Michigan State 34, Penn State 10
The Michigan State game went as most of us non-delusional fans expected deep down, even though a few of us held out hopes for a close game. If you want to play the K. John game and nullify the opening kickoff return for a TD, the first half ended with a Moo U. 6-3 advantage. However, even without the Sanguinarian filter, we knew that 13-3 would be about as good as it would get for dear old State. That became apparent when they could only manage to squeeze three points out of several decent opportunities in the second quarter. In the end, it was Moo U. 34, Penn State 10, and there’s no debating that.
As I predicted, Moo U. senior running back Jeremy Langford did indeed get his 16th 100-yard game in a row to lead the FBS, but because there were fewer missed tackles by the PSU defense than in the Illinois game, at least he didn’t get the 150 I predicted if that didn’t change. He got 118 hard-fought yards. Mooster quarterback Connor Cook was able to pick open spots in the Penn State secondary in the second half as we watched yet another failure of zone coverage similar to the prior week’s Illinois fiasco. Michigan State would wind up with 180 yards passing for a total of 298 yards.
Penn State’s inability to establish the run was costly, with only 38 net yards for the game. Passing wasn’t much better, amounting to 195 yards. Christian Hackenberg was 21-45 with no touchdowns and only one interception, but he also fumbled one away. He was sacked three times. He played a much better game than he has of late, though, and the much maligned offensive line did a better job of protecting him. He made a few good throws and a few really bad ones, but his attitude seemed better and by the end of the game he seemed more comfortable in the pocket. Maybe he’s just relieved that this season is close to being over. His receivers let him down somewhat by either not getting open or dropping balls they should have caught. Hack was sacked three times for 26 yards, setting a new record for sacks of a Penn State quarterback in a single season, and surpassing Brooks Bollinger on the all-time Big Ten horizontal quarterback futility scale.
Overall, the Penn State offense sucked, as it has for most of the season. At just 6-16 third down conversions, and a mere 25 minutes of ball possession, there was no chance of winning against as powerful an opponent as this one.
Defensively, the Penn State defense was there playing well, but it was eventually overwhelmed by the Moo U. offense. While Langford got his 100-yard game, he averaged only 3. ??? ???? ????? 9 yards per carry on 30 carries, with a long run of 17 yards. Anthony Zettel’s interception of Connor Cook at the 43 yard-line was a thing of beauty. Alas, it produced no points, as the half-ending drive ended in a Hackerception in the end zone for a Moo U. ????? ??? ????? touchback. To Hack’s credit, Chris Godwin should have caught the damn ball, but wound up tipping it to the defense.
Nobody had everything right, but I’ll give the best prediction award this week to Mike and me, the Nittany Turkey, who said the final score would be 31-16. K. John was the best predictor in his own mind, according to his testimony, but I don’t think the bookies would pay off on 19-15 really meaning 34-10, and I sure as hell won’t, either. In any case, Moo U. covering the spread and taking the over would have been two winning bets. The o/u wound up at 43 and the spread at 13.5. I also mentioned in a comment that PSU would get blown out in the second half, which I would say was the case — three touchdowns to one is a blowout. Big Al also gets the Pattern Recognition Trophy for his recognition of the Nittany Lion repeating pattern of playing two crappy games following one good game. Furthermore, Al is the only one of you geniuses who correctly pegged the Penn State season at 6-6. (If you apply the Sanguinarian filter, K. John was also correct with a 10-2 prediction.)
Moo U. was true to form as regards time of possession. They held onto the ball for almost 35 minutes.
For once, the Penn State punting game was not too shabby, with five punts averaging 40 yards, three of them downed inside the 20. However, Sam Ficken’s first field goal attempt was as ugly as any from two years ago. Just awful — yet another thing to compound PSU’s red zone woes. Furthermore, his opening kickoff was similarly ugly, resulting in a touchdown for the Spartans on an R.J. Shelton runback. Too bad the senior kicker has to go out as somewhat of a goat after this one, but he winds up having set a single-season record for his 23 field goals.
It’s a Beautiful Thing!
The Land Grant Trophy will stay in East Lansing. There is some hope that it will be retired there and a new one will be designed for future editions of this manufactured rivalry. One can only hope!
Congratulations to the Seniors
That Penn State would be outclassed on the field was no surprise to most of us Antisanguinarians, including this antediluvian turkey. I’m sad for the classy group of seniors who stuck with the program and worked so hard, giving us their most productive college years, but ya can’t win ’em all. Good show, guys! You’ve earned everybody’s respect and admiration, and you’re going out as heroes!
Food and Beverage Issues
For the game, we partied at Mike’s house, where he torched up some steaks and I made my signature Caesarian™ Salad (don’t ask what’s in it, but it comes out good!). I also invented a drink to salute our opponentry, the Spartan Green Margarita, which was downed to favorable reviews by the assembled multitude.
What’s with the Bowl, Already?
Now about this bowl thing. Maryland and Rutgers wound up with identical 7-5 records, so in order of their overall records (not counting the Big Ten Championship game), the conference’s bowl eligible teams are tOSU (11-1), Moo U. (10-2), Wisconsin (10-2), the Pelliniless Nebraska (9-3), Minnesooda (8-4), Iowa (7-5), Maryland (7-5), Rutgers (7-5), Illinois (6-6), and PSU (6-6). That’s ten teams. TCU seems a better bet than tOSU to get into the final four, but tOSU will get a major bowl bid if the Schmuckeyes™ beat the Badgers in the Big Ten Championship. Hey, Pitt and Miami are both 6-6. Wouldn’t one of them make a great opponent for old times’ sake? Screw Notre Dame, already! Anyhow, I’m all kinds of confused about which minor bowls are which and how the conference gets involved this year, so would you geniuses out there please give me a hand with this one? Where do you think PSU is going bowling (another worn-out bullshit dumbass sportswriter cliché if I ever heard one!)?
(An earlier version of this article left out Illinois. God forbid I should leave out Illinois, already! ????? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? )
Share this:
Share this:
Discover more from The Nittany Turkey
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
K. John says
The Turkey can say what he wants but I don’t believe in black and white. Nobody should be that stupid. While this is the most disappointing season I have seen, even more so than any during the dark years because this team, unlike any of those, is good enough and has more than enough talent to beat every team on the schedule. The simple fact remains they are an competent offensive coordinator away from competing for the Big Ten title with the second worst offensive line in the Big Ten and a bunch of freshmen receivers who don’t know what they are doing and have been directly responsible for ten interceptions this year and more drops than I care to recap. 9 and 3 is a reasonable expectation given the schedule. Anything less is a massive disappointment given the talent on this team.
As for bowls. Here is an update to a comment from last week.Ten teams are bowl eligible.
East
Ohio State 11 – 1
Michigan State 10 – 2
Maryland 7 – 5
Rutgers 7 – 5
Penn State 6 – 6
West
Wisconsin 10 – 2
Nebraska 9 – 3
Minnesota 8 – 4
Iowa 7 – 5
Illinois 6 – 6
The Big Ten has nine guaranteed spots every year, not eight. Assuming one the above, one team will not make a bowl.
1. Rose Bowl, Playoff or Alternative Bowl Game (this year that includes Fiesta, Cotton or Peach)
2. Orange Bowl or Citrus Bowl (Big Ten Champion is ineligible for the Orange Bowl)
3. Outback Bowl
4. Holiday Bowl
5. Music City Bowl or Taxslayer Bowl
6. Pinstripe Bowl
7. San Fransciso Bowl
8. Detroit Bowl
9. Dallas Bowl or Armed Forces Bowl (Big Ten is slated to play in the 2015/16 game)
The limits on non-playoff major game participation (Fiesta, Peach, Cotton) are now gone. The Big Ten is almost certainly going to get two teams in major games. Potentially three should Wisconsin win the Big Ten Title Game (I picked them before Barrett got hurt). I think it is safe to say that every bowl eligible Big Ten teams gets to a bowl and right now, they look very likely like they will play Notre Dame in the Pinstripe Bowl because that is the best game Notre Dame can play in due to their relationship with the ACC. And honestly, this bowl season, Notre Dame vs. Penn State would probably be the second or third highest rated game.
Here are my picks assuming Wisconsin wins.
Fiesta Bowl – Wisconsin
Cotton Bowl – Michigan State
Citrus Bowl – Ohio State
Outback Bowl – Minnesota
Holiday Bowl – Nebraska
Taxslayer Bowl – Rutgers
San Francisco Bowl – Iowa
Pinstripe Bowl – Penn State vs. Notre Dame
Detroit Bowl – Illinois – Virginia Tech
Dallas Bowl – Maryland vs. Marshall
The Nittany Turkey says
Duly noted, but I think Notre Dame will be sought after by other bowls. They went to the Pinstripe Bowl last year, for one. Bowl committees like to mix it up. For another, their drawing appeal is always desirable, even if they had a crappy season. And third, they have a 7-5 record, which merits a similarly moderately sucky opponent.
For my money, if it is in fact the Bronx Toilet Bowl, I would really like to see either 6-6 Pitt or 6-6 Miami. I think Miami would be the better New York metro area draw — Miamians don’t give a shit — but a Pitt vs. Penn State matchup would sure as hell draw heavily from the PA-NJ-NY continuum.
The Turkey does indeed say what he wants. As for facts, K. John, we all get to work with the same facts. Only our opinions differ. When we start considering our opinions as facts, as you typically do, I have to drag out DSM-V for an explanation!
Happy Holidays, Kiddo!
—TNT
K. John says
A 6-6 ACC team cannot be selected for a game ahead of a team with a winning record which makes it highly unlikely Pitt, Miami, UNC or Va Tech play given the ACC’s contractual obligations.
Big Al says
Hey, I got the score half right and I said (correctly) that State’s offense wouldn’t score more than 10 points without the defense contributing turnovers. It’s real hard to make an intelligent bet when the team you’re betting on combines an upper tier SEC defense with a lower tier MAC offense and special teams. You know the defense can hold any opponent to 17 points but you can’t predict how many points the offense and special teams will give away to the opponent. You know the offense can’t score more than 10 points on their own, but you can’t predict how many points the defense will contribute.
Thankfully, this crappy season is almost over. Let’s hope that history doesn’t rhyme with 2011 and we get stuck with the Fart of Dallas game again. The last thing I want to see is State getting their asses kicked by another pass happy Conference USA team that’s pissed off because their 12 and 1 regular season resulted in a trip to beautiful South Oak Cliff. (PS Marshall – Be sure to duck when you hear a noise that sounds like a car back firing – it probably isn’t a car.) Guess we’ll get some warning that history is starting to rhyme when/if Chip Chiparelli cold cocks Hack in the locker room.. (Although – unlike RobB – Crook might be an upgrade at this point.)
Turkey, I don’t understand the B1G bowl selection process. And I’m not convinced Jim Delany does either. All I know is that, if accomplishments on the playing field determined the selection order, Penn State gets the 10th and last spot. Except for Illinois, ALL of the B1G’s bowl eligible teams won more overall games and more B1G games. Illinois tied State in total wins and B1G wins, but they beat us head to head.
I know your half dozen readers are certain that the bowls can be bought off by “a fan base that travels well.” But I still don’t trust Jimbo and the B1G office.
Joe says
For your reading enjoyment, here is how the aligned B1G Bowls get their participants. If you read carefully, there are some caveats listed that would take a law degree to understand. In our case, it is up to a “bowl” to request our participation and the B1G to approve the request. We’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out who the hell is going where. The Pitt fans are screaming for a PS-Pitt matchup in the Pinstripe Bowl, but wouldn’t that be a kick in the nuts if they don’t get to go due to unavailable slots!
BIG TEN BOWLS
Selection parameters agreed to by the conference and bowls to ensure fresh and diverse experiences and destinations for student? athletes and fans.
Big Ten teams will not go to the same bowls in back?to?back years and restrictions are in place on multiple and/or consecutive appearances within states or regions, with the exception of the Rose Bowl Game.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF OVERVIEW
Comprised of Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls. Selection committee will choose top four teams, then rank and assign to semifinal sites. Selection committee will then assign next group of teams to play in other host bowls.
Highest?ranked champion from non?contract conference guaranteed a berth.
There is no limit on the number of teams from a conference that can take part in College Football Playoff bowls.
Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls will host displaced conference champions and non?contract conference representative.
Highest?ranked available teams will fill any other College Football Playoff bowl berths.
The 2015 Rose Bowl Game will be a national semifinal.
If the Big Ten champion is not ranked among the top four, then it will play in the Cotton, Fiesta or Peach Bowl.
BIG TEN BOWL DETERMINATION PROCEDURE
For all non?College Football Playoff partners, the bowl partner will request a Big Ten team. The Big Ten will approve or assign another team based on selection parameters.
ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL (Pasadena, Calif.)
When not hosting a semifinal, the Big Ten Champion will play in the Rose Bowl Game, unless among the top four teams.
If the Big Ten Champion qualifies for the playoff, the Rose Bowl Game will choose a replacement Big Ten team.
The Rose Bowl Game has sole discretion on a replacement team, and will generally select the highest?rated available team, but will take into consideration final College Football Playoff rankings, head?to?head competition, division champions and most recent Rose Bowl Game appearances.
CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL (Miami, Fla.) or BUFFALO WILD WINGS CITRUS BOWL (Orlando, Fla.)
When not hosting a semifinal, the Orange Bowl will select the highest?ranked team from the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame to face an ACC team. The Big Ten is guaranteed a minimum of three Orange Bowl appearances over the 2014?25 seasons.
The Big Ten Champion cannot play in the Orange Bowl.
If a Big Ten team is not selected by the Orange Bowl, the Citrus Bowl will submit a request for a Big Ten team.
The Citrus Bowl will feature at least five different Big Ten schools over the six?year agreement.
OUTBACK BOWL (Tampa, Fla.)
Will feature at least five different Big Ten schools over the six?year agreement.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY BOWL (San Diego, Calif.)
Will feature at least five different Big Ten schools over the six?year agreement.
FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL (Nashville, Tenn.) or TAXSLAYER BOWL (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Either the Music City or TaxSlayer Bowl will submit a request for a Big Ten team.
The Big Ten will play in three Music City and three TaxSlayer Bowls over the six?year agreement.
No Big Ten team will play in more than one Music City Bowl and one TaxSlayer Bowl over the term of the agreement.
NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL (New York, N.Y.)
The goal is to have eight different teams participate in eight years, with a minimum of six different teams over the eight?year agreement.
FOSTER FARMS BOWL (Santa Clara, Calif.)
Will feature at least five different Big Ten schools over the six?year agreement.
QUICK LANE BOWL (Detroit, Mich.)
Will select a bowl?eligible team, subject to conference approval.
LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL (Fort Worth, Texas) or ZAXBY’S HEART OF DALLAS BOWL (Dallas, Texas)
Will select a bowl?eligible team, subject to conference approval.
In 2014, the Heart of Dallas Bowl will submit a request for a Big Ten team.
The Big Ten will play in three Armed Forces and three Heart of Dallas Bowls over the six?year agreement.
K. John says
How the Big Ten hands out bowl assignments is anyone’s guess and trusting JD is not something any Penn Stater should do, ever. All I do know is that beyond the conference champ, selection has been rendered meaningless, at 6 and 6, Penn State can’t go to certain bowls and should the Big Ten get a second at large bid, and I think everyone expects that to happen given the state of things (go look at who qualifies for the Cotton, Fiesta and Peach bowls) Penn State will play in a bowl game and get the fifteen extra practices. I might even go assuming it is either in Detroit or New York. With that said, I fully expect a trip to New York because it makes economic sense for the Big Ten and we all know JD is all about the dollars.
Joe says
Especially since he’s not giving any of them to PS again this year.
The Nittany Turkey says
Thank you for the clarification, Joe. It’s all still as clear as mud and there seems to be some subjectivity afoot that would render any logical assessment useless. Like, who will want us has to be decided first, and then the arbitration by the conference office will follow. I echo the sentiments made evident by all six readers as regards Delany.
Like the Pitt fans, I’m hoping for a Pantherized Toilet Bowl, for no other reason than I’m old and I grew up watching that year-end frozen rivalry game each year. (One year, they had to carry me to a radiator in East Halls to thaw me out. I think that was 1964.) Plus, I grew up in da Burgh. Plus, I lived in New York later. Not that the teams of today resemble anything I’d seen in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but still…
If you’re looking for a competitive matchup, how is that going to happen, given Al’s characterization of this team as stated above? So, a novelty game is my hope. I don’t want to see them getting their asses kicked, like the Houston fiasco.
Of course, I don’t think the offense could get fired up even if the flames were licking at their asses. The defense, yeah, they get it. Maybe there should be an over/under on three-and-outs in the bowl game.
I will state, as I did in the article, that Hack looked much more comfortable in the pocket toward the end of the game. Perhaps it was the realization that nobody expected PSU to win and so he could loosen up. Maybe it’s because he made peace with his inner demons about the transfer rumors and other knocks against him. Whatever it was, it was refreshing to see him turn the corner on some of the attitude shit he’s been displaying. Given some receivers who can get free, he might return to being his 2013 self again. I sure hope so. WTF else is there to look forward to for 2015? (Unless we get some JuCos, we’ll have an O-Line minus Dieffenbach with five traffic cones again. The existing guys will have had an extra 15 practices to reinforce their bad habits.)
Donovan is going nowhere unless Franklin does. Fans don’t run coaching staffs. I don’t think Lane Kiffen could have done any better with the Five Cohns (Morrie, Jake, Louie, Irv, and Moishe). (Hey! Throw your Kiffen hatred aside. It’s only an e.g.)
Please don’t let us go to Dallas again.
Happy Holidays, Joe!
—TNT
K. John says
I think we will see an improved line from the get go. Donovan Smith should be back at left tackle. I would expect Andrew Nelson to move inside with Chasz Wright taking his place at right tackle. Another year of experience should improve the center position regardless of who wins it.
The Nittany Turkey says
I like that characterization, Al: a top-tier SEC defense with a lower-tier MAC offense. That sums it up in a pretty well defined nutshell.
Yeah, I also forgot to give you a shout-out for the 10 point prediction. You did indeed nail that one, and without any points from the defense, the game was never in doubt.
I’d hate to have a Toilet Bowl matchup with some team with whom we had no past and who might come along, score a few defensive touchdowns, and kick the crap out of PSU. I guess Houston did it with big plays in the Toilet of Texas Bowl, but hell, this secondary can be beaten deep, so I don’t want to see that, either. Not by someone like Houston. I’d much rather get my antediluvian blood boiling with either Pitt or Miami. Why not go for the rivalry.
As for Notre Dame, I think I have to agree with your earlier assertion that it would be a pipe dream.
Your ranking of B1G teams for bowl slots is logical, and I agree with it. If it holds, the Toilet Bowl would wind up being in Detroit — in my mind, an inferior winter destination to the Bronx. (At least you can do some Christmas window shopping on Fifth Avenue if you go to New York; in Detroit, if you’re crazy enough to hang around in town, you can get shot on Gratiot.) However, I think I’m still getting the gut feel from all the pundits including K. John that the Bronx is the most likely destination. Let’s hope Illinois gets to go to Detroit to play Navy — if they can win the Army-Navy game. (That’s my flimsy prediction, pulled straight out of my ass, and I’m sticking with it.)
Happy Holidays, Al!
—TNT
K. John says
Detroit isn’t that bad, just stick to the northern suburbs. The only things worth going to downtown are the Joe, Ford Field, Pizza Papalis, the Old Shillelagh, The Town Pump, The Whitney and Union Street. Stay off Gratiot and worse yet, Cass.
The Nittany Turkey says
Hell, I lived there for about 16 months for a long-term consulting gig. Well, as you say, I didn’t actually live THERE, I lived in Farmington Hills. Back then, we had the Pontiac Silverdome for both the Lions and the Pistons. That was ridiculous. They would curtain it off for the Pistons games, and I froze my ass. I worked downtown. It had its, um, unique charm. Well, that was 1978-1980. I’m sure it’s worse now.
—TNT
K. John says
Downtown is actually safer than it has been in decades. The rest of Detroit is another matter entirely however.
Joe says
Well, I guess it could have been worse or I guess it could have been better (depending where you are on the sanguinarian scale). Couple of things I noticed:
-Yes the line did look better at times.
-Hackenberg actually seemed comfortable in the pocket and looked like the Hack 2013 version on the TD drive.
-Did you notice Donovan get really pissed at an assistant on the sideline after an incompletion? A receiver ran the wrong route and he was so upset he pulled the assistant’s headset off of his head. Might have been Gattis.
-Playcalling looked a little different, more slants, no bubble screens.
-Nice to see Belton actually was in for the opening play.
-Defense suffered without Bell, Cabinda and Campbell. Apparently they were forced to move Hull to an outside LB position.
-I noticed after Hackenberg came up limping after his third sack, he just did not look the same when he went back on the field. Found it interesting that the commentators pointed out he got no medical attention when he went to the sideline.
-Hackenberg was apparently a changed man in the post game (compared to the previous games) and shot down the notion that he was thinking of transferring; basically told the media that they were the ones who gave legs to that story. Here’s the link:
http://www.statecollege.com/news/local/penn-state-football-hackenberg-talks-transfer-stays-firm-with-commitment-to-penn-state,1461889/
-So as bad as everything went the last two weeks, they picked up a 4 star 2016 QB commit (yeah I know that could change in a heartbeat) and a 2015 4-star CB commit who had recently de-commited from Michigan due to the raging dumpster fire that is their program. Interestingly his choices were MSU and PSU and he was at the game on Saturday. Go figure!
-I also agree with the announcers when the said the 2013 & 2014 classes should be added to the 2012 class currently on the “ring of honor”.
Lots and lots of work to do for 2015-we’ll see how good CJF and his staff are starting next year (I really don’t think there will be much improvement in the bowl game this season, if in fact we get invited to one. And as I said before, if someone would have told me when the sanctions were announced that we would finish 8-4, 7-5 and 6-6 in the three immediate post-sanction seasons, well I would have called them nuts.
K. John says
Speaking of Michigan, I am starting to think that they might end up keeping Brady Hoke for another year contrary to what the talking heads are saying and what I said to start the season. With Nebraska joining Florida having let go of Pelini earlier today mixed with a limited number of head coaches that seem poised to climb a rung or two on the coaching ladder, Michigan might give him another year and save themselves several million dollars along the way. I still think he probably gets the ax but right now, should Nebraska and Florida move quickly, Michigan might get boxed in. I do not think Harbaugh is a serious candidate.
The Nittany Turkey says
I agree that Harbaugh is a pipe dream for UM. He’s an NFL coach who wants to coach an NFL program, just anywhere but SF. So, the 49ers are looking at him as trade bait again, like they did last year with Cleveland, which never came to pass. This year, the Jets and the Raiders have expressed interest, with the latter being the favorite.
And so, the Carcajous should hire John Donovan as head coach, right? That would kill two birds with one stone!
I could see them keeping MMBH for another year, at the expense of a certain contingent of boosters raising holy hell and withholding funds.
I don’t get the Nebraska and Florida connection. You think they’re competing for Les Miles, or what? Florida has probably been secretly gunning for Hugh Freeze. Who da hell knows what’s going on in the corn belt, but I don’t see Miles on anyone’s list. It would be hilarious of Greg Schiano got an offer. Why? Damned if I know either why it would be hilarious or why he would get an offer.
With a new AD at Carcajounia, all bets are off anyway.
—TNT
K. John says
My thinking is that there are a highly limited number of proven big time candidates this year and Florida and Nebraska will have had a head start. And no, I don’t think Les Miles is a candidate. I think he ship has sailed. I am of the opinion that if they fire Hoke, they will have to settle for someone like Schiano and the risk of doing this all over again in four or five years.
The Nittany Turkey says
That’s if they’re looking for someone with HC experience. If they’re looking for an up-and-comer, they’ll be taking the same risk as they would with a Schiano. With the Rodriguez experience fresh in everyone’s mind, they might want to take a different approach. No risk, no reward. But I have no idea who’s out there in the non-HC category, other than LJ, Sr. and Vanderlinden. LOL.
—TNT
K. John says
On the hot shot assistant side, there are only a few out there as well. Pat Narduzzi is one and I don’t see him taking over the job at Michigan. Scott Frost is another but he hasn’t been the OC at Oregon very long.
As far as head coaches are concerned, Hugh Freeze is out there as you said but can he recruit in the Big Ten? Over the past few years he has been perhaps the biggest offender when it comes to over-signing. Then there is Dan Mullen who has to be about ready to get the heck out of Mississippi by now.
K. John says
Just saw that Hoke’s buyout is 3 million and drops to 2 after January 1. However, when you account for his high prices staff, that number is quite a bit higher. Drops quite a bit more after next season.
Joe says
Well we should know sometime this afternoon if Brady stays or goes.
“Hoke told reporters after the Ohio State game that he planned to meet with the team Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
The meeting with Hackett, originally reported by Scout.com, will occur before Hoke addresses his players. A separate source told ESPN that Hoke’s meeting with Hackett, who took over as head of the athletic department a month ago, is scheduled for 2 p.m.”
I also think Hackett stays as AD. I think it would be tough to go out and find a new HC with an interim HD especially with the cluster fuck that’s been Michigan athletics over the past several years.
Freeze just signed a contract extension, so he’s off the list.
I still think the Michigan HC job would trump the openings at Florida and certainly Nebraska, but I do agree that there aren’t a lot of noteworthy candidates out there unless you consider Miles or the west coast Harbaugh and I don’t think either is willing to take the leap into the mess in Ann Arbor.
Joe says
In a slight bit of irony, Rich Rod was just named the PAC 12 coach of the year.
The Nittany Turkey says
I missed that Donovan confrontation. Seems like there’s enough incompetence to go around, between the receivers, the OC, the offensive coaching staff, JF, etc. When they start yelling at each other before the viewing public, they’re sowing the seeds of destruction.
I think it is good that Hack came out after the game and directly addressed the transfer question. He sounded pretty convincing. However, shit happens, and he didn’t address the fact that he’s going to look like shit to NFL scouts if he isn’t completing passes and making plays. Whether it’s his fault, the OL’s fault, or his receivers’ fault is immaterial. The name of the game is a high draft position. It’s the money game, as you well know. So, next year better be one helluva lot better than this year, and he better hope not to get killed or severely injured behind the Cohns.
I know I keep sounding mercenary, whereas Hack sounded sentimental about his future with the place and the guys he loves, etc. However, at what point do the big bucks start calling the shots? Or do you think Hack will be a Brooks Bollinger, eschewing the NFL for more noble pursuits? (I’m reaching for DSM-V again.)
—TNT
Joe says
Well unless Hack has a remarkable 2015, he’s in for the 4 year tour. I think his ultimate goal is to play in the NFL, but whether he is a first round pick or ends up signing on as an un-drafted free agent, he’ll get his shot. Most people do believe he has the raw talent to be a top-rated QB, and I think someone would take a shot at trying to develop him (perhaps BoB if he’s still at Houston?).
He seems to be pretty grounded and I was pretty impressed with his MSU post-game comments-especially when he called the media out for giving the transfer story legs.
And maybe he’s recognizing that this isn’t as easy as everyone made it out to be and there are certainly things that are out of his control, but time will tell (my crystal ball is a bit cloudy on this one.) We also both know that the roadside is littered with 5-star recruits who perhaps never reached their potential in college.
Whatever happens I hope the kid is successful. Yeah, I would like to see him lead us to the promised land, but I would also like him to succeed at whatever goals he sets for himself, as I am genuinely impressed by this kid from sticking with this program when he was being recruited, to BoB leaving and CJF showing up and his having an abysmal 2015 regular season.
So, hopefully JCF can find a few JuCo OL transfers, Donovan will have an offensive system epiphany and our receivers will learn to run routes.
Maybe I’ll ask Santa Claus to leave those under the tree!!!!!!
K. John says
I was talking to a fellow Penn Stater who lives in my neighborhood and he said something about this year’s record that makes a lot of sense compared to the Michigan situation. When Michigan went 11-2 in his first year with the corn and blue, it was largely due to a favorable schedule, not unlike this year’s Penn State team. During the pre-season I thought Penn State had a shot at 9 – 3 or 10 – 2 and an outside shot at 11- 1 if everything went their way but wouldn’t be that good of a team. They very easily could have done just that having been in every game in the fourth quarter and having the officials play a large role in 3. Following his first season, I quick to draw the conclusion that that Michigan team was the worst 10 win team I have ever seen a major conference produce. That season elevated the expectations on Hoke from borderline unrealistic (Michigan alums have a bigger sense of entitlement than Notre Dame alums to go with a massive inferiority complex) to impossible given the state of the team he inherited.
With that said, after a few days of pondering, I am thinking that the 6 – 6 record while extremely disappointing given the talent on hand, might be a silver lining. Franklin now has a much lower bar in 2015 than he did in 2014 and the defense and Hackenberg return. The offensive line has talent and maybe the receivers will figure it out between now and August and this team can go on a tear not unlike Michigan State did in 2013 after suffering through a very similar 2012.