Back away from the ledge...

[Ranger Dan]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

 

[PennStateNate]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

So we are ahead of schedule.. Going from 10-11 win seasons to 7-9 Is being ahead of schedule.

This year MSU was suppose to be downing add the injuries. Beatable.

If PSU is ever going to be the team in the conference these are the games they need to win. CJF I believe is now 3-11 vs the Big Ten Big 3. Not very acceptable in year 5.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Ranger, don't get rational on jump day. Just check to see if the group is wearing chutes and back away, slowly, carefully.


BTW, congrats on the good news about your pup recently.

 

[Zone-Blitz]

I want to believe that too but too many troubling trends (4th qtr collapses) , remember they almost had to put starters back in against Nebraska last year. It seems no matter the talent level, there are systemic problems in the program

 

[AWS1022]

Ranger, don't get rational on jump day. Just check to see if the group is wearing chutes and back away, slowly, carefully.


BTW, congrats on the good news about your pup recently.

Hopefully many aren’t wearing chutes.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

So we are ahead of schedule.. Going from 10-11 win seasons to 7-9 Is being ahead of schedule.

This year MSU was suppose to be downing add the injuries. Beatable.

If PSU is ever going to be the team in the conference these are the games they need to win. CJF I believe is now 3-11 vs the Big Ten Big 3. Not very acceptable in year 5.

MSU had 18 or so starters back. They were not supposed to be down.

 

[psu_1294]

We are just not very good yet. Still no depth. Defense very winded at end. Offense ( other than 24) didn’t show up, and it has been our strength. We just aren’t at the level that we can beat well coached teams when we play “ blah”

 

[NittanyLionRoar]

I haven't backed away from the ledge yet. I don't know what I'm going to tell my wife after destroying my man cave. I don't think I can get off the couch without destroying more stuff...

I am trying to watch this movie "teeth" on netflix, which I think is supposed to be a horror movie. However, I'm laughing at it maniacally because it's some christian girl with a promise ring who has teeth in her vagina. Highly recommended, 10 out of 10 right now. If you need to blow off some steam, laugh at this movie lol.

 

[PennStateNate]

MSU had 18 or so starters back. They were not supposed to be down.

NW beat them and moved the ball pretty easily. I would say they are down this year. There other loss was to a pretty average ASU team. I say MSU is down.

MSU probably has 2 more losses on their schedule.

 

[Carl Spackler]

MSU had 18 or so starters back. They were not supposed to be down.

Good point, even with injuries they were loaded. They have a good team, I do not know anyone who disputes that fact. The East Division of the Conference is ridiculously competitive.

 

[PennStateNate]

Good point, even with injuries they were loaded. They have a good team, I do not know anyone who disputes that fact. The East Division of the Conference is ridiculously competitive.

MSU is not a good team this year. They lost to two pretty average teams already.

They are just better then a pretty average PSU team.

 

[sluggo72]

We are just not very good yet. Still no depth. Defense very winded at end. Offense ( other than 24) didn’t show up, and it has been our strength. We just aren’t at the level that we can beat well coached teams when we play “ blah”

Why would we play "blah"

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

 

[sunshinedynomite]

They were better today.

 

[RickinDayton]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

Gotta disagree. Coordinators are not going to get us to elite level and the offensive scheme is not conducive to closing out games against the better teams. This team was not prepared to play a physical game once again. The team is not showing progress this year. Very concerned about coaching/preparation and response to getting smacked in the mouth. The WRS still cannot get consistent separation, so if that is tan issue, you set them in motion to ease it up. Have yet to see a screen play from this offense. Defensive blitzes are poorly designed/disguised/executed. DEs are still losing contain on the edges. These are coaching issues. Parsons should have never been moved to LBer. Luketa could be getting valuable PT @ LBER and Parsons could be helping @ his natural position. OL still having issues with being able to get push late in games. Team strength program tests well, but stamina seems to be an ongoing issue. As much as we rotate, the players should have more in the tank @ end of games. Lots of concerns from what I am seeing.

 

[fastlax16]

Good point, even with injuries they were loaded. They have a good team, I do not know anyone who disputes that fact. The East Division of the Conference is ridiculously competitive.

They were handled by a mediocre at best nw team last week. Good grief this was a bad MSU team. Stop trying to put lipstick on a pig this was a bad loss

 

[psupride1997]

I’m backing away, but I think most fans can see a plausible scenario where this team drops a couple more games and recruiting takes a hit. Today was a real loss in momentum for the program.

 

[Carl Spackler]

They were handled by a mediocre at best nw team last week. Good grief this was a bad MSU team. Stop trying to put lipstick on a pig this was a bad loss

Never said it wasn't a bad loss but MSU brought back just about everyone from last year while we didn't. That was the point and that the division is wildly competitive. This is the one thing I was not prepared for in the Big 10, weekly competitive games, generally. I will be surprised if IU doesn't give us fits next week given the let down from today's debacle, the away game and the emotional state of the team next Sat. It was already a trap type game now magnified.

 

[Alphalion75]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

I understand your optimism...but why are we so fundamentally bad? Poor tackling, inconsistent blocking, dumb penalties, undisciplined .....etc. etc.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

I think there are scheme issues on offense. The offense Moorhead left behind relies too much on passing for this league, and it doesn't seem well-matched to the kind of linemen we recruit. If it's so complex that we can't add to it, then it needs to be tossed. We have the receivers. They're just wearing red shirts right now. Might not be strong enough yet to get separation. Overall, offensively I don't see a personnel problem. I see lots of scheme and preparation problems though.

Defensively we have had issues for a long time. When Poz was around was the last time I had confidence that we could make a stop when we needed one. We had strong DLs when LJ was around, but other than our misses lately at DT, I wouldn't rate DL as a problem. Franklin put the emphasis on speed rather than tackling prowess, so that's what we got -- linebackers included. When we had DB's that could catch and be in position we had DBs that could not run. At least we can play man-on-man when we want to. For years it looked like our D was always in prevent mode. But, under Paterno in his prime we always had some of the best tackling fundamentals.

 

[fastlax16]

Never said it wasn't a bad loss but MSU brought back just about everyone from last year while we didn't. That was the point and that the division is wildly competitive. This is the one thing I was not prepared for in the Big 10, weekly competitive games, generally. I will be surprised if IU doesn't give us fits next week given the let down from today's debacle, the away game and the emotional state of the team next Sat. It was already a trap type game now magnified.

You called them loaded. The MSU team that took the field today was anything but loaded.

 

[NittanyOpp]

On that night, we were 2-3 TDs better than OSU and lost.

Tonight, we were as bad as MSU and lost.

 

[NittanyOpp]

I understand your optimism...but why are we so fundamentally bad? Poor tackling, inconsistent blocking, dumb penalties, undisciplined .....etc. etc.

Transition period for D. No stars, lot of older guys who are placeholders and garbage. Younger guys need experience that older guys have, so they play older guys. Next year should be different on D. We lose two starters, one who stinks, #4.

 

[Carl Spackler]

You called them loaded. The MSU team that took the field today was anything but loaded.

I recognize my sarcasm didn't shine through. Their loaded was parroted by the BTN staff all preseason as if MSU was primed to contend for the final 4. So even with their injuries (a note to a spartan poster who constantly brought that up the past few days), I cast the line a bit too far without a detailed explanation. When a team returns more them 3/4's of it starters I'd consider them in a good position, you don't? OK we can leave it at that. The game is over so I'm done parsing adjectives.

 

[danvillenit]

I think all the playoff talk was ridiculous . In the offseason many were predicting a step back and then 2019 or 2020 as the year.

 

[Ranger Dan]

MSU had 18 or so starters back. They were not supposed to be down.

Exactly, some pundits picked MSU to finish ahead of Penn State in the division. MSU doesn’t have as high a top end potential as zPenn State because they recruit more system guys than game breakers, but they are not chopped liver. Also, MSU has the fifth most wins against top ten teams since 2013.

 

[AWS1022]

MSU is not a good team this year. They lost to two pretty average teams already.

They are just better then a pretty average PSU team.

Let’s face it, this year there’s Alabama and everyone else. Looking at the results the last two weeks, anyone can beat anyone outside of Bama. Top 10 teams dropping like flies. Everyone is playing for second place and apparently not many teams are deserving of that.

 

[harbest]

So we are ahead of schedule.. Going from 10-11 win seasons to 7-9 Is being ahead of schedule.

This year MSU was suppose to be downing add the injuries. Beatable.

If PSU is ever going to be the team in the conference these are the games they need to win. CJF I believe is now 3-11 vs the Big Ten Big 3. Not very acceptable in year 5.

Since we've been in this conference, when haven't we been the red haired, freckle faced stepchild to OSU and Michigan? Will any of us live long enought to see this change?

 

[kentuckycb]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

Don’t try to reason with the irrationals.

 

[delcoLion]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

I was on that bandwagon but I need to re-think it. 4th quarter failures by both offense and defense vs. top teams are now the main characteristic of this program, it’s that simple. You have to look more critically at JF. I love the guy but there is a major problem on the PS coaching staff.
I’ve been listening and subscribing to Phil Grosz for almost 40 years and he went out of his way this preseason to mention that a PSU letterman thought this was the fastest defense he ever saw at PS. Well, going fast in the wrong direction doesn’t help us. JF better start recruiting real football players, not speedy projects.

 

[PennStateNate]

We weren’t as good as tOSU but Trace almost willed us to victory. We were better than MSU, but everything fell in MSUs favor. Yes, the team needs to improve, but we have been ahead of schedule the last couple years. I think we will be a better team next year, and likely improving the year after. The players are here now and others are coming. The coaches are all accomplished and haven’t taken “stupid pills” all of a sudden. They will get things worked out and CJF will see that they do.

I agree, I don't get where people think we were so much better than OSU. We ran the ball better, but stats were pretty even and all that matters was the final score and they won. People saying we should have won by 3 TD are idiots.

 

[fastlax16]

Exactly, some pundits picked MSU to finish ahead of Penn State in the division. MSU doesn’t have as high a top end potential as zPenn State because they recruit more system guys than game breakers, but they are not chopped liver. Also, MSU has the fifth most wins against top ten teams since 2013.

Oh please. Because people thought they were good preseason doesn’t make losing to skmwhow better. It’s a bad Michigan state team that was beaten by a bad northwestern a week ago on the field. Who gives a f what the talking heads said in the preseason. this is going to be a mediocre Penn state team when it’s all said and done. Oh well.

 

[PennStateNate]

Exactly, some pundits picked MSU to finish ahead of Penn State in the division. MSU doesn’t have as high a top end potential as zPenn State because they recruit more system guys than game breakers, but they are not chopped liver. Also, MSU has the fifth most wins against top ten teams since 2013.

That must explain their losses against two very average teams in NW and Arizona State. MSU isn't the usual MSU team, they are down this year. This was a great year to beat them.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I understand your optimism...but why are we so fundamentally bad? Poor tackling, inconsistent blocking, dumb penalties, undisciplined .....etc. etc.

I’m sure CJF and others coaches have a better handle on these questions, but I’ll give it a shot.

Tackling is poor, I think, because of an emphasis on athleticism. With our cachet, we can recruit unfinished projects with top level athleticism, but not the guys who are highly polished and elite athletes. Dantonio chooses to get guys with sound fundamentals but less top end potential.

I think our O line is getting slowly better, but as long as we have an RPO as part of the offense then we will not be as aggressive or dominant on the O line.

I think penalties and mistakes are due to youth and not thinking. It seems that this bothers CJF more than anything, and I’ve seen him counsel these young men immediately when coming off the field after their penalty. This is the danger of playing so many young guys.

 

[NittanyOpp]

I agree, I don't get where people think we were so much better than OSU. We ran the ball better, but stats were pretty even and all that matters was the final score and they won. People saying we should have won by 3 TD are idiots.

Stats were pretty even because we gave up a 98 yard drive to lose the game. PSU dominated the first half of that game and played the second half at least event until OSU final 2 drives. Repeatedly, PSU had chances to score more points than what they came out with. Multiple idiotic coaching decisions cost them that and in the end the win. It was 26-14 with 8 minutes left in the game. One stop on a drive and basically we win the game by 2 or 3 touchdowns.

 

[NittanyOpp]

If anyone thinks MSU was a good football team today, cmon. They were garbage too. Their coach out coached ours when it mattered most (what coach doesn't) and they literally got a lot of luck tbh. Thorpe's dumb ass penalty on goal line stop, their WR bobbling than catching ball on sidelines, PSU dropping 3-4 interceptions, MSU fumbling 4 times and PSU not getting one, fake punt, running back throws, PSU players slipping constantly at huge moments.

 

[83wuzme]

JF was talking about “ elite “ vs “ good “ and “ great “ after tOSU.
Well, you have to get to “ good “ before you can even think about “ elite “.

 

[dbsteel]

There is no getting around it......that was a crap loss at home. Gotta throw that one away and figure out what's going wrong in these games. Way too many mistakes.

 

[psu2016]

You called them loaded. The MSU team that took the field today was anything but loaded.

They're mediocre at best. And frankly, their team last year wasn't all that great either. Got lucky in several close games.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Bad, bad loss. No other way to describe it. This one will cost us in numerous ways.