Nitt Picks Has Changed, But Things Look The Same
by KevinHD on Aug 18, 2009 7:17 AM EDT
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PrintThrowback. TR,E did some good work pulling together the run/pass split based on attempts of every Big Ten team over the past two years. Penn State held a pretty consistent split around 55/45 during both seasons, which is a very general statement but an interesting one when you consider we went from Morelli to Clark.
Although it's also not very surprising. Contrary to what people label Clark as, he is most certainly a passing quarterback. And the stats say a pretty decent one:
| Year/QB | Atts | Yds | Com% | YPA | TD/INT | Sacks | Rating |
| 2007/QB14 | 402 | 2651 | 58.2% | 6.60 | 19/10 | 20 | 124 |
| 2008/DC17 | 321 | 2592 | 59.8% | 8.08 | 19/6 | 11 | 143 |
Basically: Penn State became significantly more efficient with the pass, gave up way less ints and sacks, all while using a quarterback that was an automatic 3&1 converter.
So while the split was 56/44 in attempts, the yardage split was quite different: 46/54, or a reversal. And FWIW, Penn State ranked best in the conference in both passing yards per attempt and rushing yards per attempt.
Something else that's interesting: no one is running the ball as much as Ohio State, and their approach isn't exactly the stuff of hipsters. They went from 61% run in '07 to 64% run in '08. By yardage? Still leaning towards the run with a 56/44 split.
Ohio State loses lineman and receivers as well and (jokes aside) I remain skeptical of their ability to show whirlwind improvements in the passing game. They weren't very good with the pass last year and I can't find an obvious reason to think they will improve other than OMG TP. Where they could be scary is if they reload at the RB and improve Pryor's rushing utility, but the thought of that offense becoming the '07 Patriots with quite literally world class speed at quarterback seems far fetched.
The Revenge of Too Country? Quote from LB recruit Michael Taylor, h/t GPT:
"It's a beautiful city," he said. "It's a college town but it has life. It's not dead with cow pastures and horses all around it. It has a city; it has something I can do. It's a great place. I'm from California. I'm not trying to go to the middle of nowhere. I'm used to the city life. So Knoxville is a great place for Michael Taylor to be."
Apparently no offer from Penn State. Interesting. (Plenty of good shirts and pants still available!)
#2. The infamous BTN commercial with JoePa's cometopennstaaaeeette is known all over the world, but it's not even the network's most watched video, this is:
(BTN: Your embed code doesn't work.) Thanks BTN!
So apparently women's basketball games aren't refereed by men with Michigan shrines in their offices [/05zing!].
The BTN has more streaming video from their visit to Happy Valley here.
Good news for those of you reading this in Thessaloniki. The BTN will now stream all games, so long as you aren't anywhere near the mainland:
Big Ten fans around the globe will be able to watch their favorite football and men's basketball teams beginning this fall with "Big Ten Ticket," the Big Ten Network's new international streaming package.
That's a little misleading: the service isn't actually available to everyone around the globe, just the ones who are anywhere except the United States or Canada.
And while it would be great to be able to stream these things their fight with service providers isn't yet complete, and giving the programming away ruins the kind of hostage approach that they've taken that gets consumers upset enough to do the dirty work for them with the cable companies.
Although, and I can't speak with a definite tone here, I suspect the crafty among you might be able to figure out a way to stream these things with some IP trickeration.
Ladies and Gentelman: The slow and gradual death of everything Barry Alvarez worked to build:
Garner Pleasant, the father of Aubrey Pleasant, vows to fight back...."Lawyers have been contacted, and we just want the kids' names cleared."
Lawyers, hearings, no answers and Bret Bielema in the middle. Not exactly a good start for a team trying to improve its "chemistry" this season.
WTF is going on up there? The team appears to be slowly stagnating into nothingness and now players' parents are calling lawyers?
In Scores of Other Games...the nations' top FB narrows it down to Penn State and Virginia Tech...Doc Sat and Smart FB both like PSU to win the conference...and maybe the most incredible thing I've very seen, even from a guy who was rooting for the North Stars (give it time to load).
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Since there was mention of streaming games
I find it remotely appropriate to ask the question if anyone used the cbssportsline service (the one pushed on gopsusports) last season? I listened to the radio games on XM last year, but no longer have it. I was going to try cbssportsline this year, although I was not real impressed with it when I had it a few years ago (although back then I think it was cttv or something like that). The connection was ridiculously choppy on gameday and you had to open about 20 windows to actually find the game. It was particularly annoying to try to navigate through in a hurry. I will resist the urge to post a full rant about the beginning of the ’05 PSU-Michigan game that was not on TV because Texas Tech was running a 2-minute offense complete with calling timeouts while ahead by four touchdowns. To this day, I hate Texas Tech for this reason.
what's your situation?
i wonder if there isn’t a better way.
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State" The offseason is long. So is this magazine.
I live in northwest CT
Comcast does not carry BTN here because we are out of B10 territory. We live too far away from NYC to pick up the radio stations there. All I want to do is hear Jones and Ham and I am a happy camper.
Buy a slingbox...
send it to someone that lives in Big Ten Country….and boom….you have coverage.
"I'm not affraid to compete"
~Robert Bolden
Nittany Point of View
I like the way you
One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's
Streaming webcasts from radio stations
I’m in Madison, WI, so access to Big Ten games should not be a problem. What usually happens, however, is that the local cable company (because it does not have BTN overflow channels) often chooses to show UW or Big Ten teams other than PSU when multiple Big Ten games are on at one time. I have picked up games on XM, but I only have it in my car, so it is not ideal.
I have had decent success listening to games for free via radio station online streaming content. You can check the media listing for the game in advance and then check the radio stations’ websites to see who has streaming online content. You can also google the ESPN radio affiliates in central PA and see if anyone is streaming the game. Sometimes you end up with the opposing team’s announcers, but better than nothing in a pinch. (I usually try to find several potential streams, because some of them get too much traffic and have buffering or quality issues.)
Phil
I haven't checked lately
but when I was living in Iowa, I tried to get any of the Penn State affiliates online… long story short, they had to cut out their streaming audio feed during the games due to the same service being available through gopsusports.com for a fee.
"I thought the kid we were using had the potential to be a good quarterback, and I blew that one." - Joseph V. Paterno
by leeharvey418 on Aug 18, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
can't you get XM on your computer if you have a subscription?
by The JuggerNitt on Aug 18, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I tried that before too
but I have not found any station that does not block it out. They all replace the broadbast with sports talk or classical music.
Here's a site that is really useful for finding the game online.
http://randsco.com/index.php/2005/10/15/geographically_challenged
Born and raised in the shadow of Mount Nittany
Streaming out side of the country
As a new Charlottiean, I’m considering a move to Bandledesh just to stream the games.
by P the S out of U on Aug 18, 2009 8:53 AM EDT reply actions
at this time
I’d like to plug one of my own Fanshots from last year:
Fanshot comparing past PSU QB’s stats
Clark’s yards per attempt from 2008 is 6.8, better than QB14’s 4.9 and 5.3 and even better than 1994’s Collin’s 6.3.
Clark was, generally, more efficient then Collins was in 1994 by gaining more yards on average per attempt.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
messed up
i mean Robinson, not Collins, too early blah blah blah
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
The thing about Robinson was
that he occasionally missed passes that a QB should complete. Don’t get me wrong, would take him as QB any day of the week, but I do remember the occasional 3rd and 7 over the middle that he overthrew.
By any means necessary
That was the thing about Robinson. As a QB, he wasn’t a great passer but he moved the team down the damned field any way he could.
--
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State", like, now. One team, 128 pages.
by Run Up The Score on Aug 18, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Exactly
Everyone recalls that 4th and 19 against Northwestern, but that final drive against Michigan in 2005 to grab the lead back often gets overshadowed because of the officiating at the end. He just had that knack for putting everyone on his back and willing them down the field.
true
But if you look at his passing yards per attempt it’s 7.6 vs Clark’s 8.1. That’s not a huge difference. I think the thing about Robinson was that he ran more than Clark, and therefore was just couldn’t generate the kind of yards per attempt that Clark did overall. Although Robinson has 4.9 yards per rushing attempt, he ran more than twice as much as Clark did, and Clark still had 3.6 yards per rush attempt and 10 TD’s to Robinson’s 11.
What that last stat tells me is that Clark picked and chose his spots to run very well, and often when he did it was on or very near the goal line. Robinson ran well, and passed well, but in running more he reduced his yards per attempt b/c your’e always going to see more yards per attempt with passing than running.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
I agree with the second paragraph completely
You know, it is weird to compare the two QB’s, because although they played several years apart, they had the same WR’s. Granted, they were much better as Sr’s than Fr, but still, what other time could you compare your last three QB’s who were all throwing to the same targets.
and for the record
Collins averaged over 10 yards per passing attempt. That’s just insane. That’s a first down, on average, every time he threw the ball.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
That offense was ridiculous
I remember the defensive guys were always gassed at the end of the game because they spent 75% of the game on the field. The offense would usually drive 80 yards in about four plays only taking a minute and a half. It was unreal.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
rose bowl
I love the rose bowl where (if memory serves) Oregon drives methodically down the field, over like 10-12 plays, scores a TD. We come on the field, Enis runs 80 yards for a TD on the first play from scrimmage. Our defense goes back on the field…
ridiculous is the best way to describe that offense.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
err carter, not enis
ok i’m going to stop using player’s names in my posts today, that’s the 2nd time i said the wrong name.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
Carter's run was the 1st score of the game
They came right back and tied the game.
by Screen Name 20 on Aug 18, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Seriously, re-watch the 94 Rose Bowl
At the time I wasn’t worried. But when re-watched that game it was scary how poorly Penn State played offenively that day. Carter had 20 some carries for a 130 or so, except 100 of it was on two carries. Mostly he did nothing. Engram, nothing. The best play of the day was made by friggin’ Joe Nastasi. The offense was flat and sloppy the entire game.
We made some special teams plays, including a long kick return, and a seriously underrated defensive performance.
"far less knowledgeable than the average poster here"
I guess the Ducks D
might have been as good as Oregonians want you to think. Que Gang-Green argument.
One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's
The team looked flat
Maybe I was projecting, but I think they were disappointed to be facing Oregon instead of a “worthy opponent” which would get us MNC votes.
The local TV station, I think it was the ABC affiliate KATU, sent out a reporter and videographer to the bar where the Portland area PSU alumni group was watching the game. I was interviewed on TV and probably said something about the Ducks being a heckuva football team and the whole bit.
Very cool
However, I tried to google Confirmy Interview, and all results kept bringing me back to bsd.
sigh.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
You know
we had the same problem in 1999 too. The diference was the 1994 offense could put a game away late and 1999 one couldn’t.
"far less knowledgeable than the average poster here"
Those late '90's teams would all relegate to running the ball
with any sort of lead. Even before losing (in ’99), we had a number of games that were way too close. For example, Pitt should not have been within 8 touchdowns of us, yet we somehow put them in a position to win the game in the last two minutes.
What I always found odd about the ’94 team was that they ran the same offensive scheme that really never clicked before or since. However, the offensive line was good enough to where Collins had about a year and a half to find an open receiver. I still get scared when I see PSU recruiting a pro-style QB, because I really do not want to see us go back to our old scheme.
My favorite memory from 1994
Ki-Jana Carter was right in the hunt for the Heisman race, but everyone figured he needed a 200 yard game against Michigan State in the last game to make a statement.
Penn State takes a 35 point lead into halftime, and Carter sits to start the second half with just 150 yards or so in the books. You could see him standing next to Paterno the whole game and you could tell he was begging to go back in. Finally, in the fourth quarter Joe puts him back in for a series. Carter takes the first carry and busts it off left tackle for a 60 yard touchdown run. Everyone went nuts.
Too bad he ended up not winning the Heisman though. He and Collins split the vote on the east coast, and I believe Rashan Salam ended up winning it that year.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
ahhh yes... Rashaan Salaam
the many with many A’s who ended up being a bear. How my pro team kept picking up the most disappointing RB’s and QB’s forever and a day after Payton is just beyond me
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member
by TheMightyErik on Aug 18, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, Carter's ypc was insane
IIRC, at one point in the season he had something around 9.0 ypc. Even by the end of the season, it worked out to a first down every other time he carried the ball.
"I thought the kid we were using had the potential to be a good quarterback, and I blew that one." - Joseph V. Paterno
by leeharvey418 on Aug 18, 2009 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
And I know none of you have clicked that last link
click it, seriously.
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State" The offseason is long. So is this magazine.
How much time do you think that took?
Roughly 18 years?
--
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State", like, now. One team, 128 pages.
by Run Up The Score on Aug 18, 2009 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Was talking about it with my brother.
at least.
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State" The offseason is long. So is this magazine.
Absolutely
I’m not a Pens fan but I’m looking forward to the 1992 version next year.
by Screen Name 20 on Aug 18, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions
That's outstanding.
old video games rock.
by Tailgate Shogun on Aug 18, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I definitely clicked it
and it was awesome.
by Screen Name 20 on Aug 18, 2009 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Thank you so much, Kevin.
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Aug 18, 2009 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions
it is definitely awesome
and I recall a similar thing being done with baseball (I think the 1986 World Series Game 6). I enjoy watching that one ;-)
This one seems 100x harder, what with players being able to be pretty much anywhere (especially since they’re computer controlled), yet being in approximately the right positions according to the broadcast. I would have killed myself before completing 5% of that project.
I watched a bit of it, but there’s no way to pause or fast forward, so I gave up after a while.
by The JuggerNitt on Aug 19, 2009 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
You alrady knew this,
but Mauti is officially out for the season.
Order your copy of "We Are Penn State" The offseason is long. So is this magazine.
Zwinak
Whats the scoop on him? It seems like he is highly regarded and a great football player. Do we have room for him in this class? I know Lattimore and Nick Jones are longshots, but do we keep the door open if he committs?
Absolutely
If there’s a kid out there that we want, we’ll make room for him. With a greyshirt or two and sending our leftovers to Rutgers we should be fine, I would think.
by smashtheguitar on Aug 18, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
We've got plenty of room
With graduations, greyshirts, departures, etc. we’ve (unfortunately in a few cases) opened up plenty of schollies, but like STG says above, we’d make room no matter what.
It’s good to see Alvarez morphing into Bill Snyder. I say he comes back in, oh, two or three years.
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
it is interesting
how I used to have some respect for Wisky back when Alvarez was the coach. Now I think they’re practically scum. Similar with Michigan. I hated them, I thought they were pompous jerks, but as far as football programs go they were still kinda “classy”. It took one year of DickRod to change my opinion.
I really hope that JoePa’s replacement doesn’t follow the same trend.
by The JuggerNitt on Aug 19, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Replacement program
So far the bionic replacement hip has been acting beyond expectations.
Let’s hope the rest of the replacement program goes as well.
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