Week 5 Grades

It was an ugly loss, so you all probably know what’s coming.  I told you this week's posts were going to be short, and I think this one definitely qualifies.  I’m only doing this post out of principle, so let’s get it over with.

Offense

QB: (F) Hackenberg threw less than 50 percent with no TDs and an INT.  We all know the offensive line is terrible, but even when he had time he made incredibly poor decisions.

OL: (F-) What else is there to say about this group?  They just might be the worst offensive line in Penn State history.  If the wheels fall off and the losses start piling up, these guys will be the sole reason why.

RB: (F) We know they’re talented, but behind this line they’ll never be able to show it.  They netted 50 yds between 5 guys, end of story.

WR: (D) Hamilton had a great 51 yd catch that helped him hit exactly 100 yds.  Otherwise, these guys would have gotten an F too.

TE: (F) Only two TEs caught passes and the group as a whole continues to be non-existent in helping the offensive line with any kind of blocking.

Defense

DL: (C) There are times these guys show flashes of dominance, and yet again they did a decent job stopping the run.  But they didn't bring pressure on the QB and Trevor Siemian picked apart the secondary.   

LB: (D) Mike Hull is still a beast with a personal best 16 tackles on the day.  However, without Nyeem Wartman, who was out with an injury, this group had no answer for the Wildcats passing offense.

DB: (F) 10 different Northwestern receivers combined for 258 yds.  There were times when I swear we didn't have enough men on the field because there’s no way someone could get THAT open.  This group was the defensive equivalent of the offensive line.

Special Teams

K: (D) Sam Ficken had another one of his FGs blocked but was also the only reason Penn State wasn't shut out.  Still, he had no height on his kickoffs, and he was even credited with a tackle after he saved one of his kicks from becoming a TD.  Not good.

P: (F) Gulla shanked his first attempt and overall went well below his season average.  The punt coverage unit was about as good as the kick coverage unit.

Alright, hopefully you made it through that.  The good news is that I have something planned for tomorrow, so please come back then.  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 5 Wrap Up

The only good thing about a game like that is my posts will most likely be shorter than normal, especially the next two days.  I want to apologize ahead of time because I’ll probably run out of negative adjectives for Penn State’s performance and start to sound redundant.  There are only so many words like awful, terrible, pathetic, and embarrassing in the English language, and they all apply to what happened on the field yesterday.  Now in case you’re wondering, yes, I did make it into the game where the beautiful but relentless sunshine burnt me and just about every other fan in attendance like ants under a magnifying glass.  Thankfully my ticket was free (through a friend) because I can’t imagine how I would feel if I had actually paid to watch our team play that badly.  In the end, the Nittany Lions lost in blowout fashion 29-6 to a Northwestern team that has only managed 2 wins in their past 11 games and who has a head coach that has never beaten Penn State.

James Franklin’s team played as poorly as they've ever played in every single phase of the game.  The offense never gained a rhythm as offensive coordinator John Donovan continued in vein to incorporate the wildcat, much to the dismay of myself and most spectators in my area.  Hackenberg, who had plenty of his own issues throwing the ball, was heard on the sidelines loudly explaining to the coaches how he feels about the wildcat (here's a hint, he's not a fan).  Speaking of which, the running game was so bad that they had negative rushing yds for much of the game.  Seriously.  At one point it got so bad Northwestern had 10 first downs to Penn State’s 1. On defense, things weren't much better, although the offense’s inability to reverse the field position put defenders in terrible positions all afternoon long.  Even special teams was a complete mess as yet another FG was blocked, Ficken continues to get no height on his kick offs, and the punting left much to be desired.  In his press conference after the game, Coach Franklin took full blame for the meltdown saying, “I take full responsibility, we weren't ready to play today.” Hackenberg also provided his thoughts on the day to members of the media and he was noticeably shaken, making plenty of nervous twitches throughout and even tripping up on his usual canned lines.  By the end, he broke from his usual professional character and just said what needed to be said, “Every loss hurts, a lot... I wouldn't say that any loss feels worse than another, they all suck.”

The entire experience was eerily reminiscent of a scene from one of my favorite movies, Varsity Blues.  With the team losing, QB John Moxon’s parents are sitting in the stands and his mom turns to his dad and says, “I thought you said these guys weren't that good” to which his dad replies, “they ain't, we’re playing like shit.”

One excuse I’ll give to the defense is that starting LB Nyeem Wartman was injured with an undisclosed arm injury.  Mike Hull admitted that the linebacking corps tends to lean on Wartman in passing situations, and his absence combined with the poor play of inexperienced back ups allowed the Wildcats to work down the field throughout Saturday with little concern they would be stopped.  For those in the media who like to ask, "why don't coaches discuss injuries leading up to games?" this is exactly why.

On the offensive side of the ball, the situation has turned into a perpetual cycle of inefficiency.  The offensive line cannot create holes for the run game, causing RBs to get stuffed at the line of scrimmage nearly every play.  Defenses realize this and are not afraid to drop men back into pass coverage, thus tying up the receivers with double and triple coverages.  With his receivers covered, Hackenberg is forced to hold the ball for way too long, but the line is also letting defenders break through and get in Hack’s face for most of the game.  So he’s forced to either take the sack, or make a bad throw.  If you need visual proof of just how bad this offensive line has gotten, take a second and analyze the following picture.  Maybe next time they’ll try blocking the other team.

Courtesy of OnwardState.com

There was a very scary moment when Hackenberg took off running yet again, and collided head first with a CB from Northwestern.  Now, Hackenberg is a big guy at 6’ 4” 220 lbs and when someone like Matthew Harris, who is only 5’ 11” 180 lbs, runs into him helmet to helmet, it’s not going to end well for the much smaller defensive back.  After what felt like an eternity of deafening silence in Beaver Stadium, Harris was eventually carted off the field on a stretcher with his head taped down to the board.  It brought back eerie memories of Penn State’s Adam Tailiaferro and a hit delivered by QB Michael Robinson on a Minnesota player back in 2005.  Both of those incidents involved players being paralyzed, while thankfully Harris managed to give the crowd a thumbs up as he passed the student section which drew thunderous applause.

As for my prediction, it was dead wrong, as was basically every other person’s who attempted to predict this game.  No one gave Northwestern a chance, even though they manage to do this kind of thing to at least one team every year.  Fortunately for the team, they now have two weeks to recover and prepare for a Michigan squad that was the only team in the Big Ten more pathetic than them this weekend and could be without the services of their head coach come game time.  Unfortunately for the fans, we now have to stew in the memory of this debacle for two weeks instead of one.

Oh well, we move on with life.  Check back tomorrow for the grades.  Fair warning, they aren't going to be pretty.  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 5 Prediction

It’s week 5 everyone, but more importantly it’s Homecoming!  I’m in State College for the weekend as Penn State gets ready to take on their second conference foe of the season, the Northwestern Wildcats.  The game kicks off at noon and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.  If you’re also in town, make sure you check out the Homecoming parade on Friday night and the Homecoming carnival going on outside Beaver Stadium all weekend.  If you’re so inclined, you might even want to go check out the ROTC cadets guarding the Lion Shrine.  But let’s face it, everyone is really here for the game, so let’s get to the breakdown!

The Good

Last year, Northwestern QB Cain Colter and RB Venric Mark were an explosive combination and helped propel their team to a 4-0 start.  Then Mark got injured and Colter got wrapped up in the national push to unionize college football players.  After a heartbreaking, emotional loss to Ohio State, billed as the biggest game in program history (sound familiar Rutgers?), the Wildcats epically collapsed and didn't win another game until their season finale against Illinois.  In the end, they missed going to a bowl and they don’t appear to have recovered emotionally since then.  They've limped to a 1-2 start in 2014, with their only win coming against FCS team Western Illinois.  Quite frankly they look like they've already given up on the season so don’t expect them to be very fired up to pull the upset on Saturday.

Now, much like Penn State, Northwestern has had difficulty getting the run game established.  The good news is that Penn State isn't facing the #1 rush defense in the country… but Northwestern is.  Additionally, as James Franklin pointed out in his press conference earlier this week, Northwestern utilizes an up tempo offense that makes a lot of decisions at the line of scrimmage.  Unfortunately for them, that’s a bad style to have in a place like Beaver Stadium with its notoriously loud crowds made all the more worse by Homecoming.

The Bad

Like last week there’s not much here as Northwestern is quite bad.  It’s a conference game and conference opponents know you better than anyone.  You can’t sneak up on them like you can non-conference opponents.  On the other hand, they’re still Northwestern, and head coach Pat Fitzgerald is currently riding a 5 game losing streak against the Nittany Lions, so he clearly hasn't figured out the formula for beating us yet.  The only player Penn State should really be scared of is safety Ibraheim Campbell who might get an interception on Hackenberg if he gets cocky.  Other than that, the only other “bad” thing that might happen is if the players get a little bit too wrapped up in all the excitement of Homecoming.  Every week this season a heavily favored team has been caught sleepwalking and gotten knocked off.  With Penn State on the verge of a top 25 ranking, they’ll need to stay focused or they could be next.

The Story

Well the big story is that it’s Homecoming!  The alumni are out in droves and ready for a win, possibly in front of a sold out crowd.  If you’re in town, make sure to check out some of the best tailgating of the year.  In the likely event of a win, Penn State is almost guaranteed to be propelled into the top 25 rankings for the first time since 2011 and finally get some national respect.

One cool story coming into the game was Pat Fitzgerald press conference this week in which he had nothing but praise for Penn State.  Now feel free to take this however you want.  Maybe he’s trying to downplay things in anticipation of the beatdown his team is about to receive, or maybe he just honestly respects our guys and wants to recognize their talent.  Either way, it was nice of him.

The Prediction

There is definitely a strong possibility that Northwestern comes out, plays tough, and keeps it close against the Lions.  There’s an equally strong possibility that Penn State blows this game wide open and has their second blowout in as many games.  I have a good feeling about this one and I’m going to lean towards the latter.  The offense comes out slow per usual before Christian Hackenberg finds his groove and finishes the day with 300+ yds and 2 TDs.  Bill Belton and the running backs continue to gain confidence behind an ever-improving offensive line and 2 of the 3 backs get into the endzone, but no one breaks 100 yds.  Regardless, a more competent rushing attack opens up the passing game as Lewis and Hamilton go off for 100 yds each.  One of them gets a TD while a TE, most likely Jesse James, gets Hack’s other scoring strike.  Meanwhile, the defense comes out and just continues to do what they've done all season.  Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson clog the line of scrimmage while Mike Hull plays clean up and once again leads the team in tackles.  Someone in the secondary picks off Trevor Siemian and Grant Haley breaks a big play on special teams.  Penn State wins on a very happy Homecoming as they go into the bye week 5-0 to prepare for a road trip to Michigan.  Final score: 34-13

Ok, that will do it for today.  Be sure to check back on Sunday night for the wrap up, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, especially during the game tomorrow, and as always, go State!

Week 4 Awards

Breaking: We now temporarily interrupt your regularly scheduled awards post to bring you this urgent message...

Welcome ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages to a grand moment in college sports.  Today we gather to celebrate *drumroll* the Prime Penn State Football 100^th Blog Post Spectacular!

OK, that might be a little dramatic, but after 100 posts I think I’m entitled to a little bit of hyperbole.  That’s right everyone, just a little over 1 year into this random experiment and I've somehow managed to hit the century mark!  In honor of the occasion I decided to treat myself with a brand new, officially licensed, blue #14 Hackenberg jersey!  Even better, I’ll be sporting it all weekend long in State College as I cheer on the Nittany Lions against Northwestern in the annual Homecoming game!

Now for those of you who are a little bit late to the PSUOptimus party, that’s fine.  Here’s my first ever post explaining my original purpose.  Hopefully you’ll agree I've done a good job of being entertaining over the past year while also keeping you up to speed on all things Penn State football.  And don't worry, I plan to continue this blog for at least another 100 posts and I hope you’ll keep coming back.  You see, at my core I’m just a really big fan like all of you.  The only difference is I got tired of yelling at my TV screen and decided to yell at the interwebs instead (oh and I have a mask).  Much to my surprise, people seemed to enjoy this nonsense and kept coming back for more.  So to all of you who read this blog, THANK YOU!

Now with all the mushy stuff out of the way, let’s get back to football talk and hand out some awards!

To start, the Beast Mode Award this week goes to the only starter who played for the entire game, Sam Ficken.  After hitting 2 season long 40+ yd FGs to start the scoring off, he came right back out and nailed all 6 of his extra points!  Oh, and on kickoffs, he finally put the ball in the endzone for a touchback on a consistent basis!  Whether you call him “Kickin Ficken,” “Mr. Automatic,” or just “Money” he’s quickly turning into one of the team's biggest assets.

In a game dominated by backups, it’s only fitting that the Transformer Award goes to QB D.J. Crook.  The 4^th string walk-on played quite well in extended clean up duty.  He was 6-9 for 57 yds, and even threw his first ever TD.  He’ll probably never get another chance at these awards, so here you go big guy; put this on your mantel!

The Matrix Award was probably the hardest to figure out because so many freshmen played, but I’m going to go with WR Saeed Blacknall.  He brought in 2 catches for 21 yds and started to show why he was such a highly regarded recruit.  He’s not afraid of contact after the catch and looks to have a pretty mean stiff arm when needed.  Keep an eye on this kid in the future.

Next up, the In Disguise Award goes to TE Brent Wilkerson.  One of the less talked about freshmen who played on Saturday, Wilkerson had 2 catches for 18 yds, but more importantly he scored Penn State’s last points of the day with an 11 yd TD from fellow Prime Award winner D.J. Crook.  Usually buried on the depth chart behind James, Carter, and Gesicki (as well as Breneman when he’s healthy) Wilkerson finally got his moment in the sun.

Lastly, the Megatron Award goes to slow starts.  This has been especially evident against weaker teams like Akron and Umass.  Each was able to drive deep against an otherwise stout PSU defense to start their respective games.  Then, their defenses held Penn State's offense in check on each of its opening drives.  In fact, on their first possession against UMass, Penn State only managed a 3 and out with 2 incomplete passes!  Thankfully, in both cases the opposing team came up empty handed too, but the madness needs to stop as we enter conference play.

Alright, that will do it for our UMass coverage.  I’ll try to write my prediction for the Homecoming game on the way to campus this Friday so it’s ready by that evening.  In the meantime, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus and as always, go State!

Week 4 Grades

The undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions are up to #27 in the polls, off to their best start in years, and kicking butt in a number of statistical categories!  Yes, things are once again quite happy in the Valley, and it's all the more fitting with Homecoming this week.  In case you forgot about recruiting, don’t worry, James Franklin hasn't.  Otherwise, there’s not much going on, so let’s just get right into the grades!

Offense

QB: (B) If I was just grading Christian Hackenberg, this would have been a C.  Yet again he was inconsistent, made some head scratching throws, and barely completed 50% of his passes in a TD-less effort.  The difference?  He did it against UMass!  And for once, this wasn't the offensive line’s fault (more on that in a second).  Meanwhile, 4^th string walk-on D.J. Crook looked surprisingly decent in garbage time.  He went 6-9 for 57 yds and a TD, not too shabby.

OL: (A) This might be the only time the big boys up front even have a shot at an A, so I’m giving it to them.  Against a completely overmatched UMass defensive front, the O-line imposed their will all day long, opening up running lanes and keeping Hackenberg (and Crook) upright.  Donovan Smith did come out for a few plays with an undisclosed arm injury, striking fear in the hearts of Nittany Lions fans everywhere, but he came back and looked fine.  Also of note, right guard Brian Gaia did not start or even play in the game, being replaced by fellow former defensive lineman Derek Dowrey.  It was hard to tell against UMass if that was an improvement and we still don’t really know why the switch was made.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see on this one.

RB: (A+) The running backs were another group itching for a good grade lately, and they finally earned it!  Combined they scored 5 rushing TDs with 3 different backs and torched the UMass front for 247 yds.  More impressive was the fact that both Belton and Lynch averaged 10+ yds per rush.  Please football gods, don’t let this be the last time we see a performance like this!

WR: (A-) Lewis and Hamilton were limited to only about half a game due to the blowout, yet they still managed to grab a combined 9 catches for 147 yds.  More importantly, freshmen wideouts Saeed Blacknall and Chris Godwin got ample playing time and combined for 4 catches and 39 yds.  Blacknall appears to be the more physical option, cable of breaking tackles to get more yds after the catch, while Godwin is a little more refined as a route runner.  When Lewis and Hamilton are gone, this might be the next great duo.

TE: (C) Although James, Carter, and Wilkerson combined to pull in 5 receptions for 50 yds along with Wilkerson’s TD, I still find myself feeling disappointed by their play so far.  Do they really miss Breneman this much?  Sure, James had 2 catches by himself, but he also dropped 3, and everyone needs to improve their run blocking.  Northwestern should be a good test as to whether these guys are improving or starting to get stagnant. 

Defense

DL: (A) Despite the noticeable absence of Deion Barnes and Anthony Zettel in the box score, this unit still came out hungry.  The starters were decent, but the backups really shined and showed how incredibly deep this group has become.  Parker Cothren and Curtis Cothran (no relation) combined for 4 tackles, with 2 for a loss, Garrett Sickels and Tarow Barney each had a tackle for a loss and a sack, and Evan Schwan added another 2 tackles to the group's total.  Penn State’s tradition of great D-linemen looks safe for quite a while.

LB: (A) Even in limited duty Mike Hull managed to lead the team with 6 tackles, and he forced a fumble too!  Nyeem Wartman added 5 tackles, and Brandon Bell got 3 tackles, 1 for a loss, and a sack.  Backups Gary Wooten and Von Walker combined for 6 tackles, 2.5 for a loss.  Per usual, the linebackers just went out and got the job done.  They aren't flashy, and they don’t have the big play potential of some Linebacker U alums, but they’re solid and don’t give up points.  That works.

DB: (A-) They get the minus because Malik Golden fell asleep at the end of the game and let UMass ruin the shutout, however, this group played well overall.  All told, 9 defensive backs recorded at least 1 tackle on Saturday, and together they tallied 18 tackles with 2 pass breakups.  Just two short years ago, Bill O'Brien's staff had to convert multiple WRs to DBs just to make a starting lineup and the nickel package (a 5 DB set) became more legend than legitimate option.  Oh how far we've come.

Special Teams

K: (A+) Ficken nailed 2 season long 40+ yd FGs and all 6 extra points.  He also forced a touchback on all but 1 kickoff.  Need I say more?

P: (A+) If Chris Gulla ever gets injured, I’ll feel bad for him obviously, but I won’t be concerned for the team.  Backup Dan Pasquariello is left footed and from Austrailia, but the dude can straight up kick.  He averaged 43.5 yds on 2 punts and showed that we even have depth in the special teams.  Hurray!

Alright, the awards post tomorrow will wrap up our coverage of the UMass game, and I've got a little surprise for everyone, so definitely stop back to check that out.  In the meantime, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 4 Wrap Up

Well hello everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Yes, I know I didn't post this yesterday (I’m fine btw, thanks for asking), but I had a busy weekend and I wasn't able to get around to my posting duties until now.  On Saturday I was forced to watch the game piecemeal on my phone, and then I couldn't watch the replay until late last night.  Long story short, all posts will be delayed by one day this week.  I’m sure you’ll get over it.  Now, in case you also missed the game, here’s what happened… we beat the snot out of UMass 48-7!  Not really the biggest surprise in history, but let’s get a little more specific and see if we can take anything away from the game.

The Unrivaled Band Jam appeared to go off without a hitch.  Featuring performances from the UMass Minuteman Marching Band, and four regional high school bands, it was a great way to celebrate the many contributions that live music brings to high school and college football.  It also marked the return of the Blue Band to the BJC since the canceling of Tailgreat.  By all accounts, the BJC workers were happy to have a pregame show back in their arena and the fans agreed as they packed the seats like they hadn't done in years.  I guess you really don’t know what you got till it’s gone.  Credit goes to friend of the blog Brian Bender for the intel, and the Blue Band’s official Facebook page for this sweet pic!

As for the game itself, I was right about the blowout, although it was worse than even my optimistic mind imagined.  And unfortunately for the starters, this was a classic stat-buster.  Many of them were on pace for a great day until they were pulled about mid way through the 3^rd quarter.  In total 33 reserves saw action, including plenty of freshmen, and some positions went all the way down to their 4^th string by the end of the game.  Still, even against an opponent as easy as UMass, the Nittany Lion offense started very slow with a 3 and out on their opening drive.  The defense wasn't exactly awake either as they allowed the Minutemen to drive deep on their opening drive.  Thankfully, UMass missed their FG attempt and the defense kept their goose egg until the waning minutes of garbage time.

Hackenberg continues to show that he’s human after all forcing plenty of questionable throws into nonexistent windows, or completely overthrowing his receivers altogether.  That will not fly with Big Ten defenses, so let’s hope he was just getting this out of his system now against an overmatched UMass squad.  Hack ended up only throwing for 50% as he went 12-23.  This also marks the second game in a row without a passing TD for the wonderkid (although backup D.J. Crook did manage to get his first ever TD pass).  Things should improve now that the run game has some confidence and Hack doesn't have to carry the entire offense himself.

Why do the RBs have some confidence you might ask?  Well the rushing attack FINALLY got going as 5/6 of Penn State’s TDs were on running plays!  Belton scored the first 2 TDs of the day, followed by 2 in a row for Zach Zwinak, then Akeel Lynch finished things off with one of his own.  Belton looked particularly good, breaking ankles more than once as he and Lynch averaged more than 10 yds per rush with longs of 24 and 46 respectively.

Speaking of rushing stats, the Lions’ defense held UMass to an astounding 3 rushing yds… seriously!  To date, the defense is now allowing less than 50 rushing yds per game!  As I predicted, Mike Hull once again led the team with 6 tackles and also forced a fumble.  Meanwhile DT Austin Johnson had himself an impressive first half with 2 tackles, 1 for a loss, a 7 yd fumble return, and even a pass breakup.  The weirdest defensive stat of the day?  Star DT Anthony Zettel did not contribute to any of the 10 tackles for a loss.  In fact, he and Deion Barnes did not record any meaningful defensive stats all day.  Guess they got their rest in extra early.

WRs Geno Lewis and Daesean Hamilton continue to impress, but for every spectacular highlight, there is an equally baffling drop.  Still, they combined for 9 catches and 147 yds.  When they left the game we got to see freshmen like Saeed Blacknall and Chris Godwin get some playing time as each had 2 catches and the pair combined for 49 yds.  At TE, Jesse James has been having some of the same problems as Lewis and Hamilton, missing his fair share of catches too.  The massive target only managed to pull in 2 of the 5 passes thrown his way.  If the WRs and TEs can clean it up a little bit, they’re all legitimate All-American candidates! 

Lone returning starter on the offensive line, Donovan Smith, gave us all a scare when he left the field with an apparent elbow injury in the 2^nd quarter, but he came back into the game a little while later with an even thicker arm sleeve and seemed to be relatively fine.  Hopefully this doesn't affect him down the line.  Things will only get better up front as 5th year senior guard Miles Dieffenbach could return to the lineup as early as the Ohio State game. 

As for my prediction, it was very much affected by the early benching of the starters.  Hackenberg didn't throw for 400 yds, but he was on track to do so.  The same goes for the running backs who could have easily broken 100 yds if left in the game, and the receivers who managed to get almost as much production in half a game as they normally do in an entire contest.  D.J. Crook played surprisingly well and even managed to score his first (and probably last) TD in Beaver Stadium with a pass to little used TE Brent Wilkerson.  As I mentioned before, Zettel and Barnes didn't get a tackle between them, let alone 2 sacks, and Jordan Lucas did not get the interception I predicted.  I was right about beating the spread at least, although I had no idea we’d crush it by 2 TDs.  Overall, I would say these blowout games can actually be harder to predict than some of the big time conference match ups.  Regardless, it was fun to watch.

That will wrap things up for today.  Check back tomorrow for the weekly grades, and remember that the awards have been pushed to Wednesday.  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 4 Prediction

After an emotional win over Rutgers the Nittany Lions return home for only the second time this season, and the first time since the sanctions were eliminated, to take on the Minutemen of Massachusetts (UMass).  The game will be broadcast at a special 4pm kickoff time on the Big Ten Network.  Saturday’s game will feature the Unrivaled Band Jam (formerly “Band Day”) which has not been held since 1975.  It will feature the Blue Band, the Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, and 4 local high school marching bands.  They will play in the BJC prior to the game, as well as take part in the halftime and post-game festivities.  It should be a great time!

Band Day circa 1975

Even better, it appears that James Franklin wasn't lying when he said new AD Sandy Barbour was looking into the scoreboard situation.  The $10 million monstrosities will actually display the score now!  Was that too much to ask?  We have a very easy opponent this week, so this most likely won’t take long, but let’s get to the breakdown anyway.

The Good

Ok, we're playing a winless UMass team that is considered the worst team in the FBS according to the Sagarin Ratings.  That alone should tell you everything you need to know about this game.  They bumped up to the FCS just 2 years ago, joined one of the worst conferences in the country, and still only managed to win 2 games since then.  I highly doubt they’ll put up much of a fight against Penn State.

In the "players you need to know" category, well, there's not much.  I guess I should mention UMass QB Blake Frohnapfel, and no I'm not even going to attempt to pronounce his last name.  Good luck to the announcers on Saturday though!  He's been decent this season with 5 TDs to only 2 INTs.  Frohnapfel will be throwing to a reliable receiving target in Tajae Sharpe, but otherwise I wouldn't expect this offense to do much, especially against a Penn State defense that has played lights out so far.  On defense things get even worse as the Minutemen have given up 150+ yds rushing in all 3 of their games, including a 338 yd gift to Boston College.  Maybe this was just what the running game doctor ordered for the Lions... oh no, I just jinxed them didn't I?  Sorry.

The Bad

The Nittany Lions are coming off a very emotional win (no matter how the players try to downplay it) and could get caught sleepwalking against a team they know they should beat.  Add in the fact that this is basically the Superbowl for UMass and you're bound to hear "trap game" all day long.  However, James Franklin has proven that he can get his team motivated to play even the lowliest of foes, so I'm not too concerned.

There are two players from UMass you might actually want to watch out for.  Junior LB Jovan Santos-Knox is the NCAA's leading tackler after 3 weeks, but that might just mean he's the only player capable of tackling on the defense.  On special teams, Trey Dudley-Giles (what is with the funky names?) is a dangerous return man averaging 35.4 yds per kickoff.  He has the ability to take one to the house and embarrass our coverage team.  Let's hope that doesn't happen.

The Story

Interesting fact: Former Penn State WR Alex Kenney transferred to UMass after last season, and could be catching passes from former Penn State QB Austin Whipple who also transferred to UMass after last season (although, Whipple is the backup, so probably not).  Unlike Kenney, Austin most likely made the switch because his father, Mark Whipple, is currently the UMass head coach.  I'm sure Penn State will be more than willing to give these guys a "proper" homecoming.

Speaking of QBs, James Franklin said earlier this week that he plans to redshirt both Trace McSorley and Michael O’Connor.  Therefore, if a backup QB comes in to relieve Hackenberg this week, it will most likely be walk-on 4^th stringer D.J. Crook, and I don’t exactly expect him to light up those sparkling new scoreboards.  If the 2^nd team defense lets a couple of plays get by them and Crook can’t put something together, the final score might be closer than expected.

The Prediction

Wow, do I go high with this because we're just that much better than UMass, or do I go low because most of the starters won't make it to the end of the game?  I think I'll take the former!  Hackenberg breaks 400 yds again with multiple TDs and no INTs as Lewis and Hamilton each get 150+ yds.  The rushing attack FINALLY gets going as someone (anyone?!) goes over 100 yds with a TD to boot.  D.J. Crook makes his debut in Beaver Stadium and remembers this moment for the rest of his life.  Meanwhile, the defense puts on an absolute clinic!  Zettel gets 2 sacks and Barnes gets 1 before the starters are eventually pulled.  Jordan Lucas, still jealous of everyone else's interceptions last week, finally steals one for himself.  And Mike Hull once again quietly leads the team in tackles.  Penn State is about a 27 point favorite in this one, which seems a little high given our offensive struggles lately, but I still think they cover on their way to their easiest victory of the year.  Final score: 35-3.

OK, enjoy Saturday's beatdown and check back here on Sunday for the Wrap Up to see just how bad it actually got.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 3 Awards

It’s been a crazy week, but we've finally come to the end of our coverage of the Rutgers game.  As you know, Penn State completed yet another late game comeback to pull out the win in Piscataway to the tune of 13-10.  Down 0-10 at the half, James Franklin and his staff only had their locker room speeches to pump up the team and come away with a road victory.  I guess it worked because in the second half the defense clamped down even harder and the offense finally got going enough to put some points on the board.  This week should be a little more easy against UMass, but let’s finish things up with the weekly awards!

By the way, see if you can guess the theme this week, and no I didn't play it that way, it just happened.

This week, the Beast Mode Award goes to DT Anthony Zettel for his 4 tackles (all solo), 3 for a loss, and 1 sack.  I wasn't the only one who noticed as he was also named the Athlon Sports Big Ten Player of the Week.  Zettel’s contributions have been instrumental so far this season in stopping opponents’ run games and pressuring their QBs.  He has served as one of the key pieces of Penn State’s surprisingly stout defense, which will be needed as long as the offense is struggling.

Next up, the Transformer Award goes to CB Trevor Williams for transforming into our new permanent 2^nd CB opposite Jordan Lucas.  Williams' 2 interceptions led the way to Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors, and gave the still young corner a lot more confidence and legitimacy.  We've been waiting for someone to step up at this position for some time, and it looks like the coaching staff has finally found their man.

Penn State has struggled in the return game for some time now, so it’s great to see a true freshman lend his talents to the special teams.  That’s why this week, the Matrix Award goes to backup CB Grant Haley.  He’s been on the verge of breaking away basically all season, but always seems to get tripped up by the last guy.  It’s only a matter of time before he scores 6 on a kickoff, and because he’s a freshmen we’ll have him around getting even better for the next 3 seasons!

Sometimes it’s hard to determine a defensive player’s impact because statistics can only measure so much in football.  That’s why I’m giving the In Disguise Award to DE Deion Barnes.  He only had 2 tackles, 1 for a loss and the other a sack, and 2 QB hurrys, but those numbers only tell half the story.  Barnes was in Rutgers QB Gary Nova’s face all game.  Even if he didn't get the sack, he forced Nova into making bad throws, or forced runners up the middle into the waiting arms of Zettel and Austin Johnson.  Barnes is starting to look like his freshman self again, and that’s good news for the whole team.

Last but… well, definitely least, the Megatron Award goes to Penn State’s offensive line.  These guys seem to have no idea how to maintain a pocket for Hackenberg, nor open up holes for the running game, and they don't have the ability to generate any push on short yardage situations.  It’s been well documented, but it still bears repeating, this offensive line needs to get it together fast.  I was thinking about giving this to Gary Nova for his 5 interceptions, but that doesn't make him a thorn in PSU’s side, it makes him an asset.

Alright that will wrap things up for this week.  Be sure to come back on Friday for my prediction against UMass, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 3 Grades

There was a lot of bad blood developed during #RutgersHateWeek.  In my opinion, it was started almost entirely by the Rutgers side.  I know they wanted a rivalry with us, but rivalries are created by beating us and making us want to beat you that much more the next year.  They aren't created by being an asshole to the fans of the other team so they'll hate you.  As the guys over at OnwardState put it so well, Rutgers fans have a lot to learn about being in the Big Ten.  Thankfully, the administration at Rutgers also thought their fans got out of hand during Saturday’s game and did the right thing by issuing apologies today.  First, Athletic Director Julie Hermann sent out a statement, then President Robert Barchi wrote a letter directly to Penn State President Eric Barron expressing his sympathies for what had happened.  Cooler heads have prevailed, and hopefully we won’t have any need for #RutgersHateWeek next year when the Scarlet Knights visit Beaver Stadium.  

In lighter, more football related news, we have two awards to announce (in anticipation of tomorrow’s awards post).  Trevor Williams was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his 2 interception performance, and AnthonyZettel was named Athlon Sports Big Ten Player of the Week.  We've discussed Zettel’s impact here on the blog before and it’s great to see him finally getting some national recognition.  Congrats to both players!  Now, let’s roll out some grades.

Offense

QB: (B) Hackenberg did not have a very good day despite his usual impressive statistics.  Normally he would get a much worse grade, but the fact is almost all of his flaws were the result of the terrible offensive line play.  Yes Hack continues to force throws and had yet another interception, but only because he’s being asked to carry the offense.  At the end of the day, his ability to come up in the clutch means that we will always have a chance to win.

OL: (F-) Do I really need to explain this grade?  The offensive line performed terribly again and is clearly the weakest link on this team.  The only good thing is the James Franklin doesn't appear to like rotating lineman; he has his set starting 5 and they play almost the entire game together.  This is good because it will allow the line to develop chemistry and cohesion, hopefully leading to better results as the season progresses.

RB: (C-) Another poor performance, but like Hackenberg’s play, you can’t really blame these guys too much when the O-line isn't creating any holes to run through.  The one redeeming quality about this unit, at least in this game, was Bill Belton.  On the opening drive he had a catch and a run in a row for a couple of first downs, and of course he scored the game winning TD.  As a native of NJ who effectively claimed that Rutgers wasn't “big time college football” over the summer, it was nice to see Belton back up his talk in front of the hometown crowd.  Still, these guys need to improve or the Lions will be in trouble.

WR: (A) I’m starting to run out of positive adjectives for Geno Lewis and Daesean Hamilton who continued their dominance on Saturday, gaining 109 and 103 respectively.  Lewis was especially important on the final drive with his 53 yarder that got the offense close, and then yet another critical 3^rd down catch which set up Belton’s TD run.  These guys have been everything we thought they would be and more so far, I just hope they keep it up.  They miss the “+” because they still have 1-2 drops per game that they can always clean up.

TE: (B-) Kyle Carter finally got more involved this week, which was nice, and the TEs combined to grab 4 passes for 23 yds.  Considering their talent, I expect them to have better stats though.  Even if they aren't super involved in the passing game, they could at least help the offensive line not suck.  Here’s hoping one of the two starts happening soon.

Defense

DL: (A+) Anthony Zettel, Austin Johnson, Deion Barnes, and C.J. Olaniyan have been unstoppable all year, especially against the run.  When not stuffing RBs at the line of scrimmage, they’re harassing QBs into making bad decisions and poor throws.  After letting up a mere 10 points in the first half, they clamped down and shut out Rutgers in the second half.  All told, the D-line accumulated a total of 15 tackles, 5 for a loss, and 3 sacks.  Keep it up!

LB: (A+) Mike Hull lead the team in tackles for the third straight week with 9.  Nyeem Wartman added 3 tackles, and Gary Wooten and Brandon Bell each had 1.  Bell also got the linebacking corps' only interception of the season so far.  These guys are extremely dangerous on the numerous blitz packages dialed up the coaching staff and despite very little depth, they are proving to be as solid as ever.

DB: (A++) Um, all I have to say is 4 interceptions, but I’ll say a little more just for giggles.  Trevor Williams should now be the clear choice at the second CB spot opposite Jordan Lucas after his 2 interceptions, and safeties Adrian Amos and Ryan Keiser, who each got their own interceptions on Saturday, are already firmly entrenched at their respective positions, so this was just icing.  These guys put on a clinic that won’t soon be forgotten.

Special Teams

K: (A-) Sam Ficken successfully made 2 FGs, and Grant Haley continues to impress in the return game.  But the unit gets a minus because Ficken did have his first FG blocked.  He probably could have given it a little more air, especially considering how short the attempt was, but the credit really goes to whoever that Rutgers player was.  He just straight up made a big play!

P: (A-) Chris Gulla also continues to impress.  I won’t talk about his stats because they were thrown off by a short punt on the opening drive.  It may have only been a few yds, but it pinned Rutgers super deep on their first offensive position.  However, he was also blocked by the ridiculous Scarlet Knights special teams, so he also gets a minus.  Unlike Haley, Jesse Della Valle has not been impressive with returning punts, in fact he only “returned” 1 of the 7 punts on Saturday (he fair caught the rest), and he got 0 yds on that attempt.  Clean it up!

Ok, that will do it for today.  Again, sorry about the late posts, vacation will do that to you.  Check back tomorrow for the awards, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 3 Wrap Up

Welcome to the Big Ten Rutgers!  How do you like “big time” college football now?  I’ll hand it to you, that was one hell of a show, but sorry, this is still #notarivalry.  You’ll always be little brother at best.  Oh, and can we stop pretending this is a NJ vs PA thing?  This is a NJ vs Philly thing, if it’s a thing at all.  You may receive some reciprocity in your hate from the Philly folks, but the Pittsburgh/western PA contingent of Penn State fans could not care less about Jersey, so stop trying!  Now, I almost felt bad when head coach Kyle Flood said his team was “devastated” in his post game press conference, until I remembered how much his players ran their mouths in the lead up to this game.  On top of that, your fans showcased why the entire Big Ten doesn't respect you.  From the sea of middle fingers when Penn State’s team arrived, to the “F*** Penn State” chants, to the “enemies of the state” posters with the faces of all the Penn State players from NJ on them, and of course the avalanche of pedophilia jokes, you proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you aren't yet classy enough for the Big Ten.  Maybe in time, but last night your entire fan base looked ignorant and trashy on prime time, national television.  Good job.  Joe Paterno taught us Penn Staters to be better than that.  We kept relatively quiet and just let Hackenberg lead another one of his classic, game winning, clutch drives to silence all the Jersey-ites in High Point Solutions Stadium.  As the “we are” chants continue to echo through Piscataway, I can officially declare #RutgersHateWeek over, and for the first time in a long time, all feels right with the Nittany-verse.  It was a good night. 

Penn State is now 1-0 in the post sanction era, but more shocking is that we were 17-9 during the sanctions.  A big time THANK YOU to Bill O’Brien for everything he did to make that statistic possible!  He held us together and was exactly what we needed in our darkest hour.  James Franklin, on the other hand, is exactly what we need for the future and the word “exciting” doesn't even begin to describe this guy.  For 2 out of 3 weeks in this still young college football season, Penn State has played in arguably the most entertaining game on the schedule.  In defiance of critics who said he only talked a good game, James Franklin is now the first PSU head coach to go 3-0 in his first 3 games since Bob Higgins in 1930!

Meanwhile, Christian Hackenberg has now thrown for an astounding 1,082 yds in just 3 games!  Those are the stats of legends, and “legend” is the only word I can use to accurately describe Christian Hackenberg right now.  You see, it has become quite obvious, at least to me, that Hack is the best 2 minute QB in the entire country, and probably the best Penn State has ever had.  It all began with his last minute drive against Michigan in 2013.  The legend continued in the first game of 2014 with a last minute drive against UCF.  Then last night, Hack did it again, putting together an 80 yd drive which was more yardage than Rutgers’ offense could muster in the entire 2^nd half combined!  It’s these kinds of late game heroics, which snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, that make me super confident whenever Hackenberg hits the field.  Between him and this defense Penn State can't be counted out of a single game for the rest of the season.  They just find ways to win, and that’s something you can’t teach.

Yet even the incredible Hackenberg would be nothing without great targets.  Hamilton and Lewis, attorneys at law, continue to prove that they are the perfect compliment for each other.  For the third game in a row, Hamilton has more catches while Lewis has more yardage.  What does that prove?  Hamilton will move the chains and get you down the field, then Lewis will finish it off in explosive fashion with a deep ball and a circus catch.  These two will most likely continue their fireworks display for the rest of the season and it should be insanely fun to watch.

Overall, it was a tale of 2 halves as Penn State couldn't seem to do anything in the first half.  The offensive line had no answers for a Rutgers defensive front that seemed to set up camp in the backfield and get a sack every other play.  In fact, they had 5 total sacks on the night and forced Hackenberg to run so much he was actually the team’s second leading rusher behind Bill Belton.  The defense played admirably, except for one play where they somehow let QB Gary Nova loose on a 14 yd scamper up the middle of the field for a TD.  Otherwise, they were lights out.  And on special teams, the Lions let the Knights pad their nation-leading stats for blocked kicks by blocking Sam Ficken’s 1^st FG attempt, and Chris Gulla’s first punt of the 2^nd quarter.  Eventually in the second half, the offense found enough rhythm to win the game, the defense completely shut Rutgers down, and special teams came up with 2 FGs and a few nice punts to keep the Knights deep.  Impressive effort with a ton of guts were what sealed the deal more than anything else.

Finally, my prediction.  Now, I said this was more wishful thinking than a prediction, but let’s see how I did anyway.  Hackenberg threw for 309 yds, which is exactly 100 fewer than I thought but still eerily accurate.  Still, he didn't have any TDs and he did throw an interception.  Lewis and Hamilton did each gain 100+ yds, but neither got a TD.  The running game still hasn't gotten going (I don’t think I’ll be predicting that again for a while) and it was NJ native Bill Belton who scored the late TD, not Akeel Lynch.  Jesse James did score a TD, but it was overturned, so does that count?  On defense, Rutgers actually got the 5 sacks, but we got 3 of our own which isn't too shabby.  Ironically Jordan Lucas, whom I predicted would get an interception, seemed like the only guy in the secondary who DIDN'T get an interception as Trevor Williams, Adrian Amos, Ryan Keiser, and Brandon Bell all picked off poor Gary Nova.  The fans didn't leave early because their team kept it close, but they definitely exited the stadium in shame based on their actions.  Last, but not least, I said all of Rutgers recruits would beg James Franklin to come play at Penn State.  I obviously wasn't right about that, but the #10 recruit in New Jersey, LB Daiquan Kelly, who was at the game, apparently saw everything he needed to see and committed to the Nittany Lions.  That now gives us 5 of the top 10 NJ recruits.  Sorry Jersey (no I’m not).

OK, that will do it for today.  Check back tomorrow for the grades, and Tuesday for the awards.  I’m in Atlantic City this week, so I apologize if my posts go up later than normal.  In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest updates on Penn State football, and as always go State!

Week 3 Prediction

Welcome to #RutgersHateWeek everyone!  This week the Nittany Lions travel to Piscataway, New Jersey for an 8pm prime time game against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.  The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and is one of the few interesting games on an otherwise boring weekend of college football.  At the beginning of the season, I don't think many Penn Staters cared too much about this trip to New Jersey.  But somewhere along the line, Rutgers fans got it in their heads that they have a really strong football team and they're going to gain some kind of legitimacy by beating Penn State in their first ever Big Ten game.  Apparently they've had this game circled on their calendars for some time now and they're making this out to be one of the biggest games in their program's entire history... yeah, I don't get it either.  Could this become Penn State's new rival?  They'll have to consistently beat us first, and I don't see that happening (the current record stands at 22-2 in favor of Penn State).  Anyway, let's get to the breakdown.

The Good
Despite this being a road game for Penn State, at a stadium that should be absolutely packed with raucous fans come Saturday night, Rutgers is still a 3.5 point underdog.  For those of you who don't follow gambling lines, the home team almost always gets an automatic 3 point advantage.  So really, on a neutral field, Penn State would be favored by a TD, and frankly, I still think that's too low.  Not only is there a sizable talent gap between the two teams, but the match ups are completely in PSU's favor.  The Scarlet Knights are a run first team with a very capable RB name Paul James, but Penn State's defensive front 7 has been outstanding against the run so far this season and arguably the strength of the entire defense.  Meanwhile, the weakness of Rutgers' defense is their porous secondary which got gashed for 500+ yds against Washington State in week 1.  That's not a good thing when you're about to play us because, as I've said before, we have Christian Hackenberg and you don't.  Our passing game has been scary good so far thanks to the Hack and if we can get the running game going even a little bit this won't just be a win, it will be a beat down.  Even if Rutgers plays perfect in all 3 phases of the game, I think it will be difficult to come away with a victory.  The fact is, only Penn State can beat Penn State this week.  If Hackenberg throws 2 more interceptions in the red zone, or if the RBs catch a case of fumbleitis, or if we can't stop committing penalties, or miscommunication leads to severe breakdowns in coverage, MAYBE Kyle Flood's team will have a chance.  But I don't see it.

Another good thing has been our secondary, even though they have yet to record an interception.  Judging by their much improved play from last year, I would say they're due, and Gary Nova is a prime candidate to give it to them.  On offense, there were definitely problems with consistency last week, but the players have fessed up to those errors and for the most part they were simple mental mistakes easily fixed by a week of practice.

The Bad
No matter how much I try to downplay it, this is still a road night game, and although it's not the Big House or the Horseshoe or even Camp Randall, High Point Solutions Stadium should be packed to the brim with  incredibly pumped up fans.  Rutgers does have a few talented players too.  I already mentioned their running back, Paul James, who has impressed so far averaging 5 yds per carry.  He can also catch the ball out of the backfield like we saw against Howard.  Directing the action at QB is Gary Nova who actually has more TDs and fewer interceptions than Hackenberg thus far, but hasn't been asked to carry the entire offense.  Then there's WR Leonte Carroo who doesn't have a lot of catches, but nearly 1/3 of his receptions last year went for TDs so he's a big play threat.  The Rutgers defensive line is good, especially at DE and could have a big night against Penn State's struggling offensive line and rushing attack.  They might force Hackenberg into some bad throws, like we've seen the previous 2 weeks, or even a costly interception.

The Story
Some people have been asking the question, "who needs this more?"  I think that one is pretty simple to answer; Rutgers needs it more because they're trying to prove themselves in a new conference that doesn't think too highly of Rutgers football.  However, that's not what I'm focused on.  Fairly or unfairly, this is one of those teams that Penn State is supposed to beat, so they won't get credit for the win if they do, but if they lose, it will be a complete embarrassment.  In that context, Penn State needs it more.  I can tell you this much, Rutgers fans care a lot more than Penn State fans right now.  Ironically, it's the obnoxious taunting by Rutgers fans that has led to increased interest from Nittany Nation.  That's why I honestly think provoking us was one of the dumbest things Rutgers could have done.  If they hadn't tried to turn this into a rivalry, I think Penn State may have overlooked this game and come out flat.  Instead, "chop nation" (I don't get the whole "chop" thing either) went and shot their collective mouth off and started acting like they're the class of the Big Ten with no evidence to back it up.  Now the mentality of "let's shut these clowns up" has taken over Happy Valley and, when combined with the momentum from the sanctions reduction, any chances of sneaking up on the Nittany Lions is a distant memory.  Granted, college football fans have never been a modest group, but the delusional arrogance I've seen emanating from the armpit that is New Jersey has been excessive.

Case in point, here's what my friend's coworkers did to his desk:

So I'd like to deliver the following message to all the Rutgers fans out there...

Hey Rutgers!  Welcome to the big leagues, finally.  We've been waiting here for quite a while.  I must admit I have no idea where your confidence and bravado suddenly came from.  Was it that beatdown you gave to national powerhouse Howard last week?  Well the team we beat last week shutout Howard 41-0 in week 1, so we're not exactly impressed.  By the way, go ahead and keep trying to troll us with comments about the Sandusky scandal.  We both know that was a load of bullshit, but more importantly, we both know that it has exactly zero bearing on the outcome of this game.  At the end of the day Penn State is a bigger school, a better school, and a cooler school than you.  Oh, and always remember that your football team hasn't accomplished anything of merit since 1869 when, yes, you played in what is widely regarded as the "first ever U.S. collegiate football game."  But that game was just a glorified rugby scrimmage and can barely be said to resemble the modern game we all know and love.  It's great that you can hang your hat on that one "accomplishment," but here at Penn State we have more than a century of football excellence to brag about including iconic uniforms, the greatest stadium in all the land, legendary coaches, multiple national titles, a veritable pipeline of All-American caliber players flooding into the NFL year in and year out, and the best, most loyal fans in existence.  You can't touch us!  So keep on talking, we're fine with that, sometimes little brother needs to vent, and hey, it may even help you pull out a victory on Saturday.  But just know that one win doesn't erase history.  You were never anything special, and you never will be.  At best you will become a middle-tier Big Ten program, while Penn State can finally go back to winning championships and ignoring you.  That's just the facts, accept it.

The Prediction
This week isn't about accuracy.  At this point, I just want to demoralize those coky wannabes in prime time at their own house.  I guess you could say this will be closer to a wish list than a prediction.  Christian Hackenberg throws for 409 yds and 3 TDs without an interception.  Lewis and Hamilton lay waste to Rutgers' pathetic secondary on their way to 100 yds and a TD each.  The running game finally gets going as Akeel Lynch surpasses Belton and Zwinak for the starting job and picks up a TD of his own.  Jesse James shows off his freakish athletic ability against some unsuspecting linebackers, stiff arming them out of his way for yet another long TD catch.  On defense, Coach Shoop demonstrates the full operational power of his defensive line, which picks up at least 5 sacks and forces poor Gary Nova to throw an interception to Jordan Lucas.  The linebackers are unleashed on blitz after blitz and Paul James can never get things going.  Fans leave midway through the 4th quarter with their heads hung low in shame.  All of Rutgers recruits plead with James franklin to let them come to Penn State, but having already secured 4 of the top 10 prospects in NJ (and 0 of the top 10 committed to Rutgers), Franklin politely declines and wishes them well.  The Nittany Lions head back home with a win 38-24.

As a bonus, here's a transcript of James Franklin's press conference for #RutgersHateWeek.  As a double bonus, our new athletic director has promised to fix the scoreboard situation!

It all goes down tomorrow night so get the popcorn ready!  Check back on Sunday for the wrap up, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 2 Awards

We're almost done looking back at Akron, but we got one more post before we can move on to Rutgers.  Now the Akron game didn't go quite how most people expected.  The Zips put up way more of a fight than they normally do, even if the score didn't exactly reflect it, and Penn State looked like they were either still jetlagged or looking ahead to this week's road trip to Piscataway.  But there were still a few standouts, so let's roll out that red carpet and get set for some awards!

I had a tough time with the Beast Mode Award this week, but eventually decided on TE Jesse James thanks almost entirely to his 2 TDs.  However, I almost gave this to WR Geno Lewis who came just 2 yds shy of another 100 yd game.  I figure Lewis will have plenty of other Beast Mode-worthy performances this season, so we'll stick with the big man today.  Congrats Jesse!

Next up, the Transformer Award goes to RB Akeel Lynch.  Even though the running game has been pretty terrible these first two weeks, and Lynch's stats didn't really impress anyone despite leading the team in rushing yds, he randomly transformed himself into a wildcat QB for part of the Akron game.  It didn't work particularly well (and last time I checked we still have Christian Hackenberg at QB), but Lynch may be our new best running option and the wildcat is an effective way to get the ball in his hands.  I just hope we don't use it too often.

I created the Matrix Award (named after the Creation Matrix from Transformers) to honor underclassmen achievement, especially in light of the sanctions.  With fewer scholarships it was obvious that underclassmen, and particularly freshmen, were going to be called upon early and often to step up and help Penn State win.  We saw a shining example of this on Saturday as redshirt freshman P Chris Gulla booted the ball 5 times for a 48.8 yd average.  For those of you who don't know much about punting, let's just say anything over 40 yds is crazy good!  One of the question marks entering the season was who would fill the shoes of departed P Alex Butterworth.  Looks like James Franklin has found his answer.

I have a feeling the In Disguise Award is going to a defensive player pretty often until this defense gets a little more recognition.  This week will be no exception as I present it to LB Mike Hull, who now leads the team with 22 tackles and has served as the field general for what is turning out to be a good, old fashioned, hard nosed, Penn State defense.  They held Akron to just 3 points, despite numerous trips to the endzone.  Hull is a grizzled veteran who possesses incredible strength and above average quickness, even for a linebacker.  He's been making plays since his sophomore year yet rarely gets much media attention.  If he keeps playing like this, though, that might change.

Finally, the now infamous Megatron Award goes to Akron DE Se’Von Pittman.  The Ohio State transfer and former 4-star recruit was in the backfield all day and was a key reason Penn State's running game didn't get going as I anticipated.  QB Kyle Pohl gets an honorable mention here for his offensive performance, but Pittman's impact was incredible.  The stat website I use conveniently left him off their defensive stats for some reason, so I can't tell you exactly what he did, but here's a picture of him saying "hello" to Hackenberg.

That will do it for today, and for my coverage of the Akron game.  Next up is a big one ladies and gentlemen, as the Nittany Lions travel across the boarder to NJ and renew their rivalry with the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in the first Big Ten conference game of the year!  It'll be in primetime and believe me, the Rutgers fans are pumped so you better be too.  Check back here on Friday, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 2 Grades

I found this rather amusing picture of RBs Bill Belton and Akeel Lynch a little while back and proposed a caption contest on Twitter.  Although both Belton and Lynch, along with many of their friends, favorited and shared the picture, no one submitted a caption... until now.  Thanks to friend of the blog, Brian Bender, for this awesome meme to celebrate yesterday's announcement!

I'll start today with a quick link to Black Shoe Diaries, who did a great job of explaining what kind of impact the reduced sanctions will have on recruiting.  Let's just say, James Franklin has been let off his leash!

Last night the students partied on Beaver Avenue until roughly 1am in celebration of the news and it's safe to say Happy Valley is as happy as it's been in quite some time.  Police say the gathering was simply a much needed celebration for these students and this community, and that it remained extremely peaceful throughout.  I feel so happy for these students, but today they need to get back to class, and so do we; let's roll out some grades!

Offense
QB: (C+) Christian Hackenberg did not have one of his better days, and he knows it, but that's not going to hamper the sweet taste of victory.  After the game he admitted, "we're just going to continue to improve, but at the end of the day, a win's a win."  I really hope Penn State fans don't get jaded from having Hack.  When your QB's "bad day" involves 22-36 passing for 319 yds and 3 TDs, that's a problem most teams would love to have.  Still, there's those 2 interceptions on the goal line.  They didn't turn into points for the Zips, but they kept 14 PSU points off the board.  If Hackenberg can stop forcing throws and just take what the defense gives him, he's going to be the special player we all know he can be, maybe even better.

OL: (C-) It was another game of the same things from the offensive line.  Pass protection was decent, as Hack only got sacked once, but the running game remains stagnant.  Given that Penn State's star player is a QB, I guess this is the preferred problem to have.  Either way, Herb Hand has been doing a great job given the circumstances, and he deserves a hand (see what I did there?) for his efforts.  Based on recruiting, it looks like he's about to get a lot of help from some elite talent in the coming years.  This could be a team strength as early as 2016.

RB: (D) Speaking of Coach Hand, he's actually the team's "run game coordinator," which is weird because it's not running backs coach Charles Huff, he's the "special teams coordinator."  After this past Saturday's game, you certainly can't fault the two for trying as they got very creative by the end of the game, but no matter what they attempted, it didn't seem to work.  To quote Bill Belton, "we've got to play better than that."  With the O-line unable to create holes for Belton and Zwinak, 3rd string back Akeel Lynch was called upon to try his luck out of the Wildcat formation.  It definitely seemed to be the best of a bunch of bad options, but it still wasn't exactly effective.  Lynch finished the day as the team's leading rusher.  It will be interesting to see what adjustments the coaches make this week in preparation for a very strong Rutgers defensive front.

WR: (A) It was another big day for Lewis and Hamilton who combined for 13 catches and 167 yds, but no TDs (although Bill Belton's TD counts towards receiving, so we'll put that here).  Lewis was only 2 yds shy of the century mark.  It would be nice for a 3rd target to emerge, but I'm fine with those two for now.  Freshman Chris Godwin was the only other receiver to get in on the action making a single 12 yd grab.  James Franklin seems antsy to get another freshman, Saeed Blacknall, into the game as well, but that hasn't materialized yet.  Looks like De'Andre Thompkins is safe to continue redshirting for this year to preserve his eligibility down the road.

TE: (A+) With Breneman out for the season and Wilkerson clearly not making an impact, it looks like we're down to 3 tight ends.  I'm ok with that considering that's still better than most teams have.  Jesse James, Kyle Carter, and Mike Gesicki combined for 4 catches and 91 yds, and Jesse James sweetened the deal with 2 TDs.  Combined with the receiving production and Hackenberg's arm, the passing game looks great for the foreseeable future.  Even the offensive line has benefited from having these big bodies as back up blockers in pass protection.  Now if only we could use our TEs as RBs... oh yeah, they tried that too (sort of) when Gesicki lined up at Fullback!  Yep, it's gotten that weird.

Defense
DL: (A) These guys are proving each week that they are the strength of the defense.  Coach Sean Spencer used 10 different guys on Saturday, dipping into the 3-deep.  That just shows how much confidence he has in his linemen, even the backups, to come in and make plays.  Anthony Zettel spent all day harassing and hurrying Akron QB Kyle Pohl and managed another sack, while backups Carl Nassib and Parker Cothren combined for a vicious sack of their own.  The line has a big test this week containing Rutgers RB Paul James.

LB: (B) Overall another solid performance.  Mike Hull lead the team again with 11 tackles, Nyeem Wartman again added 6, and Brandon Bell contributed 4 more.  We still haven't seen freshmen Troy Reeder and Jason Cabinda, but as long as the starting 3 can hold down the fort, why even bother?  They get dropped down to a B because they kept getting beat over the middle by the Akron dink-and-dunk strategy.  However, they kept the Zips out of the endzone all day, and that's all that really matters.

DB: (B+) There was lots of good stuff in the secondary this week, but they really need to help the LBs protect the middle and get more turnovers.  After two games, Penn State still hasn't gotten an interception.  The + is mostly thanks to the excellent play of Jordan Lucas who had 7 tackles including 1 for a loss, a sack, and a pass breakup.  He was flying all over the field making plays.  Freshman Grant Haley has also been impressing lately; he added 2 tackles and a pass breakup to his personal stat line.

Special Teams
K: (A) Ficken made all the extra points, but wasn't needed to make any field goals this week.  He misses the A+ because one of his kick offs went out of bounds.  That's a big no-no in the world of kicking.

P: (A+) What more can we say about the sensational punting skills demonstrated by freshman Chris Gulla?!  For the second week in a row, special teams stepped up in a big way.  Gulla has the ability to "reverse the field" when called upon, and that will be invaluable come Big Ten play, which technically starts this week.

Today's bonus grade is an F for the new scoreboards.  In the initial designs it appeared as if the video display would take up the entire scoreboard, and that would definitely justify the hefty multi-million dollar price tag.  Looking at pictures from Saturday's game, though, I honestly don't see what's changed.  The screens are filled at least 50 % with ads just like before, and as OnwardState pointed out, they don't actually have the score on them!  In fact, they don't have any pertinent game information like a game clock, a play clock, or down and distance.  Penn State athletics, you fail.

Well, that will do it for today.  Check back tomorrow for the weekly award show, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

We're going bowling!

Attention: Today's normally scheduled grades post has been rescheduled for tomorrow due to breaking news...

BREAKING: NCAA announces end of Penn State's bowl ban effective IMMEDIATELY!  The Nittany Lions will also be allowed the full compliment of 85 scholarships starting with this recruiting cycle!  This incredible news comes on the heels of former Senator George Mitchell's second glowing report to the NCAA regarding Penn State's compliance with the Consent Decree.  But all you really need to know is... We're going bowling!

So, am I dressed right for the occasion?

Now for some more serious talk.  I have made it a point to refrain from talking about the Sandusky scandal here on the blog because this is a football blog and I didn't think it was the time or place for such discussions.  However, today's news gives me the perfect opportunity to express exactly what's been going through my mind over the last nearly 3 years.

First of all, Joe Paterno was the man.  Yeah I said it!  He wasn't just a great coach, he was a great person, and everyone who ever met him can attest to that fact.  Was he perfect?  No!  But no one is and he never claimed to be.  Moreover, Penn Staters did not "worship" him as a deity, we RESPECTED him as a father (and eventually grandfather) figure.  Heck, his name was literally Latin for "father"!  He helped mold countless young players into men right before our eyes.  Just because he chose to make a difference in this world through football does not, and should not diminish the incredible impact JoePa had on our community for 61 years, effectively his entire adult life.  We are because he was!

When he was made aware of a potential crime committed on campus by one of his former employees who he no longer had any control over, he reported it to the highest University representatives he could find.  This included the Athletic Director (because it happened in an athletic building) and the head of University Police (because it was a criminal matter).  They, in turn, reported it to the University President because, well, he's the president.  Whether those men dropped the ball or not will be determined in a court of law with due process afforded to all defendants.  But what is clear, at least to me, is that Paterno did all that he legally could do, especially considering he was a hearsay witness at best.  More importantly, according to the new sexual violence handbook created by the NCAA, Paterno followed the correct procedures for handling that kind of situation to the letter.  To put it simply, he reported it and then got out of the way.  Critics like to ignorantly say that Joe should have done more because he was "the most powerful man on campus/in Pennsylvania!"  This could not be further from the truth (see above about worship vs respect).  Had Paterno gotten involved, those same critics would have been all over him for interfering with the investigation.  It was a lose/lose situation because the media was going to get their story either way.  And that's what this is really about, isn't it?  The mainstream sports media saw a celebrity name that they could attach to this otherwise non-story and they ran with it.  Once it started to snowball they had to keep the lie going.  Besides, the ratings were fantastic!  Welcome to the modern age I guess...

As for the NCAA, they're a bunch of cowards (as is the entire Penn State Board of Trustees).  They relied on a nonsensical report commissioned and paid for by Penn State, not themselves, to hand down unprecedented sanctions against the football team, and all while breaking nearly all their own bylaws.  Why?  Hell if I know!  To this day, Penn State has still never been convicted of violating a single NCAA infraction, yet we'll go down in history as one of the most punished programs ever.  And something stinks behind the scenes, trust me.  The NCAA got very scared when a PA judge implied that the courts should look into the Consent Decree.  So scared that they immediately dropped their lawsuit against two PA lawmakers and announced today's news.  That's not the sign of an organization showing mercy, that's the sign of an organization running from the truth.  Pay no attention to the men behind the Consent Decree!  Nothing to see here!  Move along folks!  Whatever, I just hope everything is revealed in time and those responsible for travesty are held accountable.  

For now, let us rejoice in the knowledge that Penn State can officially win the Big Ten this year and will make a glorious return to the post season just in time for the first ever College Football Playoff!!!  Go State!