The Morning After
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 10:54 AM EST
in Football
124 comments
[Reportedly, Mike has wandered off to a remote cabin to contemplate life and grow an Al Gore beard. For today, it's up to Kevin and myself to sift through the rubble.]
The Internets are always a funny place the day after a Penn State loss. It's not even 11 a.m., and I've read all sort of discussions about how awful Penn State's recruiting is, why we'll never win another national championship, how unbelievably screwed the team will be in 2009, and so on. It would also seem that every one of our coaches is a certified Window Licker, and we're probably not going to win more than seven games next year.
These feelings should have subsided by approximately 10 p.m. last night. This being The Internets, the sentiments will probably last until late August.
It's a meltdown!
Penn State didn't have to face any sophisticated pass offenses or elite quarterbacks this season -- until the Rose Bowl. Think about it, who was the best passing quarterback Penn State faced? Lyle Moevao? Ricky Stanzi? All year long, the Penn State defense had the luxury of sitting back and waiting for a game-changing sack or poorly thrown ball for an interception. Against USC, that philosophy results in a lopsided 7-on-7 drill.
Like it or not, the Nittany Lion defense is built on solid assignment football in the secondary, complimented by a disruptive pass rush from the front four. It's not rocket science -- when Penn State runs up against an offensive line that can give its quarterback time to throw, we tend to get toasted. We've seen this against Michigan and Ohio State countless times over the years. This passive defensive scheme becomes especially lethal when the middle of the Nittany Lion defense is vulnerable, and results in giving up 413 yards and four touchdowns through the air. The Bend But Don't Suck defense is often fine from a philosophical standpoint, but it doesn't work without a constant pass rush or safeties that can close quickly when the ball is in the air. USC only ran the ball for 61 yards (1.7 ypc! or not!), but they figured out the PSU defense in the second quarter. They found the soft spots and repeatedly exploited them.
The turning point was Stephfon Green's fumble after a 30-yard completion on Penn State's final first half drive. With his team down 24-7 and desperately trying to answer USC's second quarter offensive explosion, Green was stripped of the ball after crossing midfield. Five plays and a 15-yard personal foul penalty later, the game was effectively ended when C.J. Gable caught a 20-yard touchdown pass. If the game is 24-10 or 24-14 at halftime, there's still much to play for. At 31-7, it was basically over.
And while we're on the issue of penalties, seriously, WTF? The first half penalties were mindblowing and occurred at the most unfortunate times, wiping out USC turnovers or giving the Trojan offense free 15-yard chunks of yardage that they really didn't need to be given. We all knew Penn State would have to catch a few breaks last night, whether it was through turnovers or penalties. As it turned out, Penn State lost both the turnover and penalty battles.
It's been a great season by any semi-reasonable measure. Nobody will effectively argue that the Big Ten was a great (or good) conference this season. Ohio State was solid but not close to its usual dominance. Michigan and Wisconsin were hopelessly down. Michigan State and Minnesota won a bunch of games, but didn't really scare anybody. Illinois took about six steps backwards. Iowa was held back by a number of close, early losses. Penn State seized the opportunity and won the conference -- but that's what championship teams do, right?
Kevin HD: What makes this hurt a little more than usual are the high stakes; there was so much to gain. After one of the best regular seasons Penn State had ever played, they were slighted from the BCS Championship Game because of strength of schedule, and rewarded with a matchup against what was probably the "best" team in the nation. Not the "best" as in "deserving of a top two ranking," because their body of work isn't any better (and is probably worse) than the teams playing in Miami, but it's hard to argue against USC's talent.
That's not just tall talk after a loss. Sagarin almost agrees with me, putting USC just .4 points behind Florida in his power rankings (titled "PREDICTOR") prior to their win last night. During the game, the announcers commented on the number of first and second rounders on the team and were probably actually speaking a bit of truth.
To top it off, Sanchez had, quite literally, the best game of his life. His receivers were getting open all afternoon and he was getting them the ball an insane 80% of the time. Four TDs and zero picks put his QB rating at 216.83, which I didn't even know was possible. Say what you will about the Penn State secondary, even if they were in better position there was probably little they were going to be able to do about it.
What I'm getting at is this: there is nothing to be upset about here besides the fact that Penn State did not win the Rose Bowl.
Clark looked excellent considering the circumstances and almost put Penn State in a position to make it a game in the 4th quarter. Losing Royster in the first half and Green in the second were both devastating blows, but the team pushed on anyway to the tune of 410 total yards. The turnovers hurt and the penalties were brutal but those things happen -- a lot more randomly than people realize.
The team looked good, they just weren't able to get themselves in a situation where they could catch a break.
It was a helluva fun season to watch and definitely a promising one. It's better to have loved and lost, and anyone who sat through the Dark Years knows it. Next season started today and I like our chances.
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By the way...
…you guys are killing it in the FanPosts and FanShots, please continue the good work.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 11:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Tough loss but...................
USC doesn’t look like the same team they have been talking about all year. Like you guys said we still put up 410 yards of total offense.
As far as recruting it looks fine to me a couple of taller DB would help, other than that i think it all looks pretty good for next year.
Since the BIG 10 will probably be down for a few more years, we need to take advantage of that and keep winning the Big 10, get our guys some more experience in big bowl games and i think that will take care of some off those dumb penalties.
At least Pitt lost 3-0 that is wonderfull
I know longer know what i am, or what i'm doing!!! This quote is either from a Rich Rod press conference or Mozart's Figaro, not sure which yet.
by 31rulesall on Jan 2, 2009 11:32 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Devastated.
I couldn’t watch the second half. I’m not angry as much as I’m dumbfounded. I know Penn State can be USC, or a least play with them for four quarters. What happened yesterday was a nightmare.
What kills me were the untimely penalties. It just wasn’t the same squad I saw earlier in the year.
The one silver lining: maybe we needed a loss like this to get guys focused for next season. I hope the coaches also realize it. I see no reason why PSU can’t win the Big Ten title in 2009. The biggest stumbling block? Pryor exploiting the young DB’s in soft Cover 3 in Beaver Stadium. Let’s hope they keep this game in mind and instill a MNC attitude next year. It can be done.
by Cairo on Jan 2, 2009 11:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
PSU Injuries
Any details on the injuries to Royster & Green? Any others? I thought I saw Odrick hobbling around at one point also.
Will you guys post info on injuries from this game once they become available?
Did anyone else think it was insane that Norwood was back in this game after taking that illegal hit? Good for him to catch a TD to cap off a great career that helped bring back PSU football, but did he really not have a concussion?!?
by The Man with One Black Shoe on Jan 2, 2009 11:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don't believe any of the injuries are substantial in nature.
We’ll pass along updates as they become available.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
he looked like he was at Disneyland after the hit...
I watched him for a while and then there he was with hi helmet in hand going back in. Dude showed some stones or something going back in. I figured he was done
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That hit...
That hit made me realize that a helmet-to-helmet hit in the process of making a catch should be a spot foul, like pass interference in the NFL.
Pass interference in college is only a 15-yard penalty, but pass interference doesn’t put players at serious risk. People die from hits like that. You shouldn’t allow any competitive advantage at all.
(of course, I’m not so sure that that wasn’t actually a catch, anyway.)
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Norwood catch
First off, I think he actually did catch it, and second, to go from Ohrnberger holding you up to catching a touchdown pass later in the game is amazing
by WPIALkid22 on Jan 2, 2009 2:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
he did catch it
…the ball didn’t come loose until after he was on the ground. shouldn’t then it be a completed catch plus the personal foul 15yrds? i was unclear of that yesterday. and why wasn’t that reviewed? just one replay showed it as a catch…
by amandakt on Jan 2, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Catch
Yeah, looked like a clear catch to me. I don’t get why that call wasn’t overturned, it didn’t even look all that close — he had possession and then it came out when he hit the ground. Should have gotten the reception plus an additional 15 yards.
by Laaaaazzz on Jan 2, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What is our starting O and D going to look like in 09?
by SweepTheLeg on Jan 2, 2009 11:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
More of the same, mostly.
New WR’s, a few new OL on offense. Wholesale replacements in the secondary, but probably the entire front seven returning (plus Sean Lee).
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 11:48 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
AJ
what’s the deal w/ AJ Wallace? He was good when he touched the ball in 07, can he play Safety?
Might be a better fit at that position , might not be physical enough though.
Our front 7 should be nice, all DL’s back, no Hull or Sales. So Bowman, Mauti, and Zoridch?
by SweepTheLeg on Jan 2, 2009 11:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
too good of an athlete to not be on the field IMO
by SweepTheLeg on Jan 2, 2009 11:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Too good of an athlete to be so bad at his job.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
O and D
Replace three on the line, which hurts the most, lose top 3 receivers. On D, could be the same D line unless Maybin and Odrick go, Lee replaces Hull at LB as well as Stupar/Maiti taking over for Sales. The secondary looks to be Wallace and Astorino and whichever 2 people step up.
The thing that concerns me the most would be the OLine and the secondary to some extent. Not too worried about the WRs though
by WPIALkid22 on Jan 2, 2009 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Reassessing
I walked away yesterday believing that PSU just got temporarily overwhelmed in the 2nd quarter — that, given another chance, they’d give USC a real game. After all, they outscored them 17-7 in the second half, and that USC defense was hardly “the best ever.”
But this post has it right. The more I think about it, the more I realize how helpless PSU was on defense, in the secondary. USC stopped scoring in the second half because they stopped throwing the ball. The one time Sanchez let it loose, early in the 4th, it was a ridiculously easy TD pass. The score would have been a lot worse if USC had kept passing in the fourth quarter.
My conclusion is that USC’s defense is very beatable. I wasn’t scared of them the entire game. And their running game is very stoppable, especially when it comes to PSU’s front 7. But PSU is completely unsuited to play a team like USC (Oklahoma would have done the same thing) with an overmatched secondary that relies on soft zone coverage.
Sanchez had a freakishly good day, but part of that was because his confidence grew by leaps and bounds during the game, when he started seeing the gaping holes in PSU’s coverage. How did Arizona, Cal and some other PAC-10 teams that I’m sure don’t have better secondaries than PSU keep him in check? I don’t know, I’m just curious. Maybe he just had bad days against all of them. But I imagine they played more man, and it worked — probably got burned a few times, but overall, the big holes weren’t there and he never got into a rhythm like he did yesterday.
Fun season, awful day yesterday….but maybe it can lead to something good. If this forces PSU to rethink the zone-heavy coverage, I think they’ll be able to beat a team like USC in the future. All other phases of the game were in place yesterday.
by JBusinger on Jan 2, 2009 11:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sanchez
I wonder too how Sanchez was defended by Pac-10 teams during the year. I watched few USC games, mostly just parts of some and Sanchez never looked all that accurate. It’s not like USC’s offense was all that great this season. I actually think part of the results of the Rose Bowl was USC having a month to prepare too — Carroll and company seem to do a great job preparing for bowls, so its quite possible that their offense was simply better than it was in October and November. And extra month of practice could poentially make a big difference in how well the QB and WRs work together.
by Laaaaazzz on Jan 2, 2009 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
“The one time Sanchez let it loose, early in the 4th, it was a ridiculously easy TD pass. The score would have been a lot worse if USC had kept passing in the fourth quarter.”
Not necessarily. USC was doing the right thing – they weren’t running to “not run up the score.” They were running to end the game. Quickly. Think about it – in the fourth quarter, we were scoring on each drive for a while. All you need to catch up to a team is a situation like that and a turnover or two, and those things happen.
If you follow the NFL at all, the same thing happened in 2006 with the Eagles-Giants, when the Eagles were up 24-7 going into the fourth quarter (sound familiar? Pretty darn close!). The Eagles struggled running the ball as they tried to end the game, and the Giants tied it up and won in overtime.
It was a little more desperate with Penn State-USC, but it wasn’t impossible. In fact, if you assume that the long snapper was going to snap that ball over the punter’s head the next time he punted, then if DC hadn’t thrown that interception and had gotten a quick strike TD, USC wouldn’t’ve been able to run out the clock and Penn State might’ve gotten the ball deep in their own territory with a chance to tie.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 12:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I know USC’s 4th quarter strategy was right…I’m just saying: If it had come to it and they needed to start throwing the ball again, there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t have picked apart the PSU D any more surgically than they had all game. It’s not like PSU had a bad second quarter, adjusted at halftime, and shut down Sanchez & Co. in the second half. Like I said, the worst play of the game was Sanchez’s TD pass in the 4th quarter.
The PSU secondary was helpless. Personnel is part of it, but like I said before, worse teams from the PAC 10 handled Sanchez just fine. I really think it’s the scheme. Works pretty good in the Big 10, but not against teams like USC. (And sometimes it doesn’t work in the B10— remember how Boeckman carved them up in ’07). This is maddening, in a way, b/c in every other department PSU can handle USC. But, I swear, the soft zone is holding them back.
Here’s what Patrick Turner, one of USC"s WR’s, said yesterday when he was asked to compare the PSU secondary to what the Trojans faced in the PAC 10 this year:
“We haven’t seen this amount (of zone) all year, really,” Turner said. “We’ll take that all day. We love cushion.”
by JBusinger on Jan 2, 2009 1:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Zone
That zone defense and cushion was really ticking me off. I don’t know if it was a better strategy than man-to-man (because the USC receivers are unreal) but that zone coverage has been killing us throughout the year
by WPIALkid22 on Jan 2, 2009 2:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
the zone defense has killed us my entire life…
by WETSU on Jan 2, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i’s okay when it’s working but when it’s not…painful to watch.
by Screen Name 20 on Jan 2, 2009 9:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Momentum is a strange gal.
Say we would have gotten to within one score and then USC would have had to start throwing, it’s always possible that by not throwing for a period of time that Sanchez’s arm isn’t as loose, and he loses a little bit of timing. I just remember watching the end thinking, “I wish there was one more quarter to go.” That, or “Why did Green have to fumble?” We showed heart, class, and poise by winning the 4th quarter. The only problem was our margin of victory in the 4th was less than their margin in the 2nd quarter.
And RUTS was right. We made too many mistakes in too short a time frame, they got rollin’, and we couldn’t recover. We lost. No doubt. No excuses. I think we could give them a better game if we had another shot. They couldn’t play any better. We couldn’t play any worse than we did in the second.
And the soft zone must go. Granted, we’ve had this problem with a smallish secondary since THE Fiesta Bowl. We’ve got to get corners and safeties that are taller than 4-2 (Yeah, I meant that!) and get more aggressive in the secondary. This shit of giving guys time to carve us up underneath is no good. But, all in all, a great year. Didn’t end how we wanted it to, but we beat scUM and the Fuckeyes both in the same year, Big Ten champs. And I also think Wiscy is going to go into a decline. All we have to do is figure out how to beat Ferentz. It’s all good. A good recruiting class, good health, and we’re good to go.
by Ab4PSU on Jan 2, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Right, but...
If there was one more quarter, USC wouldn’t have stopped throwing until the start of the 5th quarter instead of the start of the 4th quarter. Their 4th quarter strategy was simple: Run the clock out and take no chances — if PSU gets some garbage TD’s, fine, but they just don’t have enough time to come back and win. If the game were 5 quarters long, they would have kept throwing through the 4th, got up to 52 points, and then run on every play in the 5th quarter (when we’d get our garbage TD’s). Either way, we lose. Soft zone has got to go. I refuse to believe Arizona and Cal have better secondaries than we do — but they were smart enough not to give Sanchez the cushion we did.
by JBusinger on Jan 2, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s not like PSU had a bad second quarter, adjusted at halftime, and shut down Sanchez & Co. in the second half. Like I said, the worst play of the game was Sanchez’s TD pass in the 4th quarter.
I dunno. USC had two failed drives in the third quarter. Yeah, we didn’t shut down USC, but it’s nearly impossible to shut down a top-flight offense in college football (they didn’t shut us down either). We definitely slowed them.
The bomb in the 4th quarter really sucked, but they had done a good job in the previous drives taking away that portion of the field.
I still say the problem was more with non-Bowman linebackers: most of the time when the skinny post was open, it’s because one of the safeties had started to go after a WR near a LB’s zone.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 11:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i feel like i woke up w/ the worst hangover
ever…but i don’t regret a moment of this pain because the party was so much fun!
no matter how much losing the way we did hurt (meaning turnovers and stupid penalties), how we got there…the boys never giving up, that makes all of this completely worth it.
by amandakt on Jan 2, 2009 11:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
there with you Amanda...
at least you didn’t do what many of us did and dropped gobs of cash to see it happen in person. That 2nd quarter was like some kind of Stephen King nightmare.
On the bright side: I was on the goal line 35 rows up and got to watch every single one of our scores in that endzone. So that was great!
BTW, BSD guys… how would you like me to send what pictures I have to you?
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 12:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Put them in a FanPost, maybe?
I don’t know what kind or how many pictures you have, but you can always host them on Flickr or Imageshack and put them in a FanPost.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 12:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I will throw them in a fanpost...
I didn’t get too many good pics as jtothep and rockin made me drink fermented beverages before the tailgate and it may have affected my artistic abilities (smile). Anyhow, I will put the few up later and if any look worthy of further use they are all yours.
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Speaking of pictures
I have to see Mike’s Al Gore beard.
"They haven't played us yet."
by ReadingRambler on Jan 2, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yes...
…but you didn’t have to listen to the commentators during the game! they almost killed it for me.
by amandakt on Jan 2, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The more I read in here the more I think you are right
I DVR’d the game and I am in fear of watching it. After getting a rough idea of Musberger and how Herbie turned on us I may only review the game with the game on mute.
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Eh, I thought the announcers were pretty fair.
They started out talking about USC’s defense, but you knew that was going to happen. Then when the floodgates opened up in the 2nd quarter, it was a USC lovefest all the way. I think it’s typical of any blowout really. Herbie always loves us, and it seemed to me like he only ditched us because there was NO way to spin anything we were doing into a positive. We were sucking, USC was picking up touchdowns every couple minutes…it was full meltdown mode and I’d challenge any announcer to spin it otherwise.
by jimbo2psu on Jan 2, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
the announcers we okay but leaning USC… the worst was Keyshone Johnson in teh second half… it was 15 – 20 minutes of him talking about USC… what was that shitt?
by WETSU on Jan 2, 2009 3:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Any announcer?!
it was full meltdown mode and I’d challenge any announcer to spin it otherwise.
I think most announcers would note Penn State pulling to within 2 scores with 3 minutes left.
Oh, and most announcers might realize that kicking a field goal down 24 is the right decision, considering it takes you from 4 scores down to 3.
Most announcers would also note Mark Sanchez yelling at his RB to stay the heck inbounds, and note Sanchez yelling at the rest of the offense to cheer the defense on as Penn State started to chip away. (Heck, that’s even good drama and keeping with the USC love-fest.)
The announcers were pretty bad. Part of me was hoping that, after the botched punt, we’d throw for a quick score, kick an onside kick and recover it, just so I could hear the announcers point out that technically, USC hadn’t won the game yet.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 11:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i bet even if we had scored quickly
…recovered the onside kick and somehow managed to make it to the 1 yr line on first down…the announcers still would have been sucking on USC like they were high priced call girl. at which point herbie would reveal a hiku about his man love for mays meanwhile brent would have pointed out yet again that SC should have been in the NCG.
then, when we would have scored a TD, they would have gone on about how USC would light are arses on fire Texas Tech vs Tech style. not even when USC having failed doing that and we some how manage to pull off a win in OT w/ a FG…not even then, would they have shown some praise to PSU.
well herbie maybe…but definitely not brent.
by amandakt on Jan 3, 2009 12:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I had a dream
That we scored on the drive that started with 3 mins to go, recovered an onside kick, and score the game-winning td + 2 pt conversion to shock the Trojans 39-38. And while the Lions were flooding the field in jubilation and the USC players were standing on their sidelines in disbelief, Herbie and Musberger still hadn’t noticed due to being engulfed in a conversation of how many points USC would beat the Raiders by.
by blogue20 on Jan 3, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nononono
They’d be pointing out how honorable and decent it was of USC to let us have a little “victory.”
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 4, 2009 4:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Secondary woes
We don’t see enough good passing QBs in the Big10 to get enough experience defending it. That’s why we need some different/better OOC teams, or (like someone else said) hope that RichRod brings some of that to Michigan so we get a chance to play against it more often.
by NJ lion on Jan 2, 2009 12:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
It's cyclical, really.
There have been plenty of really good passing offenses and QB’s in the Big Ten — just not this year. It was just an uncharacteristically awful year in that regard. If you go through each of the conference teams, you can find plenty of really good QB’s in the past 5-10 years.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agree
about in being cyclical, and dependent in large part on luck. I mean Big Ten teams are recruiting top QBs, they just aren’t panning out…and sometimes that’s nobody fault. It will change.
As far as what happened to the secondary, I’m inclinded to blame it more on the d-line. They just weren’t getting the pressure they normally do, and Bradley’s defense isn’t built to handle that.
Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries
by Kevin HD on Jan 2, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Doomed to repeat it.
Think back to the Ohio State 2007 game. This was basically the same thing from a defensive perspective. We got no pressure on Boeckmann and he had the game of his life because we couldn’t cover.
I mean, that’s usually what happens when Penn State loses. It’s fiery and spectacular.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 12:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
True dat.
Add Notre Dame 2006 as well. Almost happened against Indiana in 2007 too with Kellen fracking Lewis to James Hardy.
by Cairo on Jan 2, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ND '06
This game reminded me a lot of that day. A few bad breaks, partly of our own doing, and the game got completely out of hand by halftime.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 12:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
But I’d much rather lose to USC in the Rose Bowl than Notre Dame anytime, anywhere!
by NJ lion on Jan 2, 2009 1:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly
Perfect analogy. Sanchez is going to go pro and some team is going to make him a top pick off the strength of this game. But they’re going to find out just how artificially awesome this soft zone made him look. The real Sanchez is the guy who thre 3 picks to Arizona.
by JBusinger on Jan 2, 2009 1:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you
I agree with your assessment of yesterday’s matchup 100%. It has been a pleasure to read your posts all year, and can not wait for the Blue/White game. This was a great squad and they made my Saturday’s awesome. Hats off to the Seniors for a great year. A few plays go our way this year and we are in Miami. This team showed class even while USC acted like hooligans before the game (planting their flag in our endzone), and during(dancing on the sidelines). They kept their heads up and and acted like the bgger men out there. Thank you Nittany Lions for a great year!
by joepa4ever on Jan 2, 2009 12:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Stick with us!
We have some big announcements and projects on the way very soon.
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Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
#1 AP
They still think they are #1 over there at Conquest. I did not see the same USC team they are talking about over there.Heck our slow team put 410 yards of offense on them.
I know longer know what i am, or what i'm doing!!! This quote is either from a Rich Rod press conference or Mozart's Figaro, not sure which yet.
by 31rulesall on Jan 2, 2009 12:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not exactly
Paragon didn’t actually say that he (or any of us on CC) think that SC is / should be #1 after the Rose Bowl – rather implying that there’s the possibility that some AP voters might think about it since it was a game between two teams with one loss apiece.
If Texas has a big win over tOSU, then they should be considered for an AP#1 slot as well as – obviously – the winner of the National Championship game.
I’d say the same thing had the Rose Bowl gone the other way.
by DC Trojan on Jan 2, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Next year
I think we can win the big ten again next year….I just hope USC goes to the NC so we can beat the #2 Pac-10 team.
by markpsu on Jan 2, 2009 12:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think we have a good shot at being the Big 10 champs next year as well Mark. Although I must disagree with you wanting to play the Pac-10 Runner Up, I would love to have a re-match against USC in the MNC, or even again in the Rose Bowl. We should always aspire to be Big Ten Champs and National Champs, Joe and these Lions deserve better than the Pac 10 Runner Up
by joepa4ever on Jan 2, 2009 12:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I would love to see a rematch with a team that can be more competitive….I just don’t think that will be the team we will have next year. Just trying to be realistic while not over reacting to yesterday. I think next year will be another good one for Penn State football but with the difference in talent I saw last night I don’t think we will be able to compete with USC next year either.
by markpsu on Jan 2, 2009 2:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
"Competitive"?
If we play that game 10 times, we’d probably win 2 or 3 times. We were competitive. “Not competitive” is USC vs OSU earlier in the year. Not competitive is OSU vs. Florida in the NC game.
I’m not crazy, either. Take, for instance, the botched punt: that could’ve happened at any point in the game at all. It didn’t happen just because it was late in the game and USC had the lead (obviously – that botched punt was the only way that we’d have a prayer at all, so saying the longsnapper didn’t care is obviously wrong). If it happend one series earlier, suddenly we’ve got a 1st and Goal with 3:14 remaining down 2 scores.
That’s perfectly competitive. If Royster didn’t get injured as well, who knows how the earlier half would’ve gone? You know the 3rd and 1 rush that Green had for no gain? If that’s Royster, that could’ve been a touchdown. If you can find a copy of the game, look for that play, and look to the right of the lineman, instead of the left where Green went. Daylight straight to the endzone.
There wasn’t a great difference in talent last night. Sub in Lee for Hull, and maybe with a bit more experience in the secondary, and we’re fine.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 11:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree with your comments about Royster being injured and the step down to Green. That’s kinda of my point though, USC lost a starting RB and had two more great backs ready to go.
by markpsu on Jan 3, 2009 12:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If you’re waiting for Penn State to have the same depth of talent as USC, you’re going to be waiting a long time. USC has the ridiculous depth and constant talent they do because they’re in a unique situation – one of the largest TV markets, and they’re the only football team in town.
Yes, it’s always going to be a struggle to beat USC. That’s life.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 3, 2009 12:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
but they didn't really
their running game was pretty much ineffective last night…it produced half of what we did. they tried running the ball more first quarter, saw how they weren’t getting much from it and switched to the arial attack once they saw we weren’t going to man up on them…
by amandakt on Jan 3, 2009 12:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Good season
Beating USC in a big game is a tough deal, as a fan I’ve been there before. Any season that contains a trip to the Rose Bowl, however, can’t be viewed in any way as a disappointment.
The big question I have, and it won’t be answered for a while, but what does a game like this do to the internal/external successor debate? When UM was clearly overmatched in terms of coaching in losses to USC, I think there came a general sense of, we need to bring in a new approach to compete on the highest level. I’m wondering if that will happen at PSU as well.
by Wlvrn99 on Jan 2, 2009 12:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
It shouldn't
“We need to compete with USC” should not be any school’s reason for changing things. If it is, they’re doomed to failure. USC is a unique situation: a school in one of the largest television markets without an NFL team. The Buckeyes are similar, actually, and the Buckeyes are a perennial top 25 team, too. But USC’s situation is like Ohio State on steroids – LA is ridiculously bigger than Columbus in terms of market size.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 1:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Penn State does incredibly well considering
it has to share its market with deer hunting and trout fishing.
by NJ lion on Jan 2, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Market
We do incredibly well considering our extended local market consists of about 4 guys in a hunting lodge.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 4, 2009 4:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks to all of you, by the way.
This is a bit of a non sequitur, but thanks to all of the BSD commenters for their…I don’t know, logic? Restraint? I’ve been perusing some of the Scout/Rivals PSU message boards and seen some of the dumbest things ever written in mankind’s history.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 1:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sky is falling kind of stuff??
You know, lose a game and now we suck. (That’s the Philly attitude I grew up around. So tiring.)
Anyways, I’ve been so pleased with the content and attitude of BSD “staff” and commenters that this is now one of the very few places I go for PSU football info. Happy New Years, BSD.
Go State, beat your 2009 opponents!
by NJ lion on Jan 2, 2009 1:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agree totally
First of all, it’s just sports. And sports are something to be enjoyed, not to be inanguish over. Too many people obsess over a loss by their team. It’s crazy.
But more importantly, there needs to be proper prospective and context and this site is great for that. I get really frustrated by the myriads of fans who go completely overboard with every loss and even overly gripe about close wins. Can’t we have intelligent, reasonable discussions about the state of things in the program without the constant complaints and arguments? This team finished 11-2 with a conference championship, not 2-10.
by Laaaaazzz on Jan 2, 2009 3:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's not just the "sky is falling" stuff.
It is like nobody realizes that we played the most talented team in the country, one that only seems to lose games that they don’t take seriously. It’s the endless bickering and revival of all the old arguments whenever a loss pops up. Now we suddenly need to recruit Cali, FL, and TX again. Now, we’re never going to win another national championship until Joe and Jay are gone.
I really need to avoid those message boards for 48 hours after a loss.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 3:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
you'd really despise
the crap that gets posted at the Centre Daily Times online. We lost because Joe wasn’t on the sidelines and if you don’t have what it takes to be on the sidelines then it’s time to step aside in favor of someone who can be.
Why do we do it? It’s like picking a scab so that you can never let the wound heal.
"the secret to loving your job is having a hobby that you really despise"
by nitwit86 on Jan 2, 2009 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Newspaper comments
There’s a local paper here, the Asbury Park Press, that I occassionally read online that allows readers to post comments. I’ve finally made a decision to flat out stop reading the reader comments because they make my blood boil with their stupidity and arrogance and ridiculousness. It’s enough to make you wanna smack someone. Apparently these people aren’t confined to NJ. I’ve read some of the CDT comments and many of them are so anti-Joe. Your best bet is to completely avoid them.
by NJ lion on Jan 2, 2009 7:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That's exactly the thing.
40-11 in the last four years.
2 conference titles.
3-1 in bowl games.
1-1 in BCS games.
Does a lot of credit belong to Derrick Williams and Co. for the coup of a few years ago that brought top talent back? Sure, but not 100%. Anti-Joe people are a breed I just can’t understand no matter how hard I try.
by jimbo2psu on Jan 3, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Replacing Joe
The problem too is that people seem to assume that if you replace Joe, you’d instantly get an improvement to our performance. But it seems to me just as likely that you’d get someone who comes in and makes things worse. I know that’s blasphemy for the anti-Joe crowd, but there are plenty of examples of coaches at prominent programs who don’t do a lot despite the intrinsic advantages — from Rich Rod at UM this year to Ron Zook at UF and Mike Shula at Bama and John Mackovic at Texas and so on. Point being, maybe we higher Schiano or Golden or whomever and they go 7-6 or 8-5 and we’re all wishing for grumpy ole Paterno. Honestly, I’d rather stick to our legendary coach given the success we’ve had in recent years over forcing him out and hoping that a replacement is better.
by Laaaaazzz on Jan 3, 2009 11:48 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Kind of a personal BSD question but...
How does our site rank as far as fanbase? We have to have one of the larger sites, I would think. Just curious as to where we are and how many billions we are generating for you cash money webmasters (smile).
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 2:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Mike has the actual numbers.
All I can tell you is that we’re one of the busiest SB Nation sites. Also, Kevin found out that we’re one of the most “mobile” sites, making it easier for people to check us out from inside the stadium.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Your mobile site...
is hot…
I actually read the ‘It is what it is’ post while trying to escape the golf course parking lot log-jam last night. We did, however, try to post in the open thread from rockin ‘s IPhone during the tailgate and it wouldn’t go through for some reason.
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 3:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's pretty sad
I only have Scout, and there has been some pretty pathetic stuff said about Joe, and some players. The team lost a football game, they didn’t go out and club a bunch of baby seals. When I saw how many comments there were on this thread I thought for sure it was another crazy fest but in actuality it has been the most civil and rational discussion on PSU I have seen. I just hope we as fans can keep our cool when we hear about how USC beat us for the next year or so.
by psuphiman80 on Jan 3, 2009 10:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Depressing, but hey
11-2. Gotta still be proud of the fellas in blue and white.
I think you have to echo a comment on one of the other posts re: the USC O-line. I would debate the premise that somewhere towards the end of the 1st quarter that the USC coaches figured out how to exploit our d-backs. My guess is that they knew going into this game that their size and speed gave them an advantage there . . . but that could only work if they protected Sanchez. There was a comment on yet another post here that the key would be to force Sanchez into making bad decisions. So, I’m betting that a good bit of the USC prep for this game was focusing on protecting Sanchez and giving him time to throw jump balls and find guys open on the slant and post routes.
Obviously, our offense did a better job against the USC D than ANYONE (except for us BSD faithful) believed they would. I think that says a lot about this team and where things stand for next year.. Take away the penalties . . . make a couple of stops on D to give our guys the ball and it’s a PSU “W”.
And just a point of interest when peering into the the 2009 crystal ball. Watched (across two separate airings) most of the’83 Sugar Bowl vs Georgia on the B10 network over the holiday. I found it very interesting (because I forgot a lot more of that game than I remembered) that that Nat’l Championship team had 1 returning O-line starter. Hmmmmm . . .
Thanks to everyone here for a GREAT 2008 season. Looking forward to some Nittany Lion basketball (please, please, please give me plenty to cheer about during this year’s conference play), all the Blue & White kool-aid I can quaff here leading up to the 2009 season and just all of the good stuff that we all get to share with one another on this site.
"the secret to loving your job is having a hobby that you really despise"
by nitwit86 on Jan 2, 2009 2:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Quick Thoughts
Just finished reading all the postmortems, and will likely go back and comment in different threads. Here are my quickthoughts/agreements and otherwise:
- Erik is indeed Mighty and Rockin does indeed Rock—great time hangin wif you dudes—thanks for the hangtime
- The Rose Bowl is indeed the Granddaddy—what a great, old, majestic stadium.
- Tailgating in a golf course in sunny SoCal weather is absolutely surreal.
- USC fans are mostly way chiiiiillll, with, like ALL other schools, a sprinkling of dbags
- We lost in the trenches—just not the trench I was concerned about. I was interested in our Oline vs their D, when in fact, we got smothered by their Oline. Aside from the forced fumble he caused by being offsides, Project Mayhem created none. I zeroed in on him on numerous plays (I watch trenchwarfare much more in person, when not being distracted by TV’s cams & douchenouncers), and he got swallowed by the LT, the LG & their massive TE on multiple different occasions. I don’t subscribe to business decisions and football decisions being mutually exclusive, so I hope he watches this tape and realizes he needs far more prep before accepting a 3yr contract that could see him improperly develop and out of the league after that (making it a poor business decision to go now)
- Did we miss Taylor and Baker? Is this poor form to ask?
- We definitely missed Hayes and Lee, but I don’t thing King’s presence would have mattered against their receivers.
- I came away confused as to what it means to be a USC fan. They are so chill, sitting on such a goldmine of talent and so used to winning, which makes sense. But how maddening must it be for them to not be putting together 40game win streaks and continuing to drop those rare games they shouldn’t and being faulted for being disinterested? I don’t know, I’ve got no answers there, but wondering about them while seeing them in person and watching their team out-athlete and out-physical ours has me very confused.
Lastly, I very much enjoyed this season and this team and feel we are indeed on the right track. I also am very appreciative of my new (this year) BSD family. Mike, RUTS, Kevin, keep putting out the great commentary and keep making this a fun place to visit (and thanks for your appreciation of our participation—it’s all very syngergistic).
Much Peace and Love,
jp
pax et amor
by jtothep on Jan 2, 2009 2:15 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
A big, giant, awesome +1 to you, JP
Was my extreme honor and pleasure hangin at the tailgate and after the game with you guys. Next year we will most assuredly be in Pasadena for one of the bowls and I hope to do it all again with more BSD’ers and, with a little luck, be cheering for us in the MNC game!
PS- with the revenue BSD will generate this year we should be able to throw a massive tailgate next year to include: DJ’s, hot air balloon and elephant rides, tubs full of Cristal and Yuengling, the roasting of several hogs, and (naturally) 50 yard line seats for all of the BSD faithful. Those are just a few things that come to mind…. :D
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 2, 2009 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The last TD
that gave USC 38 points was hard to watch. It was like the defense had never seen that play before. I hope the coaching staff reconsiders how they cover with the back seven, but I’m not holding my breath.
by Joe 96alum on Jan 2, 2009 2:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Bullets
-Jtothep beat me to it, but our offensive line did really well. I really can’t remember if USC got a sack on us, but if you look at our rushing stats, Royster was averaging close to 6 ypc and Green was at 5.7 ypc
-When Royster went down, in my opinion, is when we lost the game. He had some big runs early on and took pressure off Clark to make plays
-We came out fired up. Our first couple offensive and defensive drives we didn’t look intiminated at all, except for
- Clark. I don’t know what it was, but we was so unsure of himself in the first half. Usually he just drops back and lets it fly, but it looked like he was holding back
-DLine played well early on but when we stopped getting pressure and brought the LBs to blitz with soft zone behind them, that led to the terrible 2nd quarter
-What was that call on the long Butler catch in the first half? The one where he wasn’t set or something?
-I was watching the game with my cousin and some friends, and at half time he was so disappointed and said, “Man, I don’t even feel like watching this, lets turn it off”. To which I replied, “you’ve been watching them all year, you know we’re a second half team, Penn State doesn’t quit.”
-Butler had a good game and played his heart out and in the 4th quarter, when DWill ran over the defensive back trying to get into the end zone, you knew how much this game meant to him and of course Norwood even being able to stand, let alone catch a TD pass spoke volumes about him. Thinking about those guys makes this one a tough loss
- I was expecting USC to win, but like it was said earlier, the high stakes make this a tough loss
- Negative comments: Linebackers trying to cover WRs and fast running backs never ends well. Scirotto might’ve played his worst game. Quarless I don’t know how you tripped, but doesn’t it always seem like something like this happens to you every game?
- USC receivers are the real deal. Height, speed, and run really good routes
- I thought Bowman played a great game and Maybin was playing intense too
- Did they get one flag for holding? Because I saw at least 5
- We’ll be fine next year
- To BSD: I enjoy reading all your posts and like reading through all the comments, because there’s intelligent stuff said here and little fluff. It’s getting harder and harder though, because it seems like you gain 10 more readers/posters every time I sign on. Definitely a good thing
by WPIALkid22 on Jan 2, 2009 3:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for everything, really.
BSD had 2 to 3 times more visits during the 2008 season compared to 2007.
Because Mike’s busy today, Kevin and I will just take all the credit for the increase.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 3:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I second the "thanks".
It’s as fun for us as it is for you guys.
As far as BSD traffic, this is probably one of the top 3-5 team specific college football blogs out there. Blogs are really community driven, so the comments, fanpost and fanshots are all very important. SBN also does a great job with the platform and distribution.
The other great thing about it is that there is still a lot of room for growth.
Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries
by Kevin HD on Jan 2, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I understand platform
But what do you mean by ‘distribution’ in this case?
pax et amor
by jtothep on Jan 3, 2009 12:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
They distribute our posts through google news and also link related stories throughout the SBN network, so if, say, Building The Dam writes about Penn State, BSD has a link on that page.
There are probably some other more subtle things I don’t know about as well.
Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries
by Kevin HD on Jan 3, 2009 12:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The shift penalty
From what I understand, the players set after the huddle, D-Will went in motion and just as he was getting set again, Butler went in motion to the opposite side. Since D-Will was not set for the full second prior to Butler’s shift, Butler was called for the illegal shift penalty. At least, that’s what it looked like from the one replay they showed. Heaven forbid anyone actually define what’s actually happening on the field…
by IcersGuy on Jan 2, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It was overall a decent experience for me
jtothep, sorry I missed your tailgate, I forgot to take down your number. The weirdest part for me, I think, were Trojan fans talking a butt load of shit after the game, even though most of them never attended the school, and there are some close-minded people over here. For example, this 18, 19-year old comes to me and says
“You know what? PSU sucks.”
Me: “Have you ever been outside of Los Angeles?”
“No, but I just know it sucks.”
Me: “Do you go to the school, or even know the team?”
“No, but I’m going next year, and I’m just a fan of the area.”
Me: sigh
Besides the trash talk, it was a pretty good experience and the people were generally nice. One Trojan actually gave my buddy 3 shots worth of liquor in a cup. They were the better football team, and even though they seemed like punks, they won hands down.
by NittanyCub on Jan 2, 2009 3:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Here is the deal w/ SC fans
Since the city does not have pro football team and they have been winning…everyone is a SC fan.
The city adopted them as their own, the same thing will happen if UCLA becomes a powerhouse and SC stinks, it’s a bandwagon type of town. I have been there a ton of times and know lots of peeps out that way and I believe this to be true.
It’s part of the SoCal “we are better than you attitude”, very different from the east coast. It’s a Hey…LOOK AT ME way of life, compare to NYC where it’s “Leave me alone, don’t make eye contact, mind your own business.”
I really like Pete Carroll, seems like a good dude. But the dancing and taunting crap looks bad. You know how many people probably dropped racist comments after seeing that kind of crap. It’s sad, you are an excellent team that wins alot…act like you have been there before.
Instead….HEY LOOK AT ME!!!!!
by SweepTheLeg on Jan 2, 2009 4:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I had a conversation with
one of my friends about that, and she’s like its good to see some celebration (after a TD). But I’m of the mindset act like you have been there.
They just showed why everyone thinks they are a bunch of stuck-up d-bags. I had a lot of respect of SC up until watching those sideline antics. Respect the game.
by cmdpsu15 on Jan 2, 2009 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One more note on Character
From Mandel at CNNSI.com: The Trojans — never short on swagger — chose that occasion to begin their celebration. During the timeout prior to the next kickoff, about half the team came out onto the field in front of their sideline and began jumping up and down. Star linebacker Rey Maualuga drew rousing boos from the Penn State half of the crowd when he made a point of running into the Nittany Lions’ end zone and making a kicking gesture. (After halftime, he also planted the USC flag on the “P” in the same end zone).
Carroll, apparently unaware of the flack Georgia coach Mark Richt took over a similar situation last season, joked it would have been “awesome” had his team “[gotten] a penalty called on us for having too much fun.”
There’s a fine line between fun and just being a total d*ck about things. That was d*ck my friend.
by cmdpsu15 on Jan 2, 2009 4:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that's the kind of shit that comes back to bite you eventually.
There’s something to be said for humility. If you just go about your business and you’re good at it, fine. But stuff like that only makes everyone else hate you and continue to bring their A game at you every single game, perhaps making the occasional Stanford/Oregon State outcome a bit more likely? I don’t know…I’m just glad our coach doesn’t let that stuff go on.
by jimbo2psu on Jan 3, 2009 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
More SC Fans commentary
I read this article in the times the day before and this line struck me as interesting:
One more favor while you’re here. Please don’t confuse our ironic detachment for smug indifference – everybody does.
He continues on with some sarcasm about the warmness of Nicholson & DeNiro, but that only clouds the meaning of the first part. What the hell does ‘ironic detachment’ mean anyway? Anyway, there were literally thousands of tailgating fans who fit the ‘smug indifference’ description to a tee.
There was also a lady tailgating right in front of us who went waaaaaaaaayyyy out of her way to be hospitable and friendly to a group of younger (than our tailgating crew) penn staters who were partying quite effusively. At different times we saw her walking over with all sorts of goodies. TME, you remember what some of her deliveries were? In any case, she was actin like a song girl catering to Zug, and it was very sweet.
pax et amor
by jtothep on Jan 3, 2009 1:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Oh I mentioned that somewhere on here...
She gave out casadillas (tortillas with melted cheese for the east coasters), donuts, chicken, you name it… great fans before the game, a few notable douchebags during and after. They were more than ok, overall, but like any crowd there are more than a few that can eat a bag of d… well, you know where I am going… I won’t say the overall experience was destroyed by them. But it was classless to see the small percentage ruin it for the good ones.
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 3, 2009 6:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
btw... foiled by the spell check
it’s quesadillas and I didn’t notice it right off. Damn you, technology and your evil science!!!
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 3, 2009 7:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I had a similar exchange
Going in, I was thinking how cool it was that SC is one of the few teams that do like we do with the No Names on Jerseys. I know most PSU numbers I see ppl rockin on jerseys in a two-deep historical depth chart, but had zero idea about SC jersey numbers. So, standin in line at a concession—one of those loopy lines where you pass each other after each turn, I saw a dude with dark shades and an SC jersey #11 on. We seemed to be looking at each other and I asked him ’who’s number 11?’ He stared, unmoving & quiet, such that I couldn’t tell if he was looking past me or right at me. So, I dropped my shades and asked again ’who’s number 11?’ He postured a bit, dropped his shades to let me know he’d been looking at me the entire time, and he replied, real quick and shortlike: ‘a heisman trophy winner, you won’t be seeing him today,’ then snidely asked me ’who’s number 40?’ None of it was pleasantries, so I just said ‘forget it, dude’ and took in all the ‘what a dick’ comments from other strangers in line.
pax et amor
by jtothep on Jan 3, 2009 1:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
How bout Mr BMW with the flat tire?
I walked all the way back to my car to get a tire inflator which he brushed off as he had larger problems as his jacked collapsed and he was wearing a #13 SC jersey. I guess he was still pissed cuz when we questioned him about it all I could think of was Marinovich which is the SC equivalent to calling someone’s PSU #14 a M*re*li
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 3, 2009 6:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I looked for your NittanyCub hat!
Catch you at the next Pasadena trip, dude.
pax et amor
by jtothep on Jan 3, 2009 1:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
1.7 ypc allowed?
That is factoring in the bad snap on the final punt as a -37 yard rush, so I wouldn’t take that stat to heart unfortunately.
by mrb5091 on Jan 2, 2009 3:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Oh crap, you're right!
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 4:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Statistical marvels.
And I really should’ve known that, because I once rushed for -13 yards in a high school game because of a bad punt snap. And yes, those were my career rushing yards.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Jan 2, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I just calculated it to about 3.1 ypc for USC
you might want to double check that – this whole “work” thing is interfering with any real research…
by IcersGuy on Jan 2, 2009 4:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Seniors
This, in my mind, is one of the greatest senior classes PSU has ever seen.
They never gave up. Every B10 team I’ve seen play USC gives up in the 2nd half. Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State. They all gave up.
That to me, allowed this loss to not be devastating. To watch our guys just give up would have been torture. To see them come this close to keeping the game respectable reminded me why I love PSU.
Our kids went out, were completely outmatched, and still played with pride and determination. That for me meant the most. This senior class will go down into legend as being the class that brought us out of the dark ages and back into relevance. We still have a long way to go but we’re headed in the right direction.
by millzners on Jan 2, 2009 4:20 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Not that it would have mattered
but can anyone explain to me why PSU kicks the field goal in the 4th quarter so far behind. That is the loser mentality I see wat too often. Who cares if we lose by 10 or 30 points. Let it all hang out and go for the TD. No onside kicks either.
by jabama on Jan 2, 2009 6:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
b/c we needed a score
at that point that cuts the lead and there was still time and momentum there to come back and score again. i believe, at that point, that cust the lead to 14 pts. doable.
by amandakt on Jan 2, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Um? Because we were losing?
We were down 24 points. That’s 3 TDs and a FG.
We were in a position to score a FG.
We scored a FG.
What am I missing? It was by far the right call. Given the fact that we were down 24 points and ended with multiple chances to come within a score, it should be obvious it was.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 2, 2009 11:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The only other thing I can think of...
Is going for 3 TD’s and 3 two-pt conversions. The problem there, of course, is that if you don’t make at least one 2-pointer of the first two TD’s, then you’re down 12 and you still need two more TD’s. I think most coaches, and correctly so, would opt for the field goal to get the ball rolling a bit.
by jimbo2psu on Jan 3, 2009 11:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
3 two pointers...
1 two pointer is a 50/50 shot. Two is 1/4. Three is 1/8.
In both cases you’re assuming you can score three touchdowns. In one case you’re assuming you can also get 3 2-point conversions (which is a 1/8 shot). In the other case you’re assuming you can kick a FG that’s much better than 1/8.
The math’s really not that hard. By far the right decision.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Jan 4, 2009 4:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
When field goal
was kicked the score was 38-14 with 7:22 left in the game. Great !! We cut the lead from 24 to 21.
by jabama on Jan 2, 2009 6:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
maybe it was to help kelly
get to the b-10 scoring lead. if he had another extra point he may have tied/broken it. I know he needed 8 points before the game….
I just wanted to say thanks to all the BSDers for contributing to my enjoyment of the ‘08 season. I check the site daily (probably not the best productivity tool at work) and am always entertained. It’s been a pleasure and will check in regularly leading up to signing day!!
Cheers to all – happy new year!
by PSU Jen on Jan 2, 2009 7:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for your FG explanation
and if that is true it is still ridiculous. With that mind set they should have let Kelly kick a FG on the last play of the game to break the record. Now how stupid would have that looked.
by jabama on Jan 2, 2009 7:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
The field goal had nothing to do with the record
And it wasn’t giving up, either. It was the right decision. Fourth down, makeable field goal range, third quarter, you kick the field goal and make it a three score game. Period.
"They haven't played us yet."
by ReadingRambler on Jan 2, 2009 9:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
The FG was in the 4th Qtr, and with only about 8 mins left
by Screen Name 20 on Jan 2, 2009 10:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I know
I was about to give myself a FAIL, but you beat me to it.
"They haven't played us yet."
by ReadingRambler on Jan 2, 2009 10:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
FG
Also, it was a 3 score game before the field goal — 3 TDs + 3 two point conversions. Yes, getting the field goal made the three scores easier, but I think it’s the wrong call — you go for the TD and if you get it + 2 then you only need 2 possessions instead of the three we needed with or without the FG.
by Laaaaazzz on Jan 2, 2009 11:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The bet, then, would be...
you need all 3 two-point conversions to make that decision worthwhile. If you don’t get either of the first 2, though, you still need 2 TD’s (starting down 24, then 18, then 12)…..making it a 4 TD game instead of 3 and a FG. It might have been just a bit of a safe bet, but I think it’s the right call to go with the FG there.
by jimbo2psu on Jan 3, 2009 11:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nobody
…will stop a team with a hot QB throwing to 6’4" WRs who run like deer. Particularly with Scirrrotto, Rubin, and Astorino on the field all at once – three good DBs for the B10, but not against that kind of passing challenge.
My doubts about Clark have been answered – he is the real deal. The whole team showed great character – even with all the bone-headed mistakes. And no, this was not about the old bogeyman, conservative play calling.
I had the distinct feeling SCal let up on PSU in the second half. I’d like to take solace in the semi-respectable 14 point loss, but I can’t… They could have thrown those slants until the Second Coming and would not have been stopped.
by hartmann on Jan 2, 2009 10:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think we should replace the "In Zug We Trust"
with some thanks to Clark or Williams/Butler/Norwood
by NJ lion on Jan 2, 2009 10:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Alabama
Can we get an article about how Alabama was “crushed” tonight, how they were overrated all year, how they didn’t belong in the Sugar Bowl, how Utah should play the winner of FL-OK, etc.?
Sigh.
by MainLion on Jan 2, 2009 11:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
It is now obvious that the SEC is behind the times. They’re too slow and too lazy to even be on the same field as the Mountain West. How many more bowl games will be ruined by awful SEC teams? What a joke of a conference.
"They haven't played us yet."
by ReadingRambler on Jan 2, 2009 11:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
nice, RR
I am just glad you didn’t mention the OMG ESS EEE SEE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE SPEEEEEEEED!!!! I get so tired of that garbage
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Jan 3, 2009 6:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not too upset
USC was better. The lack of discipline was a surprise, but the USC offense is the kind that torches us (ND 2006, Ohio State 2007, etc.).
All I know is we’re back. We’re a nationally relevant program again. Having been a student during the first two of the dark years, I will take the last 4 years in a heartbeat. Yes, even the Morelli years. I don’t know if we’re still in rebuild mode from those years, but I don’t think we’re quite at the level of a few programs (USC, Texas, Florida). I know there are lot of people who want us to be there, but I’m ok with where we are. Realistically speaking, we’re not going to do much better with JoePa still coaching. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with the contract extension, but he just doesn’t have it in him to compete with the likes of Carrol and Meyer on the recruiting trail. And that’s fine.
It’s been an amazing year, and this game didn’t change that. I think I would have been more upset in 2005 if we had lost to Florida State, because I still wasn’t sure at that point if the program had truly turned things around or if that was a fluke season. We should be right in the thick of things for the Big Ten title again next year, so that’s sweet too.
Time to take a break from PSU football. And booze. My God I drank a lot in LA.
by speedomike on Jan 3, 2009 10:15 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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