Moo U. 27, Penn State 24
On a rainy day in East Lansing, the #19 Moo U. Spartans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) recaptured the abominable Land Grant Trophy from the #7 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten), 27-24.
Big Al’s Dream and Karma
While it didn’t play out exactly the way Big Al’s dream portrayed it and the numbers were ever so slightly different, the net result was nightmarish. Karma reared her ugly head and wreaked her vengeance on the Nittany Lions, dashing their hopes for a playoff appearance. Meanwhile, karma was exacting her revenge upon tOSU, who were clobbered by the Hawkeyes, 55-24. Expect a significant shake-up in the CFP rankings, and unless Wisconsin wins out in a seriously impressive manner given their weak schedule, expect the Big Ten to be shut out of the CFP playoff picture completely.
As if a three-hour rain delay wasn’t enough to jinx the Lions — hey, wait! I’m sitting here making excuses for them. ???? ?????? The weather was bad, yes. However they just plain suuuuuuuuuuucked. The running game was virtually nonexistent. In the aerial game, the ball was heavy and wet, so passes went awry. At one point, Trace McSorley and his receivers conspired to produce nine non-completions in a row and to add insult to injury, McSorley suffered three interceptions for the day.
Can’t Pass, Can’t Run… Goodbye Playoffs!
So, if you can’t pass, you could run, at least, right? ????? ?????? ?????? Wrong. Not with this offensive line! In the first half, Saquon Barkley had a total of zero yards rushing on six carries. He wound up with 14 carries for 63 yards and McSorley could add only two yards on seven carries. Moo U. was stacking the box with the clear plan to stop all aspects of the running game. There was no reason to believe that they wouldn’t be effective, since their defense had shut down the run all year, averaging fewer than 90 yards allowed per game.
Barkley had some success in the second half, but when push came to shove in the final quarter, the offensive coaching brain trust decided to abort the rushing attack in desperation.
If you can’t run and you can’t pass…
Meanwhile we had to change the clocks last night, which always screws me up. I’ll take this opportunity to direct you to my March, 2007 post on the subject of Daylight Savings Time for some tragicomic relief. But I digress.
Back to the game, McSorley’s passing line doesn’t look half bad except for the interceptions, but looks are deceiving. He finished 26-47 for 381 yards, three TDs, and three INTs. But turnovers’ll killya. Penn State, who had been leading the conference in turnover margin, were -2 for the day. Third down conversions were a miserable 4-12, while the Spartans were 10-18.
Moo U. Had Passing Success
Sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke torched the PSU defense. He was 33-56 for 400 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. Moo U’s receivers sure as hell seemed to be more sure-handed than Penn State’s in the foul weather. Lewerke will be a formidable presence in the Big Ten for the next couple of years.
It seems clear that PSU linebackers cannot cover receivers. Lewerke was able to complete many passes into the seam. The secondary, however, was also complicit in the passing maelstrom engineered by Lewerke. He was averaging 225 yards per game, but on a sloppy day, he produced 400. The vaunted, experienced secondary looked neither vaunted nor experienced. Talk amongst yourselves. Discuss.
Handing Sparty the Win
Penn State had the opportunity to at least stop Moo U’s winning drive, but hope of that were dashed with a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Marcus Allen that made the winning field goal practically a gimme. Penalties’ll killya.
The game was played even until the final, winning field goal by MSU. Both teams took to the air for most of the yards gained, Penn State with 401 and Moo U. with 400 passing yards. Total yards were 466 and 474, respectively. ????? ???? ?????? Moo U. edged out PSU in first downs, 25-22.
Polls and Stuff
As I write this, the Coaches Poll is out. Ohio State is #11, Penn State is lucky #13, Moo U. is #16 and Michigan is #22. Wisconsin is #3 in both, but that won’t last, and the CFP won’t see it that way. OOPS, this just in: AP Poll has Wisconsin #6, tOSU #11, Moo U. #13, PSU #16, and Michigan #21. Of course, the Irish-friendly sports writers have put Notre Dame at #3, whereas the coaches have the Irish at #5.
What was James Franklin doing angrily chasing after Koa Farmer after the game for all the cameras to see?
I’ll be back during the week with a preview and prediction for the next nooner, the exciting Homecoming Weekend clash vs. Rutgers.
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Joe says
Well at least I can answer the Koa Farmer pursuit by CJF post game question. Apparently he was pissed because some of our players decided to leave the field without shaking hands with the Spartans and congratulating them for taking the LGT off our hands for the next 12 months and was attempting to get them back on the field. Win with grace, lose with grace I suppose.
This game (and for that matter the one with tOSU) was a microcosm of everything that is missing with this team and the belief by a lot of us (I’ll admit to being at the front of that line) that we could overcome those deficiencies through pure pluck and could overcome any shortcomings by just playing harder than the other guy. That didn’t work against equal of better opposition. I’m not blaming coaches or players-if 5 years ago someone would have told me that we would have been in a CFP discussion the last two years I would have told them that they were friggin’ crazy! Nope we just got caught up in the bright lights of believing this team had reached the pinnacle where the Alabama’s, Clemson’s, tOSU’s and other big boys reside year in and year out.
The OL had been exposed last year and again this year against both inferior and superior opposition (Barkley had as much trouble running against Georgia State as he did against “B1G boys” this season), and the DL, even with our purported depth was held at bay from getting pressure on the QB by the Buckeye and Spartan OL’s who were supposedly short on experience (I think MSU had 2 true freshman, a RS freshman and a sophomore starting in 4 of the 5 spots). Losing Buchholtz and Bates hurt, but wasn’t the cause of the catastrophe that we witnessed the last two Saturday nights on both sides of the ball.
I like Cabinda, Farmer and Bowen, dynamite against the run but . . . , they don’t have the foot speed and cover savvy for the passing game. Once a receiver found an opening and Lewerke delivered, we were then relying on the secondary to pursue and make the tackle. And with us blitzing so often and not putting pressure on their QB, there was a lot of space to cover out there. I also thought the secondary played a real soft zone and when we couldn’t put any appreciable pressure on Lewerke (and on Barrett last week), BAM, you saw the passing clinic that both of these guys were able to administer. Again, I think our DB’s are good, but they are just not the level of talent that you need to prevent completions when you’re DL/LB’s can’t pressure the talented QB’s we saw the last two weeks and they’re probably the best we’ve seen and will see this season.
I’ve also been thinking that JoeMo’s offense isn’t really built for Saquan Barkley, but perhaps more to address McSorely’s limitations. Standing 5-7 yards deep in the backfield while he waits for McSorely to make his RPO decision makes him a wide open target for those D-linemen who shoved our “shopping carts” out of the way and consequently gives him no chance to use his power and finesse to gain yardage-even those 3 or 4 yards that we can’t seem to consistently get when we need a couple of first downs to put a game away. I also wonder why if everyone is focusing on Barkley, why we don’g plug Andre Robinson or Miles Sanders in for a series or two.
We did have a chance-that 4th down throw to DeAndre Thompkins, a senior, was catchable and keeps the drive alive for perhaps a Tyler Davis game winning FG and Marcus Allen, another senior, makes a bonehead late hit on Lewerke that kept their drive alive and basically allowed them to get in position for the game winner. Shit happens, but these guys have been around long enough to know what and what not they need to do in a game like this.
Franklin needs to keep the recruiting machine going-we’ve got to keep the talent like Wimbush and Fields from decommitting once we’ve got them in the fold. And also continue to take a critical look at his assistants-not saying he needs to make changes, but, the same issues we saw last year are still there today.
Some random thoughts:
-I guess JT Barrett is no longer a front runner for the Heisman and Urban Meyer looks tired.
-The B1G now has no one who looks like they’ll qualify for the CFP (sorry Wisconsin). With a weak West Division and an East Division that looks like it will continue to devour itself each year this looks like it could be the norm rather than the exception.
-Perhaps playing 9 conference games is not such a good idea. The SEC and ACC apparently don’t think it is. They were talking about Georgia and Alabama and Clemson and ND (a partial ACC member) being your 4 team CFP lineup today.
The Nittany Turkey says
Thanks for clarifying the Koa Farmer confrontation. I was afraid it was something more egregious, like Anthony Morelli standing on the bench taunting Michigan fans even as PSU was losing. Losing with dignity is not easy, but I hope our guys still know how to do handle it.
It sure looked as if we had returned to the days of the Sandusky soft zone, but without the quickness of the linebackers of that period. The “Pervent” BBDB or whatever you want to call it made me cringe when it gave up chunks — slants were particularly effective — but somehow, the “don’t break” aspect usually worked, as I recall. Now, we’re 7th in red-zone defense in the conference. at about 81.8%.It’s as frustrating watching Barrett and Lewerke picking apart the pass defense as it was watching Pitt beat the defense over and over again with the shovel pass in Week 2.
I doubt that Barrett was seriously in the mix for the Heisman before the Iowa debacle, but he sure ain’t in it now. Regrettably, I think Saquon is out of the running, too. Not being able to put up any rushing yards is a big problem, regardless of the fact that it emanates from the offensive line and the slow developing RPO. Saquon looked like a shoo-in in September, a probable in the first half of October, a possible in the last half of October, but now he looks like an also-ran. Baker Mayfield has to be viewed as the leading candidate after his huge performance in Bedlam. His line: 24-36 for 598 yards with 5 TDs and 2 INTs, QBR of 95.4. Perhaps Barkley will gain some ground against Rutgers.
The opening line against Rutgers was 28.5 and it quickly moved to PSU – 31. I guess the gamblers are thinking that we’ll have a happy homecoming. Speaking of red-zone defenses, Rutgers is the worst in the conference, allowing 90.6% scoring by opponents inside its 20. Rutgers is giving up just under 180 yards per game rushing, too, and Nebraska and Maryland are only slightly better; if Barkley is going to improve his Heisman chances it’s put up or shut up for this stretch of three games. We’ll be looking at three of the four worst overall defenses in the Big Ten. Opportunity knocks.
Maybe JoMo’s RPO worked in the FCS, but in it I see the same deficiencies that you brought out regarding PSU personnel, and further, with respect to the defenses we faced in the past two games. If defenders are in the Penn State backfield waiting to pounce on Barkley and McSorley when they finally figure out where the ball is going, the play ain’t going nowhere most of the time. The “look at me” bullshit also gets on my nerves. I’m no football genius, but I know when something gets on my nerves. Incessant video replays and “look at me” get on my nerves.
I already stated my thoughts about the B1G being shut out of the playoffs this year. However, I don’t characterize it as the B1G beating the crap out of each other or suffering from the 9-game schedule. I think the B1G for the most part is out of its league in the playoffs. Look at tOSU getting beaten up by Alabama or Clemson, or Oklahoma, or… Yeah, we really need more interconference play to sort out this whole ranking thing. They could schedule 9 conference games, two decent interconference games, and one pussy, and we’d all be better off. We’d know how competitive is the conference relative to other conferences. Or they could play 8 conference games, two decent interconference games and two pussies. For now, though, I think this year there is no redemption for the B1G and I refuse to blame scheduling or happenstance. I just think that by and large, they simply suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
Relax, now. How can they NOT beat Rutgers? Happy Homecoming!
—TNT
P.S.
The time change suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!
Big Al says
Penn State is a better team than they were last year. It’s just that they’re not “playing in the zone” this year. (“playing in the zone” is a old tennis term describing a player who can’t miss a shot – even his mishits find the lines). This year is reversion to the mean for Penn State, but at least they’re not playing like the selfish, undisciplined rabble that is the O$U.(at least not yet) Urbz should probably give some serious thought to re-retiring while his “legacy” is still intact.
Franklin has a challenge on his hands getting the team ready for Rutgers. The day after the predicted end of the world has finally arrived, and his “true believers” will have to re-focus on another, lesser goal. It will be interesting to see how the players respond. One more loss, and State will be packing their bags for the Toxic Chicken Bowl and a potential track meet with Wazzou. (If Lewerke can get 400 yards passing, Falk should be able to easily break Flutie’s record for passing yards allowed.)
Re our offensive scheme, it’s time for Franklin to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with JoMo and order him to add a few dive plays and quick hitters to his running repertoire. (And no, the direct snap to Barkley with Barkley making the RPO read rather than Trace does NOT qualify as a new running play). I firmly believe that an offensive line consisting of 5 NFL hall famers could not run effectively between the tackles using JoMo’s running scheme.
The Nittany Turkey says
I’m not certain we can say that PSU is a better team than they were last year. I still believe that the pass rush is in worse shape, and that was even before the loass of Buchholtz. AND, I will confidently assert that Chris Godwin would have caught that fourth down pass that Hamilton muffed. The offensive line? Well, they just keep on suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckin’.
I can’t see a loss to Rutgers or Maryland, but perhaps if Nebraska dumps Mike Riley, the ‘Huskers might present a “glad to get rid of Mike” challenge. I guess if they didn’t dump him after the OSU game, then they’ll probably wait til the end of the season. With a new athletic director at Nebraska, though, ya never know.
The offensive scheme is becoming predictable for the defenses out there. It would be good to see some quick developing plays in there. Moorhead looked good when his offense ran all over porous defenses, but doesn’t look so good now. Of course, we crazy fans thought he was God when he was beating Akron with the “quick strike offense.” And we now think he’s incompetent because his plays don’t work against savvy, quick defense. Fans are fickle. Nevertheless, I agree with you that the offense needs a serious re-think.
—TNT
Big Al says
I can’t see a loss to Rutgers either, but I can imagine a half assed effort where State wins by less than two touchdowns. Nebraska is probably the biggest danger for another loss since they might have the best passing game our defense has faced this year. However, their defense sucks and they don’t run very well. Pry might want to start 6 defensive backs and bench some linebackers (e.g. Cabinda) for that game.
The Nittany Turkey says
I am leaning the other way on Rutgers. I’m figuring 56-3. Although the Lions have shown that they are capable of screwing up Homecoming on occasion, they’ll probably want to get their licks in with three games remaining. This might be a good chance to see if they can spring Barkley in a last ditch effort to salvage the Heisman (although I don’t think he’ll get it). With the second worst rushing defense in the conference, I’d like to see Barkley torch them for 200 yards on the ground, which can happen only if the O-Line can learn to wipe their own asses all by themselves by Saturday.
—TNT
psudrozz says
with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the 4th, and the run working on first down, psu opted to pass on first down.
This kills me. Instead of grinding clock and picking up 4-6 yards on first down, they passed. Clock stopped on incompletion. They passed again, incomplete, and intentional grounding.
Absolutely killed the drive, and was the start of very bad things.
psudrozz says
*add on to the fact PSU was on MSUs side of the field, so field goal range was approaching.
The Nittany Turkey says
I had forgotten about that, perhaps as a therapeutic mental block. Memories of the Hamilton pass drop on 4th down and the boneheaded roughing the passer by Marcus Allen also served to cloud my memory. But yeah, why pass on first down in that situation? You want to run clock and drive for a winning field goal. Doesn’t make sense, other than to propose that they’ve lost all confidence in the running game. But Barkley had been finding some running room in the second half, and this was the time for it. Even a yard or two on first down with the clock running would have worked.
That sort of play calling suggests that there is a lot of overthinking going on. While players weren’t necessarily making plays, such as in the 4th down drop, I don’t think you can try to overcompensate because you’re afraid of something going wrong. Short pass doesn’t work, running up the gut doesn’t work, let’s see, what do we do? Hey, how about a give-up draw? Not in the playbook? Hell, that’s what the RPO looks like to me much of the time. But I ramble on…
A completely unnecessary loss, yet we opened as 31-point favorites over Rutgers. Take THAT non-sequitur, willya!
—TNT