Exciting week. Lets jump right into the action.
Reaction to the Bowl Ban being Redacted
As I'm sure 99% of you know, and are excited about, yesterday on September 8th, 2014, the NCAA decided to pull back on Penn State's Bowl Ban. Current and past players and coaches rejoiced, along with the fans throughout the day and evening. Yesterday evening (and through the night) the fans celebrated in the streets of PSU Main.Current Football Players obviously reacted with delight towards the repeal of the bowl ban. Starters like Mike Hull and Bill Belton have been here since the beginning, so it'll be great to see Seniors like them get to play in their final bowl game, should Penn State be in position to play in one. Touching on that, Franklin made clear in his statements that this is not the end for Penn State; the team is not bowl eligible right now at 2-0, and probably must win 5 games to guarantee themselves a spot...there's still work to be done. Here's a nice Penn Live Piece on the situation as well, which showcases Franklin expressing his gratitude for the early repeal.
I appreciate all of the tweets and recognition for PSU 2012 but I was just one of the many guys on the team. WE did it TOGETHER. #WeAre
— Michael Zordich (@MichaelZordich) September 9, 2014
Proud day for Penn State Football. All I can say is… Its about time. #WeAreBack
— Michael Mauti (@Michael_Mauti) September 8, 2014
Big Ten Powerhouse Rutgers (#BigTenPowerHouseRutgers)
If you are not familiar with Gary Nova, allow me to introduce you to him via fan-made video:
Continuing with the Rutgers theme, they do have some good players on their team. Defensive Tackle/End Darius Hamilton, a former 5 star recruit, is the guy I expect to go crazy on PSU. He plays mostly out of 5 tech, though he is only about 260 Lbs, but gets a TON of interior pressure. He's a very good athlete who plays with good leverage and overall technique. He's probably Rutgers most scary player heading into the game, especially considering our Offensive Line woes. You can see Darius Hamilton's week 1 vs Washington State on Draftbreakdown.com
Looking in the Rearview Mirror
This week, Mr. bscaff took over the duty of making the Penn State videos for the Akron game. Both the offensive and defensive cuts are available on Youtube. You will see the success of certain players (Anthony Zettel, Akeel Lynch) and the struggles of others (Donovan Smith, Zach Zwinak, Christian Hackenberg all to an effect) in the game. Both cuts are around 11 minutes so they are very well condensed.
Parting Shots
-Hackenberg's Heisman odds remain at 25-1 after the 21-3, slow paced win over Akron. Mariota of the Oregon Ducks hops to the top, with Georgia Running Back Todd Gurley right up there with him.
-Penn State's playoff odds opened at 75-1 after the bowl ban was removed on Monday. The 2-0 Nittany Lions remained unranked in both the AP and USA polls.
-#BigTenPowerhouse Rutgers also remains unranked, though they are also 2-0. It is likely that the winner of the Saturday evenings matchup enters the top 25 with an impressing win.