BSD Mailbag 12.6.13

I realize the question about Allen Robinson leaving early has been done to death, but when will we know for sure if he is entering the draft? I saw that Oregon’s QB already said he’s coming back. As a follow-up, I know he is smaller but A-Rob reminds me a lot of Megatron when he runs in the open field. What Transformer name can we give him that would stick? B&W
Robinson has stated that he will announce sometime during or shortly after winter break. He has many reasons to leave early for the NFL, but it seems he is truly torn and wants to take his time to make a well-thought out decision.

I'll go with a lesser-known Transformer: Cliffjumper. I think the reasoning is pretty obvious.

Bigger win this season: Michigan or Wisconsin? Roll State
Man, this is a tough one as both games will deservedly live on for some time in Penn State lore. But I will go with Wisconsin as being the bigger win. They defeated a time that was heading to a BCS game and should have had only one loss at the time. The Badgers were the best team Penn State has beaten in the O'Brien era, and the game will have an enormous impact for the future of the program. A young team now knows what they are capable of, and will carry that with them regardless of who they are playing. That deer-in-the-headlights look you saw at times this season? The Wisconsin game wiped that away for this squad.

Now if you asked about the most memorable game of the season I probably would have went with Michigan. That game had just about everything- an amazing comeback, a ridiculous play that topped anything else in college football that week, the longest game in conference history, wild momentum swings....I could go on and on.

Either way, those two games easily made up for the frustrating losses throughout the season, which is why at the end of the day, we always come back for more.

Jared, gaze into your crystal ball to August 2014- Penn State is gearing up to play its opener.What is the one thing that we will be talking about that we're totally ignoring now. skarocksoi
I'll go with one negative and one positive topic we'll almost assuredly discussing next summer.

The offensive line will be a huge question mark as Penn State breaks in a few new starters, especially if Garry Gilliam sticks with his decision not to come back for a sixth season. This unit will need some time to gel and it will be completely uncertain if they can handle a talented B10 defensive line. There are some raw and talented up-and-comers, so it's possible this line could come out and do great things. But the depth will be lacking, so if one or two guys go down in the spring/summer, we'll all be sweatin bullets heading into the UCF game.

Excitement surrounding the defensive line, especially the ends, should build up throughout the offseason. Deion Barnes and C.J. Olaniyan return for their senior seasons, and we already know they're capable of exceptional things. Anthony Zettell could end up being the best defensive lineman on the team next season. He just keeps getting better and better, and it's obvious he will be a complete force who becomes a household name throughout the Big Ten. Brad Bars will return from injury. He may not be the flashiest guy on the team, but he has a non-stop motor and is always around the ball. Garrett Sickels will be active after taking a redshirt year to adjust to the college game while being coached up by the best defensive line coach in the college game. For those of you who don't remember Sickels, he was recruited by every major powerhouse and will be a fierce pass-rusher for the next several years.

Why didn't we see more Akeel Lynch? jiminore
This question popped up throughout the season and the answer is very simple: pass-blocking. Lynch struggled mightily in this area, and it's too crucial to keep him in for extended periods of time. Lynch has the skill set to be an incredible all-around back. Once he improves his pass-blocking he will see the field much more and do some really incredible things over the next three seasons, especially starting in 2015 when he gets to be the man at running back.

Will Penn State go to a bowl game next season? Or will the sanctions not be lifted? DJ_PSU

Given that Bert Bielema is now at Arkansas does that mean he would have had the OMG SEC to get down the field and call the time-out if he were still Wisconsin's coach? Elihu
No. He wouldn't have been anywhere near as alert as Gary Andersen. Instead, he would have been off somewhere attempting to hit on co-eds in the student section through a mouthful of leftover stuffing and yams.

Boxers, briefs or Depends? Jman07
Boxers all the way. I have no idea why any man would want to be constricted whatsoever in that area, but to each his own I say.

Is a new cliche about the team/school/program going to develop this offseason? psualum9931
No, although I'm pulling for #QBtransferU.

If you drank 1/8th of your beer before finding a fruit fly swimming in it, would you ask for another beer? And if a bartender said "It's just a fruit fly, it won't hurt you," how would you respond? psualum9931
If I'm out and paying $6 a beer, I damn well better get one without insects floating around. In this case, there's no shame in asking for a new one. If you're a guest in someone else's home, spare them the embarrassment and drink your beer like a man.

Since we have no bowl game after punking Wisconsin at Camp Randall, how will O'Brien keep on keeping up that awesome GPA average and graduation rate? Because, you know, culture problems are rampant at Penn State. Ethan Henderson
They're Penn Staters, so they'll know how to handle themselves. And if they are tempted to go astray, the threat of facing an angry BO'B will be enough to set them straight.

Follow @BSDtweet on Twitter
And join us on Facebook
All BSD community members should review our current Posting & Commenting Policies before creating any posts or commenting.