Former Foes: week 11

Time to take a weekly look back at Penn State's past competition. So how bad is Michigan anyway?

Akron (2-8)

Got destroyed by Temple (56-17)

Akron was the latest victim of the "get Al Golden a hefty raise" tour as Temple beat the Zips for their 8^th straight victory. Akron actually had an early 17-7 first quarter lead but the Owls ripped off 49 unanswered points on the legs of freshman wunderkind Bernard Pierce (19 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD). Pierce tied another Temple record rushing for his 15^th TD on the season. Temple rolled up 403 total yards with 258 of that coming on the ground. Don't look now but Temple has the same record as Penn State, how does that make ya feel?

Next up: Bowling Green (5-5)

Syracuse (3-7)

Lost to lowly Louisville (10-9)

'Cuse runningback Delone Carter rushed for 129 yards and a score and the Orange outgained Louisville 266-151 but Cardinals QB Adam Froman hit Josh Chichester for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:24 remaining for the go ahead touchdown. Syracuse dominated Louisville at nearly every aspect of the game, they won time of possession by nearly 10 minutes, but they couldn't stop returner Trent Guy. Guy had a 53 yard kickoff return and a 44 yard punt return to setup the final scoring drive at the Syracuse 45 yard line.

Next up: Rutgers (7-2)

Temple (7-2)

Waylaid Akron

Next up: Kent State (5-5)

Iowa (9-2)

Lost to justaOSU (27-24)

Marvin McNutt's two touchdown catches and a stellar performance by Iowa freshman QB James Vandenberg wasn't enough as the Hawkeyes lost to the Buckeyes in overtime. Erstwhile pro soccer player Devin Barclay gave Ohio State the victory when he connected on a 39-yard field goal in overtime after Iowa turned the ball over. On their possession in overtime, Iowa lost 16 yards on three plays forcing them out of field goal range on 4^th down. Vandenberg threw an INT on 4^th and 26 and all OSU had to do was run the ball up the middle and set up for Barclay's heroics. It was another typical day for Terrelle "preseason Big Ten offensive player of the year" Pryor; he completed 14 of 17 for 93 yards. But as is usually the case, Pryor didn't need to be a hero he relied on a strong defense and the running of Brandon Saine (103 yards and 2 TD's) and Dan Herron (97 yards and a TD).

Next Up: Minnesota (6-5)

Illinois (3-7)

Lost to Northwestern (21-16)

The Fighting Zookers scored two 4^th quarter TD's but it wasn't enough to overcome the 21-3 hole they fell into. NU QB Mike Kafka threw for 305 yards and scored 2 TD's (one throwing and one running). Illinois had a chance for the victory but redshirt freshman QB Jacob Charest threw an interception with 32 seconds left on the Illini 35 yard line to seal the game. The Illini did manage 374 yards of offense but only 162 yards of that came through the air. The aforementioned Charest was benched at halftime for McGee who didn't perform much better.

Next Up: Cincinnati (10-0) – good luck with that Zooker

Eastern Illinois (8-2)

Beat Tennessee-Martin (49-13)

Jake Christensen threw for 322 yards and 4! touchdowns as EIU amassed 457 yards of offense. The victory gave Eastern a share of the conference championship. Now all they need is a victory against lowly Tennessee State (3-7) to get the league's automatic postseason bid.

Next Up: Tennessee State (3-7)

Minnesota (6-5)

Beat South Dakota State (16-13)

Yeah, Minnesota needed a 25 yard field goal with 2:22 to go to beat South Dakota State. It was a battle of field goals until each team scored TD's in the second quarter when Minnesota took a 13-10 lead. The score remained the same as both teams bored the crowd through three quarters and 13 punts until SDSU kicked the game tying field goal half way through the 4^th. Adam Weber and the Minnesota offense stunk it up again as Weber threw for 94 yards and the two teams combined for roughly 450 yards.

Next up: Iowa (9-2)

Michigan (5-6)

Got cheese grated by Wisconsin (45-24)

Wisconsin totaled a very balanced 240 yards through the air and 229 yards on the ground against the Wolverines Swiss Cheese defense (ok, ok I'll stop with the cheese references). Badger QB Scott Tolzien threw for 240 yards scored 4 td's through the air and added one on the ground. Runningback John Clay chipped in 155 yards rushing and a TD. Michigan lost its sixth straight Big Ten game for the first time since the 1958-59 seasons and they've now given up 35 plus points in four straight games for the first time in school history. Ohio State can now send Michigan home for the Holidays with a victory against their bitter rival. Oh by the way the news doesn't get any better in Ann Arbor. How's that Rich Rodriguez hire looking now Michigan fans?

Next up: justa Ohio State University (9-2)

Northwestern (7-4)

Beat Illinois (21-16)

Next up: Wisconsin (8-2)

justa Ohio State University (9-2)

Beat Iowa(27-24)

Next up: Michigan (5-6)

Former Foes

Time to take a weekly look back at Penn State's past competition. So how bad is Akron anyway?

Akron (2-7)

BEAT Kent State 28-20

Holly crap, Akron won a game! And they did it with an offensive explosion that saw the Zips score a TD in every quarter. Patrick "throws the ball" Nicely had a good game completing 19 of his 34 passes for 261 yards and 2 TD's as Akron rolled up 429 yards of offense. Problem was they gave up 415 as Golden Flashes QB Spencer Keith completed 30 of his 59!!! attempts for 377 yards. But Keith's big day wasn't quite enough as the Zips beat Kent State for the ninth time in ten tries.

Next up: That juggernaut from the east - Temple (7-2, bitches)

Syracuse (3-6)

Got demolished by Shitsburgh 37-10

Pitt's Greg Williams returned a 51-yard interception for a TD with 1:20 left in the first half to start the Panthers rout, a play that blew open a slim 6-3 lead. Pitt woke up and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half mostly on the back of freshman RB Dion Lewis who ran for 110 yards and a TD, his sixth 100 yard game. 'Cuse QB Greg Paulus was ineffective throwing for only 120 yards with 2 picks. It didn't help that Syracuse was without their best receiver Mike Williams, who quit the team on Monday after averaging 106.6 yards receiving per game. The Orange came into the game with the 106^th ranked offense in the nation.

Next up: Equally unimpressive Louisville (3-6)

Temple (7-2)

Beat Miami (of the Ohio variety) 34-32

Matt Hayes had this to say in his Big Ten Conference call yesterday:

Penn State: Go down the schedule and find a marquee win for the Nittany Lions this fall. The best so far: Northwestern. Yet somehow, this team will win 10 games.

Ok, his brutal honesty aside (he is absolutely right, PSU has beat no one of any substance), I would argue that Penn State's best victory is Temple. They've won seven in a row, are undefeated in the MAC in first place in their conference and get Akron and Kent State, whom Akron just beat, before the final showdown with Ohio. Temple is going to be 9-2 going into the Ohio game and will most certainly be bowling this year. What an improvement for Coach Al Golden.

As for the game it wasn't easy, Temple blew a 31-13 fourth quarter lead when they gave up three unanswered TD's to the RedHawks to fall behind 32-31, but Brandon McManus kicked an 18-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to give the Owls the lead for good. RB Bernard Pierce ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns as Temple outgained Miami 224-52 on the ground. Let's put this all in perspective here people: Temple hasn't had a winning streak like this since they won 8 straight way back in 1973… the year I was born. They won seven games total from 2002-05. Winning is contagious and I'll let Coach Golden say it best:

"Three years ago, our team couldn't win these games, and if they did it was an anomaly," coach Al Golden said. "Now the team has some toughness, some mental toughness and character."

Temple is actually thinking MAC championship. Amazing.

Next up: Akron (2-7)

Iowa (9-1)

Lost to Northwestern 17-10

All the close victories, all the fourth quarter comebacks, all the Stanzi-ball miracles all came crumbling down on Iowa. Stanzi was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and Iowa could not recover. After Stanzi went down, Freshman James Vandenberg took over and could not muster a single point the rest of the game. Northwestern scored two TD's in the second quarter off of two Iowa turnovers: a recovered fumble in the endzone on the play where Stanzi was hurt and a 4 yard TD pass after an interception on Vandenberg's first pass attempt. It was finally too much of a hole for Iowa to climb out of. Stanzi's injury is most likely a severe sprain after X-ray's came back negative but he'll probably be out of the big showdown next week at the Shoe. With all the injuries mounting, the showdown for the Big Ten title against Ohio State, who is playing the best ball of their season, looks like a one-sided romp.

Next Up: Ohio State (8-2)

Illinois (3-6)

Beat Minnesota 35-32

Juice Williams' nightmare senior season continues as he sprained his ankle after starting the game on fire completing all five of his passes, one for a TD. His replacement, Jacob Charest, came in and threw for 185 yards and a touchdown as the Fighting Zookers used a furious pass rush and some bad decisions by Gophers QB Adam Webber for the victory. Webber, after throwing for 415 yards against Sparty, threw a pick six, fumbled, missed open wide receivers, and held the ball too long on his way to dreadful first half. Webber completed just 5 of 17 passes for 174 yards in the opening two quarters and finished just 14 of 31 for 221 yards.

Next Up: Northwestern (6-4)

Eastern Illinois (7-2)

BYE

Next Up: UT Martin (4-5)

Minnesota (5-5)

Lost to Illinois 35-32

Next up: South Dakota State (7-2)

Michigan (5-5)

Lost to Purdue 38-36

Talk about your teams going in different directions, after starting 4-0 Michigan is looking at 5-7 with games against Wisconsin and Ohio State while Purdue, after starting 1-5, could squeak into a bowl if the beat Michigan State and Indiana. Purdue QB Joey Elliott threw for a career-high 367 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. Purdue overcame a 24-10 halftime deficit when they scored on the aforementioned Joey Elliott TD run with 10:28 to play to take a 38-30 lead. Michigan answered with a Brandon Minor TD run, who finished with 154 yards and 3 touchdowns, but Michigan's two point conversion was no good and Purdue recovered the onside kick. It was a game of offense as the two teams combined for 921 yards of total offense. Michigan's defense has been a total wreck lately, in the past three games, the Wolverines have been outscored 75-12 in the second half by Purdue, Illinois and Penn State.

Next up: Wisconsin(7-2)

Northwestern(6-4)

Beat Iowa 17-10

Next up: Illinois (3-6)

Former Foes

Time to take a weekly look back at Penn State's past competition. So how is Temple doing anyway?

Akron (1-5)
Lost to Buffalo 21-17

Akron was so close to getting off the "pile of suck" but their 3^rd quarter 17-14 lead was nullified by a touchdown run by Buffalo running back Mario Henry with 6 minutes to play. Zip quarterback Patrick "not so" Nicely threw two interceptions and competed only half his passes (17/34). Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt became the Bulls all-time career receptions leader with 12 catches for an even 100 yards. Akron now gets another Former Foe when they travel to take on Syracuse.

Next up: Syracuse (2-4)

Syracuse (2-4)

Bye

Next up: Akron (1-5)

Temple (4-2)
Beat Army 27-13

Woo Hooo!! Temple is helping the strength of schedule baby! Ok, not really but they are getting ever so close to bowl eligible, a big step for coach Al Golden. Temple has won 4 straight, their longest winning streak since 1985. Think about that for a minute, that's a long time on the "pile of suck" that Akron now resides. It wasn't easy either, Temple stopped Army on fourth down, then had an interception overturned by replay, and then scored the go-ahead touchdown three plays later. Owl QB Vaughn Charlton was picked off but a flag that was thrown for pass interference was picked up because the ball was tipped, or so the officials thought. After review it was determined that the ball wasn't tipped and the penalty stood. Charlton then found TE Steve Maneri for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 7:25 left to take the lead after the game was tied in the third quarter. Charlton only completed 8 passes for 115 yards but two of them were TD's. Temple used the good luck and good defense for their fourth victory.

Next up: Toledo (4-3)

Iowa (7-0)
Beat Wisconsin 20-10

Hey, another game another come from behind victory for the Hawkeyes. It's getting to be a broken record for Iowa. Tight End Tony Moeaki, who was held without a catch in the first half, caught the game tying score and anther long pass to set up a field goal. The Iowa defense, who let Wisconsin score 10 first half points, held the Badgers scoreless in the second half to take their record to 7-0. Stanzi was his usual efficient self completing 17 of 23 passes for 218 yards and the Moeaki TD. WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos caught 8 of those passes for 113 yards.

Next Up: Michigan State (4-3)

Illinois (1-4)
Lost to Indiana 27-14

Maybe that Penn State victory over Illinois isn't looking so good anymore. Hoosier QB Ben Chappell had a career night against the Fighting Zooker defense throwing for 333 yards and 3 TD's. Indiana scored 4 times in a row (3 TD's, 1 FG) in the second and fourth quarters to take a 27-7 lead before cruising to the final. WR's Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher each had TD catches and combined for 221 yards receiving. Juice Williams returned to the starting lineup but fumbled twice in the second half.

Next Up: Purdue (2-5)

Eastern Illinois

Played somebody, don't really care.

Next Up: somebody else (some record)

Former Foes: now with spicy cupcakes

Time to take a weekly look back at Penn State's past competition cupcakes and see how they are doing now that they've been destroyed by our beloved Lions… oh and Iowa too. *cough*. So how is Akron doing anyway?

Akron (1-4)
Lost to Ohio 19-7
Akron had two fumbles, one on the Ohio three yard line, a blocked punt in their own endzone that was recovered for a touchdown, two interceptions and two missed field goals in a 19 to 7 loss to the Bobcats. Akron actually outgained Ohio 346 to 292 but could not overcome the heinous blunders. Zips quarterback Matt Rodgers was heading in for a late second quarter TD when he fumbled and injured his knee. Oh, the fumble was recovered by Ohio in the endzone for a touchback. Rodgers was replaced by an ineffective Patrick Nicely who went 9 for 23 the rest of the way. We can firmly place Akron on the "pile of suck" from this point on.

The Pile of Suck: created and maintained by these guys

Next up: Buffalo(2-4)

Syracuse (2-4)
Lost to West Virginia 34-13
The "point guard in the backfield" experiment came to a crashing halt Saturday afternoon as 'Cuse QB Greg Paulus had his worst day going 5 for 9 for 30 yards with a pick before getting yanked in the second half for some guy named Ryan Nassib. Part time running back and full time porn star* Noel Devine caught and ran for a TD and racked up 91 yards on the ground and QB Jarrett Brown passed for 244. The Orange were outgained 218-77 in the first half, registered just three first downs, and were on the receiving end of a chorus of boos as the entered the locker room at half time.

Next up: Off then Akron – which should be a barnburner of a pillow fight

Temple (3-2)
Beat Ball State 24-19 Wo Hoo!
Can you say winning record baby, yeah! This cupcake bites back! Ok, it was a win over winless Ball-less State but hey they do have a winning record. Owls RB Bernard Pierce ran for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns and QB Vaughn Charlton threw for 186 yards with a TD with no picks. Pierce is on a record setting pace – that is he's the first freshman in school history to rush for 100 yards in three straight games. Hey it IS a record. Temple is undefeated in the MAC after winning three straight.

Next up: Army (3-3) - who had an eerily similar 24-17 win over the same Ball State team 3 weeks ago.

Iowa (5-0)
Beat Michigan 30-28
Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi completed his first pass of the game for a touchdown… unfortunately it was to Michigan's Donovan Warren. Stanzi overcame that pick to throw for 294 yards and two touchdowns in another close win for Iowa. Iowa has won three home games by a total of just six points and I'll be damned if I don't continue to pick against them until they finally lose. Which, of course, means they're going undefeated… you're welcome Hawkeye fans. Wunderkind Tate Forcier decided that a QB controversy in Michigan would be great so he threw for 94 yards with a pick before getting yanked in the fourth quarter. Fellow freshman Denard Robinson then obliged by promptly coming in and leading a touchdown drive and Michigan got the ball back with 1:30 left but Robinson threw an INT to end it. So sad, it could have turned out so much better for Michigan. I'm truly feeling their pain.

Next Up: Wisconsin (5-1)

Illinois (1-4)
Lost to Mich State 24-14
Fighting Zooker QB Eddie McGee started the game completed 2 passes by the third quarter, (and 1 to the opposition) was replaced by Juice Williams who then completed 7. Do I need to say much more? Michigan State built a 24-0 lead behind the running of Larry Caper who ran for 95 yards and a touch. I almost feel bad for Ron Zook… almost.

Next Up: Indiana (3-3) – fight for the basement of the Big Ten

*if you go by his name

Former Foes: the inaugural 2009 edition

Time to bring out the wildly popular Former Foes: a weekly look back at Penn State's past competition and see how they are faring after playing the Nittany Lions. So how is Syracuse doing anyway?

Akron (1-3)

Central Michigan thumped Akron 48 – 21. The Chippewas jumped out to a 20 – Zip lead (see what I did there?) before Akron finally got on the board. Dan "I got a" LeFevour tossed four TD's and rushed for 140 yards and another 2 TD's on the ground. Central Michigan outgained Akron 523 to 196 and the most telling stat of the day: Akron was 1-12 on third down conversions. Yeah, it was total domination.
Next up: Ohio

Syracuse (2-3)

South Florida QB B.J. Daniels hit Carlton Mitchell with an 85-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half to break open a one-point game. Syracuse actually outgained the Bulls 344 – 333 but Greg Paulus threw an eye scorching 5 interceptions one of which was returned for a TD by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. 'Cuse wide receiver Mike Williams had a big day catching 13 passes for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns but it wasn't enough to overcome the 5 picks as South Florida held on for the 34-20 victory.
Next up: West Virginia

Temple (2-2)

Don't look now but Temple has the best record of all the PSU cupcakes after beating Eastern Michigan 24 – 12 Saturday. Temple jumped out to a 21-0 lead mainly on the legs of RB Bernard Pierce who had a great day rushing for 180 yards on 25 carries with two first quarter touchdowns. It was all the Temple defense would need as the Owls held the Eagles to 50 yards rushing on 29 attempts for a miniscule 1.7 yards per rush. Eastern Michigan used the shotgun approach to offense. That's shotgun as in the gun and not the formation. The Eagles threw to 8 different receivers but managed only 230 yards in the air with no touchdowns and 1 interception. Temple is now 2-0 in the MAC conference and get a winless Ball State next.
Next up: Ball State

Iowa (5-0)
Another game another head-scratching ending for Iowa. After taking a commanding 21-7 lead to begin the 4th quarter the Hawkeyes threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and gave up another late but the comeback fell short as Iowa held on for the 24-21 victory over Arkansas State. The INT aside, Ricky Stanzi had a career high 296 yards and three touchdowns including two to WR Marvin McNutt who finished with 121 of those yards. Iowa outgained the Red Wolves 420 yards to 296 and start out 5-0 for the first time under Ferentz. The last time Iowa started out 5-0 was in 1995, when they promptly dropped 4 in a row to end the season at 8-4. Just sayin'.
Next Up: Michigan

Former Foes: the odds & ends edition

Time for one final look back at Penn State's past competition. Most of the our former foes have already hung it up for the season but a few were in action last week and there was at least on important game on the schedule. So how did the few teams on our previous schedule fare?

Oregon State (8-4)

Oregon State was riding a 7-game win streak into a home game against bitter in-state rival Oregon with the dreams of a Rose Bowl berth and rematch with Penn State riding in the balance. Masters of their own destiny, win and the Beavers were in, lose and rest slim hopes on UCLA beating USC the following week. Yeah, things didn't turn out so well. It was a one-sided demolition as the Bruins Ducks scored the first touchdown and the game was never closer than an early 3 point lead which ballooned into a 65-38 beatdown. Oregon rang up 694 yards of total offense with a decent balance of 385 yards on the ground and 309 yards through the air. Oregon State turned the ball over 4 times (2 ints, 2 fumbles) and couldn't keep pace. Oregon had two running backs over the century mark paced by Jeremiah Johnson who rushed for 227 yards on only 12 carries. The Beavers now have to pray that UCLA can pull off a big upset and take down the unstoppable Trojans who would eat your children if they could because they are such a kick-ass team and don't deserve to be in the Rose Bowl because it's way beneath them and it's almost like a prison sentence for them, hell they may just throw the game (HT: RUTS at BSD) just so they don't have to play in the Rose Bowl, because they like… own it and stuff.

The ironic part is that whoever winds up as the Big 12's third-place team -- Texas, Texas Tech or Oklahoma* -- will probably provide a better game than Penn State. By beating the Bruins, the Trojans actually condemn themselves to a lesser bowl opponent.

Syracuse (3-9)

How did the Orange celebrate their shocking last minute upset victory over Notre Dame? By going out and laying an egg against Cincinnati in a 30-10 loss. To be fair, Cincinnati is the Big East champ (stop chuckling they are). The Beerguts er… Bearcats nearly doubled the Orange in yardage (412-211) and held Syracuse to only 59 (!) yards passing. On the bright side of things, Orange running back Curtis Brinkley finished his career with more rushing yards (2,132) than Jim Brown (2,091). Gotta say that's impressive.

Temple (5-7)

The owls finished out their season with the most wins since 1990 beating it's-only-Akron 27-6. Temple finished 2^nd in the MAC east division at 4-4, winning 4 games in conference play for the second consecutive year. If you think back to the two crushing losses to Connecticut and Buffalo, games that temple lost on the last play of the game, if Temple wins those two they are a bowl team. Al Golden definitely has this team pointed in the right direction. With 10:15 remaining Akron tied the game but Temple went on to score 21 points over the final 8 minutes paced by senior quarterback Adam DiMichele who ran for a team-best 57 yards with 2 TD's and passed for 220.

Former Foes: the extreme schadenfreude edition

Time, once again, for our weekly look back at Penn State's past competition and see how they are faring after getting beat by the Nittany Lions. How is Coastal Carolina doing anyway?

Coastal Carolina (4-6)

Bye

Next up: Gardner-Webb

Oregon State (5-3)

Oregon State intercepted a 2-point conversion attempt with 21 seconds left to preserve a 27-25 victory over Arizona State. OSU backup quarterback Sean Canfield threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns replacing starter Lyle Moevao who left in the second quarter with a sore shoulder. The Beavers' Pac-10 leading rusher Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 133 yards and his brother James had 8 catches for 102 yards.

Next up: UCLA

Syracuse (2-6)

Holly Crap Syracuse won a game!!! 'Cuse running back Curtis Brinkley broke the Syracuse single-season record of consecutive 100-yard rushing games in a 28-21 victory over Louisville. Brinkley rushed for a career-best 166 yards and a touchdown. The Orange scored a touchdown in each quarter and outrushed Louisville 207 to 137.

Next up: Rutgers

Temple (3-6)

Temple led Navy by 20 points with 13:41 to play in the fourth quarter. And lost. In overtime. This is the third loss on the final play of the game for Temple, if Al Golden isn't on suicide watch… well, he should be. Erstwhile Penn State recruit and Owl starting QB Adam DiMichele completed 21 of his 28 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. But he lost. In overtime.

Next up: Kent State Golden Flashes

Illinois (5-4)

Iowa trailed Illinois the entire game until 2:46 of the fourth quarter when RB Shonn Greene tied the score at 24 with a 5-yard touchdown run. But Juice Williams, erratic for most of the game, put together the best drive of day covering twelve plays and 51 yards in 2:22 that ended in a 46-yard field goal for the victory. The Fighting Zookers' defense held Greene in check until the fourth quarter as Illinois was outrushed 138 to 60.

Next up: Western Michigan

Purdue (3-6)

Against Michigan's defense Purdue's third string quarterback who was a second string running back passed for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns, the last coming with 26 seconds left on a hook-and-lateral from Greg Orton to Desmond Tardy…

Excuse me for a minute.

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!! HAHAHAHA!

HA!

Next up: Michigan State

Wisconsin (4-5)

The Badger defense shut down Javon Ringer and two Wisconsin running backs had over 100 yards but a 44-yard field goal with 7 seconds left gave Michigan State a 25-24 victory. Wisconsin led the entire game and outgained Michigan State 430 to 312 but the Spartans would not go away. Brett Swenson had four field goals two over 40 yards in the fourth quarter alone, to keep pace and set up the last second heroics.

Next up: Indiana

Michigan (2-7)

Hook and LATERAL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 26 seconds!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAA!!!!

Next up: Minnesota

Ohio State (7-2)

Yes they're still 7-2 they decided to take a week off just like Penn State.

Next up: Northwestern

Come to think of it... maaaayybbee laughing Jesus was a bit over the top.

Former Foes: the bye week edition

Time, once again, for our weekly look back at Penn State's past competition and see how they are faring after getting beat by the Nittany Lions. How is Temple doing anyway?

Coastal Carolina (4-5)

The Chicken let a 21-14 lead mid way through the third quarter and a 24-21 fourth quarter lead slip away as they lost to Stony Brook 28-24. The Chanticleers gave the game away coughing up the ball four times. Coastal fumbled the opening kickoff to the Seawolves (wait, what? Stony Brook = Seawolves, Coastal Carolina = Chicken? What?!??). The loss moves the Chants to 0-3 in Big South play. Quarterback Zack MacDowall passed for 306 yards and 2 TD's.

Next up: BYE

Oregon State (4-3)

BYE

Next up: Arizona State travels to Corvallis for a Homecoming game

Syracuse (1-6)

BYE

Next up: Louisville

Temple (3-5)

For three quarters the Temple Owls didn't score a point and in the second and third quarters combined they had 6 yards of total offense. But down 10-0 in the 4^th quarter Temple scored two late touchdowns to walk away with a 14-10 victory. Freshman running back Kee-ayre Griffin scored to make the score 10-7 and Ohio fumbled the ball back to Temple two possessions later. QB Adam DiMichele, who returned from a shoulder injury, found WR Bruce Francis in the back of the endzone for a 5 yard go-ahead touchdown.

Next up: at Navy

Illinois (4-4)

The fighting Zookers allowed Wisconsin to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 17-17 tie. It was Wisconsin's first Big Ten victory as Badger quarterback Dustin Sherer threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns and running back John Clay ran for 93 yards. Illini quarterback Juice Williams was held in check throwing for a respectable 221 yards and 2 touchdowns but rushing for only 17 yards on 8 carries. Neither of these two teams can find an identity.

Next up: The Illini take on Shonn Greene and the Iowa Hawkeyes, good luck with that

Purdue (2-6)

Another game for Purdue and another four turnovers. The Boilermakers were held to 226 yards of offense and two field goals in a 17-6 loss to Minnesota. Purdue threw two interceptions and fumbled twice. How bad is it for Purdue? When quarterback Curtis Painter was knocked out of the game in the first quarter his replacement was Justin Siller who was a running back until a week ago. Yeah, that bad.

Next up: Purdue travels to Ann Arbor for a noon pillow fight with Michigan (first one to 3 wins)

Wisconsin (4-4)

Beat Illinois (see above)

Next up: Wisconsin travels to Spartaaaaaaaaaan!! Stadium to take on Michigan State

Michigan (2-6)

Michigan State rolled up 473 yards of total offense and Spartan quarterback Brian Hoyer finished with 282 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even more alarming for Wolverine fans are the big plays the defense surrendered (61 and 50 yard pass and 64 yard rush). Michigan's defense seems to be getting worse as the season continues. Michigan needs to win all four of their remaining games to be bowl eligible and… that ain't happenin'. Don't worry Wolverine fans we know how u feel, TRUST ME, we know how you feel.

Next up: Purdue

Former Foes

Coastal Carolina (4-4)

The rooster beat North Carolina Central 35-10 under the arm of quarterback Zach McDowall who threw for three touchdowns. Coastal rolled to a 28-3 halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way. They held N. C. Central to 215 total yards and only 39 yards rushing.

Next up: The Chanticleers return home to host Stony Brook

Oregon State (4-3)

Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao completed 18 of 22 passes and only had one incompletion in the first half of OSU's 34-13 pounding of Washington. Brothers Jacquizz and James Rodgers combined for 208 yards on just 23 carries. The elder Rogers (James) had 108 of Oregon State's 194 total yards in the first half.

Next up: The Beavers take on Arizona State on Nov. 1^st

Syracuse (1-6)

The Orange were held to 230 yards of total offense while South Florida racked up almost 500 yards in a 45-13 blowout. It's so bad that the Syracuse official site talked up the fortunes of their kicker. The lone bright spot for the 'cuse was running back Curtis Brinkley who ran for 116 yards on 20 carries and the team's only touchdown.

Next up: The Orange get a week off and will face Louisville on Nov. 1^st

Temple (2-5)

Off

Next up: Temple takes on Ohio tonight on ESPN2

Illinois (4-3)

Indiana was without their entire offense because Kellen Lewis did not play and the Fighting Zookers took advantage dismantling the Hoosiers 55-13. True freshman running back Jason Ford rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns and Juice Williams was 16 of 22 for 271 yards and three touchdowns through the air, 130 of that to Arrelious Benn. Illinois jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead and never looked back holding the Lewis-less Hoosiers to just 313 total yards.

Next up: The Fighting [non-offensive mascots] head to Wisconsin to take on the non-offensive Badgers.

Purdue (2-5)

Against Northwestern, Purdue managed to turn a 12 point halftime deficit into a 22 point loss. In other words: Purdue really sucks. Even though they outgained the Wildcats (466-451) quarterback Curtis Painter threw three costly interceptions and Purdue had 5 turnovers all together and 9 penalties didn't help either. Running back Kory Sheets had another big day rushing for 169 yards on only 17 carries.

Next up: The boilermakers take on Minnesota.

Wisconsin (3-4)

The downward death spiral that is the Wisconsin's football season continues unabated as the Badgers lost to Iowa 38-16. Iowa's Shonn Greene carried 25 times for 217 yards and four touchdowns and Wisconsin quarterbacks combined for 3 interceptions. The P.J. Hill disappearing act also continues as he managed just 34 yards rushing.

Next up: Homecoming against Illinois and the Juice Williams show.

Former Foes

Coastal Carolina (3-2)

Now: Coastal Carolina won their third game in a row by beating North Carolina A&T 20-7. Coastal got on the board early converting an interception on A&T's 8 yard line into a 7-0 lead. North Carolina never lead in the game as the Chanticleers stretched a 10-7 halftime lead into a 20-7 victory with two 7 play drives that ended in a field goal and touchdown to seal the deal. Quarterback William Richardson scored both of Coastal's touchdowns on runs of 1 yard and 22 yards as Coastal did most of the damage on the ground (243 yards).
Next up: The Chicken returns home to open Big South Conference action, hosting defending champion Liberty (4-0).

Oregon State (2-2)

Now: Yeah, they beat some team named USC. Here's an interesting stat: Oregon State beat the No. 3 team (USC) in the country in 2006, the No. 2 (California) in 2007 and the No. 1 (USC) in 2008. Dating back to 2006 the Beavers are 5-2 against AP top 25 teams. I'll just reiterate the best quote I heard about this game which came from RUTS over at BSD – The Nittany Lions get a quality win without playing.
Next Up: Oregon State takes on 15^th ranked Utah (5-0) on Thursday night (again).

Syracuse (1-4)

Now: Pitt scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to break a tie and held on to beat the Orange 34-24. Syracuse cornerback Mike Holmes returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and running back Curtis Brinkley ran the ball 16 times for 119 yards. Quarterback Cam Dantley threw for two scores but the defense left the Orange down again giving up 407 yards. Pitt running back LeSean McCoy ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers averaged over 5 yards per rushing attempt.
Next Up: The 'cuse travel to Morgantown to take on West Fucking Virginia on Noon Saturday.

Temple (1-4)

Now: Temple likes making a habit out of losing close games as the Owls fell to Western Michigan 7-3 (yes I typed that right it 7 to freakin' 3). The story of the game: Temple had an interception return to the Western Michigan 5 yard line and a 50 yard James Nixon touchdown both called back on holding penalties. The two teams combined for 18 penalties for 133 yards. Yuck.
Next Up: Temple travels to Yager (did somebody say Jager!?!) stadium to take on Miami (of the Ohio variety).

Former Foes

Now that we have three games in the bucket it's time to bring out TNL's wildly popular (read: my mom likes it) look at past acquaintances and see how they are doing.

Coastal Carolina (1-2)

Now: After suffering a tough loss to Colgate, the Chicken bounced back and pounded winless Monmouth 26-7 Saturday afternoon. The Chanticleers opened up a 20-0 advantage at halftime and finished with 416 yards of offense. Quarterback Zach MacDowell completed 17 of his 26 pass attempts for 223 yards and a touchdown to earn him Big South Offensive Player of Week honors. He diversified his output, throwing to eight different receivers on the day. Next up: the chicken return home to take on Towson who also has an equally unimpressive 1-2 record.

Oregon State (1-2)

Now: Also sitting at 1-2 are the Beavers of Oregon State after they manhandled Hawai'i 45-7 Saturday afternoon. OSU was able to return to more of a balanced attack then previous weeks rushing for 217 yards and throwing for 268, while rolling up 485 yards of total offense. True freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers finished with 110 yards rushing, his first 100 yard game, and quarterback Lyle Moevao completed 20 of 34 passes for 268 yards, tossing 3 touchdowns and running for another. Wide Receivers Shane Morales and Sammie Stroughter each caught 5 passes and a touchdown. Next Up: Oregon State gets a deserved week off. How so, you ask? Because a week from Thursday USC comes to town and anyone deserves a week off to prepare for that buzz saw.

Former Foes

I'm on vacation today so don't expect big things. If I feel motivated maybe I'll do some things later in the day but don't bet the farm on it. But I'm not completely leaving you out to dry – for your reading pleasure here is this week's Former Foes.

Florida International (0-6)

The Airport didn't lose last week because they had a bye. You don't have to look FIU is still one of the worst teams in College Football. Florida International takes on Louisiana-Monroe this week.

Notre Dame (1-6)

Speaking of bad teams, Notre Dame rallied from a 20-0 deficit midway through the third quarter of their game with Boston College, scoring touchdowns 95 seconds apart to close the gap to 20-14. Evan Sharpley threw a 19-yard touchdown pass and linebacker Brian Smith returned an interception for a touchdown. But after an excessive celebration penalty and a decent kick return gave the Eagles the ball in Notre Dame territory at the 44. Five plays later quarterback Matt Ryan had Boston College back on top for good with a 13-yard touchdown to make it 27-14, the final score. Boston College outgained ND 459 to 222 as Ryan threw for almost 300 yards. The quarterback everyone loves to hate Jimmy Clausen was an ineffective 11 of 29 for 124 yards. Notre Dame welcomes USC this week for a 3:30 game.

Buffalo (3-4)

Running back James Starks ran for 244 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Drew Willy threw 2 touchdowns in Buffalo's 43 to 33 victory over Toledo. The bulls led 36-19 at the break after wild 55-point first half that included four scoring plays of 30 yards or more, two blocked extra points, a recovered fumble for a touchdown and a safety. Starks first carry went 45 yards for a touchdown and early in the forth with only a 10-point lead Starks broke off a 36-yard touchdown run to seal the game. Buffalo has won two straight and take on Syracuse this weekend.

Michigan (5-2)

The Wolverines finally beat a team that runs the spread when they toppled Purdue 48-21 last week. Mike Hart and Mario Manningham each scored two touchdowns in the first half to take a 31-7 lead at the break. Hart ran for 102 yards in the first half but did not play after an apparent ankle injury and backup Brandon Minor went down as well. Third string running back Carlos Brown scored twice early in the fourth quarter to take a demanding 48-7 lead. Purdue's running game was non-existent making them a predictable one dimensional team. Purdue hasn't won at Michigan Stadium since 1966. The Wolverines take on the Zooker's Illini Saturday at 8:00.

Illinois (5-2)
Iowa (3-4)

Quarterback Eddie McGee threw a devastating interception in the end zone with 1:12 left in the game to seal a 10 – 6 loss to Iowa last Saturday. Running back Albert Young rushed for 99 yards and Quarterback Jake Christensen threw for 182 yards and a touchdown to end Iowa's eight game Big Ten losing streak. Iowa's defense held the nation's fifth-ranked rushing attack to 137 yards on 35 attempts and 24 points below their season average. McGee threw an apparent 83 yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter but it was called back on a penalty.

Former Foes

In times like this it's best to get back to basics… do what you do best, worry about details and all those other motivational trinkets. With that it's time to bring back "Former Foes" – a retrospective look at the schedule. After all, those that don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

Florida International (0-4)

Unbeaten Kansas (yeah, I didn't believe it either here's proof) pummeled the Airport 55-3. KU QB Todd Reesing threw for 368 yards while the Jayhawks amassed 615 yards of offense on FIU. The Airport could only manage 255 yards and gave up a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown. How bad is FIU? Their closest game was a 14 point loss to Miami(of the Florida variety) and ESPN has them listed as the worst team in football. For the year the Airport has been outscored 163 – 22.

Notre Dame (0-4)
Brian Hoyer threw four touchdown passes and Javon Ringer rushed for 144 yards to lead Michigan State to a 31-14 victory over Notre Dame last Saturday. It wasn't all bad news for the Irish they did finally finish with positive rushing yards and managed to score their first offensive touchdowns of the year. Yeah that was dripping with sarcasm, Notre Lame is really bad this season and could be looking down the barrel of a 0-8 start when Navy finally comes to town on November 3^rd. Notre Dame is dead last in Rushing and total offense and 117^th in Passing O. On the year the Fightless Irish have been outscored 103 – 27; are we noticing a trend here?

Buffalo (1-3)

Buffalo fell to Baylor, 34-21, committing a season-high five turnovers, three of which were converted into 13 Baylor points on Saturday. Baylor (3-1), which came into the game averaging 335 yards passing and only 59 yards rushing per game, rushed 42 times for 229 yards while only passing for 172 yards. The Bulls did recover an onside kick down 34-21 with 1:21 remaining but the game ended on a Drew Willy interception. Hey, at least Buffalo has a win and an offense with a pulse.

For the season Penn State's former opponents are being outscored 390-139 almost 3 to 1. So the question remains is Penn State's defense that good or are the Nittany Lions' opponents that bad?