younstown state part deux
i have a bad feeling on this one. as a lifelong psu fan and apologist, i have often worked tirelessly to rationalize and explain the nits winning every week, despite an avalanche of information, history, etc. that would suggest otherwise. before the season started i thought this team would finish their first four games 3-1 (with a win in south bend against a moderately talented notre dame team). with a woodshed beating already layed upon them, this penn state team looks ripe to face michigan oct. 14, 3-2 and with only two wins against d-1 competition*.
joepa has never shown a willingness to abandon the conservative gameplan and this week that is not going to cut it (it very rarely does in the big ten). penn state has not won in the horseshoe since 1978 and has yet to score more than 10 points (yes, that's right i said 10 effin points) against ohio state on the road as a member of the big ten.
penn state will have to craft an offensive gameplan that balances the big play talent they have (dwheels, butler, wallace) with a solid running game if they want to hang on to the ball and put some points on the board. for the big plays to work, jaypa and galen need to avoid their tendency to utilize these plays in the most painfully obvious ways (i.e. dwheels lined up in the backfield with wallace coming across the field in motion for the end around on second and 10). defense is the same, need to bring pressure and avoid letting ginn find one on one coverage, so that we can minimize our appearances on sportcenter having white clad nits running around helplessly while ginn prances down the sideline.
i can't remember having this little faith in a penn state team in a long time, and that includes the pitiful teams of the early 2000s. nits see a virtual replay of the notre dame game in columbus without ever really being in it...nits 9, buckeyes 45.
go state...beat the buckeyes
*it looks like the minnetonka game will be moved to november 25. 3-2 is based on wins against akron, youngstown state, and northwestern (not a given by any means) and losses to notre dame and ohio state.
posted by robb | 9/21/2006
6 Comments:
It's nice to see a bit of reailty at MFD - it's a nice change from the usual kool-aid sippin', mcqueary-lovin blog that is MFD. A 3-2 record going into the Michigan game will indeed be the case - after a whuppin' in the horshoe, the Nits will recover and steamroll my beloved, helpless Wildkits. I'll get my next two predictions into this one posting - it's OSU 38, PSU 13 and PSU 31, Northwestern 3. Here's hoping this team can gel into something more than its shown so far for a whiteout and whitewash for the Wolverines.
I've lost hope. The White Sox are down the toilet. The Steelers (okay - i'm a fan by association) had the worst rushing since Hector was a pup. And now Penn State plays an Ohio State team (and fan base) seeking redemption. Since our team is faltering, the only thing we can fight back with is a Clarett jail sentence.
NFL in Ohio: 24
Penn State: 13
I too can't remember a time I have ever predicted a loss. Even during the dark days, you knew they had a chance... I mean, come on, Iowa 6, Psu 4??? It was always close, even if it was one for the L column. Now, we can't hang our hats on things being close anymore. This team is a year away from winning a big game, and they are going to have to grow up in a hurry to make it happen even next year, with guys like EJ and Alford leaving us vacant in run support.
It's time for our hyped playmakers to step up and make some plays. I don't need a win. Just give me something. Give me a 6-4 loss, I'll take it. Anything but a 30+ point blowout and I'm a happy guy.
Well...that, and give me one friggin time we reach the 20 yard line, and we score 7 points. One time, for the love of G! And, Joe, how about having a little faith, and going for it on the opponent's 40 on 4th down once every 7 years??
I could rant all day, but this blog doesn't have enough bandwidth for me to exercise my demons. Sorry state, but not this year. Hopefully you bring it for NU and UM, because there's no East Carolina's on our schedule anymore..
Tresslevest 31
PSU 10
luckily i live in sc and had time to track down some blue and white kool-aid. it looks like everyone could use a little!
it is my opinion that this team is not as bad as they have played - just like last year's team was probably not as good as the 11-1 record...
on the flip side i a not sold on this OSU team as the best in the land - they beat a young Texas team, but they are living on last year's props - and cincinnati hung around for 2+ quarters last week - in the shoe...
so, i will go out on a limb and say the Nits are due a big win. If not, I don't give a shit what they show me - i'm sick of looking for moral victories with the psu football program when it comes to big games...it feels like it has been forever, but this will feel so good.
Nits: 31
OSU: 27
p.s. if you need some kool-aid i accept checks and money orders - sure does taste good going down - it's coming out that hurts...
p.p.s if you are near sc on saturday night i'm gonna need some help carrying the goal post!
To me it's just one more game for my favorite team and I can only hope they make a good showing. If they play with heart, I will feel good. With that, I think the score will be osu 32, PSU 7.
Mom
Sorry we didn't get a post in on time. I guess we didn't want to have to predict a loss for the Nits. We still keep a little kool-aid in the pantry. Oh well, maybe next game...
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