On offense, Akeel Lynch didn't look half bad and ran the ball well. He looks to be a solid option as the feature back moving forward. As for the WRs and the TEs, it was hard to tell if they had actually improved. The jury is still out because we simply didn't get to see them. In academic terms, they get an Incomplete. For example, last year's leader in receptions, Daesean Hamiliton had just one catch on two targets. TE Mike Gesicki, one of the most athletic guys on the roster only got one target. Senior TE Kyle Carter (the only remaining member of the "Supa Six") wasn't even targeted that much! Chris Godwin performed admirably, but even he wasn't used in any meaningful way until late in the 4th quarter. All that talent and it was like the coaches accidentally left them in State College. Hell, the players probably would have preferred that because then they wouldn't have a 3 hour bus ride to look forward to after the humiliation they suffered.
Then there was the big story that garnered most of the attention this offseason: the offensive line. I'm not going to sit here and pretend to know the ins and outs of o-line play, but frankly I don't have to. After the line gave up 5 sacks in a single game last year, people acted like the sky was falling. Giving up that many sacks was unheard of, and many beat writers began to fear for Hackenberg's safety. Well, how are we supposed to act when they give up 10?! In one game! And that's just the ones I was able to count (no exaggeration, I lost track by half time)! I had to look it up there were so many. To put that into perspective, Kerry Collins was sacked 8 times ALL SEASON in 1994! Last year, the line broke a school record when they allowed 44 sacks. At this pace, they'll break that record by the start of conference play!!! Emblematic of the futility of the line, look at the GIF below. Under normal circumstances, the offensive line already has a built in advantage over the defensive line because it should be 5 against 4. But in this play, Temple puts themselves at an even more incredible disadvantage, starting in a 3 lineman set, then dropping one of them into coverage. The end result is a nearly unthinkable 2 man rush on the QB. More importantly, with the TE back to block, it is now 6 on 2 in Penn State's favor (also notice the size difference between the Penn State players and the Temple players... yeah). There should be 3 giant white jerseys blocking each tiny red jersey and no conceivable way for said red jerseys to get to Hackenberg...yet somehow, someway, they STILL manage to pick up the sack! WTF?!
Hackenberg is somehow sacked by a 2 MAN RUSH! Unbelievable!
Meanwhile, the defense looked like a shell of their former selves. They played well against the run, but pass coverage was a joke. This was due, in large part, to the absence of middle LB Nyeem Wartman-White (who will apparently miss the rest of the season with an apparent leg injury). Without their "field general," the entire defensive backfield was out of sync and out of position for most of the afternoon. Backup Gary Wooten simply couldn't cut it, and by the end of the game Bob Shoop was forced to burn the redshirts of two freshmen LBs in a vein attempt to get things back on track. Regrettably it didn't work as Temple's WRs easily got wide open all day long. Also not helping matters was the loss of CB Grant Haley (who was in street clothes) and a noticeably hobbled Brandon Bell, probably our best LB in pass coverage. Those injuries are expected to be healed up for this week's game against Buffalo, but will it make a difference?
Overall the team looked disinterested, unprepared, and poorly coached. It was an embarrassment, and there are no excuses. James Franklin's press conference needs to have gone something like this:
"This starts and ends with the coaching staff. We did a terrible job of putting our players in the best position to make plays. We were out-coached, plain and simple. There is no reason for that. I can't say in this very moment what the problem is, but I can promise you that we will figure it out, we will fix it, and we will regain your trust. This will NEVER happen again! Our fans, our school, and our players deserve so much better than what we put on the field today. It was inexcusable and I'm sorry."
Speaking of the coaching, I usually hate when people have knee-jerk reactions to bad games, particularly when they call for the firing of coaches. These guys have families and are almost always genuinely trying to do the best they can. It's all the more disheartening when people do it in the middle of a season, let alone after the first game... HOWEVER, with that said, John Donovan needs to be fired immediately. There's no way around it anymore, he is just an awful football coach. He should be made to clean up all the parking lots by hand, and then walk back to State College in shame. Seriously, it was that bad! To only score 10 points against fucking Temple when you have elite weapons all over the field and a surefire 1st round draft pick distributing the ball is completely ridiculous! We haven't lost to this team since 1941! His scheme looked like a mediocre high school team, only less inspired. It was predictable, it was ineffective, and in a just world it would spell the end of his career. James Franklin is known for his loyalty, and usually I admire that. Not in this case, though. Blind loyalty is a problem and cannot be encouraged.
Now if there was one bright spot, it may have been the Special Teams. New kicker and fan favorite Joey "Big Toe" Julius became an instant internet star with his rotund frame and big leg. He nailed his extra point and only FG of the day, and managed a 65 yd average on his kick offs. The returners for both the punting and kicking teams were noticeably better than last season, and the coverage units were equally improved. I guess the only area of concern might be the continued struggles of the "punter from down under," Danny Pasquariello. He shanked at least two of his punts and didn't really impress on the ones that did manage to stay in bounds. Considering the chaos on offense, he'll be relied upon often this year, so he better shape up.
Well, I almost got the score right, although with the teams reversed. Other than that, we probably shouldn't talk about my prediction... or any prediction for this game for that matter. It sucked, we were all wrong, better luck next time. Instead, I'll leave you with some words from the players themselves.
Ok, a little later this week I'll see if I'm up for handing out grades. Awards are unfortunately a thing of the past. I should have my Prediction post for the Buffalo game up by Friday. Head on over to my Facebook page in the meantime for all the latest news and notes. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
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