Franklinesque 1-0 for the Week
Yeah, well we knew it would be a win, but sometimes we get surprised by an inferior opponent. (If they beat the mighty Nittany Lions, they’re not inferior, are they, Sanguinarians?). So, what can we draw from this easy victory and what does it portend for the first serious game of the season coming up on Saturday?
First, A Comeuppance for tOSU
Ryan Day, hahhahahhahahahhaha! I had a feeling you would get fucked by the Ducks, so take that! Final score: 35-28. I think K. John must have been right on the money when he declared Iowa as the best team in the B10, because Oregon sure as hell outplayed tOSU. Congratulations to OC Joe Moorhead, formerly of PSU, and head coach Mario Cristobal.
PSU Offense Took Care of Business
Sean Clifford was 22-29 for 230 yards. He ran for one TD and threw for another. Lots of participation by lots of skill position players in the offense. Total offense was 493 yards. We even saw backup QB Ta-Quan Roberson in action, including a TD pass to Theo Johnson in the waning minutes.
The 240-yard rushing day gave us some hope for a balanced offense going forward. Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee, and Sean Clifford each had sixty-something.
On defense, PSU had six tackles for loss and only one sack. They scored a touchdown on a Pick six by Jesse Luketa. Daequan Hardy was responsible for the other INT.
The game was not a walkover, as Ball State proved themselves worthy opponents in many ways. They made a few mistakes, which PSU’s hungry defense capitalized on.
I would like to see some comments about offensive line play, which I did not think was good. If any of you see things differently, please comment. If you agree and you want to expound, please comment. (I don’t get any ad revenue — I just enjoy reading your comments).
Special Teams Improving, But Need Work
Jordan Stout was 4-5 on field goals and a perfect 5-5 on extra points. The field goal he missed was a 45-yarder, but at least he wasn’t missing the short ones. His punting average was 51.3 with a long of 63, again, Ray Guy material. However, he needs work hitting that coffin corner. Everything off this guy’s foot goes long!
Stupid Poll Implications
I suspect that tOSU will not drop out of the top ten. #6 Notre Dame and #5 Texas A&M both showed weakness and should drop out. Notre Dame spend most of the game losing to Toledo before pulling it out with 16 fourth quarter points to win it by a slim margin, 32-29. A & M beat lowly Colorado 10-7. Meanwhile Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Clemson all won convincingly, as did Iowa. Oregon will probably move into the top five.
So, like Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon, Iowa would be my top five, with Clemson, tOSU, Cincinnati, Florida, and Penn State rounding out the top ten. Did I leave anyone out? Will the pollsters (as usual) discount any of Notre Dame’s obvious weakness?
Polls are pretty subjective and meaningless until midway through the season, but they make for good barroom chatter.
(I’ll be back during the week with a preview of the big Auburn game and my usual bullshit).
