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.