Week 12 Prediction

*Disclaimer: I fully admit that the only reason this post is going up so late is because I'm in State College and I just went out and partied at a bar with a bunch of former Blue Banders... sorry, not sorry.*

I know it’s hard to believe, but we've reached the conclusion of another season of Penn State football.  This week, the Michigan State Spartans come to town on Senior Day and battle the Nittany Lions for the Land Grant Trophy!  The weather will be chilly for the game, hovering in the 30s when things kick off at 3:30pm on ABC in the Northeast and Midwest, and ESPN2 in the South and West coast.  It will also serve as the 4th annual “Blue Out” game to help raise awareness for child sexual abuse.  So if, like me, you’re headed up for the game, make sure to wear your home blues over top of your layers in support of this important cause.  Ok, we have a lot to get through, so let’s get to the breakdown!

The Good

Penn State’s offensive line is at full strength, RB Akeel Lynch seems to be hitting his stride, we still have big time weapons like WR Daesean Hamilton and TE Jesse James, and of course, we have an absolutely elite defense.  These are things to keep in mind with a game like this as the Spartans are possibly the best team on Penn State’s entire 2014 schedule.  It’s easy to succumb to despair if you don’t remind yourself of the positives.

Last year, Bill O’Brien took his Nittany Lions, led by a true freshman QB, into Camp Randall Stadium to take on a highly ranked Wisconsin team.  Penn State was a 28 point underdog, and yet somehow, they dominated the game from start to finish and came out with a shocking victory to cap off the year.  However, if you’re hoping for a repeat of that performance, well, you’re a bigger optimist than I.  Still, Mark Dantonio is technically 2-3 against Penn State, so we live in hope.

How might the Lions actually pull this off?  Well, Michigan State’s defense has been dominant in recent years, helping them achieve unprecedented success for the program.  The last few seasons in particular saw the rise of CB Darqueze Dennard and his “No Fly Zone” style of defense.  But with Dennard’s graduation, Darian Hicks has stepped in at CB and has not played nearly up to standard.  If Hackenberg can get over his yips and get some deep balls to Hamilton or Lewis, things could get really interesting.  Defensively, Penn State should focus on getting pressure.  Michigan State’s QB Connor Cook is very good, but he’s been known to make mistakes when frazzled.  If the D-line can get in his face, and the secondary can pay attention, interceptions are a strong possibility.

The Bad

Pat Narduzzi is widely regarded as one of the best defense minds in the country.  Consequently, Michigan State’s defense has been notoriously good since he arrived in East Lansing.  This year’s unit is led by dominant DE Shilique Calhoun, and it not only averages 3 sacks per game (more than Ohio State) but leads the nation in turnover margin.  Let’s just be realistic here; Hack is going to get sacked, he’s going to get banged up, and he’s going to throw an interception.  Accept this now.

As for personnel, WR Tony Lippett is one of the best receivers in the country and has already passed the 1,000 yd mark for the year on just 56 catches.  That’s almost 20 yds per catch!  RB Jeremy Langford is also extremely talented, even though he doesn't get as much press as Melvin Gordon, Ameer Abdullah, or Tevin Coleman.  Penn State’s outstanding rush defense avoided Gordon and Abdullah this year, but did handle themselves quite well against Coleman and Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott.  Langford is in the same class as all of those backs, so it will be interesting to see if he’ll be able to break out or become just another victim of Anthony Zettel and friends.

Then there’s arguably the worst part about this game… the Land Grant Trophy.  This monstrosity is so bad it’s apparently on its way out.  Our friends over at Penn Live have the full story, along with pictures!

The Story

It’s Senior Day in Beaver Stadium!  There’s always a lot to discuss with Senior Day because it’s not just about the senior football players.  It’s an entire celebration of all the students who make gameday possible and will be contributing one last time.  Members of the cheerleading squad, dance team, and of course the Blue Band will all be honored in special ways throughout the weekend.  We’ll start, though, by discussing the football team.  Now, I’ll let Black Shoe Diaries do most of grunt work about these guys via their wonderful Film Room series (Part I and Part II).  But I did want to mention who received senior superlative awards as voted on by the team:

- S Ryan Keiser is beloved by teammates in large part because he has the most school spirit.

- K Sam Ficken, with his business degree and impressive internship resume, is the most likely to end up on Wall Street.

- LB Mike Hull is considered the best leader, despite his usually quite demeanor.

- RB Bill Belton's excellent fashion sense got him labeled best dressed.

- OL Miles Dieffenbach's outgoing personality earned him most talkative and most likely to end up on a reality show.

- DE Brad Bars narrowly beat Mike Hull for best fisherman.

The other big story (mostly because of my personal connection with it) is Senior Day for the Blue Band, and specifically their director, Dr. O. Richard “Dick” Bundy.  Dr. Bundy's last game is best summed up by the myriad articles already written on the subject, so I won't necessarily go into it.  Here, here, and here are three of the best I found to help those not in the know understand Dr. Bundy's incredible impact on the Penn State community.  I've mentioned before here on the blog that I was in the Blue Band for all 4 years of my collegiate experience.  Being in Blue band provided me with life long friendships, once in a lifetime opportunities, and of course, the chance to perfect my craft in front of 100,000 screaming fans 7 Saturdays each year.  It was, quite simply, one of the most incredible things I've ever done, and is almost single-handedly responsible for causing my current love affair with Penn State football.  You see, when your winter vacation plans hinge on how the football team is doing in a particular year, you start to pay attention more closely.  So please join me in congratulating Dr. Bundy on a great career and saying farewell one final time!

The Prediction

Michigan State are 13.5 point favorites, and that’s unfortunately accurate to what will most likely happen.  I really do hope we beat the spread, but I'm by no means anticipating a Penn State victory.  Christian Hackenberg will throw a TD but will offset it with an INT.  Somebody might even fumble as the offense isn't able to score enough points to keep things competitive.  The defense will play like they have all season, and I'm anticipating an INT of their own, but not nearly enough to eek out a victory.  Even with a freezing cold Senior Day crowd on hand, the Blue and White just can't get it done.  Michigan State wins, 24 - 10.

Alright, that will do it for my final prediction of the year.  Make sure to stop on over to my Facebook page if you like what I'm doing.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus to keep up with all things Penn State Football, and as always, go State!

Week 11 Awards

It wasn't exactly what you would call an award winning performance by the Nittany Lions in Champaign on Saturday, but we're here nonetheless.  Before we begin, though, I mentioned in my last post that there's been some chatter out there about the possibility of Christian Hackenberg transferring.  Make no mistake, that would be awful!  Thankfully his father, Erick Hackenberg, chimed in recently to address the rumors.  It wasn't exactly a firm "No" but I get the feeling he was trying to imply it. You can judge for yourself.

And now back to your regularly scheduled blog.  It's time to roll out some awards!

For the second week in a row the Beast Mode Award goes to RB Akeel Lynch.  Who could have guessed that at the beginning of the year?  After a horrendous start to the season, the running game has finally picked up with Lynch firmly in the feature role.  He went for a season long 139 yds and a TD against the Illini and was basically the only bright spot on offense for the entire game.  For this team, it seems like whenever one piece gets fixed, another breaks.  Now that the RBs and OL are doing better, we need to get the QB and TEs back on track.

On one of the wackiest plays I've seen from Penn State in some time, the Transformer Award goes to backup DE Brad Bars.  Bars plays primarily on special teams and during a fake punt in the 1st quarter, he took a direct snap and rumbled up the sideline for 32 yds and a 1st down!  That run actually made him second on the team in rushing yds behind only Akeel Lynch.  Now those are the kinds of trick plays I'm OK with!

Due in large part to an injury, the Matrix Award goes to LB Jason Cabinda.  The rookie was thrust into a starting role when Brandon Bell went down in practice earlier in the week.  He handled himself respectably recording 5 tackles including 1 for a loss.  The LB position is nearly as thin as the offensive line right now, and Mike Hull is graduating this year.  So it's good to see the freshman get some playing time to help build depth.

We've been talking about In Disguise Award winner Miles Dieffenbach for some time now, so he's not too hidden.  But after returning to full active duty on Saturday, it was made abundantly clear how important Dieffenbach actually is to this offense and how much the line missed him.  With the veterans both back on the left side, Hackenberg had time and running lanes magically opened up.  It was a revelation!  If we can just get the antidote for Hackenberg's yips, this offense might rise to mediocre status!

Finally, there should be no surprise here.  This week's Megatron Award goes to Illinois WR Mike Dudek.  The freshman looked like Allen Robinson out there grabbing 11 catches for 115 yds and countless clutch 1st downs.  He terrorized Penn State's depleted linebacking corps and secondary all day, but especially after backup QB Riley O'Toole came into the game.  We'll need to keep an eye out for this kid in the coming years.

Well, that will do it for Illinois week.  I'm going back to State College again this week to see Senior Day verses Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy!  So check back here on Friday for my last regular season prediction of the year.  Facebook is still a thing, and they have a like feature you can use as much as you want.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 11 Grades

I really do hate writing about games like this.  Penn State should NOT have lost to Illinois and the calls for James Franklin's head, less than one full season into his tenure in Happy Valley, are already hitting a fever pitch.  Let's keep this in perspective, though.  Bill O'Brien lost his first 2 games ever to mediocre Ohio and Virginia teams.  It seemed like the sky was falling then too, but he turned it around and won 8 out of his last 10 that year.  I'm still very optimistic about Penn State next year and a full offseason with Franklin and his staff should fix most of the tiny execution errors that have cost them so far this season.  In the meantime, I say let's all just be happy that we're going to a bowl game and try to enjoy the little things as I roll out this week's grades!

Offense
QB: (D) Hackenberg technically played better than last week, but not by much.  He increased his passing back up to 50%, although that came on fewer pass attempts (16) as the coaching staff seemingly lost all trust in the young signal caller and his receivers.  On the bright side, Hack managed to finally get another passing TD and avoid an INT for the first time in forever.  However, his pocket presence and awareness appear to have disintegrated into nothing, and his accuracy has dropped off dramatically.  If things don't improve quickly, the once unthinkable scenario of a Hackenberg transfer may very well come true.

OL: (B) The offensive line continued to get better with the return of Miles Dieffenbach and Donovan Smith.  Sacks are down, and time to throw is up.  It's not their fault that Hackenberg still doesn't want to get rid of the ball even with more time.  More importantly, though, is that the big guys up front have been much better at opening holes for the running game allowing a 100 yd rusher in each of the last 3 games.  Keep it up!

RB: (B) Akeel Lynch's 28 carries for 139 yds and a TD were one of the few bright spots on offense against the Illini.  With Zach Zwinak out for the year, and Bill Belton suffering a shoulder injury early on Saturday, Lynch became the feature back sooner than he expected.  He narrowly avoids the "A" because of his costly fumble.  Nevertheless, it's good to know Penn State has a rushing attack again.

WR: (D) When you're watching a football game on TV, it can be difficult to see everything that is happening.  The camera tends to focus in on whoever has the ball.  So while you stare at Christian Hackenberg screaming "get rid of the ball!" you might not realize that downfield (and off camera) his receivers simply aren't open.  This is supposedly (if you believe the announcers) what is happening with Penn State's receivers right now.  They aren't getting enough separation from defenders to allow Hack windows in which to throw the ball.  Against Illinois, no receiver had more than 1 catch... just digest that statistic for a second.  That also includes all of the TEs and every RB except Lynch who had 2 catches.  When I say the coaches don't trust Hackenberg right now, this is what I'm talking about.

TE: (C-) Adam Breneman (who is out for the year with an injury) was featured on the PennLive Penn State Football Podcast recently.  He said that much of the supposed decrease in TE production this year is really just the result of 1. a different offensive scheme, and 2. a greater focus for the TEs on blocking (especially to help the struggling O-line).  That makes sense.  So with that in mind, the lone catch each for Jesse James and Mike Gesicki doesn't look quite as awful.  Why the "C-" then?  Because Kyle Carter couldn't catch anything and instead stunk up the place all afternoon.

Defense
DL: (C) A rare off day for a group that is usually guaranteed at least an "A-" grade.  Numerous missed tackles kept more than one Illinois drive alive.  But it was Anthony Zettel's offsides penalty on a punt which directly led to Illinois points and killed the group's grade.  The numbers were still relatively solid, but judging by the eye test, the pass rush just wasn't there and Riley O'Toole was able to make all the throws he needed in order to win the game.  Kudos to Austin Johnson who led this unit with 5 tackles, 1 for a loss, and a QB hurry.  Also to backup Brad Bars whose 32 yd scamper on a fake punt was arguably the most entertaining part of the entire game.

LB: (C-) For the second time this season, we were reminded that the linebacking corps just isn't the same without their starting 3 (Bell, Hull, and Wartman) in place.  When Nyeem Wartman was out against Northwestern, the defense struggled and Penn State ended up losing.  On Saturday, it was more of the same against Illinois as Brandon Bell was sidelined with an injury and the defense struggled again in a losing effort.  Mike Hull was his usual ridiculous self, wracking up another 10 tackles.  But all that does is make you wonder what will happen next year after Mike Hull graduates?

DB: (D) Plain and simple, the defensive secondary was absolutely torched by Illinois' Mike Dudek who had 115 yds on 11 catches.  Despite that, I'm still very impressed with the play of certain guys like Marcus Allen who was second on the team with 9 tackles.  However, overall this might have been the group's worst game of the season.  They recorded no turnovers and allowed a backup, dual-threat QB (with known accuracy issues) to go 18 of 25 and more than double our passing yardage.  I will say that the coaching staff's decision to switch from man-on-man to zone coverage played a key role in the downfall, but these guys also just needed to play better.

Special Teams
K: (D) Ficken didn't make a single FG for the first time since the Akron game (where Penn State scored 3 TDs instead).  He did attempt a FG, but new holder Chris Gulla bobbled the snap and it went into the books as a -8 yd run.  Meanwhile, in the return game, Grant Haley miscalculated a kick return (that, to be fair, changed course due to a sudden wind gust), effectively handing the ball back over to Illinois for an easy 3 points.  Not a good day for the kicking game.

P: (B) For once, I have very little to critique regarding the punting game.  Daniel Pasquariello continues to improve and had one of his best days yet, especially impressive considering the high winds in Memorial Stadium.  He averaged 39 yds, including an impressive 50 yarder and only 2 of his 7 punts were fielded for a mere 18 combined yds.  Jesse Della Valle only managed to return 1 of his punt opportunities, but did a decent job bringing it back for 11 yds.

For today's bonus grade, I'm giving the coaching staff a big, fat F!  First of all, the team came out ill-prepared and lacking any semblance of energy.  That's always the coaching staff's fault.  Then, the offensive staff in particular engaged in their usually terrible play-calling, sticking to the run and almost completely abandoning the pass by game's end.  For this game at least, the defensive staff wasn't much better as they switched to zone coverage and allowed Mike Dudek to eat the secondary alive.  Clock management has been an issue all year and Saturday's game was no exception.  Lastly, the conservative philosophy at the end of the game and the decision not to go for it on 4th and 1 served as the final nail in Penn State's coffin.  James Franklin rightly took on all the blame, but his coordinators shouldn't escape this fiasco that easily.

We're almost done sifting through the carnage of this embarrassing loss.  Check back tomorrow as I attempt to find a few diamonds in the rough worthy of my weekly awards.  My Facebook page gets better by the day, so be sure to go like and share that for all the latest Penn State football news.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 11 Wrap Up

The Nittany Lions walked into Memorial Stadium believing their own hype from the Temple game.  They walked out with with their 5th loss of the year as they fall to Illinois, 14-16.  No matter how many times James Franklin says his team plays “12 one-week seasons” it was pretty darn clear, even to the casual observer, that in this case the team was caught looking ahead and phoning it in.  They came out completely flat on Saturday against an Illinois team they should have easily beaten.  Now they'll need to pull off a miracle next week in order to get to 7 wins.  Why do they need 7 wins?  Because I am NOT going to Detroit to watch this Penn State team stink up the field!  Hey Coach Franklin, all those incredible resources that Penn State brings to the table and allow you to recruit like never before?  Yeah, well they come with expectations, and right now you’re not living up to them.  Let's get into exactly what happened.

I don't know what was worse, Penn State's play or Illinois' student section

I'll start things off with the injury report.  LB Brandon Bell was held out of the game due to an undisclosed injury.  Bell has steadily gotten better all year, but this meant more playing time for freshman Jason Cabinda.  The last time a starting LB was injured, it was Nyeen Wartman during the Northwestern game – another PSU loss to an inferior Big Ten team on a day where the defense played less than stellar, especially against the pass.  Coincidence?  Maybe more a sign that our starting 3 LBs are solid, but our backups, not so much.  Otherwise, Trevor Williams was back at CB, and both Miles Dieffenbach and Donovan Smith were back to full capacity for the entire game.

Contrary to the rest of the contest, Penn State’s opening drive actually went quite well.  A good mix of run and pass plays got everyone from Hamilton, to Belton, to Lynch involved.  It would eventually end with Chris Godwin’s first career TD as the Lions took a quick 7-0 lead.  Things just seemed to be clicking.  On their second drive, it looked as if Penn State would have to punt… until wait, trick play!  A direct snap to backup DL Brad Bars.  The big man showed great athleticism, cutting to the outside for 32 yds and a 1^st down!  Along the way he picked up a big block from another backup, freshman safety (and converted WR) Troy Apke.  However, all the good luck came to an end as a botched FG attempt led to no points.  It would be a sign of things to come.

*Before I continue, I’d like to talk about a little thing in sports called “the yips.”  This phenomenon is simply defined as the sudden loss of fine motor skills for no apparent reason.  In football, when you can’t seem to execute even the simplest tasks, that's the yips.*

In the 2^nd quarter, things slowly started to fall apart.  TE Kyle Carter had numerous targets but all he managed to catch was a case of the yips.  And it must have been contagious because Christian Hackenberg was exhibiting signs of the dreaded condition as well.  It was particularly noticeable after Hack took a shot to the leg from an Illinois defender, getting up with a serious limp.  From that point on, he refused to step up in the pocket, opting instead to stand awkward and rigid, as if nursing the injury.  Worse still, it just looked like at some point, Hackenberg stopped caring.  More to that point, the coaches must have noticed too and only called 18 total pass plays.  It was clear they didn't trust him and for the first time all season, he failed to surpass 100 yds passing.

But the hits just kept on coming.  Bill Belton went to the sidelines in the 2nd quarter and sure enough, it was announced later that due to an apparent shoulder injury he would be out for the game.  Cole Chiappialle (pronounced “chippy-alley”) was somewhat of a hero in the Blue/White game, but was generally viewed as nothing more than a 4^th string option.  With injuries to Zwinak and now Belton, though, he found himself in the #2 spot.  Then, after Akeel Lynch was temporarily benched for an ill-timed fumble, Chippialle was suddenly thrust into the game.  Try as he might, though, all he managed to do was continue the downward spiral of Penn State’s offense.  The second half was, for the most part, more of the same.  Penn State was supposed to begin with the ball, but the wind messed up the opening kickoff and Illinois recovered what was essentially a long onsides kick.  With a short field, they picked up their first FG.

What was most frustrating, however, was that we saw brief glimpses of what this offense could be.  Hamilton on the jet sweep seemed to work, until Illinois figured it out and blew it up for a big loss.  Jesse James and Mike Gesicki each pulled in nice catches for 1^st downs in relief of Kyle Carter.  Akeel Lynch performed admirably as both a RB, where he scored a 47 yd TD to start the 3rd quarter, and as a wildcat QB, where he was vital in converting tough 3rd downs.  This eventually opened up the playaction pass to Geno Lewis.  Even the O-line showed marked improvement.  For the second week in a row, the only problem seemed to be Hackenberg.  Too many drives came to a sudden halt thanks to throws that were either way over receivers' heads or tossed at their shoelaces.

Meanwhile on the other sideline, Illinois began making adjustments that would prove to be the difference in the game.  QB Wes Lunt was replaced with dual-threat Riley O’Toole in the 2nd quarter.  At first, he did nothing to inspire much confidence and the Illini were forced to punt… until wait, Zettel jumped offsides!  A rare mistake gave Illinois a fresh set of downs and that’s when O’Toole really came alive.  Unfortunately, it was at this exact moment that Bob Shoop made the regrettable decision to switch to zone coverage.  For those who don't know, here's the difference between zone and man-to-man coverage.  Suffice it to say, this strategy generally leaves you vulnerable against talented WRs; and as I mentioned in my prediction post, Mike Dudek is a talented receiver.  He ended the day with 11 catches for 115 yds and generally made our secondary look as bad as they've looked all year.

By the 4th quarter, Riley O’Toole had figured out Penn State's vaunted defense and was firing on all cylinders.  The key to his success seemed to be getting the ball out of his hands in a way that Hackenberg simply hasn't been able to.  On at least three different plays, O’Toole looked to be sacked only to somehow pull off a circus throw just before hitting the ground.  Even more inexplicably, it always seemed to find its way right into the waiting hands of his receivers, most often the aforementioned Mike Dudek.  By game's end, Illinois would attempt 2 straight FGs, missing 1, and leaving Penn State with 3:29 left, a 1 point lead, and the ball.  But after 3 consecutive runs including a 3^rd and 5 sneak by Hackenberg that came up just 1 yd short of the 1^st down, James Franklin decided to punt instead of going for it to ice the game. It was a bad omen of what was to come.

Illinois started their drive with 2 huge throws, each for a 1^st down.  Mike Dudek was unstoppable by this point, and eventually the Illini made it all the way down inside the 10 yd line, setting up an easy FG with only 13 seconds left on the clock.  It sneaked inside the uprights and that was all she wrote.

As for my prediction… whoops.  Vegas once again “knew something” when they set the line at 7 points, although even they didn't think Illinois would win outright.  Hackenberg kind of improved, I guess.  He made it back up to 50% passing, had a TD (to a WR instead of a TE like I predicted), and he actually managed to go an entire game without throwing it to the other team.  However, he also took some really bad sacks that were completely his fault, and he only threw for 93 yds while handing off to RBs for most of the day.  I will say that he tried to get the TEs involved more, but especially Kyle Carter didn't give him much to work with.  Belton's injury prevented him from scoring but Lynch made up for it on one of the few highlights of the game.  Ficken was only asked to try a FG once, but Chris Gulla (who I just got done praising 2 weeks ago!) bobbled the snap and was tackled for an 8 yd loss.  Defensively, Mike Hull did get to double digits with 10 tackles, again leading the team, but didn't quite reach the 15 tackles I thought he would have.  Overall, the defense had one of their worst performances all year, failing to get a turnover and not coming anywhere close to the shutout I anticipated.

It was all very depressing, but we press on with the season.  Check back tomorrow for a breakdown of what went wrong position by position as I hand out the grades.  If you want to stay up to date on all things Penn State football be sure to go like my Facebook page.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 11 Prediction

This week the Nittany Lions travel to Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL to take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois.  The game kicks off at noon (11am for the poor folks in Champaign) and will air on ESPN2.  I'll be blunt, Illinois is not a good football team.  In fact they're arguably worse than Temple and only slightly better than UMass, both teams Penn State has already beaten in convincing fashion.  Their record stands at 4-6 with only 1 Big Ten win, albeit an impressive upset victory over currently ranked Minnesota.  That's only the 2nd Big Ten win in Illinois coach Tim Beckman's entire tenure, and that pretty much sums up why he's on one of the hottest seats in college football.  A loss against Penn State would eliminate Illinois from qualifying for a bowl game and basically ensure his imminent unemployment status.  Enough about Illinois' crappy coach, let's get to the breakdown!

The Good
Due to injuries, Illinois has been forced to use 2 QBs this season and neither has been particularly effective.  Although Wes Lunt has the physical tools, he just doesn't have the players around him to live up to his potential.  Dual-threat Riley O'Toole, on the other hand, isn't a good enough passer to make the big plays.  The Illini have also used 2 kickers who have gone a combined 2 for 6 on the year.  Good job fellas.  Meanwhile, we have Mr Automatic Sam Ficken, so if the game comes down to FGs, it won't even be close.

Our offense will line up across from one of the worst defenses in college football.  Illinois currently has the 115th ranked rush defense in the country (dead last in the Big Ten), meaning Bill Belton and Akeel Lynch should have one of their easier outings.  This should hold especially true behind an offensive line that's finally at full strength with Miles Dieffenbach and Donovan Smith.  On defense, thanks to James Franklin's injury policy, we'll have to wait until kickoff to see if Trevor Williams will suit up at CB.  If not, we'll get to see the electric freshmen duo of Grant Haley and Christian Campbell again and find out whether or not their amazing performance against Temple was just a fluke.  Overall, Penn State's defense should be just as amazing as they've been all year.  Seriously, if you're still doubting these guys by this point, why don't you check (the stats) yourself before you wreck yourself.

The Bad
Let's see, it's a road game, so that's always a challenge.  But Memorial Stadium isn't exactly one of the more intimidating venues around, especially when their team sucks, at 11am local time, in late November.  Additionally, Penn State has already clinched it's spot in the post season, while Illinois needs to win out if they hope to even sniff a bowl game.  Maybe that will be motivation enough for them to rally the troops and pull the upset.  I wouldn't count on it, though.

One name to watch out for is freshman WR Mike Dudek.  He currently has 787 yds this season.  Although he's not terribly effective when Riley O'Toole is in the game, when former 4-star pocket passer Wes Lunt is playing (which he will be on Saturday), Dudek can be a serious weapon.  Lunt comes to Illinois by way of Oklahoma State where he played as a true freshman.  James Franklin actually admitted in his press conference earlier this week that he heavily recruited Lunt while he was the head coach at Vanderbilt and knows just how dangerous the QB can be when not hampered by injuries.  Nevertheless, expect Bob Shoop to have our secondary more than prepared.

The Story
When Beckman first took the job at Illinois, Penn State was right in the middle of the Sandusky scandal.  The NCAA had just handed down their sanctions against PSU and players were now free to leave without penalty.  Although a number of schools were more than willing to bolster their own rosters by jumping at the chance to steal Penn State's talent, they were at least quasi-professional about it.  Illinois, meanwhile, demonstrated a particularly brazen and unsportsmanlike approach to their "recruitment" efforts.  In total they brought 8 coaches to University Park and were anything but subtle as they openly harassed players outside their classrooms and dorms.  A few days later at Big Ten media days, Michael Mauti let his feelings be known, and when it was time to actually play the Illini, he raised hell!  2 interceptions and a whole lot of pain later, Mauti and the Nittany Lions walked out of memorial Stadium with a decisive victory and the sweet taste of revenge still on their lips.  Oh, but the best part of the whole ordeal was that after all that effort and damage to Beckman's reputation, he only managed to flip 1 backup player who frankly wasn't very good to begin with.  Moral of this story?  Kharma's a bitch... hear that NCAA?

The Prediction
For some strange reason Penn State is only favored by 7 points.  That just seems low given how bad Illinois has been.  However, given our offensive struggles even against poor defenses, this particular Penn State squad most likely isn't routing any Big Ten team, even the awful ones, so maybe that's what Vegas is thinking.  So what will happen?  Christian Hackenberg continues to struggle, but does technically improve from last week.  He gets his TEs involved a little more and Jesse James scores a TD.  The running game picks up where they left off last week as Bill Belton scores a TD too.  And James Franklin unleashes the Ficken at least twice just to rub it in Beckman's stupid face how terrible his own kickers are.  On defense, senior Mike Hull still remembers what Beckman's staff tried to do 2 years ago and does his best Mike Mauti impression, obliterating the Illini offense for 15 tackles and a fumble recovery after a monster hit.  Someone on defense even scores a TD.  In fact, I'm actually going to go out on a limb here and say our defense pitches a shutout.  Lions win, 27-0, because yeah, let's go with that.

Alright that should do it for my prediction.  I'm really trying to keep my new Facebook page up to date with all the latest news and notes on Penn State football, so be sure to head on over there and give me a like or even share it with all your friends.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus where I attempt in vein to live tweet most games, and as always, go State!

Week 10 Awards

In case it wasn't made clear already, Penn State is going to a bowl game again!  We're not out of the woods yet, though, because how the Nittany Lions play over the next two weeks will go a long way towards determining which bowl game we're going to.  Personally, I'm hoping for the Pinstripe Bowl because it's close.  Anyway, time to roll out some awards!

With the way the season was going, I didn't think a RB would ever get an award.  Then we played Temple.  That's why this week, the Beast Mode Award goes to Akeel Lynch.  He had a season high 130 yds on 18 carries and threw in a TD for good measure.  I'm really hoping that the success of our RBs had something to do with the return of Smith and Dieffenbach to the offensive line.  If so, maybe there's hope for these guys over the next 3 games (yes 3, because we're going to a bowl game!).  If, however, it was just a fluke, we could be in trouble.

This week's Transformer Award goes to DT Austin Johnson because he needed to be recognized and I already gave away the Beast Mode Award.  Johnson had an outstanding game recording 4 tackles, 1 for a loss, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery!  The 313 lb monster has been the perfect compliment to the undersized, yet agile Anthony Zettel, and the two have wreaked havoc on opposing RBs en route to the #1 rushing defense in the country!  Oh, and he's only a sophomore.

When you have the second youngest team in college football, finding an outstanding freshmen is fairly easy.  This week, the Matrix Award goes to CB Christian Campbell.  Starting in place of the injured Trevor Williams, Campbell recorded his first of what we hope to be many interceptions in his career as a Nittany Lion.  He also makes an impact on special teams as a gunner, helping to vastly improve our coverage teams from a year ago.  Keep up the good work rookie!

In a first on the blog, I'm doubling up on the In Disguise Award this week and giving it to both Adrian Amos and Jesse Della Valle.  The pair combined for 5 tackles and 2 INTs against the Owls.  While Zettel and Hull get most of the attention, these two senior safeties have quietly led a vastly improved unit that's been through it all.  Amos, a four year starter and the most veteran player on the entire Penn State roster, was a highly touted recruit who immediately started.  During the O'Brien years, Amos bounced back and forth between safety and corner, allowing a young crop of DBs to grow up.  Della Valle, meanwhile, didn't have nearly as much hype coming into college as Amos.  But he paid his dues and worked his tail off.  Now he's become a leader in the secondary while simultaneously taking on starting duties as the team’s punt returner.

Finally, the Megatron Award goes to Temple LB Tyler Matakevich.  My friend Josh warned us about him, and sure enough, he had a monster game.  13 tackles, 2 for a loss, a sack and an interception... those sound like Mike Hull statistics!  I'm not too proud to recognize talent when I see it, and this guy has it.

Ok, that will do it for Temple week.  Only 2 games left before the bowl game!  Check out my Facebook page and give it a like.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 10 Grades

If you're one of the people who watched Saturday's game between Penn State and Temple and thought "man, both teams look terrible" then you either don't know much about football or you didn't actually watch the game.  Did Temple's offense look bad?  You bet.  But that was more a product of the continuing perfection that is Penn State's defense.  Did the Nittany Lion offense look bad?  Nope.  At least I didn't think so.  The offensive line looked better than it has all season, and we finally found ourselves a run game.  But one key player did have arguably his worst showing of the year, and it really affected people's perception of the entire team's performance.  Let's find out who it was as we roll out the grades!

Offense
QB: (F) NO MORE EXCUSES!  He had time, he had a competent running game backing him up, and on the rare occasion he put the ball anywhere near a receiver they came down with it.  Yet somehow, with everything working in his favor for a change, Christian Hackenberg fell apart, completing just 12 of 26 pass attempts for a measly 112 yds to go along with 2 more interceptions and no TDs.  I went into this more in yesterday's post, so check that out if you want my longer-winded opinion.  Suffice it to say, as one of Hack's biggest fans, I'm not happy right now.  I just hope he can clear his head before next year... maybe a nice bowl trip will help with that process!

OL: (A-) The big uglies up front (except for baby face Miles Dieffenbach of course) FINALLY looked like a coherent unit with their 2 most experienced players, Dieffenbach and Donovan Smith back in the line up together for the first time all season.  They gave Hackenberg plenty of time, at least compared to what they've done all season, and only allowed 2 total sacks, a far cry from the 5 or more we're used to this year.  More importantly they finally opened up some holes for both struggling RBs.  Which brings us to our next position...

RB: (A) Where the hell has this been all year?  Everything in the running game just seemed to work against an overmatched Temple front seven, even the wildcat!  Akeel Lynch led the way with 135 yds on 18 carries, while senior Bill Belton just missed out on the century mark with 96 yds on 19 carries.  Their efforts would pay off big as each also scored a TD.  Even Cole Chiappialle got into the game on the final series and ran for a respectable 15 yds and a 1st down on only 2 carries.  Whether they were sprinting to the outside for a big gain, or barreling right up the middle for the tough yds, the RBs looked like classic Penn State.  This is what we've been waiting for, let's just hope it continues.

WR: (C) When the QB has an off day, you can be pretty sure the receivers aren't having the best day either.  It all started so promising when 3 different receivers caught passes on the opening drive.  Then something went horribly wrong and the passing game never recovered.  Daesean Hamilton had 4 catches for 26 yds, Chris Godwin brought in 2 catches for 31 yds, and Lewis also had 2 but for only 15 yds.  Saeed Blacknall did not record a catch.  A "C" grade is appropriate as those aren't terrible numbers, but they're not great either.  Once Hack shakes the cobwebs out, I think you'll see the WR production improve as well.

TE: (C) Similar to the WRs, the TE performance can be directly tied to Hackenberg.  Jesse James was the only TE to record a catch, pulling in 2 for 30 yds.  Mike Gesicki and Kyle Carter were each targeted at least once, but most of what Hack can't seriously be considered passing.  How one manages to overthrow a 6' 8" TE (James) whose reach has to be nearly 10 feet before jumping, is completely beyond me.  Overall I'm just going to assume that these guys were working on their blocking for this game, and that's another reason the line performed so well... yeah, that's the ticket.

Defense
DL: (A-) The defensive line was instrumental in holding Temple to only 69 yds rushing on 20 attempts.  Those are the kinds of rushing numbers our guys were putting up before this game.  DT Austin Johnson led the group with 4 tackles, 1 for a loss, 1 pass breakup, and even a fumble recovery!  His partner Anthony Zettel added 3 tackles, including 1 for a loss and the defense's lone sack of the day.  Deion Barnes and the backups had a combined 6 tackles.  CJ Olaniyan surprisingly did not have any tackles.  We'll chalk that up PJ Walker's elusiveness.  Overall, another dominating effort.

LB: (A) Mike Hull is back to his old tricks, leading the team with 10 tackles.  Brandon Bell was second with 5.  Those two happened to combine for the best tackle of the day, wrapping up a RB in mid-air.  Nyeem Wartman brought up the rear statistically with only 2 tackles, but if you were paying attention you could find him blitzing the QB all afternoon long, and forcing some of the bad throws that lead to interceptions.

DB: (A+) Speaking of interceptions, 4 members of the secondary, including 2 true freshmen, picked off poor PJ Walker on a day he most likely wants to forget.  Safeties Adrian Amos and Jesse Della Valle, as well as CBs Grant Haley and Christian Campbell all got invited to the INT party, with Haley's interception going for 6 points!  Amos, Campbell, Haley, and Jordan Lucas all had 3 tackles apiece, while Della Valle and Marcus Allen each had 2.  Yes, it was a banner day for this group, and a sign that they will be extremely formidable for many years to come.

Special Teams
K: (A-) Sam Ficken hit 3 FGs including a 50 yd beauty, but once again had 1 blocked as well.  That makes 4 on the season, but continues Ficken's streak of being perfect when the ball crosses the line of scrimmage.  Meanwhile, Grant Haley continues to get better on returns, averaging an impressive 24 yds on 3 tries.  He and Christian Campbell have also made a mark as very impressive "gunners" on the coverage units ("gunners" are speedsters who can race down the field and make open-field tackles in space).

P: (B-) Daniel Pasquariello is improving.  Although he only averaged 38 yds on 5 punts, he had a nice 49 yarder in there and didn't shank a single one.  Jesse Della Valle only had the chance to field 1 punt all game, and only took it 5 yds.  That contributed to the B- grade.

Today's bonus grade is a team grade of B, which of course stands for BOWL GAME!  Because in case I forgot to mention it, the Penn State Nittany Lions are headed back to the post season for the first time since 2011!  Take that NCAA!  You tried to kill our program and you failed miserably, just like you seemingly do with everything.  Now these seniors will have the chance to go out in style and the Penn State fanbase will get to party the holidays away in exotic destinations like New York or Detroit... ok, so those aren't the best places to spend late December, but hey, it's better than sitting at home again watching everyone else have a good time.

Well, that will do it for your Monday grades.  Check back tomorrow as we wrap up Temple week with the awards.  Join all the cool kids and like my Facebook page.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 10 Wrap Up

An offensive explosion coupled with a suffocating defense put little brother in their place as Penn State beat Temple 30-13.  The Nittany Lions move to 6-4 on the season and we're officially going to a bowl game ladies and gentlemen!  That's right, for the first time since 2011, Penn State will be involved in the post season.  Even James Franklin, who normally tries to maintain his "no game is more important than another" philosophy, knew this was a special occasion.  He admitted in his post game press conference that he felt especially proud for the seniors who stuck out the sanctions and would now be rewarded with a well-deserved post season birth.  Before that press conference, though, he got so excited on the field that he began tackling people, because you know, football.

Let's start with some of the peripherals.  It was military appreciation day in Beaver Stadium in celebration of Veterans Day earlier in the week.  Military themed events were staged all around the stadium throughout the afternoon.  However, my favorite scene by far was the S-zone in the student section which added a red U and A.  Very classy students!

Now what would football be without tailgating and good food, especially in Happy Valley?  Nothing, that's what!  As I mentioned in my prediction post, I participated in a chili cookoff after the game.  It went off without a hitch and good times were had by all.  This was actually the first time I've ever attempted making chili, so I was excited to hear that everyone seemed to like it.  Clockwise in the picture below we have 1. a stereotypical super spicy chili, 2. a decent entry that kind of had the texture of refried beans, 3. white rice, 4. a sweet santa fe style chili with black beans and corn, 5. my classic tex mex style chili, and 6. a very interesting shredded chicken "white" chili."  A big thanks to my fellow Blue Band alums for putting that together!

So what about the game?  In the first half, turnovers were the big issue for Penn State's offense giving up a fumble and an interception.  Temple, on the other hand, was having their own issues with penalties.  They would end the game with 10 total penalties, twice as many as PSU, including 3 offsides and 2 false starts that indicated the Beaver Stadium atmosphere was getting to them.  In the second half, though, it became all about Penn State's defense as they smothered the Owls and at one point forced a turnover on 5 out of 6 consecutive drives!  Both of Penn State's freshmen CBs, Christian Campbell and Grant Haley, had interceptions while filling in for the injured Trevor Williams; Haley's even went for a TD!  Adrian Amos and Jesse Della Valle also had interceptions, and Austin Johnson recovered a fumble.  It doesn't even need to be said anymore, this defense is ridiculous.  As one of my fellow chili-eaters put it, they're playing like someone kidnapped their daughter and now they have to use their special set of skills to destroy opposing offenses.  Mike Hull had the hit of the game when Temple's RB attempted to hurdle Brandon Bell.  Hull would have none of it and nailed the RB in mid-air.  One interesting note, Anthony Zettel's sack was the only one of the day.  A number of other players came close, but as my friend Josh warned us, PJ Walker is a very elusive dual-threat QB.  Throughout the game he could be found scrambling in the backfield, narrowly escaping defenders and making plays out of nothing.  Temple fans should be really excited about the future with this kid.  In the end, Walker may have won numerous battles, but Penn State's defense won the war.

There were plenty of takeaways from this game.  We'll start with the continued regression of Christian Hackenberg.  He went 12-26 (under 50% passing) with 2 interceptions (1 in each half), no TDs, and one of his lowest yardage totals of the year with 112.  As we'll get to in a second, it seemed like everyone else on offense stepped up their game on Saturday.  However, that's what made it all the more apparent that Hackenberg was the problem du jour and any victory over Temple was going to come in spite of him, not because of him.  Things started out well enough and it was clear the receivers weren't the problem.  On the opening drive Lewis, Hamilton, and Godwin all had completions as the offense clicked early and worked its way down the field.  An ill-advised penalty would doom the drive to a FG, but overall it was good.  After that, though, Hack started to overthrow, underthrow, and miss his targets completely.  Yet, unlike past games, there were no excuses on this day.  He had time and wasn't faced with constant 3rd and longs due to an anemic rushing attack or costly penalties.  Everything was working except him.  I think it might be time for even the most avid Hackenberg apologists (which I admit I can be at times), to finally face the music and just admit that he's not very good this year.  I still don't think these issues are permanent, and most will likely be corrected in the offseason.  Nevertheless, they will probably last the rest of the season, and possibly even bleed over into the bowl game.  My advice would be to simply relax and enjoy watching this defense in the meantime.

As alluded to already the offensive line played very well, allowing only 1 sack in each half.  With Donovan Smith and Miles Dieffenbach back, the line was inspired, but was also forced to change their lineup once again.  From left to right, they now look like this: LT Smith, LG Dieffenbach, C Wendy Laurent, RG Angelo Mangiro, RT Andrew Nelson.  That means Nelson moves back to RT, but Mangiro moves to Guard instead of back to Center.  Very interesting, and clearly it worked!  Hackenberg had more time to go through his reads, and more importantly, we finally found our running game!

Speaking of which, both Akeel Lynch and Bill Belton were on fire right out of the gates and didn't slow down until the backups went in on the final drive.  By game's end, the RBs had accumulated more yds (254) than Temple's entire offense (248)!  And unlike the UMass game, Temple is actually a decent team with an above average defense.  Also, for a team that has relied heavily on its passing attack the last 2 years, it was interesting to see the rushing yds more than double the passing yds.  Even the wildcat was working in limited use, picking up at least one 1st down on an Akeel Lynch sneak.  The electric performance was not without it's controversies.  Lynch's "fumble" (he was down!) in the first half was upsetting, but get this, it was the first fumble by any Penn State RB all year!  They may have had trouble getting us yds this season, but at least they've been taking care of the football.

Finally, there's a big time youth movement at Penn State, especially in the defensive secondary.  I think I've already mentioned it in the past, but Penn State is statistically the second youngest team in college football.  And all those freshmen, both true and redshirt, are contributing in a big way.  Think about this, on offense you have freshmen either starting or heavily contributing at RT, LG, TE, and 3 WR spots, and on defense at DT, DE, LB, S, and 2 at CB.  I've said it before, I know it sucks to be patient, but over the next 2 years or so these guys are going to grow up and everyone else better be on high alert.  James Franklin's championship talk may not have been as far off as we thought.

Alright, so what about my prediction.  Well, I got the winning team correct but I wasn't close on the score and I shouldn't have bet against the spread since we beat it.  The offensive line definitely had their best performance of the year, but all that extra time didn't seem to help Hackenberg who threw 2 INTs instead of the 2 TDs I anticipated.  I also doubted the running game, although I'm more than willing to look like an idiot if it means we get to see more of that for the rest of the year!  So definitely not my best showing, but the W is all that matters.  Oh yeah, and in case I didn't mention it, WE'RE GOING TO A BOWL GAME!!!

Tune in tomorrow for the weekly grades post.  My Facebook page is a thing and could always use your likes.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 10 Prediction

In the annals of Pennsylvania collegiate football history, there are only two major teams and only one big game: Penn State vs Pitt.  However, that series, which is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame as one of the best rivalries in football, has been on hiatus since 2000.  Have no fear, it will return in 2016.  But in the meantime, the Nittany Lions have had to settle for beating up poor little brother Temple, playing the team from Philly every year from 2006-2012.  How will Hackenberg and company handle the Fightin Bill Cosbys this week?  Let’s find out in a shortened version of this week’s breakdown! (Then I have a surprise!)

The Penn State/Pitt rivalry at the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Good

Unfortunately, I’m only familiar with one player on Temple’s roster, star WR Jalen Fitzpatrick.  Luckily for the Penn State secondary, Fitzpatrick is currently injured and will be a game time decision.  On our own injury front, both Miles Deiffenbach and Donovan Smith should be back in action!  Hopefully their return will once again spark our beleaguered offensive line.  The only other good thing you need to know is that Penn State is the better team, with better players, better coaches, and oh yeah, we’re playing at home in Beaver Stadium in front of the best fans in college football.  Also, I’ll be there cheering them on, and that’s got to count for something, right?

The Bad

Our offense downright sucks at the moment and continues to struggle putting points up on anyone, regardless of their talent level on defense.  That trend will probably continue this week in spite of any talent gap that may exist on the field.  Like every game so far, this will probably be an ugly, low scoring, punt heavy game that no one outside of the Keystone State will be paying much attention to.

The Story

Despite playing a total of 42 games to date, Temple has only won 3 of them.  The last time Temple beat Penn State was in 1941 - 10 years before Joe Paterno joined the PSU staff, and nearly 25 years before he was head coach.  Speaking of coaches, Temple’s head coach, Matt Rhule, is not only a State College native, having gone to State College High School, but also played LB at Penn State for the late Joe Paterno from 1994-1997.  Coincidentally, current Penn State LB Nyeem Wartman was recruited by Temple… after he already had an offer from Penn State.  Nevertheless, the Owls wanted Wartman to attend a camp to get a look at him before they extended him an offer as well.  His response was classic, “You get a Penn State offer, you don’t need to go to a Temple camp to prove yourself.”  Plenty of guys on Temple's roster have had the exact opposite experience, so in spite of the one sided nature of this "rivalry", expect there to be a little tension going into this one.

The Interview

And now, my surprise!  I'll be honest, since I'm heading up for the game this week I didn't have a lot of time to go too deep into the Temple Owls.  So instead, I decided to let a good friend of mine do the work for me!  Besides being a friend of the blog, Josh Godshall is also a Temple University alumnus who follows the team closely.  Although he eventually obtained an IT degree, he began his studies at Temple in the Journalism department.  We grew up together in Quakertown, PA where Josh covered sports for the local paper, The Free Press, as early as high school.  Unlike me, he played football, so he should be able to provide a unique perspective on this match up.

Optimus: Hey Josh, let's start with the obligatory pleasantries; how have you been? 

Josh: Pretty good, just living the American dream.  Paying off school loans and fixing people's computers mostly.  And the Eagles are looking pretty good, so that helps. 

O: Good to hear!  Now, given recent events I have to start with this; can we expect a hand shake from your guys before the game this week?

J: Of course!  Al Golden is still a God around here... we couldn't insult his alma mater like that.

O: We'll get to him later, but it's great to hear he left a classy legacy behind (must have gotten that from his college coach).  So overall, can you give us a sense of this year's Temple team?  What are some of their strengths, and what are some of their weaknesses? 

J: Of all the Temple teams I've followed, this is easily one of the hardest to sum up.  This group of Owls is one of those squads that somehow finds ways to win games they probably shouldn't, so if anything that makes me feel optimistic going into Saturday.  On paper, Temple is near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference in just about everything.  In the 11 team league, Temple ranks 10th in total offense, and 8th in total defense.  We’re dead last in rushing as an offense, and second to last in passing.  Dismal numbers aside, though, the Owls have an AAC leading 14 sacks, and can generate enough pressure on the line to mask some of their issues in the secondary.

Despite a lack of game changing playmakers, this team has a knack for busting long offensive touchdowns that keep them in the game.  When Quarterback P.J. Walker is having an on-game, he elevates everyone around him, and usually mediocre players like running back Kenneth Harper start looking like Bernard Pierce reincarnated.  Still, Walker is only a sophomore, and is yet to play in an environment like a packed Beaver Stadium.  He’s shown some poise so far this year, and definitely doesn't lack in confidence, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him get caught up in the moment a bit in front of such a big crowd.  Penn State’s biggest goal should be to get him rattled early and often. 

O: Oh, I think our defense will be just fine getting pressure, especially in front of a home crowd.  Moving on, who are some of the impact players Penn State should watch out for on this Temple squad?

J: Defensively, keep your eyes on #8.  Tyler Matakevich (Jr. LB) is an absolute stud in run support, and sets the tone for the entire defense.  Last year Matakevich led the NCAA with 8.8 solo tackles per game, and was second in the NCAA in total stops per game.  This is nothing new…the guy had 15 tackles (12 solo) and 2 for a loss in his first game as a true freshman.  On Saturday, he should continue to add to his 83 total tackles so far in 2014.  I just really wish he didn't look like a constipated Andy Dalton.

Offensively, the Owls live and die by which P.J. Walker shows up.  A true dual threat QB, he’s still the best offensive weapon Temple has but has been extremely inconsistent in 2014 (1679 passing yards, 11 TD/10 INT, 54.4 CMP%).  He's still very raw, but has shown himself to be clutch when needed, as evidenced by all 3 of his rushing TDs this year coming on critical drives in the game.  I’m anxious to see how he handles an environment like the one that the PSU crowd brings.  If he can cut down on the sacks he takes (15 on the year so far), he’s a talented enough athlete to catch the Lions by surprise.

O: Don't worry, we know all about QB struggles.  Our guy has more INTs (12) and has taken more than double that number of sacks (35)... but I digress.  On to coaching!  Temple already had one former Nittany Lion as their head coach in the aforementioned Al Golden.  After a brief time with Steve Addazio, you now have another former Lion in Matt Rhule.  Is there a particular reason you guys keep tapping Penn Staters to lead your program?

J: Temple’s ties to the Penn State program come down to a few factors.  For starters, simple geography.  Both schools share more or less the same recruiting footprint, and often are after some of the same players.  When it comes time for Temple to make a hire, it makes sense to try to grab some coaches from programs already familiar with the areas you recruit in.  Also, historically, both schools have been built around tough defense and a commitment to the ground game.  Again, this familiarity is a big factor in why PSU coaches get phone calls when a coaching spot at TU opens up. 

O: Temple beat Vanderbilt (James Franklin’s old team) earlier in the year.  Is there any advantage to be gained now that you’re playing Franklin’s new team? 

J: Personally I've never bought too much into this line of thinking.  When it comes down to it, Franklin wasn't on the sideline when Temple beat Vandy this year.  Good coaches adapt to the team they have at their disposal, so to think Franklin is doing all the same things in Happy Valley that he did at Vandy would be a mistake on Temple’s part.  I think if anything, the fact that Temple has played Penn State at Beaver Stadium a few times in recent seasons is a bigger game day advantage than anything that the Vanderbilt win offers.

O: Ok, fair enough.  You guys also beat ECU, which was definitely impressive.  How did the Owls manage that one?  Also, what did it feel like to finally beat a ranked team?  I know you guys don't do that very often. 

J: The ECU win came down to one simple thing: turnovers.  When you force 5 fumbles and block a kick, you’re going to win more often than not.  Doing it against the AAC’s best offense was just icing on the cake, but the Owls have struggled to recapture the defensive dominance they had on November 1st.  Interestingly, it was one of the Owls' worst days on offense in a while.  If it wasn't for 2 Kenneth Harper TDs (one of which included an absolutely dirty spin move), P.J. Walker and his 70 yards of passing on the day would have probably spoiled what ended up being a great win.   

To you high and mighty PSU’ers, beating a ranked team probably seems like nothing more than a solid victory, but to struggling programs like Temple, these wins can be important recruiting foundations.  You can only beat the team lined up across from you, so to have Temple rise to the occasion and knock off their toughest opponent yet could prove important for not just this group of Owls, but also for what group of Owls Matt Rhule is able to attract to North Broad Street going forward.

O: Good point.  Sorry for the jab, hope you don't mind another.  Penn Staters have never really felt like anyone's “little brother” but I would assume Temple fans feel that way toward PSU.  Do you guys have an inferiority complex with regard to Penn State?  If so, how do you handle it?

J: It pains me to say this, but yes.  Honestly, I think it has more to do with being a “Philly thing” than anything related specifically to Penn State.  Philly loves feeling like an underdog.  We love feeling cheated and forgotten.  We love being able to complain about it, and truly don’t know how to handle it when we win.  Just like how Philly as a city is constantly in the shadow of the bigger, taller skyscrapers of NYC, Temple as a football program is neatly nestled in the shadow of the PSU program.  You guys are simply too close geographically and too successful historically for that shadow to not reach us.

This inferiority complex isn't necessarily the worst thing, though.  It is no secret that many of the guys on the Temple squad probably had Penn State at the top of their list of dream schools to play at.  Some may have been snubbed by PSU completely, while others may have willingly chose a chance to start at Temple over being a benchwarmer for the Lions, but the result is the same; Temple players bring their all against the Lions.  Winning against Penn State would be the next best thing to actually playing for them in a lot of these guys' minds, so expect pride to be a big factor on the field come Saturday.

O: What’s with the whole diamond obsession?  I'm guessing there's a back story. 

J: I actually remember this from freshman orientation, here’s the scoop… 

Temple was founded for the simple purpose of providing Philadelphians with an affordable way to receive higher education.  The University has its roots as a night school started by Russel Conwell, a minister at the original Baptist Temple building on Broad Street.  Interestingly, the fact that all classes took place at night is what led to early Temple students being referred to as “night owls”, a mascot that has stuck to this day.

Anyways, before beginning his work at the Baptist Temple, Conwell made a name for himself as an inspirational speaker.  His most famous speech was called “Acres of Diamonds.”  Conwell’s core message in “Acres of Diamonds” is simple: one does not have to look far for the opportunity or resources needed to achieve greatness…the community around you is a literal acre of potential diamonds just waiting to be mined for their greatness.

Conwell would go on to deliver this speech more than 6,150 times around the world.  It was with the income that he earned from “Acres of Diamonds” that he would later go on to use in founding and establishing Temple University in 1884. 

O: I don't care what those Ivy League idiots at Penn think, Temple is the TRUE team of Philadelphia!  Alright, how about a score prediction?

J: Penn State wins 24 - 14

O: As Lee Corso would say, "great pick!"  Finally, we’ll get you out of here on a really controversial question.  Where’s the best place to get a cheesesteak in Philadelphia?

J: Mark Sanchez got it wrong on Sunday night…he should have gone to Tony Luke’s.

The Prediction

Well there you have it!  Hopefully that provided a nice inside look at this week's opponent from a completely different perspective than normal.  So what do I think is going to happen?  Well, Penn State is currently favored by 11 points.  With this offense, I'm finding it hard to envision we'll even score 11 points, let alone win by that many.  Josh mentioned a suspect secondary, though, so I'm going optimistic on this one.  I think the offensive line is inspired by the return of their two leaders and has its best game yet.  With decent protection, Hackenberg throws for over 200 yds and a TD to big Jesse James.  Hamilton also gets his second TD of the season.  The running game, however, still can't get going.  Penn State's defense is their usual self, but allows Temple's mobile QB to sneak a TD in somewhere and a FG happens.  Penn State wins, but can't cover the spread: 20 - 10

It's supposed to be nasty weather for this game, and it snowed last night, so I'm not looking forward to sitting in an open air stadium for 3 1/2 hours.  However, the combination of a win, bowl eligibility, and the chili cookoff I'll be attending after the game should warm me right up.  While I'm gone, be sure to go like and share my page on Facebook.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 9 Awards

Indiana was no match for a Penn State defense that is becoming the stuff of legends.  The Lions move to 5-4 (2-4) with a victory in Bloomington and are only 1 game away from going bowling for the first time since 2011.  With the 4-game losing streak monkey off their back, things feel like they've returned to some kind of normalcy in Happy Valley.  So today we celebrate by handing out the weekly awards!

But before we begin, I've got some recruiting news!  In an apparent attempt to add insult to injury, not only did James Franklin’s Nittany Lions beat Indiana in their own stadium on Saturday, but they walked out with the Hoosiers’ 2015 QB recruit as well.  Tommy Stevens, a 3-star dual threat from Indianapolis, originally committed to Indiana back in June.  He was on the sidelines for the Penn State-Ohio State game and even got in on a selfie with James Franklin, OT commit Sterling Jenkins, and uncommitted OG Matthew Burrell.  Clearly he liked what he saw and flipped to the Lions on Monday.  Stevens’ style of play is a better fit for the kind of offense Franklin likes to run, so he could have a very bright future at PSU.  Welcome Tommy!  

Now back to the awards!

This week’s Beast Mode Award goes to LB Nyeem Wartman.  Along with his fellow LB Mike Hull, Wartman co-led the team in tackles with 7, had an interception, and almost had a fumble recovery that slipped through his hands.  On an impressive day for the entire linebacking corps, he was all over the field making plays.  And he’s only a junior!

Always the hardest to pinpoint, this week's Transformer Award goes to RB Bill Belton for his 92 yd TD run that transformed him into the record holder for longest rushing score in Penn State history.  Belton also became the first RB on the roster to go over 100 yds in a single game this season and generally had one of his best games so far.  I still think Akeel Lynch might be the best option for the team right now, but against Indiana, Belton sure made his case to remain the starter.

The Matrix Award for impact freshman goes to TE Mike Gesicki.  Although he only had 1 catch, it was really nice; a 28 yarder right down the middle of the field.  Gesicki is an athletic freak, as his highlight film can attest to, who also used to play basketball.  So despite his size, he can definitely move.  If he can work on his blocking, and become more consistent with catching the ball, he’ll be unstoppable.

This week's In Disguise Award goes to someone truly under the radar, P Chris Gulla.  Gulla took over place holding duties on FG attempts from the injured Ryan Keiser.  Most people don’t realize just how important the holder is to a kicker’s success (and if you need an example, watch Ace Ventura).  Last year when Keiser went down with an unrelated injury, Sam Ficken suddenly went from hot streak to cold streak overnight.  This year with Gulla holding the ball, Ficken has just kept on kickin, only missing the blocked FG against Indiana.  Gulla will most likely take over kicking duties once Ficken graduates after this season, so it's good to see him learning directly from Mr. Automatic in the meantime.

Last and certainly least, the Megatron Award goes to Indiana QB Zander Diamont.  Although he didn't do much in the passing game, he did make Mike Hull look like a chump on at least 2 plays, juking and jiving his way around the backfield before finally being gang tackled.  For a freshman on a struggling team, he sure has a lot of heart and almost willed his team to victory.  But it wasn't enough.

Alright, that will do it for Hoosier week.  I'll be heading up to State College this weekend for the Temple game and I have a surprise planned for my prediction post, so definitely check back on Friday.  If you enjoy this blog, why don't you stop on over to my new Facebook page and give it a like or a share.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

Week 9 Grades

Contrary to what James Franklin said after the game, his team's efforts against the Hoosiers were anything but "pretty."  Terrible offense by both teams led to punt after punt after punt.  Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions are now just 1 game away from bowl eligibility, and that's pretty awesome.  Before I jinx them, let's roll out some grades!

Offense
QB: (D+) I went into this in depth yesterday, so I won't bore you again today.  Plain and simple, Hackenberg has regressed.  He's in the middle of a perfect storm - sophomore slump, no offensive line, no running game, all new receivers, all new coaching staff, all new scheme, the departure of his assumed mentor to the pros, etc.  It's a recipe for disaster, so most people are willing to give him a break this year.  Even so, when you have your 5th consecutive game with an interception, this time for a TD, you're not getting a very good grade from me.

OL: (C+) Also addressed at length in the wrap up yesterday.  For the most part, it was more of the same on Saturday.  But there was noticeable improvement at times, especially with the return of Miles Deiffenbach to boost the line's spirits.  As Miles gets worked back into the starting lineup more and more, and as Donovan Smith returns, expect even better improvement bordering on competency.

RB: (B) There are sparks: Belton's 92 yd TD obviously, his 16 yd wildcat run, Akeel Lynch's 20 yd run to the outside, and his serendipitous catch of a Hackenberg drop which turned into positive yardage.  However, these only look good when compared to the total body of work for the season.  Any other RB group in the country would probably get an F for a performance like this.  For every 1 good play, there are at least 3 plays where the RBs are stuffed at the line or even for a loss.  Unfortunately, expect more of the same until the issues on the offensive line are worked out.

WR: (B-) Things started off pretty bad with 3 drops on the opening possession, but did get slightly better as the day went on.  Geno Lewis led the way with 4 catches for 39 yds, while Daesean Hamilton has become a shell of his former self, only pulling in 2 catches for 33 yds.  Chris Godwin also had 2 catches for 25 yds, while fellow freshman Saeed Blacknall had just 1 catch, but it was for 11 yds and a 1st down.  In fact, all 4 WRs had a 1st down grab in the game, keeping the chains moving for a sputtering offense.

TE: (C) Jesse James did not look like his normal self, dropping several difficult but definitely catchable balls.  Eventually he got back on track with 2 catches for 32 yds, but it was still concerning.  With Adam Breneman out for the season, freshman Mike Gesicki has tried to fill his shoes.  He only had 1 catch, but it was a big one going for 28 yds right up the middle and keeping a promising drive alive.  Neither Kyle Carter nor Brent Wilkerson had receptions.  Yet, at certain times against Indiana, James Franklin had upwards of 4 TEs in the game simultaneously, proving just how deep this group is.  They need to continue using their size to force matchup problems for opposing defenses, and they still need to help more with blocking especially given our offensive line troubles.

Defense
DL: (A) Listen to these stats: Indiana never reached the redzone on Saturday, did not score a single offensive point, had their Heisman candidate RB held to a season low and his first sub-100 yd game of the season, and were forced to punt the ball a total of 11 times.  Now that wasn't entirely the work of the defensive line, but it definitely starts with these guys.  CJ Olaniyan and Austin Johnson led the way with 6 tackles each, while Deion Barnes and Anthony Zettel each added 3, including Zettel's tackle for a loss and sack.  The back ups continue to impress, combing for 4 tackles, 2 for a loss, and even a forced fumble by Tyrone Smith!

LB: (A+) Indiana's QB Zander Diamont may not be very good at throwing the ball, but the kid is elusive as all hell.  On at least two occasions, he somehow evaded the usually sure-handed clutches of one Mike Hull, making the senior potential All-American LB look downright silly.  Speaking of Mike Hull, he was not pleased with what he viewed as dirty play by Indiana's offense, and it wound up costing him a personal foul.  Even with that, he once again led the team in tackles, although this time he tied his fellow LB Nyeem Wartman for that honor with 7.  Wartman had one of his best days ever, almost recovering a forced fumble, and snatching an interception from Diamont that effectively sealed the win for Penn State.  Brandon Bell wasn't far behind his fellow LBs, racking up 6 tackles of his own including 2 for a loss.

DB: (A+) Jordan Lucas is playing at an exceptionally high level right now, shutting down his side of the field and making opposing offenses one dimensional.  He tied Marcus Allen for 2nd place on the team tackles list with 6.  Allen, a true freshman safety, continues to fly around the field making plays everywhere and looking like a veteran.  Fellow safety Adrian Amos had 3 tackles including 2 pass breakups.  And Jesse Della Valle did technically record an interception, although it came on a garbage Hail Mary pass to end the 1st half.

Special Teams
K: (A-) Sam Ficken hit 2 more FGs against the Hoosiers, but did have his 3rd block of the season.  Those 3 blocks are the only "misses" he's had.  Grant Haley gives this unit the minus as he continues to refuse touchbacks.  Belton's 92 yd TD came immediately after Haley inexplicably tried to field a kick off and only made it to the 8 yd line.  The freshman is clearly talented and most of Nittany Nation can tell he's right on the verge of breaking one for a TD, but right now we're all just waiting.

P: (B) The punters continue to struggle, even with the switch to Dan Pasquariello; but man is this punt coverage team good!  Grant Haley and fellow freshman CB Christian Campbell are the definition of "gunners" as they fly down the field and give opposing returners exactly nowhere to go.  With how often our defense forces punts, covering them has become very important, and those two have come up big nearly every time.  Oh, and Jesse Della Vallee had one of his best returns of the season for 24 yds... right before Hackenberg threw that pick 6 and ruined it.

I was going to do a bonus grade for Indiana's attendance, but that would just be cruel.  Instead I'll remind you that you can always send questions or comments to PSUOptimus@gmail.com.  Check me out on Facebook and please like and share my page if you enjoy this blog.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!