Penn State vs Ohio State

Here I sit, in the Penn State Berks Library on the eve of what could be one of the greatest victories of all time for Penn State or just another number in the loss column. Ohio State has everything to lose in tomorrow's game, but if the Lions lose, everyone will just say that it was expected. The Lions have nothing to lose, and that, my friends, is why I am predicting a victory. Tomorrow's game will be the toughest test so far for the #1 Buckeyes. Their best opponent was Purdue which was an away game for the Buckeyes. In that game, Todd Boeckman, the Buckeyes' starting quarterback, threw 3 interceptions to a Purdue defense whose secondary does not match up to Penn State's, to say the least. Expect the young quarterback to make some mistakes in a very hostile environment at Penn State. His numbers are hard to find fault in though. He has a 66% completion rating, he has thrown 18 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions overall, and he has only been sacked 8 times. It will be crucial for the Nittany Lions to get a good pass rush, or else Boeckman will burn them to his fine receivers, Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Robiskie is not on the same level as Indiana's Hardy, but he has over 700 receiving yards and 7 touchdown catches so far this season. It could be another difficult day for Justin King who, despite being a spectacular corner, has trouble with tall receivers. Robiskie is 6'3" to King's 6'0" which will make for a better match-up than James Hardy, 6'7", who burned King last week. The Lion's defense is going to face another potent running game aswell on Saturday. The Buckeyes' Chris Wells, is having a fine season, and he is on pace for a 1000 + rush yards at 863 after last week's game. He also has 7 rushing TD's. Last week, Indiana took Dan Connor and Sean Lee out of the picture by limiting the run game, but emerging star, Maurice Evans, a defensive lineman, helped even the playing field with an extremely effective pass rush. He may have won the game for the Lions with his two forced fumbles, one of which he ran back to put the Lions in scoring position, and 3 sacks. Now, what will the offense have to do against the Buckeyes to win? It all rests again on the shoulders of Anthony Morelli. Morelli has finally convinced me that he is a great quarterback, even though Joe has been saying it all along. Aside from an ill-advised end-zone bomb last week in the first quarter that was intercepted, Morelli had another good outing. He threw for two touchdowns, and he threw the ball very crisply and with a lot of poise while facing a hostile crowd. The drive that he engineered in the 4th quarter that culminated on a Rodney Kinlaw rushing TD, was big league play from Morelli, and it shows what he can do under pressure if given the chance. The rushing game is going to have its hands full though because Penn State is not the only Big-Ten school with a linebacker. I am talking about James Laurinaitis, whose name I will continue to butcher throughout this blog. Lauriniatis is a big league linebacker who has racked up more than 50 tackles this season so far, and he will stir things up in the secondary and in the Penn State backfield. The key for the Penn State offense will be to protect Morelli, which is no easy task against a spectacular Ohio State defense. The most points they've allowed this season was 17 against Michigan State, and that is really something, having played the high-powered offense at Purdue. The Lions need to open up the play-calling at home like they did against Wisconsin or else they will not have a chance. The Lions may have the most all around talent on the offensive side of the ball in the whole Big-Ten, they just have to show it. They will need to score touchdowns because they can't settle for field goals in the red zone against Ohio State because you won't find yourself in the red zone often. Penn State needs to come into this game hot with something to prove, and they do have something to prove. I think the Lions have to use Evan Royster more in the running game. He is much better at finding holes in the line than Kinlaw, and he is more of a smash mouth back that will run through the tackles. This is going to be a hard-hitting game for sure, and Royster is the most hard-hitting back. The receivers are also going to have to get open for Morelli, but they have had no problem doing that so far. Look for Norwood to have a great day because he is the best at slipping through unnoticed and finding holes in the zone. I am predicting a Nittany Lion victory 21-17 over the Buckeyes. Let's hope there are no flashbacks to last year when Morelli threw two interceptions that were run back for touchdowns at Ohio State. This is a better team, and the Lions are playing at home where they are unbeatable so far. I stand by my call, Lions win it. Take that Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit because WE ARE...PENN STATE!

Penn State Vs Indiana

Before I began writing this pre-game, I had not previously researched Indiana's stats. To put it bluntly, I am more than a little worried about all the talent of Indiana. They are not the push-over they have been in the Big-Ten for the last few years. Their quarterback, Kellen Lewis has a 61% completion rating, having thrown for 16 TD's and just 6 interceptions through 7 games. However, I wouldn't worry too much about it because the best team Indiana has beaten was Iowa in a 38-20 victory. The Hoosiers (what the heck is a Hoosier anyway, I guess that could be a blog of its own) are 5-2 overall, but 2-2 in the Big-Ten having lost to Illinois, 27-14 at home and Michigan State, 52-27 at Michigan State. Needless to say, Indiana's schedule has so far been conducive to winning, but that is all going to change this Saturday. Kellen Lewis has been sacked 15 times so far, and, for anyone that watches Penn State Football, I can safely say the Lions will add another 4 or 5 sacks to Lewis's total. Indiana is a spread offense though, but the Lions dealt well with Illinois, arguably the best spread offense in the Big-Ten. The leading rusher is Kellen Lewis again, and he has 80 carries this season for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Hoosiers do have other rushing weapons though, as does any spread team. Marcus Thigpen and Bryan Payton, the Hoosiers' featured backs, have a combined 483 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns, all coming from Payton. The Hoosiers' biggest offensive weapon, besides Lewis of course, is their big play receiver, James Hardy, who has 31 grabs for 606 yards and 9 touchdowns. Those are pretty gaudy numbers for a wideout, and the only reason he isn't mentioned in the Heisman race is that he plays for Indiana. The Lions are going to have to do a lot of things on defense to keep Indiana out of the endzone. First, they are going to have to rush Lewis, and make him pass because if they let him run out of the pocket, he is going to burn you. Dan Connor and Sean Lee, THE Linebackers, will have to play more smart football, and always keep their eyes glued to the ball because there is far too much talent on this Indiana team to leave anyone unnoticed. Second, I assume that Justin King is going to match up with Hardy, and King is just the man to do it. Despite some minor lapses against Buffalo late in the game, King has proved himself to be the lock-down corner that he is. The whole secondary, with few exceptions, is playing very well, and they have been playing like they have something to prove ever since Buffalo. I am sure Tom Bradley, the Lions' defensive coordinator, has been wrapping his head around all the talent the Hoosiers have on offense this whole week, so expect the defense to be ready and play smart football as usual. If we look at the offense then, we will notice the theme through all of my blog posts so far is NO TURNOVERS! The Lions played a nearly perfect game last week as far as ball-control. There was only one fumble on a punt return and just one penalty that was declined. The Lions can play a clean game at home, and they have proved it, but the big question is how will they handle an away game. Last week, the Hoosiers gave up an astounding 52 points to Michigan State, probably the second best team they have played, and The Spartans' offense isn't big news in the Big-Ten. Penn State is going to run the ball well. They have found their rhythm in the run game, and it did wonders for Morelli last week, who looked like he had taken a dose of "The Right Stuff." He finally found his rhythm last week, and that was because the team was running on all cylinders. If he gets excited early and the rest of the team plays well, then Morelli will have another good game, and there is no need to worry about how the receivers are going to play because with so much talent, someone is bound to be hot. The Lions' keys to tomorrows game are again ball security with Anthony Morelli, and they need to keep an eye on the ball while on defense with good pursuit and a heavy rush. I will not be convinced of Morelli until he wins a game in the 4th quarter, but I think this one could be over well before then if the Lions do what they need to. My prediction is Penn State 38, Indiana 21, in a convincing victory in hostile territory. Look back Saturday Night or Sunday Morning for Post-Game Analysis! WE ARE...PENN STATE!

Lions Will Not Be Badgered

Here it is people, we've just witnessed the turning point in the season. The Lions rolled today to a 38-7 victory over the 19th ranked Wisconsin Badgers. Morelli finally looked like all the talent he has, completing 16 of 28 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. The most important stat in this game was in the turnover column. Penn State had just one fumble on a punt return, but there were no interceptions and no fumbles with the quarterback under center. It wasn't just Morelli's fine performance that sealed the deal today. Rodney Kinlaw had another 100+ yard game, and he also rushed for a score. Evan Royster, the freshman, also had a fine game rushing 8 times for 70 yards and a score of his own. These guys have left Penn State fans and the media saying, "Austin who?" We've seen Larry Johnson, we've seen Tony Hunt, and now we are seeing the future of the Penn State backfield. Even the senior fullback, Matt Hahn, had a rushing touchdown today on the first drive. Hahn also had a great day blocking for counterparts, Kinlaw and Royster. I won't bore you with the play by play, but there were some particularly fine plays today that deserve some mention. With 13 minutes to go in the first half, the Lions found themselves 29 yards from their second score. Morelli dropped back and faked to the left before turning back to the right and finding Deon Butler for a 29 yard strike on a beautiful pass and catch. That play was set up by an interception by Lydell Sargeant. Again in the second quarter, Wisconsin had driven into Penn State territory on a long catch and run by Wisconsin WR, Kyle Jefferson. On first down Wisconsin ran a very similar play to their previous successful pass play and Scirotto read it perfectly making a leaping interception that led to a missed field goal by Kevin Kelly, but it was still a nice display of hands by Scirotto. The Lions offense made very few mistakes today. The stars were Morelli, Kinlaw, and Deon Butler, but it could be any one of the WR's from week to week. Now, lets talk defense. The Lions had another great day, even better than against Iowa. The Lions held P.J. Hill, who looked very good after his first quarter fumble which set up a Matt Hahn score, to just 70 yards on 19 carries. They also intercepted Tyler Donovan twice, one INT coming from Scirotto and one from Lydell Sargeant. Dan Connor and Sean Lee were also having a tackle race today which is evident when you look at P.J. Hill's 70 yard performance. Tyler Donovan was also sacked 5 times, again from mainly a 4-man rush. The Lions future is unclear though, it is really a toss-up as to whether Illinois' loss to Iowa is a good thing or a bad thing for us. It is slightly better in my eyes for Iowa to have won because anyone who watched PSU and Illinois knows how many times the Lions could have sealed that game but didn't. Michigan and Ohio State will both have to lose 2 conference games for Penn State to at least share the Big-Ten title, and that outcome does not seem probable with the way both teams are rolling. So, the biggest victory left for the Lions will be a 10 win season, and that is not an easy feat considering the Lions still have to play Ohio State and travel to Michigan State the last game of the season. Any Big-Ten game, however, can be a tough one. The Nittany Lions did what they needed to do today, and they did it very well. That is all I could ask of them, well besides a fantastical voyage back in time to correct the errors against Michigan and Illinois. Check back next week for the Lions' next match-up, an away game at Indiana (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten). Until then, We are...Penn State!!

Lions VS Badgers

In a fight between the real animals, Lions and Badgers, the Lion would most certainly come away victorious, but the game this weekend between your Penn State Nittany Lions and the Wisconsin Badgers is going to be a slug-fest. The Nittany Lions will walk out of the lockers at Beaver Stadium a 4-2 team suffering losses to Illinois and, who else, the Michigan Wolverines. Last week I wrote that the Iowa game would be a stepping stone coming into this week against Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten), and I think that turned out to be more accurate than many people think. Up until last week, the game rested entirely on the shoulders of senior quarterback, Anthony Morelli, who, as of yet, has not risen to the occasion with much poise. However, against a stout Iowa rush defense who was rated second in the Big-Ten, and in the top 25 in NCAA, the Lions rushed for a season high, 256 yards. These yards came largely through the legs of senior back, Rodney Kinlaw, who rushed for 168 yards, and freshman tailback, Evan Royster, who rushed for 86 yards. I think the Lions have finally found a running game, and Austin Scott's (the senior tailback) suspension has really turned out well for the team. It is no secret that Joe Paterno is very loyal to his seniors, and Scott was no exception. I believe that if Scott had not been suspended, we would have seen him receive the bulk of the carries the rest of the season to no avail. The reason I say Scott's suspension is good is because now Evan Royster, only a freshman, will get valuable experience, and Rodney Kinlaw, a faster, smarter, and most importantly, safer back will get a chance to be featured. I am saying it right now, Evan Royster will be the franchise back for Penn State in the coming years. I have seen him run well every time he has been given an oppurtunity so far, and he can be the next Mike Hart if he works. The reason I have gone into such depth about the running game is because it will need to work well against a slightly maligned, but still tough, Wisconsin rush defense who gave up 160+ yards to Illinois' Mendenhall. Now Mendenhall is a very good back and I can't take anything away from him, but Penn State's backs can be just as good when they are given holes to run through. The offensive line looked very stout last week against Iowa. Morelli had much more time to throw the ball, and lets face it, he needs a lot of time to throw the ball. Morelli looked very good in the second quarter, maybe the best he has looked in his career, but once again, he fell apart in the 4th quarter, throwing two late interceptions that gave Iowa a chance. However, the defense was superb, as expected, coming off a day that showcased some of their problems at Illinois. They played very well all around getting to the quarterback 5 times with mainly a 4 man rush. That is a definate victory against any offensive line. The Lions will have to do the same things against Wisconsin. Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin's Senior QB, does not have a lot of experience throwing the ball, but he has done very good things so far. Despite his 11 touchdown passes, he has also thrown 5 interceptions when he has faced a good pass rush. The key for the defense again will be to rush the passer, this time bringing Sean Lee and Dan Connor, Penn State's All-American LB's, into the blitz packages. It would also be wrong of me not to mention what they will have to do against P.J. Hill, Wisconsin's featured-back. The Lions have so far done very well against the run, especially against running backs (I am speaking of course about their ineffectiveness against Juice Williams at Illinois). The best running back they have faced was Reshard Mendenhall, and the Lions held him to only 76 yards. The Lions have done well against Hill before, so there is no reason to think they won't do as well this time. He is a tough back-breaking running back, but Dan Connor is a tough back-breaking LB. It will be a great match-up. The biggest keys for the offense will be, once again, DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER!!! Morelli needs to get comfortable early, and if the running game can get going quickly, he will do just that. He has arguably the best receiving core in the Big-Ten in Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler, and Derrick Williams, all of which will probably see time in the NFL if they continue at their current rates. All he has to do is get those guys the ball with slants and touch-passes. Morelli will have to stay comfortable because you can't throw an interception in the 4th quarter in a game which I am expecting to be close. Kinlaw will have another good day, maybe not 160 yards, but I think the yardage spread will be a little more even between Kinlaw and Royster, who will play despite a thigh bruise. I am predicting a low-scoring affair with the Lions defeating Wisconsin 21-14, scoring their last touchdown deep into the 4th quarter. The Lions need this win if they have any hopes left of a Big Ten Title. Check back Saturday night for Post-Game Analysis.

Penn State Vs Iowa Post-Game Analysis

It wasn't quite the dominating offensive performance I had predicted, but it was Penn State's defense and the shaky, but efficient, play of the Lion's offense that came through. Morelli had a very shaky first quarter throwing for just 38 yards on 5 of 11 completions. Kinlaw also didn't look so good in the first quarter contributing to the Lion's turnover column with a momentum killing fumble. However, the lions finally showed a little offense with 10 minutes left in the first half driving to the half yard line on the legs of Evan Royster, the Lions' red-shirt freshman tailback. On second and goal from the half yard line, Mickey Shuler caused a false-start penalty which eventually caused the Lion's to kick a 24 yard field goal. After another three and out for the defense, Penn State got the ball back with plenty of time left in the half. Morelli engineered an 8 play, 80 yard touchdown drive during which he went 6 of 7 passing, his only miss coming on a drop from a wide open Chris Bell in the endzone, who should've scored. The touchdown pass came instead to the Nittany Lion's big play receiver, Derrick Williams, on a 24 yard pass. After another impressive stop, the Lion's got the ball back with about 30 seconds left in the half. It looked as if Penn State would just run out the clock, but after a 17 yard gain on an Evan Royster run, the plan changed. Morelli threw a strike to Andrew Quarless to get the Lions down to the Iowa 36, and Kevin Kelly kicked a, career long, 53 yard field goal. The kick tied the longest by a Nittany Lion kicker in Beaver Stadium history. The Lion's defense continued to dominate the Hawkeyes throughout the second half after holding them scoreless in the first. It seemed that Jake Christensen was not being flanked by his own backs, but by the defensive line of Penn State. The four man front for Penn State found themselves in the back field very very often causing lots of pressure. The Lions sacked Christensen 4 times, and, more importantly, they shook him up nicely. All told, the final score was Penn State 27, Iowa 7. Rodney Kinlaw had the best day of his career rushing 28 times for a personal record, 168 yards, and two touchdowns. He scored on runs of 12 and 23 yards, one of which came late in the 4th quarter to seal the victory. The red-shirt freshman, Evan Royster, also had a spectacular debut rushing 16 times for 86 yards. Royster went out in the second half though with an undisclosed knee injury. Morelli had a fairly successful day throwing the ball going 18 of 31 for 233 yards and a touchdown strike to Derrick Williams. Numbers can be deceiving though, as described above. He threw two interceptions late, one coming on a play where Morelli tried to force the ball when he should've taken the sack. The two interceptions did not affect the final outcome of the game though. He looked solid for the first time against a Big Ten team, and he should feel good about his performance. He will need to take that confidence into next week. With the running game working very well, the passing game clicking at times, and the defense looking spectacular after a bit of a beating last week, the Lions earned themselves a B in my book. There are still too many issues with turnovers. The Lions will need to protect the ball against a much less forgiving Wisconsin offense. I would also feel bad if I didn't mention the beating laid upon Wisconsin, Penn State's next opponent, by the Fighting Illini. The final score there was 31-26, but that score is deceiving. Might I add that Penn State held Mendenhall, Illinois' tail-back, to just 76 yards rushing, while Wisconsin let him rip for 160 yards on just 19 carries? Check back here next friday for a complete preview of Penn State and Wisconsin which will include my score prediction.

Breaking News: Penn State Vs Iowa Game Notes

Senior tail-back Austin Scott will not play today against Iowa due to what the Lion's call a team violation. So, look for Rodney Kinlaw to rush the ball with maybe slightly less success against that tough Iowa run defense, but Kinlaw will also benefit from the passing game more than Scott would have. Austin Scott, however, is not the player involved in the possible rape case that will sideline a still, as of yet, unknown starter. The Lions won't be able to hide the player who is being sidelined for much longer, so keep your eyes peeled today during the game! We are....Penn State!!

Penn State Vs Iowa

Well, as a Penn State fan, The Nittany Lions are not quite where we expected them to be at this point in the season. After lofty promises of a National Title following last year's Outback Bowl win against Tennessee, fans were sure that we would get over the hump and finally defeat Michigan. Then go undefeated for the first time since Kerry Collins was lining up behind center. The Lions suffered another brutal first half against the Fighting Illini last week after "Juice" Williams put up, arguably, the best first half of his career against the Lions' defense. The Lions are demoralized, largely due to their redzone offense. The problem is not just Anthony Morelli, Penn State's Senior QB, but it is, in fact, the play calling that is hurting Penn State. The Lions have been too conservative in the redzone, making foolish mistakes that have cost them touchdowns and momentum, which is a big factor in the high-octane defense packed Big-Ten. All these mistakes, including fumbles by Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw, Penn State's senior tail-back duo, are going to have to stop for the Lions to finish out their Big Ten Schedule above .500. Therefore, tomorrow's game against Iowa becomes crucial because it would give Penn State their first Big-Ten win against, albeit a struggling Iowa Team. The key to the game will be Jay Paterno opening up the play calling, and using athletes like Derrick Williams and Chris Bell more often, which, give it to Jay, we did see more of against Illinois. Another key will also be the play of Anthony Morelli. Despite his apparently gaudy statistics, a decent 58% completion rating and 9 touchdown passes, he has not looked crisp passing the ball. The receivers, especially Jordan Norwood, have made Morelli look like a star. The fact is, Morelli is no Kerry Collins or Todd Blackledge. The play calling needs to play to his strengths which are slants and crossing routes. Morelli has a gun, but he has so far shown poor accuracy on long balls. When the Lions' passing game clicks, it is because Morelli is making those quick slants and posts to get his athletic receivers the ball in open field. Another concern is the defense who gave up 21 first half points against Illinois, but Lions fans should not be worried. The defense cracked down only allowing 6 points in the second half. They were demoralized that first half and they will not let it happen again. They will have to work hard to stop the two-headed running attack of Albert Young and Damian Sims. Iowa's offense is very similar to Penn State's so the defense should be ready, having practiced against a similar style all year. Jake Christensen has a 54% completion rating and 9 touchdown passes, but he's been intercepted twice and sacked a staggering 20 times this season. Look for Penn State to rush the passer hard and often. They will want to create pressure, which will cause Christensen to make mistakes against two very unforgiving secondary players, Justin King and Anthony Scirotto. If the Lions can rush the passer on defense and open up the redzone play-calling on offense, they will beat Iowa easily at home in Beaver Stadium. I am predicting a 31-14 win. Morelli has a big day passing the football and Scott will finally open up and have a hundred + yard game. The Lions should look at this game as a stepping stone if they are to have a chance against The Badgers next week.