Penn State still has much to prove

Despite what Joe Paterno might tell you, the toughest part of Penn State’s schedule is done and gone. So how are the Nittany Lions doing? What is the identity of this year’s team? PSU had 3 very tough games early on against 3 top ten teams with two on the road and they lost every one. Gone is the chance at a repeat Big Ten championship. Gone is a chance at a BCS bowl berth. Certainly this is not what the players had in mind when they entered 2-a-days back in August, but this is where they are at.

So where do we go from here… which is the way that’s clear!? Sorry, crappy song in my head.

The remaining schedule boasts a lot of fluff and now is the time to test this team’s leadership. These are the times when practice gets tough to get through and attention to detail starts to dwindle. Now is the time that the leaders’ resolve is tested and the true character and makeup of the team is challenged. When set goals are no longer attainable it becomes more difficult to motivate players to push themselves to get better.

Of Penn State’s remaining opponents Illinois, Purdue, and Temple are in the absolute win category. A loss to any of these bottom dwellers is outright inexcusable. What is left of a disheveled Michigan State team travels to Happy Valley for the last game of the season at which point most of the MSU players will just want to get the game over with and mercifully put an end to a hopefully forgettable season. Again, there is no excuse for a loss there. That leaves Wisconsin on the road. The Badgers have proven quite the formidable opponent this season and will be just that for a Penn State team that hasn’t played particularly well away from Happy Valley. This is a game the players should use as a caliper to gauge where this team sits. They have two games before Wisconsin, so they have time to heal psychological wounds and work on the little things that make good teams better. The question is: do they have it in them? Can they continue to improve?

It’s by no means time to press the panic button, but for some fans the cover is off, and the index finger is pointed and hovering oh so close…