Game 12 Preview: Michigan State vs. Penn State

Gametime: 3:30 pm

Records: Penn State: 10-1 (6-1), Michigan State: 9-2, (6-1)

Series Record: Tied, 12-12-1 (Penn State leads the Big11Ten series record 11-4)

TV: ABC

Audio: Here

Weather: High of 28 and snow showers. Dress warm.

All the marbles.

We all know what's on the line here. A Big11Ten title. A trip to Pasadena. A little national respect. There have been a lot of big games this season, but as of right now, tomorrow is the biggest.

As for the game, it feels eerily similar to a couple others we've played this year. Penn State is facing off against a Michigan State team that has a stud running back and a passing game that is a bit anemic. Remind you of anyone? Maybe Ohio State and Iowa?

Well, the strategy is the same in this one as it was for those two. Stop the run and make the mediocre quarterback beat you. One time the Lions stopped the run masterfully, and they won. The other time they didn't, and..... you know.

So Penn State's front seven will have to step up and stop arguably the best running back in the conference, Javon Ringer. Ringer's been a beast all year, no doubt, but if the big boys up front can stop him, Michigan State may really struggle to move the ball. Despite Ringer's 140 yards per game this season, the Spartans rank only 8th in the Big11Ten in rushing with 150 yards per game. That stat means they have virtually nothing else besides Ringer to throw at you out of the backfield. On the other hand, they haven't really needed anything else yet. But the objective is clear: stop Ringer and make Brian Hoyer beat you.

We've seen Hoyer in action under center a few times this year. We can hardly say we were impressed. Now, he doesn't have a great receiving corps (we loss count of the drops they had against Wisconsin), but sometimes he makes throws that leave you scratching your head wondering what the hell he was thinking. That's the kind of quarterback we like to see.

Penn State's defense is ranked 1st in the conference in terms of passing yardage allowed, and if they play smart, put some pressure on Hoyer and force a couple turnovers, we think things will be A-OK. Of course you can forget we said all of this if Tom Bradley just drops them back into a soft-ass zone on every third and long like he did against Iowa. For everyone's sake, let's hope the defense comes out aggressive.

As has been the case most of the season, we haven't said much about Penn State's offense. That's because for most of the season, it's been extremely good, and we don't really need to say much. But the Indiana game marked the second straight game that the offense started slowly. Blame Clark, blame the playcalling, blame your drunken friends or whatever you want, but the offense has to come out and set the tone early this weekend. Michigan State is 8-0 this year when they score first, so getting on the board early is going to be key. We have confidence that the offense can come out and put together a nice first drive like they were doing earlier in the season. If they can give a lead to the defense, we like our chances in this one.

And oh by the way, like we said, on paper this game looks a lot like the Iowa game. Except for one huge difference:

Bring it.

Michigan State Player To Watch: QB Brian Hoyer
Ringer is the obvious choice here, but we know he'll get his touches and to win, PSU is going to have to shut him down. So if they do, all the pressure falls on Hoyer. And that would probably be a good thing, as he's completed just 49% of his passes this year (and just 43% the last two games). In the cold weather, against a stout pass defense and a hostile crowd, Hoyer is going to have to play out of his mind in this one.

Penn State Player To Watch: Derrick Williams
This is the swan song at home for a guy who's done more than his fair share to turn this program around from its awful stretch earlier in the decade. His signing and subsequent performance in his first year increased Penn State's exposure and put it firmly back in the national picture as a football school. While his performance on the field was less than stellar at times, we feel that this was less his fault than most people probably think (check out the Roundtable from yesterday). And this is his last chance to make a few more explosive plays before what should be an appreciative home crowd.

3 Bold Predictions:

• D-Will scores another rushing touchdown.
  
• Royster scores two.
  
• Saturday night, we'll be drinking to a Big11Ten Championship.
  

Other Notes

• Ringer's a beast, but we don't think he's better than Shonn Greene.
• It's going to be a cold tailgate.

Okay, we have to admit that we were feeling a little blah about this game earlier in the week. But now that it's almost here, we're pumped. You don't get the chance to win a conference title every year, and to do it at home would be amazing. If Penn State plays up to their full potential, they win easily. Since that's been a bit of an issue lately, we think this one will be close throughout. But they will pull away in the end.

Game Prediction: Penn State 28, Michigan State 14

Game 11 Preview: Indiana @ Penn State

Gametime: 12:00 pm

Records: Penn State: 9-1 (5-1), Indiana: 3-7, (1-5)

Series Record: Penn State leads, 11-0

TV: Big11Ten Network

Audio: Here

Weather: 52 degrees, 70% chance of rain.

We're not gonna lie, we're about 25 times less excited about this game than we were a week ago. But are we taking the RV to State College to brave the rain, support the team and have another solid tailgate? You bet your ass we are.

Sure, last weekend was a huge letdown, and the feeling may be a bit more morose than usual this weekend, but the team is still playing for a Big11Ten title, and what's more, they're playing to keep that title away from the hated Buckeyes. They control their destiny in terms of the conference crown, and that begins this weekend.

Of course, no one is expecting much of a game against the lowly Indiana Hoosiers, who, despite going to a bowl game last year, have won only one Big11Ten game so far this year. Way back in the summer when we were reviewing the stadiums of the Big11Ten, here's what we had to say about Indiana's home field:

Indiana does, in fact, have a football team. They're redoing the turf. John Mellencamp donates a lot of money to them. That's about all we could find. Some schools are just basketball schools.

Try writing a good song, Cougar.

Well, John Mellencamp is kind of a joke, and so are the Hoosiers this year. They're dead last in the conference in both pass and rush defense, and they've given up 38.7 points a game in conference play. The offense is sputtering as well, scoring only 16.5 points a game in their six Big11Ten games.

The Hoosiers could light it up on offense last year, mostly due to super-athletic QB Kellen Lewis. Lewis has been battling injuries all year after some off-the-field issues in the offseason. Unfortunately for Indiana, backup Ben Chappell got nicked up last week, and the starting spot is still up in the air.

Either way, we don't think it's going to matter. There's being cocky and there's being confident. Last week we were cocky. We're pretty sure the Lions won't have an issue in this game. Clark is going play well, Royster is going to run all over people, Williams is going to be a beast. Things will get back to normal.

It will be good to be back in Happy Valley.

Home sweet home.

Indiana Player To Watch: ???
Your guess is as good as ours.

Penn State Player To Watch: Daryll Clark
We all know that he had a bad game last weekend. A lot of columnists, bloggers and fans have been crushing him this week. Let's try to keep things in perspective and cut the guy a break. He's a first-year QB, and he's done an outstanding job leading this team. Sure, he made some mistakes, but he certainly wasn't the only reason Penn State lost the game. Believe us, we're not scared of ripping on our own players, but Clark deserves a little better than that. He's exceeded expectations this year and we hope he goes out and finishes the season playing up to his potential.

3 Bold Predictions:

• Evan Royster will have 120+ yards, and 2 touchdowns.
• Derrick Williams will tally both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
• Big11Ten officials will start to call holding this weekend. Haha, just kidding!
  

Other Notes

• There's still work to be done by the team.
• There's still two tailgates to be had by us.
  

Game Prediction: Penn State 41, Indiana 10

Game 10 Preview: Penn State @ Iowa

Gametime: 3:30 pm

Records: Penn State: 9-0 (5-0), Iowa: 5-4 (2-3)

Series Record: Penn State leads, 11-9

TV: ABC Regional/ESPN

Audio: Here

Weather: High of 39, 40% chance of rain and snow showers. Big11Ten weather.

For the players, nothing is better than a mid-season bye week. We're glad everyone, especially Clark, was able to rest and heal up. But for the fans, nothing is worse. After the longest two weeks of our lives, it's great to be back.

This weekend the Lions roll into Iowa City to try to keep the undefeated campaign alive. We are pumped, as this will probably be the toughest test Penn State faces the rest of the way (no disrespect to Michigan State, but that one is at home).

When you think of Iowa, you think of............ well, we're not sure that you really think of anything. Seriously, when is the last time you can remember that Iowa had a team that prompted you thinking something other then, "meh, it's Iowa"? Of course they've given Penn State trouble in the past. Save for last year, the Lions lost their last five to the Hawkeyes, including that classic 6-4 shootout at the Beav in '04. Who of us can forget the excitement of that one?

But in all honesty, despite their mediocre record, this Iowa team has played pretty well this season. Their defense is ranked third in the Big11Ten and their four losses have been by a combined 12 points. Of course, great teams find a way to win those close games, but still Iowa has not been blown out all year.

So if Iowa is really that solid, can they give Penn State a run for their money? It could be a close game, but here are two reasons why we think the Lions will prevail:

1. Iowa's Lack of a Passing Game
It's no secret that Iowa likes to run the ball. With a back like Shonn Greene, who is fifth in the nation in rushing, why wouldn't they? But on the other hand, the passing game is dismal. Iowa ranks just eighth in the conference in passing, and QB Ricky Stanzi's accuracy has come into question a bit lately, as he's been unable to throw for 200 yards in any of Iowa's last four games.

This gives Penn State an obvious advantage, as they will be able to focus heavily on stopping Greene and put the game on Stanzi's shoulders. If you are skeptical of strategy, just ask Beanie Wells how his game against the PSU D went a couple weeks ago. And if Stanzi is forced to put the game on his shoulders, the Lions' D-line should be able to make plays. Iowa's O-line does a good job in the running game, but they've struggled in pass protection, allowing 20 sacks on the season, including six last week to an average Illinois defense. We like the Penn State D to have another big-time performance.

2. Penn State's Balanced Offense
Iowa has a very solid defense, led by lineman Matt Kroul (44 tackles, 2 sacks) and Mitch King (43 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks), and linebacker Pat Angerer (73 tackles, 4 int, great football name). Iowa ranks second only to Penn State in the conference in rush defense and is fourth in pass defense. Their defense is the reason they've been able to keep so many games close this year.

However, they've also yet see an offense as dynamic as Penn State's. This team can hurt you in every way imaginable. Evan Royster somehow turns 1-yard gains into 7 or 8-yard gains on a routine basis, the line is outstanding, the receiving corps is rock-solid and Clark just doesn't make many mistakes. It could be a tough day on the ground early on for Royster, but we think the O-line will wear down Iowa's D as the game wears on. However, if the run game isn't working out, Clark should be able to make enough plays down field to build a lead, which is a luxury that Iowa doesn't share on offense. This offense has only really been shut down once, we don't think they'll let it happen again.

Iowa Player To Watch: Shonn Greene
They're having a Greene-out for him! He must be something. He is fifth in the nation in rushing and really the key to the game. If PSU slows him down, it's going to be tough for Iowa to pull this one out.

Penn State Player To Watch: The D-Line
How will they slow down Shonn Greene?
They did a solid job against Wells, so we know they can get it done when they have to. But that was in a huge game and people had been pumped up for weeks. The defense to avoid any kind of let down after a big game and shake off any rust from the bye week and come out swinging. However, when you have a staff like PSU does, we don't expect that to be a problem.

3 Bold Predictions:

• The offense scores a touchdown before the fourth quarter.
  
• Shonn Greene doesn't break 80 yards.
  
• Mark Rubin's not done. Pick six this week. Book it.
  

Other Notes

• Penn State is 1-5 against Iowa since 2000, with the lone win coming last year at home.
  
• Iowa is doing both a black-out and a "Greene-out" at the game. Sounds like an identity crisis to us.
  

Iowa may keep it close for a while, but Penn State has too much for them to handle. Herky the Hawk is going down.

Game Prediction: Penn State 27, Iowa 10

Game 9 Preview: Penn State @ Ohio State

Gametime: 8:00 pm

Records: Penn State: 8-0 (4-0), Ohio State: 7-1 (4-0)

Series Record: Ohio State leads, 12-11

TV: ABC

Audio: Here

Weather: 51 degrees, 20% chance of rain.

The dreaded Horseshoe.

Gameday will be there. Herbstreit can barely contain himself.

Words cannot describe how we're feeling going into this game. It's a strange combination of emotions: excitement, nervousness, anger and most of all, trying not to pee ourselves in anticipation. We don't even know what that means, that's how crazy this game is.

Look, we sort of hate it when people define a team's season by just one game. It's just not fair. To be frank, this team has already surpassed our expectations for this season. Before the season, we thought a two-loss campaign would be great. We weren't being pessimistic, just realistic. But here we are, 8-0 and a 2.5 point favorite against Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Eight weeks ago, we would never have believed it. So when we say this game is pretty much the whole season, we mean it.

We can't stand Ohio State. They're smug as hell, their coach is a ninny in a sweater vest, they think they're king shit, and they don't even recognize how much we despise them, which only pisses us off more. And let's not forget what their last three massive choke jobs have done to the reputation of this (semi) good conference.

So the Lions have a job to do tomorrow night in Columbus. They have to go out there and beat the Buckeyes in their own back yard not just to continue this improbable run, but to give a shot to someone else from the Big11Ten to make some noise on a national stage. Ohio State had their shot(s), and they blew it big time.

Now it's our turn.

That's probably as preachy and sentimental as you'll see us get (of course we make no promises). Onto the actual game analysis.

Usually we like to give you a look at both teams and how they match up against one another. But this week we're going to change it up. We all know that our offense is stout. If they can get some momentum early against the Ohio State D (which is not easy, because it is an extremely good defense), we think they'll be alright. Where this game will be won for Penn State is on the defensive side of the ball. On that note, let's take a closer look at the weapons that the Lions will have to contain tomorrow night:

Beanie Wells: Public Enemy #1

We use that nickname for Beanie only with deepest apologies to Maurice Clarett.

Hey, we're not sure if you heard this or not, but Beanie Wells was battling an injury earlier this season! Whoa! Despite that, he is averaging almost 124 yards a game this year, and he just torched Michigan State for 140 and 2 TDs. There's no doubt about it, the guy's a beast. He is huge and he will punish defenders all day long. But he's also very speedy for his size and can make quick cuts when he needs to. He's a tough man to bring down.

Stopping Wells is the key to this game. Ohio State can usually throw out a pretty balanced offensive attack, but this year, everything relies on the ground game. Of course QB Terrelle Pryor is a big part of that too, but stopping Beanie is where Penn State needs to start. Ohio State is dead last in the conference in passing with only 140 yards a game. The Buckeyes hung 45 on MSU last weekend, but Pryor only had 116 passing yards. So the objective is clear for the Lions: stop Beanie on the ground, and that will be a huge factor in winning this game.

Terrelle Pryor: He's Good, But He's Still A Freshman

"I called this press conference to announce...nothing."

What a dick. This guy fits right in at Ohio State. But putting that aside, like we said, the D can't worry only about Wells, they have to watch Pryor on the zone read and scrambling from the pocket as well. The guy does not seem to be that fast, but he has a very smooth running style where he'll lull you to sleep and then burn past everyone on the field. We hate to play the role of Captain Obvious here, but Penn State absolutely has to make Pryor make plays with his arm.

This kid is a true freshman, and while he's done a good job so far, he is the living definition of "game management." Not to mention, he looked lost at times in the backfield during the Wisconsin game, and we can't count the number of times he's held onto the ball too long this season. Let's see what he can do in a HUGE game, under big time pressure. If he can win this one against a very solid Penn State D, kudos to him. But if he's gonna beat you, make him do it with the arm.

James Laurinaitis: Just Stop Talking About Him Already

You've got to be kidding.

Okay, so we cheated, he's not an offensive weapon. Yes, he is an outstanding defensive player, but for God's sake, can the media stop blowing him for one second? Also, if we see another shot of his Dad in the stands, we're going to vomit. And who allows himself to be photographed like that? Ugh.

Ohio State Player To Watch: RB Beanie Wells
Again, a very obvious pick, but is there anyone more important to the Buckeyes' success? If you say Pryor, you're lying to yourself.

Penn State Player To Watch: Daryll Clark
Pryor isn't the only one who may have to make some big plays through the air. Clark has been nearly flawless all year. Can he keep up his stellar performance in this monster of a game? The dude has shown tremendous poise all year, and we don't see any reason why that will stop this weekend. Besides, he's got a ton of weapons out there. Just avoid the big mistake (ask Morelli about that).

3 Bold Predictions:

• Kevin Kelly ties the Big11Ten record for career field goals after he boots two in this one (suck it, Mike Nugent!).
  
• Royster will outgain Beanie.
  
• Our hair will be gray on Sunday morning.
  

Other Notes

• In case you haven't heard 4,000 times this week, Penn State is 0-7 at the 'Shoe as a Big11Ten member.
• BREAKING NEWS: Mark May just picked Ohio State to win. Shocker.
  

Well, what else is there to say about this one? We're just gonna buckle in and try not to have a heart attack. It's gonna be a hard-fought game, no doubt, and Ohio State is a very good team. But like we said, they had their chance. This year we're the better team, and the guys are going to prove it tomorrow. They win in a close one. Then it's party time:


Game Prediction: Penn State 27, Ohio State 17

Game 8 Preview: Michigan @ Penn State

Gametime: 4:30 pm

Records: Penn State: 7-0 (3-0), Michigan: 2-4 (1-1)

Series Record: Michigan leads, 10-3 (ouch)

TV: ESPN

Audio: Here

Weather: Partly cloudy, high of 55, 0% chance of rain, 100% of beer can chicken at our tailgate, 98% of beatdown in the Beav.

Where to begin? We all know about the losing streak (we even wrote about it Wednesday). Usually we would down-play it and say it doesn't matter, even though we all know it does. But this year, it totally works out in Penn State's favor for once. First of all, against any other team this game would have "TRAP" written all over it. But against a team to which you've lost nine in a row, you're not going to take the game lightly, no matter how bad said team is.

Which brings us to our second point: Michigan has been awful this season. Does that mean they'll be awful tomorrow? Well, not necessarily, but there's a pretty good chance. The Wolverines' loss to Toledo last week was a microcosm of their season so far: good enough defense, virtually zero offense, enough mistakes to cost you the game, and pretty much embarrassing for everyone on the team. The whole season has been rough for the Big Blue, but last week took it a step further. It's not uncommon for Michigan to have trouble with teams from Ohio, but this is a little ridiculous.

Of course, we've been there before. We lost to Toledo earlier in the decade. This stuff happens. Teams go through ups and downs. With an exception or two, usually we match up really well with Michigan, they (or the refs) have just done the little things to pull out the wins over the years. Well, finally, the tables have turned. We are having an outstanding season, steamrolling almost everyone, dominating on both sides of the ball. And Michigan? Well, not so much.

So what exactly is going to happen in this one? Well if we knew that, we would be getting paid for this, hopefully. But since we don't, here's our token analysis:

Michigan Offense vs. Penn State Defense
This match-up is a joke. Penn State has the best defense in the conference right now, allowing 259 yards of offense per game. Combine that with Michigan's offense, which is 10th in the conference in passing (only Ohio State is worse, imagine that), 9th in rushing, and dead last in total offense, with 291 yards a game. Having watched Michigan, we're not sure how they're averaging even that much.

Wolverines quarterback Steven Threet has been shaky at best so far, showing pretty awful accuracy by completing only half of his passes. His favorite targets are Martavious Odoms and Greg Matthews, who have combined for 43 receptions through six games. Freshman running back Sam McGuffie leads the squad in rushing with 470 yards and 3 TDs. He also sports a stellar 3.9 ypc average, and we'd imagine he's going to have a tough time against Penn State's run D, which is only allowing 89 yards a game on the ground.

To be frank, if Michigan puts up two touchdowns on the Lions D, we'll be surprised.

Michigan Defense vs. Penn State Offense
Well, this is a better match-up, but we obviously still like our chances. Michigan is 6th in the conference in total defense, and third in rush defense, allowing just over 102 yards per game. Of course, Penn State is leading the conference in rushing (as well as total offense), so it should be interesting to see how that match-up plays out. It should be a decent test for Royster and the line.

On pass defense, Michigan is faring much worse however, as they are allowing 241 yards per game, good for just 10th in the Big11Ten. It could be a field day out there for Clark and company, so look for the big play down field early and often.

As for individual standouts, sophomore linebacker Obi Ezeh has done a solid job in his role and leads the team with 56 tackles. Junior defensive end Brandon Graham has 5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, and senior cornerback Morgan Trent has two picks. But again, we still think the Lions will fare just fine against this D.

Michigan Player To Watch: RB Sam McGuffie
Hey, we had to pick someone. He has made some decent plays, and is having a good enough year for a freshman. Probably Michigan's best chance at getting points on the board this weekend.

Penn State Player To Watch: DE Aaron Maybin
Note to Steven Threet: be afraid. Be very afraid.

3 Bold Predictions:

• Evan Royster out-gains the entire Michigan offense by himself.
• Aaron Maybin records a record 14 sacks against the woeful Michigan offensive line.
  
• During the post-game presser, after the worst ass-whooping of his professional coaching career, Rich Rodriguez announces that he's taking his dream job at Clemson after the season.

And finally, just in case you need any more motivation this weekend, remember this:

Let's go out and end the streak this weekend.

Game Prediction: Penn State 38, Michigan 7

Game 7 Preview: Penn State @ Wisconsin

Gametime: 8:00 pm

Records: Penn State: 6-0 (2-0), Wisconsin: 3-2 (0-2)

Series Record: Wisconsin leads, 8-5

TV: ESPN

Audio: Here

Weather: 64 degrees at game time, clear skies, 0% chance of rain

"P.J. Hill approves the following." -P.J. Hill

When you look at the stats, Wisconsin probably should have a better record than 3-2. But the stats don't tell the whole story, as usual. Blowing a 19-point halftime lead to Michigan would be awful even if Michigan were having a good year, but doing it during what is obviously a transition year for the Wolverines is unacceptable. The Badgers had every chance to bounce back last weekend, but their defense couldn't stop a true freshman QB when they needed to. (To be fair, it was the top recruit in the nation, but he's still a freshman.)

Despite all that, we're scared as hell of this team, because its still loaded with talent, and it's still one of the most dangerous teams in the conference. This is the first huge test of the season for Penn State, and if they can stare down the Badgers and beat them up in Camp Randall, they will be loaded with confidence the rest of the way. Before we get to our prediction, let's look at some important areas of the Wisconsin squad, and how the Lions will need to deal with them:

Running Backs
For the Badgers, the 5'11", 236 pound junior P.J. Hill is a bruising power back who is fourth in the conference in rushing. The backup is John Clay, who at 6'2" 237 is also a beast, but is a little quicker than Hill. Clay had a nice game against OSU and is averaging 6.7 ypc so far this year.

When you compare the Badgers ground attack to Penn State's, there's not a WHOLE lot of difference between the two, at least statistically. Both teams have two very talented backs, and both are near the top of the conference in rushing. Penn State leads the Big11Ten with a whopping 256 yards a game on the ground, while Wisconsin is third with 210. Both will try to establish the run early to set up the pass. The Penn State D-Line will have their hands full with the talent of the Wisconsin backfield and if they can shut them down, they can shift all the pressure to Allan Evridge.

QB
Fifth-year senior Allan Evridge is at the helm for Wisconsin, although his job is in jeopardy after two straight losses in which he had very rough outings. He's completing just 56% of his passes this year and he's thrown 4 picks to only 5 touchdowns. He's been shaky at best so far.

Evridge is at his best when he can rely on the run and just manage the game. Penn State needs to shut down the run and put the game squarely on Evridge's shoulders. If they make him win the game for the Badgers, they should be in good shape. Pressure early will be key.

Receivers
Wisconsin is just 9th in the conference in passing, but a lot of that has to do with Evridge. He does have some weapons to throw to, however. The Badgers have a great tight end tandem with junior Garrett Graham and senior All-American Travis Beckum. Beckum is second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, and Graham leads the team with 3 TD receptions. Sophomore wideout David Gilreath leads the team in receiving with only 14 catches and 167 yards, so you can see that the passing game is a little anemic.

The backers and secondary will have to stick tight to Beckum and Graham, but the real key to stopping the pass will be to put lots of pressure on Evridge, early and often.

Defense
We would break the defense down by unit if we weren't so lazy and actually knew a little something about each of the units. But those are two big factors playing against us, so we give you this.

The Badgers' D isn't quite as stout as they were in years past, but they are still talented and can control games when they're playing well. In the conference, they're currently 6th in scoring defense, 4th in pass defense and just 7th in rush defense. That last stat is particularly interesting to us. Linebackers Jaevery McFadden and DeAndre Levy lead the team in tackles with 44 and 33, respectively. Levy also has 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.

While the Badgers' D is solid, there are a few holes that the Lions can attack. If they can win the battle on the line and get Royster and Green moving early, it will really open things up for Clark, Williams, Butler and Norwood (and hopefully Galen Hall's playbook). The Badgers aren't super fast on D, but they are physical. As Clark may need to make some plays on his feet, he'll need to watch his ass and stay away from getting drilled. If the Lions offense can rebound from a lackluster performance last week and return to their dynamic form from the Illinois game, they shouldn't have TOO much of a problem scoring against this D.

Wisconsin Player To Watch: QB Allan Evridge
Alright, it seems really easy to pick Evridge, but he is the correct choice here. This entire game depends on him for the Badgers. Their defense usually keeps things close, but can Evridge pull it together and lead the offense on some sustained drives? It's not going to be easy against the stout Lions' D, but if he doesn't do it, the Badgers are staring down an 0-3 start in the conference.

Penn State Player To Watch: Jordan Norwood
It's almost becoming too hard to pick just one guy to watch on this team, but since Norwood is coming off of an injury, we'll go with him. He's such a key to the passing game, always making a big impact, but in a quiet fashion (if that makes sense). Watch him early and see if his hamstring is 100%. It would be great to have him out there in full force this week.

3 Bold Predictions:

• Clark will post a season-high rushing mark this week.
• Norwood makes at least two catches in key 3rd down conversion situations.
• Someone in the Wisconsin band will be fondled by a tuba player.

Other Notes:

• Penn State is 2-5 all time at Camp Randall Stadium, and hasn't won there since 2002
• The Blue Band could whoop Wisconsin's Band's ass

This one is going to be close until the fourth quarter. Penn State is going to score, get the ball back and the let Royster salt the game away. And it will be glorious.

Game Prediction: Penn State 27, Wisconsin 13

Game 6 Preview: Penn State @ Purdue

Gametime: 12:00 pm

Records: Penn State: 5-0 (1-0), Illinois: 2-2 (0-0)

Series Record: Penn State leads, 9-3-1

TV: ESPN

Audio: Here

Weather: Sunny, 0% chance of rain, high of 70. Nice.

Last week we broke down Penn State's offensive unit against the Illinois D and vice versa. This week, we think a couple of nice, short bullet points will illustrate some things (if you read the roundtable.... act like you didn't for a minute).

Purdue Stat Rankings:

• 11th in the conference in pass defense (244.8 ypg)
• 11th in the conference in run defense (194.5 ypg)
• 10th in the conference in scoring defense (26.2 ppg)
• 11th in the conference in rushing offense (125.8 ypg)
• 1st in the conference in passing offense (278.2 ypg)
  

Obviously when you play in a conference called "The Big Ten" and you are 11th in a lot of statistical categories, that's not good. And I'm sure of all you know by now that we are first in the conference in scoring offense (yes, it's been mentioned once or twice or 5,000 times in the national media this week). So, without getting too in-depth here, we like our chances on offense.

Of course, as some of you astute readers may have observed, one of those numbers is not like the other. Purdue can light it up through the air, and they have some major weapons in the passing game. A trio of seniors leads the way. Quarterback Curtis Painter can chuck the ball around very nicely, as he has 1,113 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air so far this season. Wide receiver Desmond Tardy and tight end Greg Orton are Painter's favorite targets, as they've combined for 48 receptions and 653 yards.

So obviously, Purdue can air it out. But that's Joe Tiller's system, that's their game, and it has only worked out to the tune of a 2-2 record this season. As you can see, their offense is not balanced well, as they barely have a running game. So the task for the defense is simple: shut down the passing game. The Lions are second in the conference with 15 sacks so far, so if they can continue to get into the backfield and disrupt Painter, the secondary's job will be easier. The defense was not stellar last week, but we think they'll be focused on the pass game this week and they'll get the job done.


Purdue Player To Watch: Wide Receiver Greg Orton
Orton is one of the big targets out wide for Painter. He was the leading receiver returning from last year's squad, and while Tardy has emerged as a legitimate threat, Orton is still a beast at 6'3" and 199. The secondary will have to put a lot of effort in taking him out of the game.

Penn State Player(s) To Watch: Derrick Williams
Hey, we could pick a lot of guys for this. Royster would be a great candidate because of the Purdue run D. But this is completely out of respect for Williams' insane performance last week. He needs to keep it up and be the leader of the offense, especially with Norwood still questionable for the game. Williams can affect the game in so many ways, and he really can change games. We're looking for another big performance from #2.

3 Bold Predictions:

• Royster will have 150 yards on the ground, to go with his 2 TDs
  
• Daryl Clark will pass for 2 touchdowns and rush for another
  
• Joe Tiller will really start looking forward to fishing
  

Other Notes:

• Penn State is 4-2 all time at Ross-Ade Stadium

To sum everything up, we think that Purdue may put up some points, but they will come late in an effort to catch up. The Penn State offense is going to continue to roll, and look for a giant game from Evan Royster and also for Derrick Williams to continue the fireworks from last week. Sorry Purdue fans, looks like the train is about to be derailed.

Uh-oh.

Game Prediction: Penn State 38, Purdue 21

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

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

Game 3 Preview: Penn State @ Syracuse

Gametime: 3:30 pm

TV: ABC

Audio: Here

Weather: In the Carrier Dome, so weather isn’t a factor.

So we all know that this is an old rivalry (very old, since the last game between the teams was played in 1990). We know that a match up between Penn State and Syracuse was the beginning of guarding the lion shrine. And we know “The Orange” is perhaps the dumbest nickname in all of college sports. And that’s saying a lot because we already played a team nicknamed “The Chanitcleers” this year.

None of that stuff is very interesting. The rivalry renewal would have potential, but anyone playing that card is forgetting one very important fact: Syracuse sucks. In fact, there is no way, short of Donovan McNabb and Marvin Harrison suiting up for their old alma mater, that the Orange have a shot of winning this game. None.

The only hope for Syracuse.

Of course this isn’t an extremely bold prediction, but usually we cover our asses and try not to be so overconfident. Not this time. We offer you three reasons why.

Reason 1: The Syracuse Run D
Through two games this season, the Syracuse defense has surrendered 243.5 rushing yards per game. They’ve played Northwestern and Akron, losing both, to no one’s surprise. Holy shit, is that awful! Couple that with the fact the Lions have been rushing for an average of 286.5 yards per game, and the Orange’s defense might as well not even show up. They’d save themselves from getting their asses pushed around for 60 minutes. The Penn State O-line (and Evan Royster) is playing tremendously right now, and we don’t see that changing tomorrow.

Reason 2: The Syracuse Pass Offense
While Syracuse has put together a pretty decent ground attack (170 ypg) behind senior back Curtis Brinkley, their passing offense has been downright putrid. Quarterback Andrew Robinson had a solid season last year, but things have gotten off to a horrendous start this year. The team is averaging just 119 yards per game through the air, and their longest completion of the year so far is a whopping 18 yards. They have one player averaging more than 10 yards per catch (Lavar Lobdell), but he only has two receptions! Penn State’s pass D is far from perfect, but we’re gonna go out on a limb and say they’ll be able to handle the Orange.

Reason 3: Week 2- Akron 42, Syracuse 21
We were discussing Penn State’s non-conference foes today, and we noted that this year, at least there were a couple mid-level teams from BCS conferences on the schedule. One of us pointed out that these games may be winnable, but they’re not sure things like playing FIU or Akron. Excellent point, and most years, that would be true. HOWEVAH, this year Syracuse is much more of a sure thing than Akron, and we know this because the Zips walked into the Carrier Dome last week and hung 42 on the Orange. We don’t know what else to say except that is a damn disgrace. If Akron can put up 42 on the Orange, what will we do? Syracuse fans cannot be looking forward to this one.

Syracuse Player To Watch: Running Back Curtis Brinkley

Penn State Player(s) To Watch: 3rd String Offense

3 Bold Predictions:
-Penn State will rush for 500 yards
-The defense will record at least 5 sacks
-Syracuse will drop its football program after the game

Other Notes:
Seems it flew a bit under the radar this week, but Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma will not dress for this game. We don’t even care, we just hope they’re back in time for Illinois.

Game Prediction: PSU 70, Syracuse 13

USC-Ohio State Preview

vs.

Since it’s the marquee matchup of the season (at least so far) and because we didn’t have any better ideas, we decided to preview this weekend’s game between USC and Ohio State. Would we, as fans of a Big11Ten team, feel vindicated if our conference’s top team goes to LA and takes down the vaunted Trojans? Maybe, but not much. Would we laugh heartily if the Buckeyes lose yet another big game to an excellent team? Yes, yes we would. Onto the preview.

Ohio State
There’s no doubt that Ohio State is the class of the Big11Ten this year, as much as it pains us to say that. They returned nine starters on both sides of the ball, and they have highly skilled and experienced players all over the field. They have the nation’s #1 recruit in Terrelle Pryor, a guy who spurned Penn State to play for the Sweater Vest. Pryor would’ve fit in great in Happy Valley though, as he punched a dude after a game in the state basketball tournament last year. He didn’t get suspended, mostly because he’s Terrelle Pryor. Sounds like a great kid though. Buckeye fans are hoping he’s not a repeat of this:

The Buckeyes’ offense is anchored by senior quarterback Todd Boeckman. We were pissed last year when Boeckman just stepped in without any growing pains and led the team to the national title game, while we were saddled with another season of Morelli. Then again, Boeckman did have Chris “Beanie” Wells and his 1600+ yards rushing to take some of the pressure off of him.

You may remember two days ago when Wells said he wanted 45 carries on Saturday. Well guess what: now he’s probably not even going to play. This, of course, is disastrous Ohio State’s chances. No offense to backups Maurice Wells and Brandon Saine, but they ain’t Beanie Wells. Boeckman is going to have to step up big time, and he was very shaky last week against Ohio. His two main targets are Anthony Robiskie and Brian Hartline, and luckily for Buckeye fans, you may not find two guys as solid as those them in the rest of the conference.

"Hey assholes, what about us?"

Whoops! Sorry guys.

But really, if Ohio State has any shot at winning this game, it’s going to be because of their defense. Led by All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis, the Buckeyes D can stop anyone on any given day. Unless it’s an SEC team on national championship day, that is. Ohio State also has an outstanding D-line, and ends Lawrence Wilson and Cameron Heyward have looked great so far. Stud cornerback Malcolm Jenkins anchors the backfield for the Bucks. They’re going to have to hold the USC offense under 30 if they want a shot, and probably around 20 if they realistically want to win. We’re not even sure that’s possible.

USC
It's gonna be tough to predict what USC is going to do in this game.
What do we know? They came out and destroyed Virginia. It wasn't even close. Sanchez was tearing it up out there and despite the rout, played enough of the game to end up making 35 pass attempts. So much for those knee issues.

So Sanchez played well, what about the rest of the offense?

What else do we know? Half the team got their hands on the ball. Eight guys got at least one rushing attempt in (including Sanchez) and ten more caught passes. USC spread the ball all over the field, piled up a ton of points, played the entire team, yet really didn't even show any of their cards.

It looks to be another year of running back by committee, as returning players Joe McKnight, Stafon Johnson, Allan Bradford and CJ Gable all got touches. It will be some time before we find out who the #1 horse is going to be, and which ones will fall back to the practice squad. Regardless, if history has taught us anything it's that USC will create an effective running game however they have to. Last season, Johnson and McKnight got a shade under 100 carries each and averaged 6.9 and 5.7 yards per carry, respectively.

At the receiver spot, the Trojans return Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton. They will be the veterans of the receiving corps. Last season, Turner caught 48 balls for 569 and Hazelton 50 for 540. With another year of experience, they should be a great receiving corps for a quarterback who's looking to make an impact on a team that's seen more than their fair share of impact quarterbacks.

Obviously these guys will pose the first big test for the Buckeyes, who so far have been able to stop the mighty Penguins and Bobcats.

Now, for as good as USC offenses have been recently, this season it's the defense that could be the strength of the team.

Like the Buckeyes, USC boasts a great linebacker or two. Ray Maualuga and Brian Cushing anchor the Trojans defense, much the same way Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman do the Buckeyes. Both men are All-Americans that can make any play on the field. Maualuga is returning as the leading tackler from a year ago, while Cushing was the 2007 MVP Rose Bowl MVP. If Beanie Wells ends up not playing this weekend, these guys would cause huge problems for whatever back the Buckeyes throw in there. Boeckman too.

If Ohio State had that much trouble against Ohio without Wells, it's almost scary to think about what might happened when they play against an experienced USC team that plays big games like this all the time.

Though some faces have changed, USC never has a problem filling in the gaps. They get their pick of the best in the nation and throw them out there to become stars. Will it happen this year? We're not gonna know for a while, but this weekend will go a long way to proving what kind of teams both USC and OSU are.


Half-Ass Analysis
Well frankly, we don’t think Ohio State stands much of a chance in this one. If Wells were completely healthy, we’d surely change our tune. Things just don’t look good. They’re coming off a questionable performance against a horrible team, their QB looks a bit shaky, and even though they have the best freshman in the country, they probably can’t even utilize him enough to make a difference. That’s a lot of shit stacked against them.

When you watch USC play, sometimes their players seem so much bigger, faster and stronger than the other team that it doesn’t even seem fair. You start to question why they would ever lose, and how they could ever not have the best recruiting class in the nation. You start to curse Pete Carroll, but in your heart, you’re envious of the bastard. It’s almost unfair. Add all that to the fact that they’re playing at home, and you have a recipe for disaster for the Buckeyes.

Prediction: USC 38, Ohio State 14

Game 2 Preview: Oregon State @ Penn State

vs.

Gametime: 3:30 pm

TV: ABC

Audio: Here

Weather: Hannah seemed imminent earlier in the week, but now we’re down to 30% chance of rain. Bring your poncho either way. High of 73.

Well, we might as well talk about the suspensions first. We have a couple points we’d like to get across. First, there’s still a lot that no one knows about the situation, so let’s not jump to conclusions. That said, if the pot didn’t belong to the players, then I think we can all move on with our lives. If it did, this is borderline insane behavior by them because of the level of scrutiny the school is under. I think those points are obvious.

Next, Paterno probably felt that he needed to suspend these guys just to avoid a huge backlash in the media, especially after the negative reaction to his appearance on Outside The Lines. He probably feels that it will send a message, and that it’s a non-conference game. Maybe if it’s a Big11Ten game, he plays the “let’s not jump to conclusions” card, much like we already did.

Third, this makes our prediction in the B&W Roundtable (that there wasn’t enough time for the incident to affect the game) look idiotic. But we’re not really surprised by that.

We’ll find out more about this whole mess in the coming weeks, but right now, we have to deal with the loss of half our defensive line. So what does this mean for the game?

Well, obviously, it’s going to affect the D. Luckily, Oregon State’s running game is less than stellar (120 yards against Standford is nothing to brag about). Hopefully the Lions can shut down the run and concentrate fully on the passing game and specifically QB Lyle Moevao, who threw for 404 yards last week. If the depeleted D-line can get pressure on Moevao, it should help out the secondary a little.

Luckily, OSU’s run D might be as bad as their ground game on offense. They gave up 238 yards last week rushing to Stanford last week, so Penn State should rely on the Royster/Green monster combo as much as possible tomorrow. Clark will have to step up and make the throws when necessary, and we also think he’ll get some rushes (some designed, some scrambles) this week. We think we’ll see Devlin too, and hopefully he stays as calm as he was last week.

Does the D-line stuff make us worried? Of course. But we were far less worried when we saw these dudes:

Frightening.

Player(s) To Watch- Oregon State: Wide Receivers Shane Morales and Sammie Stroughter
These guys combined for 15 catches and 308 yards last week. Yikes. The secondary is going to have to tighten the screws this week.

Player(s) To Watch- Penn State: Defensive Line
This is kinda obvious, but the key to this game, at least early on, will be the play of the D-line unit in the absence of starters Evans and Koroma. They need to get pressure on Moevao and allow the Lions build a lead.

3 Bold Predictions:
-Derrick Williams returns either a punt or kickoff for another touchdown.
-Moevao throws for 300+ yards, but most of it will be in futile comeback mode.
-Andrew Quarless will not suit up again this season. Or ever.

Well, before we get to our score prediction, we just want to comment on an Oregon State blog called “Building the Dam”. The dude who writes this devoted a post to how mundane and mediocre Penn State is, and basically just rips on the program. We were impressed for a second until we remembered that he writes a blog for a team that just lost to Stanford. Clown.

Anyway, we think this one could be close early on, but as long as we stay in the lead and try to make the Beavers play catch-up, they’ll eventually make some mistakes, as they soon realize they’re not playing in front of a lame Pac-10 crowd. The defense will muddle through, and Royster, Green, Clark and co. will be firing on all cylinders. Look out, Beavers.

Game Prediction: PSU 44, Oregon State 21

Game 1 Preview: Coastal Carolina @ Penn State

vs.

Gametime: 12:00 pm

TV: Big11Ten Network

Audio: Here

Weather: Partly cloudy, high of 81

Okay, we’re not going to lie, we don’t know much about Coastal Carolina, except they are a D1-AA team (yeah, that’s right, no chapionship/bowl subdivision bs around here), they play in the stellar Big South Conference, they were 5-6 last year and their nickname is the Chanticleers.

Having said that, maybe the most intriguing part of the lead-up to this game has been CC head coach David Bennett’s press conference, which was brought to everyone’s attention by Black Shoe Diaries (do yourself a favor and listen to the press conference). Let's go to Coach Bennett now to get his thoughts on the game:

Coastal Carolina Head Coach, David Bennett.

"Dis is gunna be onea dem games wheres puttin da' ball in da' en'zone ain' gone be easy. I ain't onea dem einsteins but i know points is gonna be hard to get."

Thanks for your time, coach.

Okay, we’re giving Coach Bennett a hard time but we’re sure he’s a nice guy and a great coach. His six-year record at Coastal is 39-17 and he’s 102-34 in his head coaching career.

Moving on, this is Coastal Carolina’s first game ever against a D1-A school, and the crowd at the Beav on Saturday will be larger than the combined crowds at Coastal’s 11 games last year (93,231). We’re just guessing, but we think that might make their players a bit nervous.

Coastal returns 8 starters each on offense and defense from last year’s squad, including preseason All-American candidate, senior offensive lineman Britt Leggett. It should be a great learning experience for the guys from Coastal, but let’s not kid ourselves, this one’s not gonna be close.

3 Bold Predictions:
-Both Royster and Green rush for over 100 yards.
-Maurice Evans injures two Coastal Carolina quarterbacks.
-Anthony Scirrotto punches someone.

Game Prediction: PSU 42, Coastal Carolina 6