Defense
There can not be enough said about the Herculean effort Penn State put forth Saturday. On the road, in a hostile environment, against a Heisman-caliber quarterback with two lightning quick wide receivers, Penn State held Ohio State’s offense to 253 total yards and 14 points. PSU faced one of the better offensive lines in the Big Ten but managed to put constant pressure on Troy Smith without letting him get loose too often. DT Ed Johnson was in the backfield so much in the first half that OSU adjusted at halftime and double-teamed him in the second. He finished the day with just 3 tackles – 1 for a loss, but was disrupting the offensive flow the entire game. The coaches brought pressure and disguised their blitz much better then the Notre Dame debacle. Dan Connor continues his impressive junior campaign recording 8 tackles – 1 for loss and an interception. Justin King’s interception of Troy Smith was his first and the first for Smith in 152 attempts. Both Ted Ginn and Tony Gonzalez were held in check catching a combined 4 passes for 31 yards. If the defense continues to improve and puts in efforts like this the rest of the season, Penn State will have a chance to win the rest of their games.
OffenseAnthony Morelli had a bit of a shaky day, but wasn’t all bad. His interception late in the game killed any chance of a Penn State win and probably will stick with him for a while. As Paterno said in his post game press conference:
“He is down right now, but he’ll be alright.”
Again, if anyone thinks there is going to be any question at quarterback, forget it; Paterno is loyal to Morelli. Patience is the key here, Morelli needs some time and some experience, he did complete 16 of his 25 passes, it’s only a matter of time until he starts to click with his receivers. The offensive line continues to look good. They did give up 3 sacks, but this was a very strong defensive line. They did a good job of run blocking as Tony Hunt had 138 yards on 24 carries. The coaches left the crack pipe portion of the playbook back in Happy Valley and called a good game, the offense doesn’t look like gangbusters yet, but the potential is there.
Special Teams
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but the Special Teams unit was actually a strength for a change. Ginn was held in check in both kickoffs and punt returns, and Kapinos averaged 50 yards a punt. Kelly continues to look shaky as he missed a 42 yard field goal in the third, but he made two others. Derrick Williams muffed a punt return early, so that was the end of his day as a returner. I understand that Paterno doesn’t want someone out there that is going to make mistakes, but lodging them in the doghouse just because they make an aggressive mistake isn’t going to build up anyone’s confidence. Penn State needs it’s best playmakers returning kicks, not guys that are “safe”.
Overall
I hate to lose as much as anyone, but the Lions played their collective hearts out, kept the game close and had a chance to win in the end. The defense did a fantastic job against a Heisman candidate quarterback holding him to one big play that was of the highlight reel variety. Unlike the Notre Dame loss, this one can be stomached; Penn State played their best, had a chance to win late, but didn’t get it done. You have to tip your hat to Ohio State; they were just the better team Saturday. It happens. The Nits have to take away some confidence from this game, they played well and every game that remains is winnable if they play like they did Saturday. Yes the offense must do much better, but I think they will get better as the season goes on. Northwestern is having a down year and Saturday’s game should be a win, and then the scheduling Gods have smiled on Penn State as the Nits get an unscheduled week off thanks to Minnesota, then the big game under the lights against the Wolverines. I don’t think there will be any team go undefeated in the Big Ten this year, so there is still a lot to look forward to.
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5 comments:
great insight. It is a loss but not a crushing loss. But Kelly's poor play is a concnern. Did you see the fieldgoal which he was canceled out by a penalty? UGLY. All in all, PSU played very well and, if they get the offense firing, they are poised to winn the rest of their games.
Michigan is going to be tough but having them home at 8:00 helps a lot. Henne looks similar to last season; get some pressure on him and he gets a tad sporadic. Manningham is pretty impressive though. Other then that, there isn't a game on the schedule that PSU can't win.
The score on this game is definitely misleading. We had our chances though. Not getting any points off of Ohio St's early turnover in the second half could have made the difference. Still too many mistakes on offense though. The false start on the goal line was a killer, but it should never have even gotten to that point. Hopefully Morelli continues to learn and improve from his mistakes.
Also I loved the play of the defense in this game. Much more aggressive than previous games. Shutting down Ginn and Smith for a second straight year has to provide a blueprint for someone on how to beat this team.
I also failed to mention that Justin King had a really good day, as did most of the secondary. I feel pretty confident of their covering capabilities from this point on.
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