tOSU 39, PSU 38
We thought that the old sphincterball routine had died with St. Joe, but as if to say that old habits die hard, we saw it again on Saturday night. We last saw it in the Rose Bowl against USC. When are they going to learn that playing cement booty conservative late in the fourth quarter, even in a two-possession game, can be fatal against an opponent with a potent offense?
You might recall that the term “full sphincter mode” was probably developed by David Jones of the Harrisburg Patriot-News to describe Joe Paterno’s strategy of playing ultra-conservatively when sitting on a lead. It was said at the time that if Old Joe was to put a lump of coal in his rectum, he could shit out a diamond in ten seconds flat. This game brought back diamond-studded memories, lemme tellya!
Ohio State dominated on both sides of the ball the entire game, but it wasn’t initially reflected by the score. That’s because the Buckeyes tried to give the game away in every way possible, but Penn State wasn’t buying. PSU got the benefit of two turnovers, a few strategically significant dropped passes, and lots of penalties, all of which were spiced up by some Penn State-centric calls by officials. Perhaps that gave the Nits a false sense of security in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, as they gave up a 38-27 lead to be overtaken by tOSU with 1:48 remaining. Even then, there appeared to be no desperation. Sphincterball to the max.
Ohio State’s Sloppy First Half
Oh, sure, we saw some flashes of brilliance like Saquon Barkley’s 96-yard opening kickoff return, but we also saw a lot of sloppy play by our opponent in the first half. Not sloppy enough, though, that Ohio State didn’t break the Nittany Lions’ streak of shutting out opponents in the first quarter. They also scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, so what had looked like a developing blowout for Penn State in the first quarter got a reality check by the end of the first half. The lead was cut to 28-17.
Halftime Adjustments? Or not?
In the half time locker room sessions, Urban Meyer and his assistants made the necessary adjustments, but James Franklin and the boys must have been playing tiddly-winks, because they came out looking like nothing had changed since the first half. They were determined to ride out their lead.
Wait, what? Sit on a lead against an offense they showed they couldn’t stop in the first half? Now, they are starting to get tired, so let’s try to keep running the ball with a tired offensive line that is ineffectual even when it is fresh. Very smart. Penn State wound up with 91 yards rushing, with the biggest chunk of that coming on a single 36 yard touchdown run by Barkley when he was lucky enough to get to the outside. Subtract that one and you’ve got 55 yards on 34 carries for the night, a thoroughly putrid 1.6 ypc average. Now, please tell me why they’re trying to run the ball in the fourth quarter? They’re somehow going to do better than they’ve been doing the rest of the game?
And defensively, they weren’t getting through to J. T. Barrett all night long, so no adjustments there, either? No pressure on Barrett late in the game. Sure, the defensive front seven are tired at that point, and Manny Bowen got beaten badly in a coverage situation. No blitz whatsoever? No disruption at all? Just drop back into coverage and pray?
Not as close as the score…
Ohio State burned the Nittany Lions aerially and terrestrially. Barrett completed 33 of 39 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. He ran the ball 17 times for 95 yards. And true freshman J.K. Dobbins ran 13 times for 88 yards.
Oh yeah, about that “increasingly irrelevant statistic”, Time of Possession, when Penn State needed a sustained drive in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t produce one — absolutely no discredit intended to the Ohio State defense who kept it from happening. The coaching brain trust apparently had nothing left in their trick bag. The Buckeyes knew what to expect and they handled it.
After out-gaining the Nittany Lions 529 yards to 283, and out-first-downing them 27-17, and in spite of Ohio State’s two turnovers and veritable plethora of penalties and dropped passes, the Buckeyes were the the better team on this night. Penn State sinks to #7 and will need plenty of help if they are to have even a sliver of hope to play in Indianapolis on December 2.
Unmasked as pretenders…
Yeah, #2 put a target on their backs, but Penn State just wasn’t able to live up to that ranking. And, by the way, so-called “good losses” don’t swing a lot of weight with the CFP committee, whose initial rankings will come out in a few days. PSU would appear to have some smooth sailing for the remainder of the season, but let’s not count those chickens before they hatch. However, if they win out, recall that tOSU must deal with Iowa, Moo U., and Michigan. They also have a bye week against the Illini. Penn State could still wind up on top in the Big Ten East, but they need a looooooooooooot of help to get there.
Statistics painted a rather incorrect picture of the capabilities of the Nittany Lions defense, which had me worried at the beginning of the year but caused me to breathe a sigh of relief by maintaining a deceptively decent performance through the first seven games. Thing is, they didn’t play anyone with an offense. After all the trash talk I heard from PSU homeys about Ohio State’s offense, they sure had Penn State’s number in this one. The vaunted Penn State defense was overmatched.
I’m still pissed off about this one.
I’ll be back by mid-week with a preview and prediction for the big clash with Moo U. over who gets the Land Grant Trophy.
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Tom Wilson says
We were dominated on the line, both offensively and defensively. Five traffic cones on offense and four on defense. If there wouldn’t have been so many gaffes by OSU we would have lost by 20. We could win out, but this team is not one of the four best in the country to get a playoff berth.
The Nittany Turkey says
Absolutely, this loss started and ended in the trenches. Although some of my Sanguinarian colleagues might disagree, I’m pretty convinced that PSU will miss the playoffs completely once again this year, perhaps mercifully. Absent a running game, the “quick strike” offense sputters against a staunch defense. Schiano had their number, although our offensively offensive line was complicit in the loss.
I don’t think we’ll wind up with two SEC teams and two B1G teams in the top four, but that’s how AP has it now. Since Gene Smith of tOSU is now on the selection committee, I think the Buckeyes have the inside track for the third or fourth seed, unless someone knocks them off. It would damn near take a miracle to get PSU in there, and even in the ultra-remote scenario in which that happens, it would be one and done.
I’m still bemused by the calls late in the second half that were oblivious to what had happened on the field for the entire damn game up to that point. Sure, we can run the ball. Just give it to Barkley and pray that he can bounce it outside. Yeah, that works, when tOSU d-linemen are in the PSU backfield almost quick enough to steal the hand-off. Just smile and wave at the big boys as they pass, O-Line…
—TNT
Rookie says
I thought the offensive line had become more mobile but I was mistaken. Yes the play calling was a head scratcher at times on both sides of the ball but the reality is the better team won imo. Can you imagine how good Barkley would be if he had a decent offensive line in front of him? I guess we will find out at the next level but what a waste of a generational talent.
The Nittany Turkey says
My mind takes flights in that direction sometimes, too. At the risk of sounding like the geezer that I am, put Hartings and Rivera from the 1994 O-Line in front of Barkley and he’s be putting up rushing numbers that would eclipse Larry Johnson, Jr.’s magical 2002 season. As it stands, he’ll have to gain 1285 yards rushing in four remaining games to get there. Ain’t gonna happen.
Did Saquon’s Heisman chances take a hit because of tOSU? The 96-yard TD return and 36-yard TD run from scrimmage might have salvaged a day that would have surely knocked him off the top of that mountain. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield and Josh Adams are salivating, hoping for another crappy day for Saquon against Moo U. on Saturday.
—TNT
The Nittany Turkey says
Incidental to next weekend, it is interesting that Penn State opened as 11.5-point favorites over Moo U. in the forthcoming battle for the abominable Land Grant Trophy, but the spread quickly narrowed to 7.5.
tOSU didn’t cover the spread, so what do you think are the chances of Moo U. covering? Hey, they lost to the Purplecats, 39-31, in triple-overtime, so who knows what to think of their once well respected defense?
—TNT
Big Al says
Turkey, I think you’re being too harsh about the play calling decisions. Calling more passes would probably have just given the ball back to tO$U quicker. The receivers weren’t getting separation and the risk of interception was pretty high. t0$U had already had two interceptions overruled by the Zebras.
I think that Franklin actually outcoached Urbz in this game. The problem is with the Jimmies and Joes and not the Xs and Os. PSU is basically a team with top 25 talent and two exceptional players – Barkley and Gesicki. tO$U is a team with top 5 talent that played stupidly and without poise for most of the game. Once their players extracted their heads from their rectums, PSU had no answers.
It will be interesting to see whether Penn State continues to buy into “the process” and continue to play above their talent level. I’m guessing they will unless or until the defense blows another 1 and 1/2 score lead in the last 7 minutes of the game. When you lose a lead like that in 3 of your last 9 games, it can became a mental issue as well as a physical one (i.e. that the linebackers and Apke are too slow to cover talented receivers)
The Nittany Turkey says
The Turkey? Harsh? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m a kinder, gentler turkey, but I still claim that the play calling was sphincteresque. The risk of interception was high, so they go to plays they know will fail but will be relatively safe? That didn’t work and it could have been catastrophic had Barkley actually been tackled for the safety tOSU almost wound up with. I guess what you’re saying in defense of Moorhen is that running might get us nowhere, but for passing, the Darrell Royal “Three Things Can Happen” rule applies, so go with the percentages. Zero gain is better than an interception.
DId they make a conscious decision to sit on the lead? Did they think they could stop an offense they hadn’t contained all night?
As you said, Xs and Os are nice in the ready room, but on the field, you can’t coach what you ain’t got. If all they’ve got is Gesicki and Barkley, then they’ll have to play waaaaaaaaay above their talent level. You just cannot expect to win against decent opponents with neither O nor D lines, and with slow linebackers.
Maybe my view will soften as the week wears on.
—TNT
psudrozz says
Disjointed tuesday thoughts:
I don’t blame the coaches for this game. Yes, there were a few bad play calls, but that happens in every game to every team. The only way to take chunks of time off was to go for first downs through the air. The ground game was impotent.
The shortcomings of this team coming into the season were the lines.
The michigan game gave me hope the OL had finally turned the corner. NOPE. You can coach and scheme for their shortcomings, but it ultimately came down to personnel. And the personnel stink. 3 years of their garbage. Hack got PTSD because of them, and Saquon might be working on a second heisman if not for their ineptness (ok a bit hyperbole). Those few times where the OL was marginal, PSU shredded the OSU back 7.
We knew the defensive line was young. We were getting pressure on Barrett early, but the pressure started to ebb with Bucholz going down.
I don’t feel good about MSU. While they don’t have 8 starting DL like OSU, they are still to be respected. And I will not be trusting the OL with my money for the rest of the year.
Other than that, I’m over it. Brother in law came in with fresh smoked venison tenderloins and powerful drink after the game so that always helps. My perspective is…the game explicitly showed exactly what PSU football comprises this year. A young defensive front. Bunch of humps for an OL. A team with insanely talented skill players.
Iowa has a thing about knocking off top 10 teams at home. Last 4 years or so, they have taken out 4 of 5 (PSU this year was the exception). They have been giant killers. There is some hope.
The Nittany Turkey says
Yeah, I know. Blaming the coaching out of frustration with the players is the province of the consummate sports fan curmudgeon, which everyone knows I am. I know you guys are right, that few options existed to move the ball with an offensive line like a beaded curtain, and on the other side of the ball the defense was gassed. Special team failure on the blocked punt didn’t help. (Were they prepared for a block attempt or did they have their heads up their asses — I was too disgusted to replay that abomination?)
Even before the three years of offensive line ineptitude, we have a marginal offensive line, which was buoyed by creative use of the talents of Donovan Smith and John Urschel. Going back through my commentary, I find that I’ve been pissed off at the offensive line for a long, long time. I’ve taken the heat from Sanguinarians over it, but I think that but for a few flashes of brilliance and a brief glimmer of hope here and there, I’ve been right. They suuuuuuuuuuuck!
This crap hurts recruiting. Why would a talented running back want to come to PSU if he had to look forward to the frustration Barkley has to handle every week? With his talent (sportswriter hyperbole alert) as the best player in college football, he should be putting up Larry Johnson, Jr. rushing numbers. Instead, although he leads the conference in all-purpose yards thanks to 378 yards of kick returns, he is now third in rushing, behind Jonathan Taylor and true freshman J.K. Dobbins, both of whom have a viable offensive line in front of them. Saquon’s offensive line barely registers a pulse. They look like Halloween zombies lumbering, lurking, lugubrious…
While there might be hope if Penn State gets lots of help from the likes of Iowa or Michigan, they ain’t going anywhere big. If they sneak into Indianapolis again, even if they get by Wisconsin, I doubt that the CFP committee will deviate from what they did last year. They would love to wind up with a pick four situation from a pool consisting of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, and tOSU. Bedlam should pretty much kill the Big 12 chances, and the Pac 12 committed suicide long ago. I think Wisconsin and PSU will be left out, and UCF, who might well go undefeated, will be playing the usual outside non-Power 5 whiner role, ending up on the outside looking in. Just too early to speculate, and it’s destined to go down to the wire, like to the SEC and B1G championship games. But once again we’re writing about what happens when PSU gets in.
OK, if PSU gets in, I think we would see the first round one-and-done game play out just like tOSU. Jump out to a first quarter lead and then settle down to ultimately lose when the defense gets tired in the second half. Depending on the opponent, it could get seriously embarrassing.
But I’m counting chickens waaaaaaaaaaaaay before they hatch, and I think the eggs are infertile, besides.
Moo U. is going to be interesting. After the Ohio State letdown, being on the road away from Mom’s home cooking, they can’t feel too good about themselves. The Spartans love to be spoilers, too. If the mighty PSU front seven can keep the pressure up on Lewerke, and the rest of the non-skill players even do a half-assed job, I think PSU’s talent will prevail. However, like you, I’m not willing to put my money where my mouth is.
It’s almost a venison morning here on the shores of the wild and scenic Wekiva — woke up to 49 degrees here.
Happy Halloween!
—TNT
Jd says
I had completely forgot about that block. 46 had his head up his ass and missed his assignment.
49 in Wekeiva? Well, they did fine some mastodon bones by the spring a few years back so it’s been colder.
Tom Wilson says
I think the play calling on running plays was idiotic. Handing the ball off 3 – 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage with a suspect OL is a formula for disaster but they never seemed to deviate. If you turn and hand off at the line at least you can’t lose more than a yard on the play.