Your Midseason Big Ten Stock Prospectus
by Peter Gray on Oct 11, 2011 9:30 AM EDT
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The midpoint in the college football season is approaching. Most teams have played either five or six of their twelve regular season games. At this time, it's safe to start drawing conclusions from what we've seen with our own eyes, rather than rely upon preconceived notions and expectations.
With that, I present to you the Midseason Big Ten Stock Prospectus, where you'll learn everything necessary in order to make informed investments.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 6-0 (2-0)
Offensive Numbers: 34.7 points/game (31st nationally), 447.7 yards/game (32nd)
Defensive Numbers: 17.8 points/game (18th), 297.2 yards/game (15th)
Current Status: Rising. Improbably rising.
The Illini are the most surprising team in the Big Ten thus far. They've put together an explosive offense centered around Nathan Scheelhaase and A.J. Jenkins, and have reeled off six straight wins to start the season. However, the only two wins of any note were both by three points (over Arizona State and Northwestern). Early returns have been positive, but the Illini have yet to begin the difficult portion of their schedule.
Recommended Action: Hold.
Things look promising for Illinois, but Ron Zook is not a person I'm too keen on trusting to deliver top fight returns. That said, this team is unlikely to revert to their previous form.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 1-5 (0-2)
Offensive Numbers: 23.3 points/game (88th), 368.8 yards/game (82nd)
Defensive Numbers: 27.2 points/game (65th), 421.5 yards/game (97th)
Current Status: Bottomed out.
There's no kind way to put it: The Hoosiers stink. Kevin Wilson was left with next to nothing to work with after Bill Lynch finished tossing his gum all over Bloomington, but the early returns have been uglier than anticipated. This team has lost games to Ball State and North Texas. That's really all you need to know.
Recommended Action: Sell.
It's comical to think that anyone would even own stock in Indiana at the start of the season. However, if you're one of the unlucky few that did, you may as well hold onto it for another month or two before tossing it in the fireplace on a cold evening.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 3-2 (0-1)
Offensive Numbers: 30.8 points/game (50th), 388 yards/game (70th)
Defensive Numbers: 21.6 points/game (38th), 387.6 (66th)
Current Status: Uncertain.
The Hawkeyes looked good against inferior competition, but had to muster a huge 4th quarter comeback to beat Pitt, and got shut down by Penn State. The big problem is that their normally stout defensive line has been left porous and accommodating by attrition. The good news for Iowa, though, is that the B1G is not exactly loaded with high powered offenses, and may be able to overcome their shortcomings against pretty much everyone left on their schedule except for Michigan and Nebraska.
Recommended Action: Cautiously buy.
Iowa caught a break by missing Wisconsin this season, and their remaining schedule is maneuverable. They face nemesis Northwestern next week, but have Michigan and Michigan State at home before ending the season in Lincoln. Interspersed in there are a lot of winnable games against the B1G's underbelly. Worst case scenario for the Hawkeyes at this point is 6-6, with 8-4 being a reasonable possibility.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 6-0 (2-0)
Offensive Numbers: 38 points/game (21st), 457.5 yards/game (26th)
Defensive Numbers: 12.5 points/game (8th), 336.5 yards/game (30th)
Current Status: Rising! [points upward]
The Wolverines have been surprisingly good so far, but this is a team that has repeatedly started quickly before faltering in spectacular fashion in recent years. One of the questions going into the year was how Denard Robinson was going to be able to adapt to a more traditional Al Borges offense, and the answer has been... okay? Robinson frequently starts the game trying to pass from the pocket before switching back into shotgun sets and running wild. In that way, the offense is still somewhat similar to what we're used to. The defense, however, might be very different. The GERGfenses of the past few seasons were historically bad, to the point where sound tackling by Michigan defenders is reason to take notice. The secondary is undoubtedly the weakness, but it remains to be seen whether anyone in the conference can really take advantage of it.
Recommended Action: Sell.
Michigan still has to go to East Lansing this weekend, and still have to face Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and their old enemy, Ohio State. They won't lose all of those games, but I think it's too soon for Michigan to shake off their history of poor finishes. Also, Denard Robinson is a high injury risk due to his slight frame and wild style of play, and if they lose him, they are in deeeeeeeeeeep trouble.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 4-1 (1-0)
Offensive Numbers: 28 points/game (62nd), 398 yards/game (61st)
Defensive Numbers: 10.2 points/game (3rd), 173.4 yards/game (1st)
Current Status: Teetering.
Sparty's 4-1, but it's very difficult to shake their loss to Notre Dame. They lost the game despite outgaining the Irish by about 100 yards, and didn't turn the ball over as much as Notre Dame. What's been problematic has been the lack of a running game. Defensively, however, the Spartans have been a huge surprise. Those numbers may be a bit slanted based on their early season competition, but you can't say Michigan State doesn't have a very good defense at this point. They'll need it too, as the next three weeks will more or less decide their season (Michigan, Wisconsin, @Nebraska).
Recommended Action: Hold.
The next three weeks will decide how Michigan State's season goes. If the Spartans can come out of that stretch with at least two wins, they should be in the driver's seat to get to the B1G Championship Game. If they lose two or more of those games, then anything above 8-4 is a pipedream. I'll be very interested in seeing how Jerel Worthy and Sparty's front seven handle containing Denard Robinson this weekend.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 1-5 (0-2)
Offensive Numbers: 18 points/game (109th), 300.3 yards/game (110th)
Defensive Numbers: 35 points/game (110th), 414.2 (91st)
Current Status: Smoldering at the bottom of a crater.
Minnesota is one of the five worst teams in college football. There's no way to dress that up. Tim Brewster left the cupboard completely bare for Jerry Kill, and the results on the field reflect that. To make matters worse, Kill's health concerns may derail a coach who has proven he can build a competent program from nothing. Nobody was expecting much from the Gophers this year, but good lord, this is ugly.
Recommended Action: Sell for Confederate currency.
This is going to get worse before it gets better, as Goldy's remaining schedule is @Nebraska, Iowa, @Sparty, Wisconsin, @jNW, Illinois. I'll be shocked if Minnesota wins another game this year.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 5-1 (1-1)
Offensive Numbers: 37 points/game (26th), 419 yards/game (46th)
Defensive Numbers: 27.2 points/game (65th), 372.7 yards/game (59th)
Current Status: Maintaining through turbulence.
I'm not sure what to think about Nebraska. The Huskers were expected to come in and be the big boy on the block immediately, but that notion was put to rest after they were thoroughly mashed out in Camp Randall two weeks ago. They followed up that effort by falling behind big to Ohio State early before making a huge (albeit Bauserman-aided) comeback to win. They can definitely run the ball, but Taylor Martinez is painful to watch when he throws the ball. That would be less of an issue if the defense was still a top end unit, but that has slipped as well. I think the Huskers are better than most of the teams in the Big Ten, but they are capable of laying an egg at any time.
Recommended Action: Buy, but preferably with someone else's money.
If Nebraska beats the two Michigan schools, they'll go to the conference championship game. It's that simple. They have the talent to do it, but schizophrenic quarterbacking and psychotic coaching may derail them. Honestly, I have no clue who's going to win the Legends West Corn division, but the Huskers are as good of a bet as anyone else.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 2-3 (0-2)
Offensive Numbers: 27.8 points/game (64th), 388 yards/game (70th)
Defensive Numbers: 27.8 points/game (73rd), 444.2 yards/game (106th)
Current Status: Falling.
This won't be news to anyone, but Northwestern will go as far as Dan Persa takes them. This is even more true now that they lost Mike Trumpy for the year with a torn ACL. The Wildcats need Persa to have a monster game every week because, as you can see, they can't really stop anybody. That's a precarious position to be in, as he's coming off a major injury, and still isn't 100%.
Recommended Action: Sell.
I like Northwestern. I really do. I think Pat Fitzgerald is a good coach that's trying to make the best of a difficult situation, but this won't be a vintage year for the Wildcats. Looking at their schedule for the rest of the year, I think getting bowl eligible would be a significant accomplishment.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 3-3 (0-2)
Offensive Numbers: 24.3 points/game (86rd), 315.3 yards/game (105th)
Defensive Numbers: 17.8 points/game (17th), 308.2 yards/game (22nd)
Current Status: Reeling.
Where do I start? In some ways, the Buckeyes are very similar to Penn State this year, as they're both teams propped up by their defenses. However, Ohio State has to deal with never-ending controversy, missing players, and an almost certain one and done head coach. The Buckeyes finally showed signs of life on offense last week, but that died immediately after Braxton Miller got injured. If Miller has to miss any significant stretch of time, this season could get much, much uglier than we all predicted.
For the record, I originally thought Ohio State would go 9-3 this year. We all make mistakes.
Recommended Action: SEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
There's a very real chance Ohio State doesn't become bowl eligible this year. They play in Champaigne this week, although Miller is expected to start that game. The week after is Wisconsin, and still waiting are Penn State and @Michigan. If Miller can stay healthy, they at least have a chance to be competitive. If Joe Bauserman has to play, well... They don't.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 5-1 (2-0)
Offensive Numbers: 21.5 points/game (93rd), 374.2 yards/game (81st)
Defensive Numbers: 10.5 points.game (5th), 250.8 yards/game (4th)
Current Status: Grinding onward inefficiently.
You all know full well how this team is doing right now, so I won't waste your time. I will simply highlight that this team's last five games are: @jNW, Illinois, Nebraska, @OSU, @Wisconsin. Rubber, meet road.
Recommended Action: Hold.
I'm not the optimist that many of y'all are. There are undoubtedly reasons to be hopeful going into the second half of the season, but I'm struggling to figure out where the points are going to come from when Penn State plays good defenses. If the offensive line continues to show improvement, things may start clicking for the offense. Until then, we will have to wait and see.
??????????????????????????
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 3-2 (1-0)
Offensive Numbers: 32.6 points/game (41st), 412.2 yards/game (50th)
Defensive Numbers: 20.6 points/game (29th), 345.8 yards/game (38th)
Current Status: Probably at peak value.
Purdue's already lost to Rice, and still have to face @Penn State, Illinois, @Michigan, @Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa. All in a row. Yep.
Recommended Action: Sell with all speed.
I'm sorry, Pete.
Pertinent Statistics
Record: 5-0 (1-0)
Offensive Numbers: 48.4 points/game (3rd), 523 yards/game (9th)
Defensive Numbers: 10.2 points/game (3rd), 263.8 yards/game (7th)
Current Status: Skyrocketing.
Say, have you heard about this Russell Wilson character? The Badgers have smashed every team they've faced to bits, including Nebraska two weeks ago. It's true that they haven't faced a difficult schedule thus far, but Wisconsin has done everything that you'd expect out of a top five team. Their schedule is fairly maneuverable as well, as they still have to play @Sparty in two weeks before going to Columbus. After that are a few snoozers before ending the year @Illinois and then hosting Penn State.
Recommended Action: Take out a loan against your retirement plan and buy.
The Badgers probably won't go undefeated, but they are head and shoulders above everyone else in the B1G. They're also a team that doesn't take their foot off the gas once they have a lead. That's not a good combination if you're looking for an upset. Their offense is a good balance of run and pass, and if either Montee Ball or James White goes down with injury, I'm sure some other running back just like them will pop up, not unlike a shark's tooth.
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Disagree with you on Michigan, MSU, Nebraska
I think Michigan wins the corn division — they are a whole new team this year with Brady Hoke, who’s likely the best active coach in the B1G.
MSU will be lucky to win one of their next three against Michigan, Wiscy, Nebraska. They’ll crumble down the stretch.
Nebraska’s defense just isn’t good enough to win in the B1G; they also have a bullseye on their back b/c they’re the new kid on the block.
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
Nebraska'a D isn't good enough to win the conference, but Michigan wins their division?
Something isn’t right there.
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by Jeff Junstrom on Oct 11, 2011 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Nebraska is still playing like a Big 12 team
They haven’t adapted to the league yet, though you can watch them evolving.
But look at the numbers:
Michigan:
Defensive Numbers: 12.5 points/game (8th), 336.5 yards/game (30th)
Nebraska:
Defensive Numbers: 27.2 points/game (65th), 372.7 yards/game (59th)
Ohio State, with an offense as bad or worse than PSU’s, scored 27 points against Nebraska. No way they score that many the last week of the season.
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
I agree with you on Nebraska, that they're still playing B12, but that UM D is a sieve when playing an actual offense.
Points per game against ND and jNW – 27.5
PPG against two Directional Michigans, SDSU, and Minnesota (possibly the worst B1G team ever) – 5
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by Jeff Junstrom on Oct 11, 2011 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Right.
The problem with those numbers is that they’re distorted by early season cupcakes. However, if you have bad defensive numbers six games into the season, chances are that defense is actually bad.
I agree on that side.
But good defensive numbers six games in doesn’t mean a good defense. Michigan will have to win shootouts to win the B1G. That being said, I’m glad we miss Denard (unless we meet in the CCG).
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by Jeff Junstrom on Oct 11, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Time will tell
This is not Rich Rod’s and GERG’s UoM defense. They tackle well and play fundamentally sound. They may lack some of the athletes, still, but they’re miles ahead of where they were in previous years.
Both NW and the Irish have very good offenses. Likely better than anyone else in the Big Ten (maybe excepting Wiscy).
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
All true.
But miles ahead of GERG’s defense doesn’t mean much. They should be good under Mattison…eventually. Right now they still have no secondary and will get lit up by any offense with a pulse.
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by Jeff Junstrom on Oct 11, 2011 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Wisconsin and Illinois
2 offenses that are better than jNW in the B1G. Notre Dame? I honestly don’t care enough to ever watch them play, so I don’t know.
"We gon' get down. We gon' do the do. I'm going to hit these mother****ers" - Dock Ellis, May 1, 1974.
NW does not have a better offense than Wiscy or Nebraska or Illinois
or Iowa. NW lost to ARMY, how does the best offense in the BiG lose to Army, and I don’t care if I started at QB. Good offense equals good skill people and offensive line and the best offense in BiG with their back up QB doesn’t lose to Army. NW just lost their leading rusher and doesn’t have a running QB yet. they are not good.
My grammer skills need improved.
As I said regarding Temple
If NW couldn’t beat the team we fielded last year, after spotting them a 21-0 lead, they will not beat us this year. Especially now that they don’t have a RB and one legged Persa.
"I don’t know what he’s done differently, whether he’s eating differently or Sue is making him happier, but he’s definitely a different coach out there" Devon Still
Like the Iowa game for PSU last week
Michigan has a got a season-defining test this week, albeit on the road (versus Penn State hosting the Hawkeyes). I don’t know that we have learned all that much about Michigan thus far, other than to say they are improved by an indeterminate amount over the Dick-Rod S**t Show.
If they can win a rivalry game on the road against an ostensibly more talented Michigan State team that has been beating on them of late, then I will start taking them seriously. The jury, in my mind, is still out, but I can’t envision a scenario where the weekend ends without a definitive ruling on their trajectory.
"I don't think you can progress in this game unless you know about the past."
-Silas Redd
i agree that this is a big game for both MSU and Michigan
and probably will tell us a lot about the Wolverines
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
But spak
You always like Michigan’s chances.
"Who do you think you are? You’re the son-of-a-bitch that sat at that desk over there and fired Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you’re the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met." - Merle Haggard
by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2011 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I am glad we don't play Michigan this year
I am surprised at their 8th position in defensive scoring, but am happy that I have a hard time remembering the last time we didn’t beat them…
PSU...
lucked out on missing Michigan this year.
"I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship.
These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
"You don't want to analyze it...you want to admire it!" - Play by play guy on O.J. McDuffie TD catch against Ga. Tech.
by Esteban d' Amur on Oct 11, 2011 10:24 AM EDT reply actions
That's what I was saying as I wrote it.
Many of you may not buy them as a good team (and I may not either), but I’m pretty happy we miss Michigan State too.
Not sure...
PSU could score enough to beat them. Probably need to score in the low to mid 20’s to win.
"I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship.
These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
"You don't want to analyze it...you want to admire it!" - Play by play guy on O.J. McDuffie TD catch against Ga. Tech.
by Esteban d' Amur on Oct 11, 2011 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm really not sold on that
I could see Denard breaking off a long play maybe, but I don’t see consistent drives against our offense. Alabama was able to move the ball somewhat decently with their methodical, physical, pro-style offense which required a few 3rd down conversions and an RB who will start in the NFL in 10.5 months.
I think if we could maintain enough offense to keep Michigan or Michigan State’s offense off the field (neither has much of a power running game) and allow our D to stay fresh, we could hold them below 20 easily.
I guess we’ll know more about how we’d match up with Michigan hypothetically when we play Scheelhaase in a few weeks. He’s not as explosive as Denard, but it will show if we can string him out laterally and make them have to pass.
"We gon' get down. We gon' do the do. I'm going to hit these mother****ers" - Dock Ellis, May 1, 1974.
yeah, McGloin really struggled against Michigan last year.
THe Mich defense is better but now a whole lot better.
My grammer skills need improved.
PSU can't...
score on anybody.
"I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship.
These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
"You don't want to analyze it...you want to admire it!" - Play by play guy on O.J. McDuffie TD catch against Ga. Tech.
by Esteban d' Amur on Oct 12, 2011 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Michigan State will likely lose to Iowa.
I’m fairly confident Michigan is going to make Sparty look silly this week.
"Who do you think you are? You’re the son-of-a-bitch that sat at that desk over there and fired Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you’re the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met." - Merle Haggard
by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm uncertain about this week, though I still think Michigan is good.
Rivalry games can be weird, etc.
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
Exactly
pertaining to this rivalry, and being that it’s in E.L. … I’m thinking Sparty pulls a W.
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Oct 11, 2011 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Not sure that I agree
MSU’s tendency to screw up seems to be waining and Iowa doesn’t look very good at all. I think MSU beats both Michigan and Iowa, but Michigan will be the tighter game simply because they can score and, as spakajewia pointed out, it’s a rivalry game.
by kijana's acl on Oct 11, 2011 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
and Jerel Worthy's Still-esque performances
don’t have as big an effect on offenses that attack the perimeters like Michigan’s does.
"We gon' get down. We gon' do the do. I'm going to hit these mother****ers" - Dock Ellis, May 1, 1974.
Esteban
Are you the guy that sells the guitars on the Home Shopping Network around Christmas? Dude, those are some nasty fingernails.
Maybe I am. Maybe I am.
"I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship.
These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
"You don't want to analyze it...you want to admire it!" - Play by play guy on O.J. McDuffie TD catch against Ga. Tech.
by Esteban d' Amur on Oct 11, 2011 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
i think we
match up well against Michigan, I rather play them then Nebraska.
We Are!!!!!!
I kind of agree..
I think this PSU defense is way better than last year’s. We’ll have a better idea of how they play a spread attack after Illinois and jNW. But given that last year’s team was able to contain Denard, this team should do better. Especially with this secondary, they should be able to pick Denard off, as many other teams are.
As noted, the issue will be scoring against them. Unless the offense gets substantially better, they will have to pitch a near shut-out to beat Michigan.
by Artiefufkin10 on Oct 11, 2011 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Contain Denard?
Didn’t they score 31 points?
"I'll keep it short and sweet. Family. Religion. Friendship.
These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
"You don't want to analyze it...you want to admire it!" - Play by play guy on O.J. McDuffie TD catch against Ga. Tech.
by Esteban d' Amur on Oct 11, 2011 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
re: PSU's defense
The Pre-Snap Read re-ranking came out today. For Penn State, the quick comment is “Well, we know the defense is national title caliber” or something like that. Imagine what we could do with a potent offense.
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by Jeff Junstrom on Oct 11, 2011 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I actually am becoming less scared of Nebraska
as the season goes on. Their defense isn’t nearly as good as I expected them to be and their offense is Taylor Martinez. Last year he was exposed as a little timid to take a hit. If Bradley stays with the agrressive, blitz-happy defense of last Saturday, Martinez is going to have a bad day. But their defense is not playing well and our O-line is starting to play better. I think right now the only team that terrifies me on the schedule now is Wisconsin.
Purdue…I’ll shoot myself if we lose to them
Illinois…dangerous but I think their schedule makes them look better than they are. Still dangerous though.
jNW…Persa, Persa, Persa. (Although Colter is decent filling in). There shouldn’t be anything to fear here.
tO$U. They are a team that could give us fits – especially now that they get the tat boys back. But, they are still a crap smeared dumpster fire and they suck so much.
Nebraska….I think we win this one.
Wisconsin….OH CRAP. (Actually I think our D can do pretty well against them and it’ll be a matter of the offense actually doing something and not making any mistake.
"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)
jNW, think second half last year
and now this year, Persa is not running near as much and although Colter is okay, he doesn’t run either so who is going to run?? Trumphy is gone for the year. Lots of 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 against them and if you compare, their offense was very comparable to what Iowa had coming in. They lost to Army……
Illinois still scares me, as I have said since before the season. Mistakes and missed chances will absolutely cost PSU against Illinois unless they zookplode.
Is Braxton Miller improving exponentially or is Nebraska just another Big 12 defense? Personally, I don’t think Miller is that good.
Wiscy, hmmmm good match up but if Wilson is still healthy that last game, they are the top of the totem pole.
My grammer skills need improved.
If we're talking about value
I think your best buys are Michigan St and Illinois. In a wildly mediocre B1G, they’re probably the ones that sit at the top of that mediocre tier vying with Michigan and Nebraska for second best. Biggest difference is the Huskers and Wolverines have gotten all the hype thusfar.
@Kunk7
Purdue
I think this is the deciding weekend. All due respect to you guys, I think we’ll know a lot about Purdue with how well they play this weekend. if they keep it close or even win, there may be some hope for the rest of the year. It would show they have moved beyond the Rice loss (which was solely at the feet of the coaching staff).
if they get blown out by an offense that has failed to score on anybody except Eastern Michigan and Indiana State, they are done.
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
What defenses can really shut us down?
Illinois has a statistically good defense, but I’m not at all prepared to say they’re clearly better than Iowa.
Nebraska has bad tackling, takes bad angles, and is, I think, somewhat poorly coached. They were utterly, hilariously overmatched against Wisconsin, gave up a ton of points to Washington, and would have lost to Ohio State if Bollman hadn’t gone all Paul Chryst and stopped running the football. Jared Crick isn’t playing well at all and this Levonte David guy whom is supposed to be so awesome strikes me as a really fast player with tackling issues. This is not a good defense and likely won’t become one before the end of the season.
Ohio State has a defense which is a little bit better than Iowa, but not much better. They can probably limit our run game, but they don’t get much pressure and their secondary is depleted and young; we should be able to throw the ball very effectively against these people. Besides, their defense will get worn out as the game wears on unless Ohio State returns Art Schlichter, Orlando Pace, Nick Mangold, Santonio Holmes, Terry Glenn, and Maurice Clarett from suspension.
Wisconsin. Fundamentally sound in some areas, still vulnerable, not truly tested yet (How hard is it to shut down Nebraska’s offense? Perhaps not that hard – Martinez struggles to throw and their run scheme strikes me as ineffective). This is a good defense, but it’s, I think, not likely to be one that can pressure our quarterbacks, shut down our wide receivers. If we lose, it will be because Wisconsin has a great, great offense.
Not worth mentioning: Purdue and Northwestern.
As is to be expected from a talented, generally well-coached group of players who faced Alabama in the second week of the season, the offense seems to be improving, especially in that vital area of consistency. I see defenses who can hold us to 13-20 points like this week, but I don’t see much more than that. And only sheer incompetence can stop us against Purdue and jNW.
"Who do you think you are? You’re the son-of-a-bitch that sat at that desk over there and fired Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you’re the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met." - Merle Haggard
by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2011 12:01 PM EDT reply actions
But a prediction:
Penn State will frustrate us badly this week with lots of incompetence en route to a boring win.
"Who do you think you are? You’re the son-of-a-bitch that sat at that desk over there and fired Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you’re the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met." - Merle Haggard
by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2011 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Braxton Miller vs. Nebraska
What I saw of this matchup lends credence to your assessment of the Huskers’ D. I was out having dinner with friends while this game was on, but arrived late and got a seat with my back to the TV, so by no means did I carefully scrutinize the entire broadcast. But it seemed like almost every time I turned around to watch (until he got injured), Miller was either getting away with sloppy execution or making a mistake that would cost him against a better defense.
"I don't think you can progress in this game unless you know about the past."
-Silas Redd
ARitt weighs in on PSU
And pretty much hits all the crucial points.
Penn State hasn’t settled on a starting quarterback. The Nittany Lions have scored 16 points or fewer in four of their six contests. Coach Joe Paterno has spent the majority of games watching from the press box. Grumbling from fans about the program’s direction has grown louder and louder. And despite it all, Penn State sits at 5-1 and tied for first place in the Leaders division.
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Nebraska's D line will eat up PSU O Line on passing downs
Need to run triple option with Beachum, Dukes, and Redd
I blame HITS
Shouldn't the transaction recommendation for O$U be:
Trade immediately for free tattoos?
by Tailgate Shogun on Oct 11, 2011 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Wait...have you seen their line?
MSU has an offensive line with 1 returning center…oh, out for the year. Umm..they have converted defensive players, a ticket taker, someone from the financial aid office and a campus tour guide. It’s not that they aren’t a decent team, but that line is offensive (insert joke about my pun here) I don’t know if they can survive thtrough the season without getting much push for the backs. Can Cousins win by himself without an effective running game will be the question. That being said, if they manage more than 30 points, they beat Michigan. I think Notre Dame’s defense is better than Michigan State’s and the Wolverines have 4 more games under their belt and a helluva lot more confidence.
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