Yes, it's true, since the NCAA announced their ridiculous sanctions in the summer of 2012, Penn State's record has gone thusly: 8-4, 7-5, and now 6-6. That's one less win each year. However, heading into this season most people saw the very real possibility that this would be the hardest of the so-called "sanction years." In fact, Bill O'Brien predicted as much before bolting to the NFL. Still, eternal optimists like myself thought that maybe, just maybe, Herb Hand would be able to put together a miracle with this young and inexperienced offensive line... he did not. We thought Christian Hackenberg was just too talented to fall victim to the infamous "sophomore slump" even in spite of the coaching and scheme changes... he was not. And after having relatively good luck in the injury department for 2 years, I guess we just figured this year would be more of the same... it was not. When all is said and done, even with a disappointing 6-6 record (that in no way reflects the talent and potential of this squad) there is hope, mostly for the future. Penn State can now officially say they've made it through the worst of the sanctions, and in relatively good shape. Somehow, after the so-called "experts" predicted a severe 10 year (or more) drop off for the Nittany Lions, they stand with a record of 21-15 over 3 years. That's 6 games over .500! Now, I'll let someone with a lot more time on their hands dissect the actual numbers, but I'm willing to bet big money that's a better record than the majority of college football teams have had over the same time period, and they weren't under "crippling" sanctions! So just take solace in the fact that we survived, even thrived at times, and came out on the other side with a team that TRUST ME is going to do some really special things sooner rather than later. The word "potential" is thrown around a little too loosely these days, but in this case, it more than applies.
Now back to the actual game. Things were awful from literally the opening kickoff, as MSU's R.J. Shelton took it back 90 yds to the house for a TD that immediately sucked the air out of Beaver Stadium. The team was never really able to get things going after that as once again the referees became an issue, this time mostly through non-calls. Remember that big pass downfield I predicated from Hackenberg to keep things close? Well, despite the CB being draped all over Geno Lewis, the zebras chose to "let them play" so to speak and didn't call anything. Look, it was pretty obvious that the Spartans were the better team and a lot would have to go Penn State's way if they hoped to pull out a victory. But that's why crap like this hurts so much. The refs' refusal to utilize their little yellow flags combined with the early deficit made it seem like the team was resigned to their fate from the opening whistle.
I'm starting to fell like a broken record by now, but Christian Hackenberg continues his downward spiral, going 21 of 45 for only 195 yds and the ever predictable interception. He was also sacked 3 more times (that's 42 on the season, exactly twice as many as last year), and they were mostly his fault this time. Being at the game I was finally able to see what announcers have been saying all year. On many occasions when Hack didn't get rid of the ball quickly enough, he simply didn't have any open targets. But for each time that happened, there was another play where the line gave Hack time, the receivers were open, and our "elite" QB still stood there like a deer in headlights.
Now just to play devil's advocate for a minute: Chris Godwin's only target of the day was on a Hail Mary to end the first half. He bobbled the catch and it went right into the hands of MSU's Trae Waynes for an interception as the clock hit zero. Had it not been for that, the game would have been much closer and Hack's TD/INT ratio would have flipped. That's how close this team is! Hopefully the time away from their studies and 15 extra bowl practices will inject a little more consistency into an offense that has too often showed flashes of brilliance only to immediately deflate.
Defensively, things were going well early on, especially in the secondary with lots of pass breakups that helped to hold Michigan State's offense to FGs instead of TDs. By the end, though, things just seemed to fall apart. Maybe they were tired, maybe they saw the writing on the wall when they looked up at the scoreboard, I don't know, but suddenly blown coverages became a big issue in the 2nd half. Even the front 7 uncharacteristically allowed Jeremy Langford to run wild for 122 yds and 2 TDs before the night was through. As they have all year, the defense put up a valiant effort, but also as has been the case all year, it wasn't nearly enough.
Don't let me get you down, though, because there was actually plenty of good news to go around! The big story of course was that it was Senior Day and all the graduating players got a few minutes in the spot light with their families prior to the game. That included injured players Zach Zwinak and Ryan Keiser. This was the last class recruited by Joe Paterno, and would have been the least criticized for bolting following the sanctions in 2012. Instead, their loyalty during the most difficult of times will be remembered forever in Happy Valley and their names will always remind us of what it truly means to be a Penn Stater. Thank you Seniors!!!
However, there was one departing member of the Penn State family who received a bigger send off than all the rest. Dr. O. Richard Bundy, the director of the Penn State Marching Blue Band, led his students for one final time on the hallowed turf of Beaver Stadium. Earlier in the month, the band unanimously decided to forgo their usual "favorites" show in lieu of a special tribute to Dr. Bundy. Selections included a fitting rendition of "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago and a James Bond number arranged by Dr. Bundy when he was just a graduate assistant and originally performed at the 1983 Sugar Bowl where Penn State won their first consensus National Championship. The whole performance is up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure, although it doesn't really do justice to the emotion that was on the field. How would I know? Well, I just so happened to sneak down to the railing for the entire performance and I can assure you that everyone involved was a bit teary-eyed and some were barely holding it together. Here's some evidence of how close I got. We'll miss you Dr. Bundy; enjoy your much deserved retirement!
I'll admit, it was somewhat fortuitous that I caught a nasty bug and was unable to write this post until today because in the interim, the Big Ten announced the winners of its various season-ending awards. Now I get the chance to say... Congratulations to Mike Hull and Anthony Zettel for being named First Team All-Big Ten! Zettel had 15 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks, a forced fumble, and 3 interceptions this season as an interior lineman; that's insane! Hull, on the other hand, led not only the team but the entire Big Ten in tackles and averaged an astounding 10.5 tackles per game, helping him more than carry on the tradition of Linebacker U. His performance was so good, in fact, that he was also named the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year! That's 2 wins for Penn State LBs in the 4 year history of the award (Mike Mauti won it in 2012). But the accolades didn't stop there. Senior kicking sensation Sam Ficken was named Second Team All-Big Ten by both the media and the coaches. WR Daesean Hamilton was also named Second Team All-Big Ten by the media, although not the coaches.
Finally, I'll get you all out of here with some recruiting news! Even after a loss on a cold, dark, snowy night, Penn State was still able to pick up 2 new recruits, one for 2015 and one for 2016. First, 4-star CB Garrett Taylor switched his commitment from Michigan to the Nittany Lions in preparation of head coach Brady Hoke's imminent firing. Taylor is now the highest rated recruit in the 2015 class and, along with John Reid, comprises arguably the best CB tandem for this cycle in the whole country! Then there's 4-star QB Jake Zembiec, a long time target for the staff with talent to spare. Zembiec's commitment means that all 3 prospects for the 2016 class carry at least a 4-star rating and are currently in the Junior 300. Here's a complete run down of the recruiting situation for all you nerds out there courtesy of our friends at Black Shoe Diaries.
Alright, so how did I do on my prediction? Well, I got our score right, but I was off by 10 in the wrong direction when it came to the Spartans. Hackenberg did indeed throw an INT, but didn't score a TD and the offense was just as ineffective as I predicted. On defense, Anthony Zettel proved me right with his INT that wasn't nearly enough. Overall, it was the blowout we all anticipated.
That will do it for today. Check back tomorrow for the grades and Friday for the awards. Also keep an eye out for my Bowl Spectacular sometime in the near future. Check out my Facebook page and give it a like if you're a fan. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
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