Grading The Offense Against Indiana
by Kevin HD
on Nov 17, 2008 1:39 PM EST
in Game Reviews
Another tale of two halves.. It's probably a little troubling, a start like this against even an average team could be trouble. But then again, it was a hangover game if there ever was one and it was the most points Penn State has been favored by against a Big Ten opponent since 1994.
Quarterback
Clark took a lot of heat last week and whatever it was that caused him problems against Iowa seemed to bleed into the first half of this game. His passing was erratic and the fumble on the goal line was a major mistake. Everything felt forced and Clark seemed to constantly be throwing off the wrong foot and sometimes even leaning backwards. He also seemed to get caught in the pocked more than a mobile quarterback should. There was a moment in the second quarter when you wondered if he was going to be able to pull himself together.
But then he did. He finished with solid stats and overcame some receiver drops for what turned into a great second half. You can tell mistakes bother him a lot; this is probably not healthy. He needs to be able to forget whatever it is he has done and move on. You can tell he's probably not doing this. Exhibit A:
Notice anything? I'm convinced this isn't a talent issue at all but simply Clark over-thinking everything. At the beginning of the year he was attacking, not holding anything back, and now all of the sudden he is struggling to make the 8 yard pass and losing the ball.
Also, the interception was simply bad luck. Maybe it was a little under-thrown but that one is hard to hold against him.
Final Grade: (First Half/Second Half) C- / A
Offensive Line
The regression of the offensive line is probably the most troubling thing about these last two weeks. Not that they aren't still playing okay, it's just that they were so strong at the beginning of the season and now there are multiple instances of defensive linemen going untouched and very few big holes being opened up. Royster was almost killed early in the game when this unit broke down in short yardage, and there were also several instances where Clark didn't even have enough time to get himself out of the pocked.
Now 207 yards (excluding sacks) isn't anything to be ashamed of, but it seems like there are almost no big running plays anymore and a lot of that is due to the fact that the running backs are fighting for every yard rather than getting the space we saw earlier in the season to create the home run.
Final Grade: B
Running Backs
The breakdowns on the offensive line are probably hurting Green the most. He needs space early to be effective and he isn't getting it. His longest carry of the day was six yards and he was held to an average of just three. Part of this is on him, of course, if he wants to be the feature back he needs to develop a power game.
Royster, on the other hand, seems to deal with this well. He didn't break anything for over 20 yards but showed great patience in tight running lanes and was able to end the day with a very good 5.2 ypc average.
Final Grade: A-
Receivers / Tight Ends
While the emergence of The Real Derrick Williams is fun to watch, there seems to be something a little off with the receivers. This is going to be a mixed bag review because the numbers are so impressive, but these seniors are repeatedly dropping passes and it's troubling. Clark had several well placed balls that seemed to fall right through the veterans' hands. Remember this:
Now I know there were some not-so-great passes, but what happened to the hands in the video above?
This was mentioned in Artiefufkin10's FanPost and I agree: Norwood doesn't appear to be 100%, or if he is the coaches don't know it. He's not being utilized as effectively as he was at the beginning of the year. Regardless, he did lead the team in receiving yards with 69, and both Butler and Williams were over 50 yards and recorded a TD each.
Final Grade: B
Coaching
Something changed before Ohio State. The team was ultra-aggressive leading up to that game and it was working flawlessly. The Oregon State game was an all out attack, and in the first half alone the coaches called several very deep passes down field. The playcalling was hard to predict and, for the most part, the offense was hard to stop. Then, in Columbus, we saw a return to the Don't Screw Up offense, hardly of the HD variety, and for better or worse it worked. Looking back, the way the team won against Ohio State this season was the exact same way they lost against Michigan last year. If it wasn't for two major fumbles in Ann Arbor, Penn State wins. But that's the problem: betting that you won't make a single mistake is a tough way of call a game. If you play flawlessly then it works, but guess what? You aren't going to be able to pull that off every week.
The effectiveness of the gameplan two weeks ago probably has had an impact on future playcalling and the entire staff has reverted to this grind it out approach. This is bad bad 1,000 times bad. We had made such progress...
Back to grading the game at hand: The coaches decided they were going to pass when it was probably true that a gameplan that includes 75% run would have covered the spread. Covering the spread wasn't the goal though; the point was to win but also give Clark his confidence back. It almost backfired in devastating fashion. The game was won anyway, and you really can't complain about the number of players who were included in the offense and 442 yards of total offense.
Final Grade: B
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Receivers
I know this isn’t really game specific, but you could put Butler getting the career receptions record at Penn State in here somewhere ;-)
Who would have bet that a walk-on 4 years ago was going to pull that off?
by The JuggerNitt on Nov 17, 2008 1:50 PM EST 0 recs
WOOT, what a great accomplishment for another team player.
It seems that a lot of the younger receivers are getting involved as the season goes on. This is great for them and the team but they are taking some catches away from the usual 3. I wonder if it is affecting Norwood and Butler’s play, and maybe Clark’s timing and confidence. Just a theory.
I don't know, Mello Yello is pretty awful. What's the worst that could happen?
by psu on
Nov 17, 2008 1:55 PM EST
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Maybe it's just me
But I put Butler’s accomplishment right up there with Anthony Morelli setting the school record for completions in a season. Yeah that’s great and all, but when most of your passes/catches are bubble screens and four yard out patterns, well, whoopidee-doo.
Butler is an awesome story of a walk on defensive back scrapping to make the team and eventually walking away with the career receptions record, but he plays in a different time and system from Bobby Engram who played during a time when a quarterback completing 60% of their passes was unheard of and rarely did you ever throw a pass under eight yards.
He’s a good player, but Engram and even O.J. McDuffie were on a different level. (And anyone who cares to argue otherwise better at least be old enough to remember watching Engram and McDuffie play.)
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
by BSD on
Nov 17, 2008 2:25 PM EST
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Memorable for a different reason
Deon Butler probably wouldn’t rank in the top 20 all-time WR’s at Penn State, but his story is one of consistency and perserverance. One half McDuffie, one half Rudy.
by Run Up The Score on
Nov 17, 2008 2:39 PM EST
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oh, I agree that they were better players
and I also wish that other stat-skewing that exists could be accounted for (such as there being more games, both regular season, and bowl game possibilities) leading to a greater number of opportunities. I don’t think it is just a coincidence that all of a sudden there have been a lot more 2000 yard rushers.
And bowl appearances and streaks and such: much easier now that you only need basically a .500 record to go bowling now.
But I still think what Butler did is an accomplishment worth mentioning in more than just the comments section. I would say the same for M*r*ll*, or any “significant” record like that.
On a side note, some of my favorite “ridiculous” stats are ones like “pass attempts” or “rush attempts”, especially when they aren’t accompanied by “pass yards” or “pass completions” or “rush yards”. Those records are basically saying “hey, I am mediocre, but I was mediocre frequently!”
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 17, 2008 2:40 PM EST
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And let's not forget
Butler gets 12 games a year and they now count bowl stats. Engram got 11 games a year and they didn’t count bowl stats back then.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
by BSD on
Nov 17, 2008 3:06 PM EST
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That was what I meant when I said the stat skewing thing
and how all stats from recent years get skewed. I still think it is an impressive record, though. Of course if you look at career receptions leaders of teams like Texas Tech, I’m sure we get blown away :-p
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 17, 2008 3:33 PM EST
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Still deserves credit
Do you think Matt Seneca would have wanted a guy like Butler? You bet! Instead he had Tony Butterfingers Johnson. Doesn’t matter if there were a lot of short attempts, what matters is he can catch the ball. It sounds silly, but I attended psu during their worst 4 year span of football, a guy like Butler would have been clutch.
by MrBrianPSU on
Nov 17, 2008 5:56 PM EST
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forget Seneca
How much better would Mills have finished his career if had these 3 guys?
by queler on
Nov 18, 2008 10:30 AM EST
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Bryant Johnson
was another pretty darn good one. He even made Tony Johnson look good in ’02. Then in ’03 when Tony was the #1 guy he forgot how to catch.
by whiteoutonly on
Nov 17, 2008 3:00 PM EST
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Who made tony johnson look good? I don’t recall him ever having a good game.
by MrBrianPSU on
Nov 17, 2008 5:57 PM EST
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Well
He has 2 of the most memorable ruled non-catches in recent PSU history. Tony was a good #2 guy, but when he was the #1 and got all the attention he didn’t do aswell.
by whiteoutonly on
Nov 17, 2008 6:40 PM EST
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but he was out of bounds (as the ref points out of bounds)
despite the divot inbounds
then the ref changes his decisions: he was clearly bobbling it (as the ref makes the “bobbling hands” motion)
despite the replay showing a perfect form catch bringing the ball tight against his chest, planting both feet in bounds, and fallint out.
But don’t worry, the refs were on the ball in 2005 for the Jason Avant catch (which, lamentably yes, was a catch, but probably would have been ruled out of bounds if it was Norwood making the same play)
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 18, 2008 12:49 PM EST
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Wow. . . Harsh on Butler. . .
It’s not like he had Kerry collins throwing at him either. PSU’s all time leading receiver is a hell of an accomplishment, and we’ve seen a special player and a special story at PSU over the last 4 years.
by The IC Lion on
Nov 17, 2008 3:39 PM EST
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exactly!
Paterno didn’t throw the ball back when engram and McDuffie were playing – Freddie Scott left because he was spending every Saturday picnicking in the WIDE OPEN and never saw the ball.
Who the heck cares if the stats are “skewed” – Deon is one of the kids who lifted us out of the abyss – he redshirted the ’04 season – so he knew about the low years first hand – and he just knew that he could help this team get back to winning – and he has.
And here’s the thing about Deon Butler – he’s like the duffy cobbs/ray isom in the history of PSU receivers – a small scrappy little guy who plays with heart and makes the opposing team regret they ever underestimated him.
As a converted dback – he’s the safest guy on the field to throw the ball to – because if the play goes awry – he’s going to defend against the int (except for that one against iowa – no one could have helped there).
His senior year hasn’t been his best – most likely because of play calling and the overdue attention he has received from defensive coordinators. But all of the “babies” have been uncharacteristically sluggish this season – They seem to have been very focused on the mnc – perhaps too much.
Listen – throw the ball to Butler – he (or no one else) is going to catch it – his feet will be in bounds and he’ll hold on to it.
by PSUgirl on
Nov 17, 2008 5:59 PM EST
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You just dropped Ray Isom
I am so in love right now. One of my favorite players. Ever!
Beautifully presented defense of Deon. +1 to you.
pax et amor
by jtothep on
Nov 18, 2008 8:52 AM EST
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coaching
i agree. before the OSU game, these kids were visably having fun on the field. things were loose.
post OSU, not so much. no swagger, no team celebrations, no jaw dropping plays (e.g. dwill vs ill, the wheel route out of the backfield for a TD).
http://glassesofjoe.blogspot.com/
by psudrozz on Nov 17, 2008 1:54 PM EST 0 recs
I wonder
how much of the lack of swagger and such is a result of being post-OSU with different gameplans, or post Iowa, with the loss. Also, I wonder how much the weather has changed their outlook. Hard to be all up and excited when you’re freezing your dangly bits off.
Proposal for the next addition to Beaver Stadium: retractable roof that we keep open against teams that have an advantage over us (to let the weather “even things up”, and to close when we’re the clear favorites. ;-) Also: this dome is portable to take to other stadiums, yet we get to control when it is open or closed.
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 17, 2008 1:58 PM EST
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Weather
Yeah, I think weather has been a little overlooked. Not saying it’s an excuse, but an offense just isn’t going to be as explosive in the type of weather this team has played in the last two weeks. Clearly execution and playcalling are bigger factors, but weather shouldn’t be totally ignored.
by speedomike on
Nov 17, 2008 3:27 PM EST
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It seems a little like
the emergence of more conservative play calling and the offensive line not being the force they were have been parallel events. Which makes me wonder if between gameday execution and practice during the week, the coaches have been seeing (a) trend(s) that have prompted them to put some of the aggressive plays on the “B” list for now.
When you think about it, Clark’s difficulties have pretty much coincided with the tOSU game when he started seeing more pressure in pass situations. I agree with the conclusion that part of his issues seem to be with not putting the past behind him and putting too much pressure on himself, rather than letting the game and the plays develop. Earlier in the season I was concerned that Williams was going to be guilty of this. Clark’s expectations of himself are not unheathy . . . you can’t expect to achieve excellence if you are content with mediocrity, but he does need to understand that he can’t undo the past. I feel that getting him to do that is a coach’s responsibility. Maybe make him sit a few series to say “Once you’re ready to play this game and stop replaying the Iowa game, you just let me know.”
"the secret to loving your job is having a hobby that you really despise"
by nitwit86 on Nov 17, 2008 2:30 PM EST 0 recs
I'm convinced that "conservative" is the wrong word here
We had one more pass than run called yesterday, I believe. I was screaming from the stands for them to run the football, especially in the first half when I thought we were way too cute with the ball. I think when you have the chance to run it down their throats (they gave up 441 rushing yards last week to Wisconsin!!!), but you don’t consistently do it, you take away some momentum your hogs up front thrive on.
There’s nothing more satisfying to an offensive lineman than knowing you can dominate your man every play, and there’s nothing more frustrating than knowing that and then hearing a reverse called in, or a WR screen, or a deep bomb from a struggling QB fall incomplete and leave you in a hole.
Our line is still capable of regaining early season form, no doubt, but they need a little help from the sideline, IMO.
by jimbo2psu on
Nov 17, 2008 8:21 PM EST
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Agree totally
When we were truly running the spread the OL played well. When Joe pulled the plug, like he seems to always do in the big away game the OL was put in the position of having to block eight and nine in the box which is nearly impossible and the play calling played right into the defense. The OL play hasn’t been as good as earlier in the season mainly due to the “prevent offense” the Joe installed since OSU.
by FG Dreadnought on
Nov 17, 2008 11:11 PM EST
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perhaps the better word would be "predictable"
The Spread HD has so much potential, but we seem to run the same plays out of the different formations, and often times those plays are the more “conservative” plays
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 18, 2008 12:51 PM EST
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Predictable . . .
that definitely is the right term here. And that’s a crime, really, because there ARE so many different options that could be used to exploit opposing D’s, keep them off balance and forcing them to honestly defend all options/weapons at we could be using in any of those formations.
"the secret to loving your job is having a hobby that you really despise"
by nitwit86 on
Nov 18, 2008 2:33 PM EST
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Irrelevant
It’s not a matter of whether we do runs or passes – it’s what the runs or passes are. In the second quarter I had flashbacks to 2007 and nearly felt sick. first down – dive up the middle, 2 yard gain. Second down – flare pass to a receiver on the sidelines, no gain. Third down – flare pass to a receiver on the other sideline, no gain. And repeat, repeat, repeat. We may have had more passes than runs, but it doesn’t mean those passes weren’t conservative.
And one more thing – while i’m on my tirade about my 10-1 team (man we never run out of shit to bitch about) – what is with the emmergence of these “set up” plays. Meaning – we line up in the same formation 3-6 times and run plays as decoys – so to set up a bigger play later on in the game. Example – In the Iowa game when we had Dwill take the snap as a quarter back five or six times before finally passing it down the field to supposedly catch Iowa off guard (not a bad idea – if everyone in the great northwest didn’t already see it coming from a mile away. It’s like building our Trojan Horse out of glass). Another example – against indiana. For the first 4 or so posessions he only carried the ball ONCE (when the offensive line had a brain fart and he nearly got killed) – instead we kept lining up in a shotgun set with him in the backfield and then repeatedly throwing those damn screen passes to the receivers along the sidelines – i think only one of them went for more than 3 yards. Finally midway through the second quarter we give royster his second carry – when clark does a play action pass, faking a receiver sideline screen – and royster breaks it for 16 yards. You may say, “well, these trick plays worked” – but wouldn’t it have been smarter to just run Royster all along and actually score points in the first quarter? Or go to halftime with a better score than 10-7? I have nearly lost all my faith in our play calling again.
by nitallylions on
Nov 19, 2008 1:58 AM EST
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Clark
If Clark struggles Saturday, they MUST give Devlin a chance while there is still enough time to win the game. I’ve read enough psychoanalysis to earn an advanced degree. The coaches need to man up and make a tough descision at the right time and worry about hurt feelings later.
by hartmann on Nov 17, 2008 2:45 PM EST 0 recs
I understand what the coaches were doing to preserve his confidence
and that made sense earlier in the season, when there were still games to play. But this is it, season’s over. If Devlin has to go in and Clark turns into a blubbering fool, so be it. There is no next week. Plenty of time to cry over spilt milk before bowl practice.
by PSU Mudder on
Nov 17, 2008 3:00 PM EST
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Exactly....the coaches have to learn from last season's mistakes
Just like JoePa admitted that he should have given Clark a shot earlier last year (but didn’t b/c he didn’t want to shake up M*r*ll*), he NEEDS to give Devlin a shot if Clark can’t get it done.
Clark has been a great physical and emotional leader for this team, but sometimes he’s too emotional. It started with the pick in the Wiscy game and has progressively gotten worse.
But even aside from the emotional aspect, Clark needs to work on his passes, especially his decision making. I saw no less than 3 passes this weekend that he forced into double coverage. Granted, we don’t want him throwing every other pass out of bounds like the IU QB did, but once in a while doesn’t hurt. If IU had a respectable secondary, Clark could have easily ended that game with 3 INTs.
I bleed Blue and White.
by Horse N Buggy on
Nov 17, 2008 3:26 PM EST
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Williams vs Royster no contest
In watching the Penn State offense this season, it seems as if there is an almost direct correlation between Royster and success. The offense seems to struggle when they decide to, using a Paterno word, get "cute" with Williams in the backfield. When they fall back on Royster, all of a sudden success ensues. Williams may be a step faster than Royster, but Royster is by far the better running back because of his ability to break tackles and run through traffic. Every play they put Williams in the backfield, they are literally forfeiting the strength of the offense. In addition, I doubt you can even measure the effect on the passing game, but it has to be easier to defend the pass if you are less concerned about the run.
by cpm126 on Nov 17, 2008 3:30 PM EST 0 recs
Re: DWill
I totally agree. Here’s my problem with Dwill; Despite his obvious talent, the first guy that touches him, tackles him. I’m sure that he’s faster than Royster, but if I need five or six yards, I know who I’m handing the ball to. Also, I don’t know if that step-back pass to the wideouts on the line of scrimmage works in practice or not, but I don’t think it has EVER worked in a game. With the exception of Norwood, the undersized (but over-achieving) wideouts rarely break a tackle.
by cmc59 on
Nov 18, 2008 8:44 AM EST
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WR screen is alright
I don’t mind it as long as we don’t run it 10x every game. It usually gets a few yards, occasionally 10-15. I just hate when we use it as a substitute for running between the tackles when we should be able to get yards in bunches in there.
by jimbo2psu on
Nov 18, 2008 8:51 AM EST
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More astute analysis
Great job, Kevin. Re: the offensive line: I’m with you. I can totally see an opponent-based performance difference when facing Gibson & Heyward and King & Kroul, all of whom will be playing on Sundays, but where’s the bounceback against Indiana. (I’ll even grant Greg Middleton is good, but cmon). The ‘regession of the offensive line’ is a reflection of lost swagger, isn’t it?
And who’s responsible for maintaining swagger?
pax et amor
by jtothep on Nov 17, 2008 3:36 PM EST 0 recs
So apt
“The effectiveness of the gameplan two weeks ago probably has had an impact on future playcalling and the entire staff has reverted to this grind it out approach. This is bad bad 1,000 times bad. We had made such progress…”
sigh….
pax et amor
by jtothep on Nov 17, 2008 3:39 PM EST 0 recs
I don't know
If I really agree with this part of the analysis. For Ohio State, yes but not as much the last two weeks.
The Ohio State game generally lended itself to that kind of approach. Their D was in Clark’s face all night. It worked and was probably a good strategy, but we got lucky that Pryor coughed it up when he did. Iowa they came out throwing the ball 3 times. The O-Line was awful on those three plays. Then they went to the run and it was dominating the whole first half. The real problem was the red zone execution. If those FGs in the first half are TDs, we probably win going away. That and the defense in the 4th quarter. Oy. This week they passed a ton again when they probably shouldn’t have. Again, not really an example of hoping the other team will f—- up. Execution has been as much of a problem as anything as exemplified by Clark’s poor throws, the drops, and the O-Line play. The Defense has been basically dominant outside of parts of the Iowa game. And. don’t forget the weather.
by speedomike on
Nov 17, 2008 3:58 PM EST
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Bingo
Conservative play-calling isn’t the problem here.
by jimbo2psu on
Nov 17, 2008 8:29 PM EST
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Royster
Give Royster the damn ball. Frustrating watching that game. I swear each time a QB is looking great for us, they slowly begin to regress as the season or seasons go on. Is Clark going to turn into Mills? I can’t take it. Our team looks like one of the best in the country until the Michigan game… Since that game our offense has been getting worse. Maybe teams are just figuring us out. I want one game where we force the ball to Quarless. I know he’s an idiot, but I just wanna give him one last chance to dominate.
I also wish we could morph Butler’s hands, Norwoods route running, and Williams athleticism into the supreme WR.
If Clark plays well, we beat the Spartys by 3 td’s. Please no Iowa repeat game.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
by wookieeman on Nov 17, 2008 3:41 PM EST 0 recs
Quarless
Dropped two balls a junior high receiver could have caught in the Iowa game.
by CDRS on
Nov 18, 2008 9:50 AM EST
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Offensive line thoughts
Couple things to consider. Wiz tweaked his knee a few weeks ago so he may still be hurting from that. Mike Lucian got a lot of playing time this week instead of Wiz. I would imagine an injury like that would hurt your pass protection ability where you have to move side to side, but may not affect you as much in run blocking where it is straight ahead.
Also, switching Wiz and Ohrnberger around for the Iowa game was a huge mistake. I can’t understand why they would go messing with something like that when the offensive line was playing so well. Unless the line about Ohrnberger matching up well against King was a bunch of crap and they were really just trying to protect Wiz.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
by BSD on Nov 17, 2008 3:41 PM EST 0 recs
Iowa
Stanzi is still haunting me when I sleep. He sux ass, and he drove down the field to beat us. Ugh.
It took me till the Alamo Bowl game last year to get rid of Boekman’s (sp) unbelievable game against us last year.
In 2006 it was Brady “Cry Room” Quinn. Haunts me.
I know I’m all over the place.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
by wookieeman on Nov 17, 2008 3:44 PM EST 0 recs
Sweeeeet...
A shout out from Mike in the main post. vurrr nice
Seriously, I’m glad that my post elicited some more thought from other posters. We were seriously kicking ass all over the place during OrSU and now it seems like every pass play is painful again.
Granted, Oregon State had a totally replaced defensive line, but decent corners (who can remember Griese and Nessler shouting “corner!” everytime they were on D) and we threw the short to middle junk very well on them.
Point is, we don’t need to throw bombs to Butler every play, but use your awesome legacy TE, record-setting, former #1 recruit and sure-hands-shorty to throw the slants and the crossing routes while Butler stretches the opposing safetys.
by Artiefufkin10 on Nov 17, 2008 4:01 PM EST 0 recs
Composure
Ok, last raincloud post and it’ll be outta my system. I’ve long been asserting this is the single most important aspect of college quarterback play. And Joe’s always said he doesn’t know about his players until they face adversity. Do we know more about Clark now? He’s faced some adversity, right? Has he demonstrated requisite Composure during? But I’m with Kevin (“I’m convinced this isn’t a talent issue at all but simply Clark over-thinking everything. At the beginning of the year he was attacking, not holding anything back, and now all of the sudden he is struggling to make the 8 yard pass and losing the ball.”) and don’t think it’s a talent issue either, but misplaced bravado. We discussed the difference between it and real bravery here. He’s been given a lot of credit for things like ‘leadership’ and the ‘team rallies around him,’ but walkin and talkin are two different things. (I looked for a link to the SI ’82 Sugar Bowl article where Walker Lee Ashley and Herschel Walker discuss this very thing, but no luck to this nonsubscriber).
So, to whom to turn to get that ship righted? The coaches, right. Isn’t it on the coaching staff to help a kid with his head a little twisted to get it straightened? And here is where the broken record starts to skip.
I’m scared to death for our lads’ emotional preparation for sparty this weekend.
pax et amor
by jtothep on Nov 17, 2008 4:01 PM EST 0 recs
Is this the SI story?
by Elihu on
Nov 17, 2008 5:09 PM EST
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Yes!
Thank you, Elihu! I had forgotten it was you with the si archival skizzils.
I remember being 11 years old and thinking this article was the coolest thing ever. Thanks, dude.
pax et amor
by jtothep on
Nov 18, 2008 9:00 AM EST
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Good pull, Elihu! Thanks, man
If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.
by TheMightyErik on
Nov 18, 2008 8:37 PM EST
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You almost had me going there for a moment, Jay....!
I’ve been waiting all season to unleash my annual JayPa rant.. so here it goes. (despite his support of the better presidential candidate, but I digress)
Someone answer me these questions:
How many times are we going to watch our offensive talent regress or stagnate through a season? BTW, The Big 10 network replayed the Iowa game from ’02 when Mills took three quarters to wake up and then dominate, only to lose in overtime. DejaVu baby!
Joe/Jay wanted to throw Clark out there against IU and let him “work through some things” as opposed to using a balanced gameplan to destroy a much inferior opponent.
Why is this? Perhaps they feel guilty about letting Devlin take away too much PT earlier in the season.
If it’s a confidence thing, how about using all the offensive weapons to avoid putting all the pressure on a first-year starting QB who’s undercoached?
Speaking of which, who is talking to Clark when he comes to the sideline? Why don’t we see that instead of Clark left to his own devices on the bench?
How much greater could Michael Robinson have been with better guidence?? He’s the only guy with enough talent to overcome the lack of direction on our O. THAT’S a lot of talent….
by WarBird on Nov 17, 2008 4:37 PM EST 0 recs
Let me soothe you with my uncanny predictions...
“This Sat. game against Indiana we are going to come out looking our worst all season — I guarantee you Clark will play his worst half of football in the first half. A noon game after a crushing loss is the recipe for underachieving.”
So obviously I’m in tune with the universe and can accurately see the future. Let me make another startling prediction, which I hope will help to soothe you:
In the 2nd Quarter we will wake up and score 21 points on MSU similar to the Wisconsin game. I’m predicting the team we knew and loved from Sep/Oct will return. I believe Clark has exercised his demons and he has grown up a lot, and he’ll play well on Sat.
by millzners on Nov 17, 2008 5:24 PM EST 0 recs
Exercising demons is not good...
that only makes them stronger and healthier. Hopefully you meant exorcised.
Just busting balls.
I bleed Blue and White.
by Horse N Buggy on
Nov 18, 2008 9:01 AM EST
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J, you going up for the MSU game?
I bleed Blue and White.
by Horse N Buggy on
Nov 18, 2008 9:54 AM EST
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I'm in limbo right now
Gawd, I hope I can. Even if a DC2Beav & back day trip. I’ll holla atcha later in the week.
Will you be flying the Monster Flag?
pax et amor
by jtothep on
Nov 18, 2008 1:44 PM EST
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ConnieMonster flag will be out in all its glory
we’ll be at the exact same spot….we’re there for every game.
You should stop by if you can….we’ll have the fire pit going to keep warm. Well, the fire pit and captain morgan.
I bleed Blue and White.
by Horse N Buggy on
Nov 18, 2008 8:12 PM EST
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Bug, just got the call
I’m out for attending this weekend. Fairly bummed, but it’s for a good cause I hope I’ll be able to divulge in about 9months.
Am strongly in the running for attending Bowl Game. Have fun this weekend, and give the Captain a salute for me.
pax et amor
by jtothep on
Nov 19, 2008 5:44 PM EST
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I still highly recommend his good friend Sailor Jerry
in my opinion it tastes better, it is cheaper, and 92 proof, opposed to 75 proof.
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 19, 2008 9:50 PM EST
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2007
If Clark starts at least a few games in 2007, I bet the Iowa game doesn’t happen.
Just a little more experience would have made the difference.
That’s the problem with loyalty to upperclassmen who are not clearly better than the younger guys.
by CDRS on Nov 18, 2008 9:47 AM EST 0 recs
No Correlation
There is no correlation to that. You’re telling me if he played in 2 or 3 more games it would have made a difference in Iowa? Inexperience did not cost us that game. Poor playcalling, poor decision making, poor weather, and the “there is a national championship on the line” coming off a bye week attitude is what caused us to lose the game. If they would have been focused on Iowa, and nothing but Iowa, 1 or 2 plays may have been different, thus changing the outcome.
by MrBrianPSU on
Nov 18, 2008 10:06 AM EST
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agreed
by the time the Iowa game happened, he had plenty of game experience, that the extra downs in 2007 wouldn’t have mattered (unless they were in “pressure” situations where we were down and needed him to perform a comeback, so he could get used to that situation)
Now if the Iowa game was our Big 10 opener or something, then I could agree that more snaps in 2007 could have helped.
by The JuggerNitt on
Nov 18, 2008 12:55 PM EST
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Yes Correlation
We’ve resolved that Clark’s issue, given the wide spectrum of his performances this year, is mainly Composure. Well, and small hands. In any case, he’s demonstrated he’s capable of excellent (if not elite) play and also of poor play. In that, he’s what, umm, a college football player really.
And if Composure is his number one issue, how could more Experience not improve that? I’m with CDRS.
pax et amor
by jtothep on
Nov 18, 2008 1:52 PM EST
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I'm with you guys...
Sitting on the bench behind he-who-shall-not-be-named instead of getting some snaps could do nothing but help. Yes, that same mentality can be applied to Mr. Devlin getting more time when we are up by 3 TD’s against IU or anyone else in the second half
If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.
by TheMightyErik on
Nov 18, 2008 8:44 PM EST
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