), Thomas (the one who renamed himself), McDougle (again, why does this guy have a job?),

-The Flyers-An excellent offseason restructured the entire team. This team is tough, gritty, and ornery. In short, a Philly team that won't lay down. They are steadily improving after a December slump. They like beating Pittsburgh.

• I believe Les Bowen from the Inquirer wrote that the Flyers are slumping at the right time. It's tough to agree that slumping is a good thing; in retrospect he might be right. That putrid stretch at the beginning of December showed the Flyers their deficiency: everyone needs to play defense. Our D is still a step off, and everyone needs to step it up. Results? A three game winning streak, and Biron's numbers go back up. And hopefully I didn't just jinx them.
• The Eastern conference is very tight right now. Hopefully, we get Gagne back soon, and make a good stretch run. I need to really look forward to a good Flyers team in the playoffs. This team provides the hope that wasn't there last year.

-The Phillies-Mozeltov for making an unprecedented run toward the playoffs, and thank you for giving this city a glimpse of the team's real potential. Even better, we knocked the Mets out. Take that, Seinfeld.

• I hate to see Rowand go, but that is most likely going to happen. Best of luck to him, and I hope someone, besides the Mets, pay what he is worth. Utley, Howard, Hamels, Meyers, Kendrick, and J-Roll are locked in and this town is ready for the spring to roll around. I can't wait.

-The Sixers-I don't care.

Bring on the Illini

It's sink or swim time. Let's look at what Chief Illi.....oops. What crappy mascot have the pc nazis deemed appropriate again?

Figure 1-1: Another great mascot castrated

Anyhoo-on to the Illini. Since Ron Zook took over, this team has become downright scary. The talent waiting on this team will insure a competitive squad for years, starting with the offensive threats of Juice Williams and Mendenhall in the backfield. Look for the option early and often.

As far as passing goes, I still don't see them as that much of a threat. Even tho' they have top recruit Arrelious Benn waiting, they still need to find a way to get the ball to him. Wait, that sounds disturbingly familiar.

As far as defenses go, PSU will be facing a faster, more competent defense than Michigan's. By the way, MGoblog really had some great insight into Michigan's defense from last week. In a nutshell, they really didn't do anything impressive, outside of the play of the DTs. It really came down to Morelli, the O-line whiffing on blocks, and Scott. Basically a "wait until they f-up" kind of defense. Hey, it worked. We got beat. Let's move on.

On defense, I expect Illinois to rush us early and often. Keep Morelli hemmed in, and make him force throws. Although Morelli didn't throw any picks last week, it seems that tacopants reared his ugly, invisible head more than once. This is assuming that Zook watches the game film, which we all know he will.

On offense, look for an option attack a la Michael Robinson, but with less throwing. Say what you want, but the PSU d held Hart to under 4 yards per carry last week.

For PSU, you know what to expect on offense. If we run up the gut on the first play, i think i will have to punch someone/thing. Probably a hobo. 'Cause they don't count. For once, I would just love to see play action on first down. And for the love of God, do not hand the ball off to Scott when we are driving.

On defense, more of the same last week with emphasis on making plays outside the hashmarks. PSUs DTs i looked pretty solid last week, IMO.

Final prediction? PSU, 14-10.