What Now?

Is this us?

Galen over at TNL is echoing a theme common in the PSU community right now. To give up. The sense of loss and despair from Saturday's upset (ed-great adjective and metaphor) has lowered him to such basement levels of anger and self-abuse that he has sworn off PSU football for the year.

This cannot happen. Not now. Not ever. Galen and Nick do great work for the PSU community, and if half the symbiotic relationship were to quit functioning, the site would cease to have the impact that it currently has.

I don't like the New York Giants. Never have. But Fassel did have one great quote:

"This is a poker game here and I'm shoving my chips to the center of the table. I'm raising the stakes. That's the game and anybody who wants in can play. But I'm upping the ante.''

While I do realize that in professional football, you just have to make it to the playoffs to have a shot at the championship, the quote in itself is pretty inspiring. The message should be evident. Ante up or get out. We have the 6-7 months of non-PSU football to argue about what happened last weekend.

Michigan Recap

The Good(for the entire game)

• Evan Royster: 17 car, 174 yds, 1 TD
• Deon Butler: 8 rec, 105 yds
• Jeremy Boone: 3 punts, 134 yds, 44.7 ypp

The Bad

• There was nobody who played bad overall for PSU. There was just....

The Ugly

The above pic is a metaphor for the way PSU came out, and that's just because I couldn't find a picture of the first snap sailing over Clark's head. We come out flat, let the other team hang around, and then started playing. Some say that this only makes us stronger. I say bullshit-adversity is faced against good teams in dire situations. When this kind of adversity is overcome, the team gets confidence.

We (the royal we), however, created our own problems by taking 1.5 quarters of vacation. This trend is unsettling, and has happened in too many games played this year.

Other than the offensive miscues (pun intended), WTF was going on with the defense? Every running play, and thus 95% of all plays which were executed by the Michigan offense, were inside the tackles. Yet we backed off, made horrible reads, were pushed around by the Michigan OL, and provided no pressure in the backfield. Early in the first quarter, with Michigan going for it on 4th and short, Bowman had a guy in the backfield (eerily similar to the play he made last week against PJ Hill). He made the hit, and then inexplicably let the guy go. Upon review, it looked like Odrick might have swept his feet out while he was making contact, but still.

It seemed like once we subbed out Hull and Sales, the problems kind of disappeared. We played the run correctly, and figured out that Threet is no threat downfield. After that, we just had to make a play every 3 downs or so and watch Michigan destroy itself. The offense relied on Butler and Royster, which turned out to get the job done without any Spread HD playcalling. It is noted that Hull and Sales were inserted back in the lineup with more positive results.

My insane theory on what the gameplan against Michigan was?

• Michigan is having a down year. Joe knows this. As with Purdue/Wisconsin weeks, PSU is going against a relatively easy team (Michigan) and then a perceived difficult night game on the road (OSU).
• In Purdue we looked bland, but still won. This theory applies in that there was no flashy playcalling against Michigan, just marginal playcalling.
• The slow offensive start in Madison aside, this theory again holds water in that Wisconsin never knew what hit them for 4 quarters of football due to the lack of traditional PSU-style conservatism. And that unheralded innovation is going to be unleashed in Columbus on Saturday night.

Other Notes

• PSU should have rushed more than 4 in the first half of the game. It just seemd that the DL couldn't find their game until the backup LBs came in.
• Odrick is still a manchild
• Congratulations to Kevin Kelly!
• Maybin was still strong.
• Nate Stupar defied emporer Zoltan by stepping in the way of His regal punt. Zoltan ordered Stupar's immediate liquidation, but Stupar had already been carried off to the safety of the underground resistance. DEATH TO SPACE TYRANT ZOLTAN!!!!!
• Norwood dropped a few passes. Weird.
• What streak?

Movin' On

OSU on Saturday night. They are ranked #9, and we are #3. The setting represents past failure, and the last large obstacle to PSU football salvation.

In keeping with my insane theory, I pray PSU will come out with something OSU has never seen before in a PSU defense. Hopefully, it is something along the lines of a 3-4, with Maybin mirroring Pryor. This is similar to what the Eagles do against mobile QBs. Pryor has proved himself as a talented running QB, but not really a passing one. Yet.

The trick is, how do you contain Wells?

Lastly, if we come to Columbus with the execution seen in the first 25 minutes of last game, we will get smoked.

Up North, the Wolverines

It's been awhile-work tends to pile up when you are away on road trips. And slack off. And have unlimited computer access at work and are easily distracted by shiny objects and a Phillies' playoff run. So yeah, I've been busy. Moving on....



So this week the Wolverines (2.0) come into town. They bring with them baggage and failure, which is fine with me. The problem is, as a whole, I just can't hate Michigan. I don't know why; maybe it's because they are traditional rivals to Notre Dame. Or their fans were incredibly nice to us on our road trip last year.

What I do not like about Michigan is the little things. Let's start with the stadium:

1)Michigan Stadium

• Their seats are small for most of our American fatasses. Not mine tho', which comes in handy when your chubby friends sit in your row, but I digress. Thus, the traditional nomenclature of the "Big House" has been attached to said stadium since they can compress more fans into the bleachers. And here comes the PSU inferiority complex:
  

• It's quiet, even when at capacity. You can literally feel the sound being sucked up into the void.
• Their student section blows. Jingle your keys all you want, but it's gay.
• The visitor's section is at the top of the stadium, and wraps around the corner of the endzone. That's just rude.

2) Dick Honig

• 2002. Johnson was clearly in, asshat.
• 2005, 2 seconds.
• 2005, Avant was out.
• 2005, Hart fumbled.
• F#$king DICK HONIG

Other than that, I really don't have a problem with their fans, except for item #2 above. I have never noticed the arrogance theory other blogs ascribe to.

That being said, I hope we stomp them new mudholes this year. Eleven years is a tough run for any team. Trust me, I have a vested interest in Philadelphia sports.

PSU On Defense

Michigan is in a transition year offensively. They have no QB to run RichRod's spread attack, new RBs, and an entire set of inexperienced WRs (which is going to look somewhat familiar to us next year). I fully expect Michigan to come in and run the offense we saw vs. Notre Dame last year, or Wiscy last week. Nothing flashy, just short passes and vanilla running to avoid potential screw-ups. I fully expect PSU to rush 5 or 6, with blitzing LBs providing different looks. Maybin will again act thussly:

PSU On Offense

Michigan does not have a bad defense. In fact, they have a very underrated defensive front seven. What frightens me, and consequently could be the only thing keeping Michigan in this game, is forced turnovers. I take solace in our starters' past few games performance. Clark has shown almost preternatural decision making and accuracy. Royster knows Lawlor and the O-Line will provide the running lane needed, and the starting WRs all have veteran experience.

PSU Special Teams

We have Williams and Kelly, the latter being an asset this year. Emporer Zoltan might be one of the best punters in the universe, but he doesn't kick field goals or act as a return man. Provided Boone is marginal, PSU maintains a clear advantage. Unless Williams loses a fumble.

All signs point to PSU blowing out this Michigan team. How can Michigan possibly win?

• We go into offensive "sphincter mode". I don't see this happening at home against a team that is down.
• Royster's hand injury flares up and he fumbles the ball more than once.
• PSU has an eleven year flashback/panic attack.
• We play "bend don't break". I don't like defenses tired late in the game because they were on the field too much in the first half.
• Michigan is within 14 by the fourth. WE CANNOT LET THIS MICHIGAN TEAM HANG AROUND.

All the above seem improbable. Still, I will not signal victory until the clock runs down.

Final Thoughts

We should have won last year but failed. We better win this year, because Michigan will not be down for long.

Michigan: 6
PSU: 51

EDIT: Most PSU and Michigan blogs have that fateful final play in the 2005 game. That clip will never be posted here. EVER. I can't look at that clip without that feeling of despair and loathing over what could have been. If I were to post it, I would most likely blackout and wake up in a prison cell covered in blood and confusion.

Monday Review

Figure 1-2: Like a squirrel with an acorn, Koroma plants receivers in the ground during the fall to stock up for those lean times ahead.

Those who played really did nothing wrong. Yes, there were dropped passes, a sack, and one penalty, but that is to be expected every game. From whistle to gun, this team played complete football. Maybe it's the off-field struggles, or the fact that they know they should maybe have one loss right now, but this team is definately playing in "us against the world" mode.

Biggest improvement

Morelli and the offensive lines. One sack, no interceptions, and no bad passes. Morelli did everything that was expected of him.

Lydell Sergent. The guy was everywhere on Saturday, leading to very few Wallace sightings. And I know the name is spelled wrong; I like my way better.

Biggest Loss

Jerome Hayes. Still don't know why his knee gave out, but it didn't look good. So sad for a guy who has played with the highest intensity this season. Lets pray for a sprain or slight tear, and nothing that would completely alter his playing style.

Other injuries

Odrick broke a bone(s?) in his hand, but he will be back in the lineup. Word on the street is that he ripped the defective part(s) out of his body, and replaced it with a tooth he stole from Lyle Alzado. Bible truth.

And that's all. Let's put this game behind us; we've got a competant Indiana team ahead of us on the road, and then.....inhales...THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.... That's right, the #1, untested team in the country comes into Happy Valley on a Saturday night. Here's to the Whiteout!

Figure 1-3: Remember this?