The Nittany Turkey

Primarily about Penn State football, this is a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Home 2017 Archives for September 2017

Archives for September 2017

Indy Pendence

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Indiana HoosiersThe still #4 Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) host the Indiana Hoosiers (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) at St. Joe Memorial Stadium at Beaver on Saturday at 3:30. The Hoosiers are coming off a 52-17 dismantling of Georgia Suthun, while the Lions, as you know, managed to eke out a last second win over Iowa, 21-19. The Hoosiers’ only loss was to Ohio State back on Week 1.

You might recall that the Hoosiers gave the Ohio State Schmuckeyes a lot of trouble in the first half of their game earlier in the season. I hope that our esteemed head coach James Franklin stops spouting that “second half team” mantra like rilly, rilly soon, lest the Nittany Lions succumb to the self-fulfilling prophesy, winding up in a deep, dark, dusty hole in the first half. (I actually thought that last Iowa game could wind up 5-3, which would have avenged our 6-4 loss in 2004.) [Read more…]

Told Ya So

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It wasn’t the easy romp all of you (except Drozz) thought it would be. I have to go to a kid party, which I’ll escape in time for the Steelers game, but I’ll throw out some bullets.

  • Barkley’s 358 total yards, a school record, was an amazingly blatant attempt to increase his Heisman visibility in prime time. Still, if you got it, flaunt it.
  • Penalties’ll kill ya.
  • Turnovers’ll kill ya.
  • Defensive line exceeded expectations, especially without Torrance.
  • Offensive line reverted to traffic conism. WTF is up with Andrew Nelson, who was seen either standing around or getting pushed around on several occasions?
  • McSorley, uncomfortable in a shaky, collapsing pocket, did indeed channel Hack at times. (Kudos to Big Al for admitting this possibility.)
  • Iowa is always a danger in Kinnick Stadium, and they’ve knocked off many superior opponents there. Why wasn’t Penn State ready?
  • Hey, I won’t harp on TOP anymore. Penn State had a huge edge — about 40 to 20, while running 99 plays — but, Barkley aside, they lost their quick-strike capability in the face of an effective Iowa defensive game plan.
  • Still, the final drive showed more moxie than I thought would be possible. They looked weary, concerned, and defeated after Iowa’s score. The drive was impressive. It changed my mind about these guys. They had to believe in themselves to get the job done.

I’m interested in your comments after this cardiac event.

Ode to the Hawkeyes

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HawkeyesPenn State’s Big Ten opener will happen on Saturday in prime time, and this will be the first time we’ll be able to learn anything about the 2017 team. The dubiously #4 ranked  Nittany Lions (3-0 – all cupcakes) must bring their A-game to Iowa City, where they take on the as yet unranked Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0 – all slightly better cupcakes).

Let’s get a few increasingly irrelevant facts out of the way before we look at this thing footballistically. The Hawkeyes have won four straight night games at Kinnick Stadium, and they’ve won five straight Big Ten openers. (Although a good omen is that the last opening conference loss was to Dear Olde State in 2011.) Four of the five opening wins were on enemy turf. This will be Iowa’s first home conference schedule kickoff since 2012. [Read more…]