But they make bad teams look even worse.
The Number Four Michigan Wolverines (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) dominated our hapless Penn State Nittany Lions (2-2, 0-1) for sixty minutes at da Big House on Saturday, cruising to a 49-10 victory while slicing through the depleted PSU defense like a hot knife through butter.
Injuries at key defensive positions, namely linebacker, didn’t help matters. Michigan could run at will through them, as had Pitt in Week Two, amassing 326 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Penn State was never in it defensively, a situation that was exacerbated by the inept offensive performance that once again saw anemic third-down production (2-12), dropped passes, and an offensive line that was so sadly outclassed that their defensive counterpart often appeared to be playing on Penn State’s side of the ball.
After a particularly egregious loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late 1970s, acerbic Head Coach John McCay was asked if he could draw anything positive out of the game. “Yes. Our remaining fans should be able to get into the parking lot a lot easier for next week’s game against Green Bay.”
That’s the kind of game it was for Penn State. When looking for the good, you have to stretch. A great day for freshman punter Blake Gillikan stands out. He punted six times for an average of 45 yards with a long one of 61 yards. Beyond that, perhaps another bone crushing tackle by Joey “Big Toe” Julius was entertaining. It hurts my head to have to go dumpster diving to find positive spots.
Although the offense was in the aggregate ineffectual to say the least, former freshman speedster Saquon Barkley was a one-man offensive show most of the day, providing our only hint of life when receivers were blanketed by defenders and the offensive line suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked. He had 15 carries for 59 yards as well as five receptions for 77 yards in the losing effort. The Nittany Lions’ inability to stretch the field enabled the Wolverines to bottle up Penn State’s one remaining offensive weapon, to whom our crack coaching staff turned continually in desperation when nothing else worked.
PSU waited until the final quarter to exhibit its penchant for turning the ball over, with a Trace McSorley pick and a fumble by freshman running back Miles Sanders. Barkley consoled Sanders after the turnover, solidifying his role as a team leader and providing another rare positive moment in this sorry-ass game.
Worst of all, there was no fire on the sidelines, and not even a spark on the field. They had the look of a defeated team from the git-go, and they were never in it.
Let’s hope the parking lot at St. Joe Memorial Stadium at Beaver won’t be too easy to navigate for next week’s Minnesota game.
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Joe says
Total flat out lack of effort performance. Yeah Michigan clearly had the better or at least more experienced talent, but i guess what I see from PS is no spark, no grab yourself by the bootstraps and play beyond yourself mentality, no belief that they can win and beat a better team. Yeah the injuries hurt and I feel bad for Johnson who’s a local kid, but I still don’t see the coaches having these guys ready to play each week. Yesterday the clock started counting down on Franklin’s tenure as coach.
The Nittany Turkey says
The flatness really bothered me. It wasn’t a noon start, and it wasn’t just another game.
Earlier, Artificially Sweetened and I were discussing why Kent State would even think of scheduling Alabama. After we covered the money aspects, AS brought up the notion that players of the lesser team might not appreciate being thrown to hungry wolves. I countered that any player who is worth being on the field feels that he can beat the opponent, no matter how mighty. If he does his job and everyone else does, David can conquer Goliath. If he goes out there with a defeatist attitude, then his team surely will lose.
So, while Penn State didn’t have much of a chance to actually win their game with Michigan, if they had played like they did, it wouldn’t have been so embarrassing for them or their fans. This all goes to coaching and team leadership — increasingly, I’m thinking that Saquon Barkley is carrying the team on his shoulders on the field and off. He’s the only one out there who seems to give the full effort on each play and I like the way he gives emotional support to other guys. Would that our coaches had that kind of pathos with the players.
Tick… tick… tick…
—TNT
Big Al says
Well, Michigan didn’t make us “look” bad, we ARE bad. I’m afraid this game is going to be the 2016 equivalent of the 2014 Northwestern game where Pat Fitzgerald exposed the flaws of Donovan’s poorly designed offense for every future opponent to see. I’m beginning to think Morehead’s offense won’t work against defensive secondaries that can successfully execute man coverage. It only works against the loose coverage that Temple and Pitt used. And since Moorhead uses the pass to set up the run, State has no offense at all when the short passes are taken away.
I suppose the good news is that Ohio State, Moo U, and Iowa are probably the only future opponents that have enough talent to successfully apply tight man coverage. The key word there is “successfully” Now that Harbaugh has provided the road map, I expect every future opponent to try to follow it.
The Nittany Turkey says
We suck alright.
Our receivers can’t get separation so tight coverage will shut down the pass, rendering the offense one-dimensional. Barkley cannot do it all on his own. In the Michigan game, it appeared as if Moorhead completely gave up on the long pass, even when they were inextricably in the hole.
If this is the way it’s going to go, they can maybe beat Purdue, Indiana, and Rutgers. OSU, Iowa, and Moo U. are definite losses. Maryland and Minnesota could go either way. So I’m down to best case 7-5 and worst case 5-7.
—TNT
Tom says
I think Franklin stinks as a coach. When I see what O’Brien did with what was a shell of a team after the NCAA allowed players to transfer without penalty, Franklin has been a disaster. Unlike pro ball, where bad seasons get higher draft picks, bad seasons in college ball cause players to scratch you off the list. I will always hold the Penn State leadership in contempt for caving in to the NCAA instead of fighting it out.
The Nittany Turkey says
There were certainly high moments during O’Brien’s brief tenure, with the season-ending victory over Wisconsin in 2012 being the most memorable. No similar moments under Franklin, unless you count the Pin Stripe Bowl shootout with BC, although I think BoB had more talent to work with, including a QB who fit his system. The combo of Hack and Allen “Gimme da Damn Ball” Robinson worked well in Hack’s freshman year. Before that, Matt McGloin played his ass off.
So, yeah, recruits see the way Franklin’s teams squander talent and they decide to go elsewhere. These kids all want to become NFL prospects, and they need to associate with winners for maximum visibility.
We now know that the threatened imposition of the “death penalty” was a bluff by Emmert. I, too, wish that the administration had had the balls to fight that crap. The consent agreement never should have been signed.
—TNT