As ugly and as frustrating as it was......

[jimarnp]

We were in position to win. There were several dropped passes.....including the wide open 4th down pass that may have sealed the game. There were several wide open misses of WR’s..........including an interception that could have been a touchdown if thrown 2 -3 yards further. —-The RPO can be truly frustrating, but make no mistake...... it put us in position to win. We didn’t execute. Add to this the absence of our best O- lineman, and a very good big body D- lineman, that’s a recipe for coming up short. We are a year or 2 away from having quality depth that will enable us to withstand position injury.........and we were STILL in position to win.....on the road . Franklin was right.....and it’s a basic tenet that Joe reiterated 10,000 Times : “ since the beginning of time, you can’t lose the turnover battle and expect to win”. As bad as we sometimes looked, it’ s No more complicated than that.

 

[PennStateTurf2002]

I am not a fan of the RPO but it has turned this program around. We don’t have a good line on either side, we have very little running game but it puts points on the board. Do I like it no but make no mistake it is successful.

Yesterday’s loss is on the players not the RPO. They made too many mistakes, didn’t handle the weather very well. Dropped passes, missed passes, penalties, turnovers, bad decisions, etc.

The expectations have got to them. Last year they had 2 losses early and no choice but to focus weekly. This season they had expectations, target on their back, 2 weeks of gameday focusing on how great they were. They fell out of the present and allowed themselves to look to the future. It is so natural to let that happen. The pressure of reading what is written about you, what they are saying about you, the playoff rankings. This will be a valuable lesson for this team moving forward. A lot of young talented players now see why the message is going 1-0 each week. What can happen if you look at bigger picture

 

[kgilbert78]

And I do not think the long delay helped. Football can be a game of emotion--and that let the air out of the balloon.

 

[PSUisBack2017]

Sorry, but the delay was for both teams. Honestly, Michigan State wanted it more and made less mistakes....period. When you look at it, we have come a long way since 2012, but we are not a top 5 program....yet.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

And I do not think the long delay helped. Football can be a game of emotion--and that let the air out of the balloon.

Franklin admitted as much.

 

[artsandletters]

We were in position to win. There were several dropped passes.....including the wide open 4th down pass that may have sealed the game. There were several wide open misses of WR’s..........including an interception that could have been a touchdown if thrown 2 -3 yards further. —-The RPO can be truly frustrating, but make no mistake...... it put us in position to win. We didn’t execute. Add to this the absence of our best O- lineman, and a very good big body D- lineman, that’s a recipe for coming up short. We are a year or 2 away from having quality depth that will enable us to withstand position injury.........and we were STILL in position to win.....on the road . Franklin was right.....and it’s a basic tenet that Joe reiterated 10,000 Times : “ since the beginning of time, you can’t lose the turnover battle and expect to win”. As bad as we sometimes looked, it’ s No more complicated than that.

What you’re saying, Jim, is that PSU lost.

 

[artsandletters]

I am not a fan of the RPO but it has turned this program around. We don’t have a good line on either side, we have very little running game but it puts points on the board. Do I like it no but make no mistake it is successful.

Yesterday’s loss is on the players not the RPO. They made too many mistakes, didn’t handle the weather very well. Dropped passes, missed passes, penalties, turnovers, bad decisions, etc.

The expectations have got to them. Last year they had 2 losses early and no choice but to focus weekly. This season they had expectations, target on their back, 2 weeks of gameday focusing on how great they were. They fell out of the present and allowed themselves to look to the future. It is so natural to let that happen. The pressure of reading what is written about you, what they are saying about you, the playoff rankings. This will be a valuable lesson for this team moving forward. A lot of young talented players now see why the message is going 1-0 each week. What can happen if you look at bigger picture

The losses the last two weeks are due to the fact that PSU has no running game.

 

[artsandletters]

And I do not think the long delay helped. Football can be a game of emotion--and that let the air out of the balloon.

And MSU’s balloon? Both teams played the same golf course under the same conditions with the same delay.

 

[PennStateTurf2002]

The losses the last two weeks are due to the fact that PSU has no running game.

We certainly need to address the running game. It is terrible. It can’t just be running game in general, has to be running when we have to run it and the other team knows it is coming. Not having to trick and deceive.

 

[jimarnp]

What you’re saying, Jim, is that PSU lost.

Yes, The outcome is/was obvious......and frustrating. But My larger point was that RPO worked. It often wasn’t pretty, but it worked.....and gave us an opportunity to win.— Our problems were basic execution on a few plays, turnovers, and depth at key positions. We can fix the first two immediately. The future remains bright

 

[artsandletters]

Yes, The outcome is/was obvious......and frustrating. But My larger point was that RPO worked. It often wasn’t pretty, but it worked.....and gave us an opportunity to win.— Our problems were basic execution on a few plays, turnovers, and depth at key positions. We can fix the first two immediately. The future remains bright

Jim, the future won’t be championship bright if they can’t run the ball, regardless of the scheme. JMO.

 

[RCS-PSU70]

And MSU’s balloon? Both teams played the same golf course under the same conditions with the same delay.

And in any close game, you can say if a couple of plays went the other way we win, but does MSU get to do that too?

 

[HazletonLion]

And MSU’s balloon? Both teams played the same golf course under the same conditions with the same delay.

In the future PSU will have to be prepared nutritionally, home team has an advantage there. Imagine if the roles were reversed slight advantage home team to logistics and supplies. Everything else was even as you said.

 

[artsandletters]

And in any close game, you can say if a couple of plays went the other way we win, but does MSU get to do that too?

I don’t think your analogy holds up. Same conditions but MSU succeeded with plays where PSU didn’t.

 

[jimarnp]

Jim, the future won’t be championship bright if they can’t run the ball, regardless of the scheme. JMO.

I agree. Our difficulty running the ball is as much a function of the lack of mature, talented depth at O-line as anything else. That will be resolved by development and recruiting. In the mean time, we have enough bright, high-end skill position athletes to successfully compensate for the transient shortcomings .......but our margin for error remains small until the depth catches up in other areas

 

[wilbury]

We certainly need to address the running game. It is terrible. It can’t just be running game in general, has to be running when we have to run it and the other team knows it is coming. Not having to trick and deceive.

Not happening this year

 

[kgilbert78]

And MSU’s balloon? Both teams played the same golf course under the same conditions with the same delay.

Being at home helps.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

When the D knows the handoff/non-handoff is gonna be at “X” AND it’s always gonna be at “X” AND it’s gonna be at “X” in four seconds, you don’t need to be a mathematician like Urschel to FUDGING FIND “X”!