Game 5 Recap: Penn State 38, Illinois 24

The stage was set. 8 pm. Full stadium white-out. The first conference game. The first real test.

There was a solid amount of hype surrounding this game during the week, but the contest lived up to all of it. It was great to watch. And on a day where it seemed like every ranked team lost, the team stepped up in big moments to hold off a very game Illinois squad. Onto the recap...

1st Quarter

The Lions received the opening kick-off and after standing around for a couple seconds, AJ Wallace was tackled at the PSU 11. What a return.

As the offense trotted onto the field, everyone was reminded that PSU has something called the Spread HD offense. Tonight would probably be the first night we'd see it really opened up since every game up to this point was a blow out. So on the big stage against a conference foe, the anticipation was pretty high as we waited to see what they would do.

Five plays. Twelve yards. Punt. D'oh.

The punt was short so the Illini started at their own 40 and quickly took advantage. A fourteen yard pass to Michal Hoomanawanu got the drive moving. Then Daniel Dufrene took the ball 30 yards down to the Lions 15 yard line. After that, it was a 13 yard strike to Arrelious Benn that got the ball to the 2 yard line. Two plays later and Jason Ford punched it in.

0-7

And for the first time this season, PSU trailed.

Now, if you questioned the offense after the first drive, you would get your answers from the second.

After a short run by Royster and a four yard gain by Williams on a swing pass, Clark completed an 8 yard pass to Graham Zug to get the chains moving. First down, and Graham Zug gets the coolest name award.

Cue the music, ooooh, oh oh oh ooooooo-oooo

We don't even like the White Stripes, but listen to it as you read on.

After that, it was an option to Royster who took it for 12 yard.

White Stripes.

Clark held on to the ball this time and took it for 15.

ooooh, oh-oh-oh ooooooh oooooh

After running an option hand-off and then the option keeper, Clark faked the hand-off, acted like it was another keeper, then found a wide-open Deon Butler. 19 more yards.

GOTO: White Stripes.

The next play, Royster broke one off for 11 yards. He was tripped up and barely taken down, or he would have just taken it in himself.

MORE WHITE STRIPES

Feeling the heat, the Illini jumped offsides while standing at their own 1 yard line. Half the distance closer, Clark took it on on the QB sneak.

And for the first time tonight, the band plays something other than the White Stripes.

7-7

The ensuing kick-off would be out of bounds. Thanks Kevin Wagner..

Starting at their own forty, the Illini got things moving right away. Dufrene took one up the middle for 7 yards and you thought "oh no, not again," but then Jared Odrick stuffed Juice on a QB keeper.

Unfortunately, Juice could not be contained as he ran for 10 yards on the play after that, and then passed for another 8 on the play after that.

There were two short gains after that, one of them the result of a nice play by Navorro Bowman when he came from the outside and chased down Juice in the backfield.

After gaining a first down on the second of those short runs, Zook told the boys to go for blood. Juice laid one up for Arrelious Benn and he made a ridiculous play to catch the ball about 5 feet out of bounds. You hate to see it against you, but you have to admit it was a hell of a play.

7-14

Two drives for the Illini and they have 2 touchdowns. Not the kind of thing you want to see, but keep in mind that they started with excellent field position both times. We don't want to make excuses for the defense but it's always tougher on you when the other team has the field cut in half. It also hurts when Arrelious keeps making ridiculous plays.

After the kick-off, Clark opened things up with another QB keeper. You knew the play was screwed up as soon as they ran it, but it got even worse when you saw the ball pop out. You never want to see that when the ball is inside your own red zone.

Kirk Herbstreit was all over it though and called for the review. The refs go upstairs, call over-turned. It hurt to watch that play over a couple times because you hate to see Clark get jacked up like that.

The next play, a pass to Andrew Quarless, was a thing of beauty. He catches the ball in traffic, then breaks two tackles and gains an extra 7 or 8 yards, for a total of 14.

Clark found Williams in space on the next play, and he turned it into a 19 yard play. Cue the White Stripes.

Knowing they have a good thing going, Galen Hall calls for the end-around to Williams. 6 more yards.

Evan Royster got a small gain on a run then Clark ran one and got horse-collared. +15 yards.

The next play would be what everyone was hoping for when we started hearing all about this Spread HD business. Clark, Williams and Royster set up in the shotgun. Clark fakes the hand-off to Williams who takes off on a wheel-route. Clark takes off like it's another one of those keepers that had been killing the Illini. Everyone commits.

Over the top to Williams, that's 6.

14-14

Kevin Kelly kicked off, the Illini ran one play and the FIRST QUARTER ended.
That's nuts.

A ton of action for one quarter and you knew you were in for a wild one.

When was the last time you had this much fun watching a Penn State offense? Every play it seemed like a dozen different things could happen. Clark had options on every play and at different times, each option worked. A couple keepers turned out well, Williams and Royster broke off some big runs on option plays and Butler was the recipient of a long pass made possible because of an option play. They even got the tight ends involved. There's always going to be skeptics, but you have to think a lot of them will shut up after that quarter.

2nd Quarter

The Illini started their third drive of the game at their own 20 after a touchback.

Juice and company got a quick first down on back to back running plays, but then shot themselves in the foot with huge holding penalties. Before you knew it, it was third and 24.

Juice threw an incompletion, and the drive was over. Punt.

The Lions started at their own drive and Clark quickly converted a 24 yard pass play to Deon Butler. A short run by Green, followed by a 9 yard pass to Williams, got the Lions to the 22.

A Clark got four more yards, then a 16 yard pass to Royster got them to the Illini 5.

Inside the red zone, who you gonna put your money on?
Derrick Williams.

End-around, touchdown.

Odd celebration.

21-14

The Lions lead, and order is restored.

The Illini drive started off with a 1 yard run by Juice.

It ended with an interception by Scirrotto.

The receiver was thankful he didn't catch it.

The action of the first quarter could not be duplicated, as both teams finished the half with short drives that never got beyond 5 or 6 plays. If you were looking for something good, the Lions defense was finally shutting down the Illini. If you were looking to be more negative, you're probably wondering why the Lions couldn't move the ball anymore. They seemed to try and commit to the run a bit more in the second, but it just wasn't working out for them.

One play of note was that Maurice Evans, fresh off suspension, got a sack on a play that effectively ended any chance of Illinois scoring late in the half.

We think he's an idiot, but if he's going to be out there taking time away from someone who is capable of keeping himself straight and dedicating themself to to the team, then he better make a play.

-Halftime-

Halftime is sandwich time.

3rd Quarter

The first half was one helluva half of football, but Penn State was only up 7. It was Illinois’ ball to start the 2nd half, and the Lions would be in good shape if they could get a stop on defense.

It was the Juice show on offense, as Williams ran twice for 5 and 14 yards, and then completed a short pass on first down. Benn was stuffed on a run and Juice took off for a 7-yard rush on 3rd down. He came up two yards shy of the first down, and Illinois inexplicably calls a QB sneak on 4th and 2. Not surprisingly, they got stuffed and it was Penn State ball.

After a short run on first down, Royster got things rolling by breaking off a 37 yard run on the next play. On first and goal from the 8, Galen Hall evokes the Penn State playbook of old and calls 3 run plays that go nowhere and we settled for a field goal.

24-14

After the field goal, we had flashbacks to the Morelli era when we could never put up 6 from within the red zone.

We're trying to forget moments like these.

After hyperventilating for a couple minutes after those thoughts, we woke up and remembered we have a good offense.

Illinois came out on their next possession determined to ram the ball down the collective throat of the Lions D. And they succeeded. They ran the ball 11 straight times to set up a 3rd and 6 at the Penn State 16, as Lions fans everywhere banged their heads against a wall. But when the Illini needed a big pass play, they could not get one, as A.J. Wallace made a nice play to deflect a pass in the end zone.

We were pumped.

And then Matt Eller steps up and promptly pushes a 33-yard field goal attempt wide right.

We were euphoric.

One play later, Stephfon Green fumbles and Illinois recovers.

We were stunned.

Luckily Juice and the Illini couldn’t pick up a first down. Eller comes out for another field goal try, this time from 43. And this time it was good.

24-17

The field goal ended the 3rd quarter, and Illinois was still down only 7.

4th Quarter

Illinois had just gotten to within a touchdown. It was the start of the 4th Quarter. Everyone was feeling nervous. The kickoff is short and takes a little roll. Derrick Williams picks it up. Past the first wave. Gets some room. Kicker gets put on his ass.

He's gone.

Bedlam.

31-17

Whether you were in your house, at a bar, or at the stadium, you and those around you were going fucking nuts after that return. D-Will puts a huge exclamation point on his stellar night and the Lions were up by 2 scores. But almost just as quickly, things turned for the worse again.

Illinois got the ball back, and after a couple runs and a first down, Williams found a wiiiiide open Arrelious Benn for a 54-yard touchdown strike.

31-24

What was even worse is that it seemed like Benn just dragged a couple guys for the last 15 yards into the end zone. D-Will's return was erased just like that.

The Lions could've said, "Shit, they just keep coming," and let bad things get worse. But they responded exactly how they needed to. Clark orchestrated a brilliant drive, hitting Williams twice for completions, ripping off a huge 22-yard run, and finding Quarless in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown.

38-24

As many big plays as there were Saturday evening, that drive as a whole was the biggest. You could feel the collective air going out of the Illinois sideline, and you knew the game was as good as over. And it was. Finally.

The teams traded three-and-outs, and Illinois made one last push. But after 8 plays and 34 yards, Juice's 4th and 8 pass attempt was no good and Penn State got the ball back for the final time. Royster salted it away.

Game.

38-24

3 Big Stat Lines

• Derrick Williams: 6 rec, 75 yds, 1 TD (receiving); 6 carries, 33 yds, 1 TD (rushing); 94-yard kickoff return for TD
  
• Daryl Clark: 14-20, 181 yds, 2 TD (passing); 11 carries, 62 yds, 1 TD (rushing)
  
• Evan Royster: 19 carries, 139 yds (rushing); 2 rec, 23 yds (receiving)
  

Our Quick Thoughts On The Game:

• The Beav was rockin' all night. Good job by the night-game fans as always.
• We counted throughout the game, and Illinois ran the option 723 times.
  
• The defense gave up a lot of yardage and some big plays, but they also got stops when they needed to.
• Outstanding pick by Scirrotto.
• Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma combined for 7 tackles and 5 bowls smoked during the game.
• Arrelious Benn is pretty freaking good.
• Williams' kickoff return was undoubtedly the moment of the season so far.
• A good win, but things really need to tighten up, especially on D.
• How Michigan ever scored 27 points is completely beyond us, but hey, thanks for knocking off Wisconsin.
  

Penn State Player(s) of the Game: Wide Receiver Derrick Williams
This was the game we've all been waiting for from Williams since he was a freshman phenom and we thought he'd change the makeup of the team. With Norwood out with a hamstring injury, Williams did exactly what a team leader needs to do: he stepped up and destroyed the other team. As if a receiving and rushing touchdown weren't good enough, he made every Penn State fan across the nation jump for joy (not to mention absolutely setting the Beav on fire) when he brought back a kickoff for 94 yards and a touchdown to start the 4th. Awesome moment. We'll see how he performs the rest of the year, but for now, that was an amazing performance.

Any time you're the first person to do anything in the Joe Paterno era (a rushing, receiving and returning TD), you've done something special.

Illinois Player of the Game: Quarterback Juice Williams
The Juice was as good as advertised early, as he led the offensive unit down the field for touchdowns on the first two Illini possessions. He was running the team well and making it look relatively easy. However, he couldn't make plays with his arm in the big moments of the game, and he threw a huge pick in the 2nd Quarter with his team down 7. Still, he had a great game, with 183 passing yards to go with 76 yards on the ground. He put the team on his shoulders as much as he could, but it wasn't enough. A solid effort nonetheless.

Quite the shake-up

What a game last night. What a weekend!

We're working on our recap at the moment but we thought since there's probably at least one of you out there refreshing constantly waiting for an update (thanks, Dad!), that we'd give you something.

Here, folks, is your new top 10:

1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. LSU
4. Missouri
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Texas Tech
8. BYU
9. USC
10. South Florida

Full rankings here: Rivals.

So much movement we can't even keep track.

Game 5 Preview: Illinois @ Penn State

Gametime: 8:00 pm

Records: Penn State: 4-0, Illinois: 2-1

Series Record: Penn State leads, 12-3

TV: ABC

Audio: Here

Weather: Cloudy with showers (40% chance), high of 70

The wait is over folks. Sure, we were all excited when the season kicked off against Coastal Carolina. But when you’re playing weak teams, the non-conference schedule is like preseason hockey: you’re excited it’s back but it’s just not quite the real thing.

This weekend is the real thing. Not only is it the conference opener for our beloved Nittany Lions, but it’s a night game, its on national TV, and oh yeah, it’s at the Beav (which will be rocking). If you’re going to the game, kudos, and send us some pictures/leave some comments about the experience. If you’re not, get your ass to a TV and watch this one. If you’re not pumped up about this, you may never be.

Now let’s break things down:

PSU Offense vs. Illinois Defense
Going into this weekend, we’d give the edge to Penn State’s offense against almost any team in the land. Until the offensive unit (hahaha, offensive unit) cools off, we have no reason to believe they won’t put up some big numbers. Daryl Clark will continue to lead the conference’s top scoring offense this weekend against the Illini, and he has so many weapons around them that he really just needs to stay calm and not make mistakes. Clark’s done a fine job in pressure situations (not that we’ve had that many) as Penn State leads the conference in third down conversion percentage (57.7%). If he can scramble out of a couple sticky situations and not make mistakes in the passing game, the team should be in fine shape.

But what about those weapons? Well we all feel good about the receivers at this point. Norwood and Butler have been stellar so far and Derrick Williams is always a threat to take one to the house. But the key to this contest will be the running game. As long as the Lions establish the run early to set up the pass, they should be fine. And the way the O-line is playing, that shouldn’t be asking too much. Royster and Green have combined for 167 yards per game and 11 TDs so far, and the offense will rely on them to both set the tone early and salt the game away late. We’re looking for Royster especially to have a big game. He’s left opponents in the dust all year, and even Usain Bolt can’t help but be impressed:

Don't showboat next time.

As for the Illini defense, saying that they haven’t been stout is an understatement. They’re currently dead last in the conference in scoring defense and next to last in rushing yards allowed per game. Now when you give up 52 points and a billion yards to Missouri, then your averages are going to look bad. But we’re particularly intrigued by the rushing yards per game. If Illinois’ D-line can’t handle the load early on, it could be a long night for them.

As much as its been troubled early on, the Illini D has some fine players. Their linebacking corps is very solid, and senior Brit Miller leads the Big11Ten with 12 tackles per game. Vontae Davis is a shutdown corner in the backfield, and since the beat-down against Mizzo, Illinois has done a better job on pass D. But will Davis have enough help to handle Penn State’s triple threat? We think not.


PSU Defense vs. Illinois Offense

We believe there's a cliche for this. Something about unstoppable forces and immovable objects? We can't remember exactly how it goes, but it applies to this, we think.
When the Illini come to Happy Valley next week it's going to be the number two scoring offense in the Big11Ten versus the number two scoring defense. Illinois is averaging 36.3 points per game, while Penn State is allowing 10. Their scoring is largely lead by Juice Williams, who is rushing for an average of 73 ypg and throwing for another 240.7. He has also accounted for nine touchdowns, including two of their five rushing touchdowns.

Fortunately for Penn State, Juice has already thrown five picks in the first three games. We're pretty confident we'll see numbers six and seven this weekend.

Also fortunate is that Rashard Mendenhall will be suiting up Monday night to play for the Steelers (fortunate for Ravens fans, that is) and not this coming Saturday. Mendenhall's replacement, Daniel Dufrene, does seem capable though. He's averaging 6.7 yards per carry and 100 yards per game. His workload has been light, only fifteen carries per game, but he's been up to the task when he's been given the ball.

The Illini will also bring Aurelius Benn to town. We're pretty sick of seeing that clip of him breaking 15 tackles on the way to the end zone last year, so hopefully the Lions find a way to hold him back.

Illinois brings a solid offense to town, but how will they handle a real defense? Missouri allowed them to put up 530 yards, which has really sort of skewed the stats for Illini. After that 451 yard passing performance for Juice, he only passed for 124 and 175 in the next two games, against bad teams. While it seems like the offense is nice and balanced, we think that if the Lions can put the clamp on Juice, there shouldn't be too much else they can do to move the ball. As Juice goes, so go the Illini. They'll move the ball and they'll score some points, but we feel the defense will make more big plays than their offense and allow the PSU offense (who probably won't see much resistance from the Illini defense) to take the game over.

Illinois Player To Watch: Quarterback Juice Williams
Juice is easily the player with the most pressure on his shoulders for Illinois, as the offense runs almost solely through him. In addition to his passing duties, Williams also has the most carries on the team, and will need to handle that load if running back Daniel Dufrene has a rough time early. It's as simple as this for Penn State's D: stop the Juice, win the game.

Penn State Player(s) To Watch: Offensive Line
If the big guys open up holes early for Royster and Green, look out. If they can control the ground game and protect Clark as well as they have been, the Lions will be in fine shape.

3 Bold Predictions:

• Royster will put up 2 touchdowns
  
• Jordan Norwood will have at least 10 receptions
  
• A blog will make a bad joke after the game combining the words "juice" and "orange", but it won't be this one
  

Other Notes:

• Penn State has won its last 7 at home versus Illinois

Game Prediction: Penn State 37, Illinois 17

Blue & White Roundtable: Week 5

If you couldn't tell by the feel of the questions, the crazy folks at The Nittany Line came up with them this week. Other possible participants:

There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
W. F. Yurasko
Happy Hour Valley
Black Shoe Diaries
Zombie Nation

1. *warning - painfully obvious question alert* Penn State gets its first ‘real’ test this weekend facing a ranked opponent when the Fighting [None-Offensive-Mascot]s come to town. Gaze into your crystal ball and give us a short description on how Saturday night’s events will unfold. Or if you’re lazy just fire up NCAA 2009 and tell us what the Xbox thinks.

This question is painfully obvious. We would have asked the same thing.
The quotations around 'real' are pretty important in this question. What makes the Illini a real test? Just the fact that they're in the Big11Ten?

Ok, so they're a good team. Far and away the best team PSU has played to this point, but they're still a pretty underwhelming squad. Illinois is giving up a ton of yardage and got smoked by the only legit team they've played.

How legit will is Penn State? We might just find out this weekend. We doubt they'll drop 60-something on them like they did in 2005, but we expect a performance significantly better than what we saw last year when Morelli was throwing two picks and the backs struggled to punch the ball in from the two.

We expect the offense to move the ball with little problem and we expect the defense to do enough to stop an offense that has done pretty well do this point. We feel PSU has the edge on both sides of the ball, and should beat the Illini with relative ease.

Upon firing up NCAA 09, however, we discovered the whole team had been suspended for a violation of team rules, so we can't give the virtual report.


2. Saturday’s game is on the big stage at 8:00 with most of the football world watching. It’s a white out and Penn State is favored by two scores (as of Monday). Is this a lose-lose situation (the only way they could look good is by winning big) for Penn State or golden opportunity to show the world what the Spread HD is all about?

Well, we definitely don't think it's a lose-lose situation. Whether Penn State wins big or wins ugly, we don't care, we just want them to win. It's pretty likely that in 8 weeks, no one's gonna care much about the margin of victory in the first conference game.

But if we have to pick, we think this game is more of a golden opportunity. It's on national TV, and it is definitely a good chance to make a statement. The offense has been smoking hot, the defense has been at least very solid, and if the Lions win big, people are going to take notice. We have a feeling that the rest of the country doesn't think to much of the Big11Ten, especially after Ohio State took a big crap in LA a couple weeks ago. So if the team can come out and look like a juggernaut, then maybe people will start to realize this conference isn't all about the Buckeyes.

3. Now that all the fluff questions are out of the way do Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma get significant playing time?

Count us amongst those who are really sick of this story. In our opinion, there's no way these guys should even be practicing. Unless we missed something, weren't they charged with marijuana possession? For the 400th time, we ask, how stupid do you have to be? It's also incredible that Joe isn't being lambasted in the press for letting them back. Doesn't it seem like this was backwards? Shouldn't you stand up for them and let them work with the team when there are no charges and then suspend them when there are?

Perhaps we're being uptight, but that's the way we feel. Of course, the question didn't ask what we thought about it, it just asked if we think they'll get some PT. Our guess is that won't start or see significant action, but will be used in a backup role to spell the others. If they're going to be out there, we hope they play well.


Lightning Round

1. Back in 2007, Illinois Basketball fans made my skull crack open in rage slightly angered me when they befouled the statue of Joe Paterno. Do you hate the Illini like me or not so much?
No. (Hey, until last year, they really sucked, so they weren't really a threat. And we didn't even know we had a basketball team.)

2. It’s a night game please quantify the amount of alcohol you will consume before gametime (if you don’t drink please quantify the amount of fatty foods you will eat).

Have we mentioned our cooker? It makes a lot of food. A lot.



3. Put it on the line – final score: PSU 37, Illinois 17

Looking back at the non-conference schedules

With most teams wrapping up their non-conference play this past weekend, we thought it'd be a good time to stop and take a look at how things went for everyone. Overall, the Big11Ten teams beat who they should have but they also lost when people thought they would, and in the case of Iowa, lost when no one expected them to. It's unfortunate since it probably means we'll have another season (or at least until bowl season) of talk about how average the conference is. If OSU and Purdue beat those Pac-10 teams, it's a different story.

And on to the reviews:

Ohio State: 3-1
How they’ve fared:
Seeing Ohio State go 3-1 isn’t all that surprising- a lot of people figured they’d lose to USC before the season even began. But this has to be the least impressive 3-1 start in the history of college football. After a 43-0 shellacking of Youngstown State, the Buckeyes beat cream puffs Ohio and Troy by only 12 and 18 points respectively. Granted, they didn’t have Beanie Wells for either of those contests, but shouldn’t a consensus top-3 team be able to overcome that a little better against low-level teams?

Looking Ahead:
It’s obvious that the injury to Wells hurt this team, but it’s even more obvious that this was a flawed team to begin with, as Wells would’ve been virtually no help against USC. There are tons of questions marks around the Buckeyes now, as they’ve dropped from #2 in the preseason to #14 currently, good for only third in the conference. Of course, they could still p*ss everyone off by running the table in the Big11Ten and getting back to a BCS bowl. Things start off easy with a home game against Minnesota, but the drama ratchets up quickly as the Bucks head to Camp Randall the week after for a showdown with Wisconsin.


Northwestern: 4-0
How they’ve fared:
If Ohio State’s non-conference performance is the least impressive 3-1 start, this one has to be the least impressive 4-0 start. Northwestern opened the season with a 20-point victory over a Syracuse team that would be relegated at the end of the year if this was European soccer. The Wildcats then barely squeaked by Duke, 24-20. After a 33-7 win over football powerhouse Southern Illinois, they downed that pesky Ohio squad, 16-8, behind four picks from QB C.J. Bacher.

Looking Ahead:
As ugly as these victories were, we can’t criticize too much, because a win is a win after all. Usually Northwestern loses 2 or more of those games, so Wildcat fans (all 20 of them) have to be pleased. But the Big11Ten schedule is much tougher, and Northwestern’s first two games against Iowa and Michigan State will go a long way in showing what kind of team they’ll be in the conference this year. They better start strong, because they close with a trio against Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois.


Indiana: 2-1
How they’ve fared:
Quarterback Kellen Lewis was a beast in the opener, a 31-13 win over Western Kentucky. Lewis had 185 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing, and another 2 touchdowns passing. And after Indiana crushed Murray State 45-3, all was right in Hoosier country. But then Ball State paid a visit to Bloomington this past weekend and just smoked Indiana, hanging a 42-spot on the home team. All we can say is that is embarrassing.

Looking Ahead:
They only have to hit the road four times this year, they have some winnable games and they don’t have to play Ohio State. Indiana can still make a bowl game, but they’re not going to do it with defense. If and when they win, it’s going to be in a shootout.


Illinois: 2-1
How they’ve fared:
Kudos to Illinois for scheduling such a tough game in the first week. Missouri showed it can light up the scoreboard with the best of them by beating the Illini 52-42. We’re just glad we didn’t have to play them. But the opening loss seems to have had some negative effect on the Illini, as their play has been shaky since. They gave up 21 points to Eastern Illinois, and barely squeaked by Louisiana-Lafayette, 20-17.

Looking Ahead:
Well, we couldn’t be happier that Illinois is coming off of a couple questionable performances going into this weekend’s conference opener at the Beav. Their season rests squarely on the shoulders of Juice Williams, who’s been a bit spotty so far. But if Juice plays well and the team comes together, we see no reason Illinois can’t finish the Big11Ten schedule a respectable 6-2.


Iowa: 3-1
How they’ve fared:
Iowa thought they were tough shit, as they rolled through their first three opponents giving up a total of only 8 points and no touchdowns. Unfortunately, they forgot to tell anyone that those three games were against Maine, Florida International and Iowa State. They then went to Pittsburgh (to face a Panthers squad that had real problems scoring in a loss to Bowling Green) and promptly gave up three TDs in a 21-20 loss. Losing to Pitt would suck, but losing by one point would be even worse. We’re just glad it wasn’t us.

Looking Ahead:
We picked Iowa to be one of the worst teams in the Big11Ten before the season began. We may’ve been a little off with that one, but the Hawkeyes still have a lot to prove. They’ll have to step up big in their first three conference games (Northwestern, at Michigan State, at Indiana) because their next three are brutal (Wisconsin, at Illinois, Penn State). We still think bad times are ahead for Herky the Hawk.


Michigan: 1-2
How they've fared:
Through three non-conference games, the mighty Michigan Wolverines were only able to pull out one win, a 16-6 win against Miami(OH). To put that score into perspective a little, Miami allowed to 34, 38 and 45 points to Vanderbilt, Charleston Southern and Cincinnati, respectively. Were the Michigan offensive woes that far understated at the beginning of the season? Michigan lost their opener to Utah by a score of 25-23 and then turned the ball over 6 times on a rainy day in South Bend and lost to the Irish 35-17. That kind of schedule should have been 3 wins for a big time Big11Ten team, but as we all know it's gonna be a rough year for the Wolverines.

Looking Ahead:
Thing's are going to get a lot tougher now, too. Michigan opens Big11Ten play with games at home against two ranked conference foes, Wisconsin and Illinois. After that they get a little bit of a breather (ok maybe not) when they host Toledo. After that it's a game in Happy Valley on October 18th and then 5 straight and 3 on the road against conference teams, closing the season in the Horseshoe. We know things are bad for the Wolverines but we never thought it could be this bad. Is it really possible they've seen their only win for the season? They should win some of those Big11Ten games, but will they?


Michigan State: 3-1
How they've fared:
Michigan State opens the Big11Ten schedule after having beat Notre Dame in the final week of their non-conference schedule. While the win wasn't exactly the pounding that most Spartan fans hoped for, it was convincing enough. They held the Irish to just 7 points while Javon Ringer piled up 201 yards in rushing and two TDs. To sum up their non-conference schedule you could say the Spartans beat who they should have beat. Their one loss is to Cal, who they played on the road, but managed to hang with all game long before the final whistle blew while the score was 38-31.

Looking Ahead:
Michigan State opens their conference schedule with Indiana, a very winnable game. They then follow that up with Iowa and Northwestern, two more winnable games. There's no reason to think they shouldn't be able to build up a little momentum before their big game at home against Ohio State. After seeing what USC did to Ohio State, it'd be easy to say that a lot of other teams should be able to do well, but we don't think Michigan State is one of those teams. Javon Ringer is a beast and all, but wether or not MSU as a team can hang with the big teams in the conference will remain to be seen.


Minnesota: 4-0
How They've Fared:
Minnesota! 4-0! Unlike previous years, Minnesota was able to get through their non-conference schedule unscathed. While not every win was a real pounding, the Gophers did beat such perennial power-houses as Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State and Florida Atlantic. The Gophers are getting stellar play out of quarterback Adam Weber and his number one target Eric Decker, who already has 454 yards receiving. The problem, is that they can't seem to stop anyone, except for Florida Atlantic. During our season previews we said that this wasn't the Gophers year but should go a long way towards seeing what they will be, and if they can find a defense to balance the offense, they should be a good team in the near future.

Looking Ahead:
Unfortunately for the Gophers, their next game is at the Horseshoe. It's likely their 4-game run will end here, so enjoy it while it lasts, Gopher fans. Hockey season is right around the corner though, so that's something positive coming up.
After Ohio State, the Gophers play two of the next three on the road, at Illinois and Purdue after their conference home-opener against Indiana. It will be interesting to see how their offense does against some quality opponents but we're going to stand by our prediction of another poor season in conference play for Minnesota.


Purdue: 2-1
How they've fared:
Purdue beat the soft teams they should have, then put on a show at home against Oregon, taking them into a second overtime before succumbing to a 3 yard run Oregon's LaGarrette Blount. That's his real name.
Purdue led by as many as 17 points before allowing Oregon to come back and tie the game late in the fourth. It would have been a huge win for Purdue and also for the Big11Ten, it's a shame they couldn't pull it out. The Boilermakers passed and rushed for just over 200 yards but allowed Oregon to rush for 306. The balance on offense looks good but that rushing defense just won't cut it.

Looking Ahead:
Purdue travels to Notre Dame next to complete their non-conference schedule before opening Big11Ten play at home against PSU and then traveling to Ohio State. Notre Dame is a joke, but those next two games will be rough. If the Boilermakers don't show up against Notre Dame, they could find themselves in a huge hole after consecutive weeks against PSU and OSU.


Wisconsin: 3-0
How they've fared:
As expected, the Badgers are 3-0. They beat Akron (pffft), Marshall (o rly?) and won a tighty against Fresno State (beasts). They pounded who they should have pounded (despite a slow start or two) and then beat a team they had to beat, a team that also has a history of knocking off highly ranked teams. If someone would have said that Fresno State would beat Wisconsin, we wouldn't have been surprised at all, but credit the Badgers as they went out on the road and took care of business.

Looking ahead:
Two or three years ago, Wisconsin would have had one of the hardest possible three games to start conference play. The Badgers open at Michigan and then OSU and PSU back to back weeks at home. While Michigan is down, PSU and OSU are both good teams that should make for interesting games. After seeing the shellacking that OSU took at the hands of USC, you have to think that the Big11Ten is fairly wide open and Wisconsin is looking to get their hands on the conference title. The Bagders should know by their sixth game if winning the Big11Ten is at all possible for them.

We think they'll at least beat Ohio State. Book it.

And of course...

Penn State: 4-0
How they’ve fared:
Well, we all know by now. You could call both this year’s and last year’s offenses scary, but you would mean two entirely different things. All the Lions have done so far is average over 52 points a game through the first four contests. The defense has looked pretty sharp as well, even without half the D-line. They’ve given up an average of 10 points per game. Clark has done a very good job of running the offense, Devlin has passed well in a change-up role, and Evan Royster, Stephfon Green and the O-line are wrecking opposing teams. Oh yeah, we forgot to mention the combined record of Penn State’s opponents so far: 5-10. So let’s not get too excited.

Looking Ahead:
The first real test of the season arrives this Saturday night in the form of the Fighting Illini. Our rush D has been stout, and if we keep the Juice in check, we think the offense can take care of the rest. It will be interesting to see how well Clark/Royster & Co fare against an actual college defense, but we have high hopes. As for the rest of the season, we have three games circled: at Wisconsin, at Ohio State, and home against Michigan (because they’re way past due for an ass-beating). Until then, this weekend will tell us a lot. For now, we’re trying to stay modest and hope for the best.

Game 4 Recap: Penn State 45, Temple 3

1st Quarter

This was definitely the most boring start of the season. The Lions have been dominating the first quarter so far this year, but this was like watching an ACC game early on.

Penn State kicked off and Temple lit things up on their first possession, driving for –2 yards. The Lions fared a bit better, but had to punt. Temple had a bit more success the second time around, but still ended up punting, only to have Daryl Clark throw the first Penn State interception of the season two passes later. We predicted that this would NOT be the game that saw the first PSU pick. As always, we are idiots.

Temple followed up Clark’s gift with another stellar drive, this time for –5 yards. The teams then traded punts, and the quarter ended with no score for the first time in Penn State’s season. Just to sum up Temple’s offense: 4 drives, 17 plays, 21 yards. Brilliant.

2nd Quarter

If the Penn State offense was our 1983 Georgie Boy RV in the 1st quarter, it was more like this in the second:



To start the quarter, Stephfon Green took the ball 27 yards to the Temple 20, and Clark hit Brett Brackett for a 20-yard touchdown strike.

7-0

Temple punted again, and before long, Evan Royster scored on a 32-yard touchdown run.

14-0

After a 74-yard kick return by Temple’s Travis Shelton, things were looking up for The Owls. Unfortunately for them, Tony Davis picked off a Chester Stewart pass on the first play of the drive and it was Penn State’s ball again. Clark ruled this drive, with a 49-yard pass to Deon Butler, a 17-yard pass to Green, and then an 11-yard rush for a touchdown.

21-0

Temple responded to the easy score by the Lions like true champions, driving for –13 yards and promptly punting. In case you lost count, that’s three drives for negative yardage for the Owls so far. The Lions wasted no time, as Clark hit Quarless, Royster and finally Graham Zug for a 17-yard score.

28-0

The rout was officially on.

The Owls, fearing change, quickly went three-and-out. Devlin came in the game and completed three passes on the next drive, which was capped by a 44-yard field goal by Kevin Kelly as time ran out on the 2nd quarter.

31-0

Yes, they scored 31 points in the 2nd quarter. Holy hell.

-Halftime-

Joe's leg started to hurt, so he went to the booth.

3rd Quarter

PSU started the third with the ball. We were happy with the score, hoping to see PSU just start the run-out-the-game offense. Sadly, however, they went 3 and out and gave Temple the ball.

After a few completions, one of which was helped out by a face mask penalty, the Owls were in field goal range. The Lions held them back but their chase for the goose egg ended on this drive as Jake Brownell put Temple on the board with a field goal.

31-3

After the kick off Clark threw a 12 yard completion to Brett Bracket which was just enough for put Stephfon Green in range for a touchdown run.

One play and 69 yards later, he was in the end zone.

His favorite number, again!

38-3

The next three drives went like this to end the third:
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.

4th Quarter

Pat Devlin got some snaps on the next drive. It started at mid-field so it only took a couple short runs and a 17 yard pass to get the Lions into the red zone. Chaz Powell made everyone in the house who bought a Robinson jersey proud when he took one in from 7 yards out. That's the good thing about buying a college jersey. Every couple of years you look like you know what you're doing when you already have the jersey for a good young player.

Anyway,

45-3

On the next offensive play for the Owls, Chester Stewart's pass was picked off by Navarro Bowman.
The Lions would then lose the ball on a fumble a few plays later.

After this it was a series of punts for Temple and a series of turnover on downs for the Lions as they tried to just run out the clock.

On the last drive for the Owls it looked like they might get a chance to put up some more points, but Knowledge Timmons got himself an interception and the game was over.

Well, 2 more short rushes to run out the clock, and the game was over.


3 Big Stat Lines

• Stephfon Green: 9 carries, 132 yds, 2 TD, 14.7 yards per carry
  
• Daryl Clark: 13-20, 196 yds, 2 TD (passing), 1 TD (rushing)
  
• Navorro Bowman: 11 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble. Holy crap.
  

Our Quick Thoughts On The Game:

• This one was not fun to watch early on.
  
• We were close to our prediction on Royster’s YPC (8.7-prediction, 8.1 actual)
  
• 31 points happened really fast.
  
• Let’s hope they don’t start that slow against Illinois.
  
• The kickoff coverage was gawd-awful all day.
  
• Royster and Green combine for 205 yards and 2 TD. Good way to end the non-conference schedule.
• For a 42-point win, this one didn't feel all that spectacular.
  
• The turkey was cooked successfully.
  
• Farewell, Yankee Stadium.
• Good riddance, Yankee Stadium. (equal time for all writers, remember?)
  

Penn State Player(s) of the Game: Linebacker Navorro Bowman
In his first career start, the sophomore Bowman stepped up in a big way. Check out his stat line from above, that's like something you rack up on NCAA'09. Hopefully this was the coming out party for the next great Penn State linebacker. Then again, it was Temple. But hey, it was a great performance nonetheless, and Bowman deserves some credit.

Temple Player of the Game: Meh
Two weeks in a row, no good player to speak of from the opposing team. That’s what we like to see.

Game 4 Preview: Temple @ Penn State

Gametime: 3:30 pm

TV: Big11Ten Network

Audio: Here

Weather: Partly cloudy and 72. Perfect September football weather.

Well, this is probably the least excited we’ll be for a game for a while. We’re playing Temple—an improved Temple team, yes, but it’s still Temple. At this point, we’re just ready for the Big11Ten schedule to start.

What can we say about this match up? Not a lot. Temple’s all-time winning percentage is .437, Penn State’s is .688. On Temple’s Wikipedia page, Penn State is listed as the Owls’ only rival. We’re not sure if we’d call it a rivalry per se, as Penn State leads the series 33-3-1. Usually both teams have to win to form a rivalry.

Temple could very easily be 3-0, and we kind of wish they were, as it would at least make the game slightly more interesting. They lost in overtime to UConn, in a thrilling 12-9 game. Actually, thrilling is probably not a great way to describe a game that finished 12-9. But we digress. The Owls lost last week to Buffalo on a last-second Hail Mary. That always hurts. It just so happens that one of us was sitting in a Niagara Falls bar during this game, and 2 of the 5 Buffalo fans in the world were having a wonderful time watching the game at the same locale.

Unfortunately for Temple, they’ll be just a touch out of their comfort zone, as Penn State generally gets a few more fans at their games than the Owls do at Lincoln Financial.

Typical attendance at a Temple game.

As far as Penn State, they just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Namely, humiliating opponents and showing the country that their offense is indeed a force to be reckoned with. We expect this game to be maybe a bit tighter early on (especially when compared to the Syracuse game), but eventually we’ll be seeing the third string guys.


Temple Player To Watch: Quarterback Adam DiMichele
DiMichele leads Temple in both passing and rushing, and he threw for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns last week against Buffalo.

Penn State Player To Watch: Derrick Williams
We said it yesterday in the roundtable, and we'll say it below in the predictions just for good measure, but we think D-Will is primed for a big day.

3 Bold Predictions:

• After this weekend, people will stop talking about Beanie Wells and start talking about Evan Royster
• D-Will will be the breakout wide receiver this game and go for over 100 yards
• A turkey will be cooked at our tailgate
  

Other Notes:
Evans and Koroma are still out.

Game Prediction: Penn State 52, Temple 14

Blue White Roundtable

Other possible participants:

There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
WF Yurasko
Happy Hour Valley
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Zombie Nation

1. Penn State has the best scoring offense (55.3 ppg) in the Big Ten, and top-five nationally. Of course, this has been against two bad teams and a mediocre Oregon State squad. This week's Temple game should be another 40-plus game for the PSU offense. That being said, do you think this has been a fluke so far? Or is the Spread HD for real?

No, we don’t think this has been a fluke so far. But the credit for the scoring should go to the personnel instead of the actual offensive system. More important than the Spread HD is the simple fact that Morelli is no longer the quarterback. Clark and Devlin are obviously both better quarterbacks (and infinitely better decision makers) than Morelli was. Morelli played with a lot of the same guys on offense, but no matter how many weapons you have, an incompetent quarterback is going to make your team suffer. Clark and Devlin have looked outstanding so far, so lets hope they carry it over to the Big11Ten schedule.

On the other hand, we don’t want to knock the offensive system because the play calling has seemed to be a lot better this year, in our opinion. We’re not so reluctant to throw the ball downfield, but we’re still anchored by a great running game. Everything is balanced very well right now. And we can’t talk about the offense this year without mentioning how fantastic the offensive line has looked so far. As good as the skill players have been, the O-line has been key, opening big holes for Royster and allowing no sacks in the first three games. If they play this stout in conference games, look out Big11Ten.



2. If Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma are convicted, what are the chances Joe Paterno will play either by the Illinois game? What message does it send to the team, and the nation, if both players are given light punishments? Conversely, what if the punishments are seemingly too severe, like dismissal?

We think chances are slim. We hope the chances are slim because they really don't deserve to play. Look, we jumped up to say "hey you can't control what some people will do, even at your own house," only to find out the product was actually in the players' rooms.
If a secure future for yourself and your family and many future generations rests solely on your ability to give up smoking pot, and you can't do it, then you don't deserve the opportunity.

If the guys are being held out during an investigation, then why bring them back now that charges have been filed? Keep them out until they're proven innocent.

So we guess that brings up dismissal. Why not?

3. Leadership has been a huge part of this year's team's ability to move past distractions. Who has to really step up this week and keep this team focused? How does the coaching staff figure into this, or should they just let the players handle it by themselves?

We’re not sure anyone has to really step up this week, as we’re playing Temple. The Owls are improved (and could easily be 3-0), but we don’t think they’re a huge threat. That said, you never want your team to relax, and we’d love to see them go out and hang another 50-spot on the scoreboard.

We’re going to say that Derrick Williams will have to step up this week and keep the guys focused. He’s such an integral part to the team because he can do so many things on the field, whether as a receiver, a running back or a return man. He seems like the quintessential lead by example guy. He should go out, make a couple big plays early, and keep everyone focused on the task at hand.

On the defensive side, if the D-line plays well again, we think that will only help solidify this team. If they show they can step up when other members of the team have made mistakes off the field, then they will continue to earn the respect of their teammates and coaches and the team will jell heading into a big matchup with Illinois next week.



Lightning Round



Penn State throws its first interception this week?

No.



Evan Royster's YPC vs. Temple?

8.7

Coke or Pepsi?

Tailgate Time

We have Temple coming up this weekend, and rather than bore you with whatever we’d probably normally bring you the week leading up to Temple, we’re going to talk about one of our other favorite subjects (as well as something we’re looking forward to more than the game this week): tailgating.

Yes, we are avid tailgaters, just check out this picture of our sweet 30 foot baby, the Georgie Boy:


Yeah, the GB may not be much to look at, but when he’s not blowing tires or fan belts, he gets the job done. And while the team is preparing for its game this week, we are preparing the GB for our tailgate. In honor of the best tailgate spot in the nation (and that’s not even up for debate), here’s a look at some products for your tailgate. These range from the fun to the useful to the utterly ridiculous. We start off with our favorite product this year.

Orion Outdoor Convection Cooker

If you are tailgating and have a lot of people to feed, you're gonna need something that can get all that food done. Since you're tailgating, you're also going to need something that's portable and can get that food done fast.

We were at one time confronted with these same issues, when one fateful day September we were saved by Woot!

We were able to purchase the Orion Outdoor Convection Cooker for $99. Barring a repeat sale at Woot, you might have to pay around $140 for this product somewhere like Home Depot, but we feel it would still be worth it. The cooker uses a lot of charcoal, about 12lbs, and creates a convection current inside the steel canister that cooks things evenly and steams the food while it cooks. Because of the convection inside the canister, cooking time is really cut down, and that's a necessity if you're out tailgating.

The Orion cooker can handle 6 racks of ribs, a whole turkey or a big ole briscuit. So far we've only used ours for ribs and whole chickens, but it's performed great so far, cooking four racks in roughly an hour and leaving us with plenty of time for corn-hole and boozing. It's a breeze to use since you only stick the food inside and light the charcoal. No turning, no basting and no adding to the fire. Just let it do it's thing. In fact, it's encouraged that you don't mess with it at all!

Inflatable Palm Tree Cooler

Yes, that is correct. This is an six-foot inflatable palm tree that holds 50 cans or bottles of your favorite beverage. Not only is it a great place to store the cold ones, but it also serves as a landmark that makes it easy for friends to find your tailgate, and deflates to save space for travel. And oh yeah, it’s a freaking palm tree! This is a product we actually bought and it will be making its first appearance this weekend. We could not be more excited.

Cruzin Cooler

Is that Chevy Chase?

This one goes in the ridiculous category. This is a cooler you can actually ride around on. This is perfect for people who need to carry beverages from tailgate to tailgate but are too lazy to pull around a giant cooler. They start at $350 and come in either gas or electric. Apparently Ellen is a big fan. We recommend going with the environmentally friendly model, so at least you’ll be saving the planet while you get laughed at.

Tailgate Hotbag

This could actually be useful, especially if you’re traveling a good distance to get to your tailgate and you want to keep a hot dish warm. If you’re in a car, this would require a power inverter, but if you’re in an RV, you could crank up the generator and plug it right in. But for $129, it might be better to just mug a pizza delivery guy and take his bag.

Penalty and Challenge Flag Combo

So you’re hanging out at your tailgate and some dumbass frat guys come and start hitting on your girlfriend. Penalty! Two many men on the field! Or what if someone from the opposing team steps over the line when throwing the cornhole bag? Challenge! With the Penalty and Challenge Flag Combo, these scenarios can be possible at your next tailgate for only $5.99! And Billy Mays approves:

"HEY, BILLY MAYS HERE!!!!"

The Manhattan

Now this product doesn’t really float our boat because we hang out in the RV lot and drink beer. But if you or your rich parents have a reserved spot near the stadium, and are too sophisticated for Yuengling and Labbatt, then this is the kit for you. It holds two Martini glasses, one shaker, one jigger, one strainer, and a bunch of other things we wouldn’t know what to with. And at only $109.99, it won’t break the trust fund.

Folding Love Seat

Back to the more practical items, this double chair is faaaantastic. Who hasn't had problems with seating at a tailgate? And more importantly, seating while eating? You're sitting there like an idiot holding your plate in one hand trying to take down your meal all the while balancing that loaded plate that feels like it could break apart at any second. Tables alone are too cumbersome to carry along and if you do take them they're almost always loaded up like a buffet. Simple solution, double chair with table attached. You might have to sit a little sideways, but anythings better than risking spillage on the pants.

And besides, if you've got the double chair working, you've got a seat for the lady friend right next to you. Now isn't that sweet?

NCAA Logo Branding Iron

Yeah, this item really exists. If you're a normal person, like whoever designed this item, you're thinking, "oh wow! I could use that to brand the team logo on those steaks I bought or onto everyone's burger!"

If you're more like one of us, you're thinking, "this will take shaming to a whole new level!"

Unfortunately we couldn't find a picture of a Penn State one, but imagine the good times you could have running around the tailgating fields with a hot branding iron!

Teach a lesson to that guy who drank all your beer and passed out behind your car or use it to send a Michigan fan home with a message he'll never forget.

Hops Holster

Yep. That's a belt that holds beer cans. We saw similar items that held beer in a bladder like a Camelbak, but we'd prefer to keep our frosty beverages inside their original container until we're ready for them.

One of the biggest problems at PSU games is the epic walk you have to take to get from wherever it is you park -- unless you're rich -- to the stadium. If you're parked in the RV lot it can be quite a hike and everyone wants to take a brew for the road. A lot of parking lots are even worse, especially if you end up on the far side of Park Ave or way out by the hospital. Now you can carry enough for yourself and your friends to have a spare as you make that trek.

No word on how the stadium staff would react when they saw you walking in with it.

This Just In: Wisconsin, Penn State Are World-Beaters; Ohio State Sucks

Since we write a blog, we naturally have some problems with the mainstream media, namely E!SPN.

ESPN's new logo.

These feelings are federally mandated. Everyone knows it. We can sit back and rip on the worldwide leader for blowing the Vince Young story out of proportion, for its analysts’ shock-value-laced diatribes and for even employing Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. But after this weekend in college football (three games in particular), things are starting to hit home.

ESPN.com’s Big11Ten blogger, Adam Rittenberg, has alluded to the fact that Ohio State is no longer the team to beat in the conference numerous times in the last 48 hours (example 1, example 2, example 3). Suddenly, in the course of three hours, everyone stopped saying that Ohio State was one of the best teams in the nation and firmly agreed that they suck, and are not even the top team in their conference.

Obviously, Ohio State got drubbed. And any competent person saw this coming from a mile away. But the way this thing is being covered, you’d think the Buckeyes were going to pack it in and not even play out the rest of their schedule. Never mind the fact that they haven’t played a conference game, they could still finish their season with only one loss (to the #1 team), and could be in national championship talk at the end of the year.

Do we hope that scenario plays out? Hell no. But let’s not get too excited because an amazing football team on a completely different plane smacked Ohio State around. This doesn’t make Penn State’s trip to the horseshoe any easier.

However, judging by the mainstream media, you might think it does. Check out Rittenberg’s power rankings that we mentioned. Wisconsin is his #1 after surviving a tight game at Fresno State, and our beloved Nittany Lions are #2 after spanking Syracuse, which leaves Ohio State at the three spot. What’s even worse is that we heard a combination of the following terms in the same sentence on Sportscenter Sunday morning: “Penn State”, “Big Ten”, “team to beat”.

This pisses us off for a couple of different reasons. First of all—and most obviously—we haven’t played anyone yet. Sure, we’re racking up huge points, but so would the varsity basketball team when they scrimmaged you and the JV squad in practice in the preseason. Second, we don’t want the spotlight. We hate to get nostalgic here, but remember ’05? No one thought we were any good then, and we proved that, yeah, we were. Let’s face it, no one outside the fanbase thinks we’re really any good again, and it’s too early for people to take notice. We’d much rather sneak up on people when we’re 5 or 6-0 than now when we’ve destroyed three awful teams.

We’re not trying to defend Ohio State here or anything. In fact, watching them get blown out Saturday was pretty satisfying. And as Rittenberg correctly points out in his “We are the Big Ten” post, the worst thing that could happen this year is the Buckeyes winning out and getting smoked again in a big bowl game. We think this can be a great year for Penn State, but they’ve still got a lot to prove. And while ESPN can jump to conclusions all it wants to, we’d rather heed the advice of the great Winston Wolfe:

"Pretty please...with sugar on top. Clean the fucking car."

Okay, that was the wrong quote, but we think you know which one we mean. Everyone relax, enjoy yourselves and we'll see how this thing shakes out.

Game 3 Recap: PSU 55, Syracuse 13

1st Quarter

What do you do when you're playing a terrible terrible rush defense? You run the ball.
On the first play of the game, PSU got a 9 yard run from Evan Royster. Not a bad way to start.

Unfortunately, the second play was the end of the drive as Daryll Clark lost control of the ball when he was pressured by the Syracuse D-Line.

The Orange and their fans were thinking this was the start of an upset.

Almost as quickly as they began thinking upset, their dreams were crushed as Syracuse turned the ball over on their very first play. A backwards pass was dropped, Lydell Sargent recovered, and PSU had the ball again. Such is life as a Syracuse fan.

Not wanting to let the hopes of the Orange fans get to high, Joe makes the call to rip their hearts out. Clark to Norwood, 55 yards.

7-0

Four plays, 2 turnover and a touchdown. It's a bizarre way to start the game, but we'll take it.

As Syracuse opens up their second drive, the first thing that should strike you is the noise. Sounds like there's a lot of PSU fans in that building, always a good thing.
The second thing that should strike you is the obvious hold on the first play that doesn't get called.

An incomplete pass, a short gain and a no-gain on a draw was all the Syracuse offense could muster up. We came up with that sentence before the series even began.

Sensing they hadn't screwed things up enough, the Orange interfered with Derrick Williams as he attempted to catch the punt. PSU ball, great field position.

The following drive starts off slow as PSU takes a few bad penalties and Clark throws a few incompletions. Despite the bad plays, the Lions are able to move the ball to the red zone on a Norwood reception, a Royster run and a Clark scramble. Feeling the pressure, the Syracuse defense make a few big plays, including a near sack, and force a third and 9.

Third and 9 in the red zone? Clark to Butler. That's si...that's under review.

That would have been good in the pros.

14-0

Syracuse's offense still couldn't get going on their next drive. After stopping Curtis Brinkley (who ran for 143 yards last week) and forcing two completions, Syracuse was punting again.

If you're a Penn State fan, you have to be happy with the performance so far. Up 14-0 halfway through the first quarter and out-gaining Syracuse 128 - -3.

If you're a Syracuse fan, we're glad you're here instead of on some ledge somewhere.

PSU marched down the field on the next drive with a lot of rushing. Royster had a run of 20 yards and Williams gained 14 on an end-around. Williams came up really slow after taking a huge hit on the play, and we had terrible terrible flashbacks of that night in Michigan.

Fullback Dan Lawlor got the final rush of the drive and took it across the line. Who doesn't love seeing a fullback score? Kevin Kelly puts up the extra point.

21-0

Syracuse got the ball, did nothing with it, and punted.

The only thing worth noting as the quarter ended was that Williams was out running a route, so he must not have been hurt too bad.

2nd Quarter

Penn State started the second with a punt, if you can believe it.

Not wanting to be outdone, Syracuse punted as well.

The Lions QB tandem came out on the next drive and threw some nice balls, much to the dismay of Dennis Quaide, maker generic sports movies.

The first was Clark to Butler 26 yards.

Then Royster ran for 31.

Then Devlin threw a 15 yarder to Butler that got them 6 points. Double K with the extra point.

28-0

Syracuse was able to put together a 9 play drive on their next posession. They had a few good passes and a clutch fourth down conversion during that drive, and got themselves to the Penn State 26. Unfortunately, the offense summoned their flux capacitor and went back to first quarter mode. Rush for no gain, incomplete pass and a HUGE dropped ball on a play that would have given them another first down at the PSU 15 (at least), and the Orange had to take the field goal. Patrick Shadle trotted out for the first time since opening kick-off, and knocked down the 44 yarder.

28-3

PSU marched the ball right back down the field when they got the ball back. Devlin threw completions all over the field, and Stephfon Green racked up some yards on the ground. Jordan Norwood then threw the worst pass in the recorded history of halfback passes. Red-headed guy is pissed.

Then on third and seven, Devlin hits Norwood for a 24 yard touchdown, and we're running out of clever ways to say touchdown.

35-3

As the Syracuse offense takes the field, JoePa starts calling timeouts, presumably so Devlin or Clark can get a chance to run the two-minute offense. Syracuse fans are pissed, but PSU forces the Orange to punt amid the boos.

Syracuse does punt and Scirotto fumbled the return. Karma for calling those pointless timeouts?

We are nerds.

Syracuse gets it back but can't do anything with it, and settles for another field goal.

35-6

As time expired, Kevin Kelly kicked a 52 yard field goal to put the Lions up 38-6, and slightly ahead of the 70 point pace we predicted in our preview post.

Kevin Kelly is turning out to be quite the kicker.

Halftime.

Donovan McNabb, thoughts?

meh

3rd Quarter

Syracuse started the third with the ball before punting it away.

Things worked out as far as punts go, and the Syracuse special teams downed the ball at the 1 inch line. The good news is that PSU gets a chance to work coming out of their own end zone. The bad news is there's no one left in Syracuse to make any noise to make things realistic.

The offense managed to work the ball out to the 23 yard line before they had to punt the ball away.

The Syracuse offense had decent field position to start their drive, but it ended rather abruptly when Cameron Dantley's pass was intercepted by Drew Astorino.

Devlin took the boys down the field with a lot of help from Stephfon Green and before you knew it, they were inside the three yard line.

A nifty pitch-out to Green, and the Lions had six more points. Green gets called for excessive celebration on the play, which is kind of a bad thing since you really shouldn't be celebrating excessively when you're up by 39.

45-6

After the kick, ABC showed the replay of the excessive celebration call, and we take back what we said. He was not celebrating excessively. One could argue his celebration was rather underwhelming. What is up with that, NCAA? We've seen the part of the rulebook where it talks about throwing the ball in the air being a penalty, but where does it mention a chest pound and a point to your fans? That's garbage.

Back to the game....
Following a few small plays and then a big 34 yard pass, the Orange went for it on fourth down. They had been 2 for 2 so far today, so why not?

From 11 yards out, touchdown. All six Syracuse fans still in attendance went berserk.

Three for three on fourth down. o-12 on third. Odd stat.

45-13

PSU got the ball back and after a big Chaz Powell return and a few incompletions, it was field goal time.

48-13

4th Quarter

Out came the bags.

Paul Cianciolo gets a TD. Always nice to see.

55-13

GAME.

3 Big Stat Lines:

• Deon Butler: 7 rec., 110 yds, 2 TD
• Jordan Norwood: 10 rec., 113 yds, 2 TD
• Penn State Defense: 49 yards rushing allowed (159 yards offense allowed total)
  

Our Quick Thoughts On The Game:

• We were a little nervous after the first-drive fumble. Luckily that lasted about 4 seconds.
• We loved how ESPN kept saying that the Syracuse coach thought last season was "rock-bottom". After on 0-3 start and surrendering 97 points in the last two games, what would he call this season?
• Another solid day from Evan Royster.
• Despite not showing up big on the stat sheet, we think D-Will had a good day. He's lurking.
• Syracuse RB Curtis Brinkley: 14 carries, 21 yds, 1.5 ypc.
• Great team effort by the D, Syracuse never had a chance, and it took them a while to even get a first down.
• Was Joe laughing or cringing from bad memories when he saw the highlights of Charlie Weiss? Does Joe even watch TV?
• Syracuse is an awful, awful football team.
• Could Temple be the best team we play in the non-conference schedule?

Penn State Player(s) of the Game: Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood
The offense was once again firing on all cylinders, and a lot of guys had good days: Williams, Royster, Clark/Devlin. But Norwood and Butler were the stars of the day. Both went over 100 yards receiving, and both had 2 touchdowns. You could practically feel the air go out of the Carrier Dome when Norwood shook a 'Cuse defender out of his shoes for a 55-yard TD reception on the fifth play of the game. And when Butler made a sweet falling TD grab minutes later, you knew the rout was on. These guys looked fantastic all day and hopefully it's a sign of things to come during Big11Ten play.

Syracuse Player of the Game: None.
Seriously, we aren't trying to be dicks, if Syracuse had anyone that did anything noteworthy, we'd point them out. ESPN gave its player of the game the Orange's kicker for God's sake, and we're definitely not doing that.