Does anyone else get 1986 vibes from this team?

[royboy]

From a second half team perspective, more like 2016 team IMO.

Yeah, key plays made vs USC similar to plays vs Northwestern in 2005 and vs Minnesota in 2016

Both those PSU teams made a big jump in confidence after come from behind wins

 

[PSU4U]

Sometimes it takes a game like we saw against USC to reveal the character of a team. I was a Senior at Penn State in 1986 and I remember Penn State needing a big 4th down conversion against Cincinnati to win that game at home. We know what happened with that 1986 team, which later went on the road and beat #2 Alabama and ND in a close game later in the season before beating Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

The USC win was one of the best wins in the CJF era, and arguably the best true road win CJF has had since he has been at Penn State. I couldn't believe that he went for those 4th downs. I'm glad they worked out, and I'm very happy for him and for the team. Here are just a couple of other observations:

Drew Allar, regarding his interview after the game. My impression is that Allar is right in the midst of rapidly maturing as a person and a leader, and he seems like a great kid. He took a big leap in so many ways in that USC game. We may find that Allar plays at a different level for the remainder of his college career as a result of this game.

Coach AK: Enjoy this guy now, because he is going to be a very successful head coach somewhere soon. His creativity is off the charts, and he really seems to figure out ways to tailor his gameplan to the specific talents of his players. The drive early in the game reminded me of when Penn State overwhelmed Arizona in the opening game of 1999. That early USC drive only ended in a FG, but you could see the team feeding off of AK's playcalling. I expect this team to continue to get better on offense over the final few weeks of the season.

I don't expect this team to win a championship this year, but Penn State has something special going on right now. I'm going to sit back and enjoy the rest of this season unfold.

Mentioned that the other week. It seems this team has something in common there. They seem to play down (not USC) to the competition a little. They just do what it takes to win football games.

 

[87 Penn St8]

Sometimes it takes a game like we saw against USC to reveal the character of a team. I was a Senior at Penn State in 1986 and I remember Penn State needing a big 4th down conversion against Cincinnati to win that game at home. We know what happened with that 1986 team, which later went on the road and beat #2 Alabama and ND in a close game later in the season before beating Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

The USC win was one of the best wins in the CJF era, and arguably the best true road win CJF has had since he has been at Penn State. I couldn't believe that he went for those 4th downs. I'm glad they worked out, and I'm very happy for him and for the team. Here are just a couple of other observations:

Drew Allar, regarding his interview after the game. My impression is that Allar is right in the midst of rapidly maturing as a person and a leader, and he seems like a great kid. He took a big leap in so many ways in that USC game. We may find that Allar plays at a different level for the remainder of his college career as a result of this game.

Coach AK: Enjoy this guy now, because he is going to be a very successful head coach somewhere soon. His creativity is off the charts, and he really seems to figure out ways to tailor his gameplan to the specific talents of his players. The drive early in the game reminded me of when Penn State overwhelmed Arizona in the opening game of 1999. That early USC drive only ended in a FG, but you could see the team feeding off of AK's playcalling. I expect this team to continue to get better on offense over the final few weeks of the season.

I don't expect this team to win a championship this year, but Penn State has something special going on right now. I'm going to sit back and enjoy the rest of this season unfold.

As a now "Old Head" who was a senior with you and also at that game- remember that it was Blair Thomas' coming out party of sorts as he had a big kick return. I think that there are many solid posts about similarities to other top teams like 82/94/05/16. Here are my memories of the 86 team that do and don't apply now:

Do:
*Stud running backs: Dozier/Thomas then: Nick/Kaytron now
*Solid- if not publicly recognized O Lines
*Finding ways to Win- including some games that maybe we didn't "deserve" to: Cincinnati/Maryland then and USC/ possibly a Wisky or Minny down the road
*Both WR Rooms were generally average- no Kenny Jacksons or Bobby Engrams on either 86 or now. Ray Roundtree was very good and an NFL player in 86- likely better than anyone on current depth chart
*There was a solid win on the road against a Traditional Power who was in a down cycle where maybe we didn't play our best but won: @ Notre Dame then (I was there too) and @ USC last week

Don't:
*John Shaffer today would be called a "Game Manager" who was a leader and winner but doesn't compare athletically to Drew in any way
*Missing are the true blockers and power backs that 86 had: Steve Smith and Tim Manoa- but that is sort of the H Back role now (and #71 in motion : )
*Tyler Warren is at a completely other level than our 86 guys. Brian Siverling- who dominated me in IM Basketball- was solid and more old school- it is a different position now but there is no comparison re: productivity
*Overall maturity on D- The 5th year senior comment is dead on- but we also had guys who knew and understood their roles. With a new DC and a few transfers/young players there could be some "learning curves" that kill us down the line. Like many- I watched Tony Rojas get lost and overrun plays multiple times last week that Shane Conlan would not do
*Our interior D line with Bob White and Pete Curkendall just felt tougher than where we are today. Durant is fantastic- but when we get into some of the other guys the trust factor isn't yet there. BTW I can still see Pete running away from our North Endzone seats where I sat with my Dad with his fumble (weird interception?) recovery sprint to help turn around the Terps game- which nonetheless went to the last possession/4th down play by Maryland which fell incomplete in our near endzone

STILL TBD:
*The "Signature Win"- Then @ Bama 23-3. Great afternoon spent watching on the old "projection" TV in The Lions Den.

Hopefully 11/2 will be this teams' version of that W vs OSU to push us into the upper echelon!

Go State!

 

[GregInPitt]

Sometimes it takes a game like we saw against USC to reveal the character of a team. I was a Senior at Penn State in 1986 and I remember Penn State needing a big 4th down conversion against Cincinnati to win that game at home. We know what happened with that 1986 team, which later went on the road and beat #2 Alabama and ND in a close game later in the season before beating Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

The USC win was one of the best wins in the CJF era, and arguably the best true road win CJF has had since he has been at Penn State. I couldn't believe that he went for those 4th downs. I'm glad they worked out, and I'm very happy for him and for the team. Here are just a couple of other observations:

Drew Allar, regarding his interview after the game. My impression is that Allar is right in the midst of rapidly maturing as a person and a leader, and he seems like a great kid. He took a big leap in so many ways in that USC game. We may find that Allar plays at a different level for the remainder of his college career as a result of this game.

Coach AK: Enjoy this guy now, because he is going to be a very successful head coach somewhere soon. His creativity is off the charts, and he really seems to figure out ways to tailor his gameplan to the specific talents of his players. The drive early in the game reminded me of when Penn State overwhelmed Arizona in the opening game of 1999. That early USC drive only ended in a FG, but you could see the team feeding off of AK's playcalling. I expect this team to continue to get better on offense over the final few weeks of the season.

I don't expect this team to win a championship this year, but Penn State has something special going on right now. I'm going to sit back and enjoy the rest of this season unfold.

Nope. Going into 1986, the previous 8+ years PSU football had shown a pretty consistent ability to compete with top 5-10 teams, with many signature wins. Nebraska, ND, Alabama, ....... The current team will have a chance to do the same, but really for the first time since 2016 which also included a blowout loss to UM and a pathetic loss to pitt. And then pretty much losses to the top 10 teams Franklin's teams faced right through today. Sure, the USC game was a nice win against a talented team, but which alredy had 2 losses. PSU in the late 70's and into the 80's had played for MNC's multiple times, whereas the current team and CJF's teams haven't even made the 4 team playoff yet going into the expanded playoff this season. Just not a great deal similar to me.

 

[87 Penn St8]

Nope. Going into 1986, the previous 8+ years PSU football had shown a pretty consistent ability to compete with top 5-10 teams, with many signature wins. Nebraska, ND, Alabama, ....... The current team will have a chance to do the same, but really for the first time since 2016 which also included a blowout loss to UM and a pathetic loss to pitt. And then pretty much losses to the top 10 teams Franklin's teams faced right through today. Sure, the USC game was a nice win against a talented team, but which alredy had 2 losses. PSU in the late 70's and into the 80's had played for MNC's multiple times, whereas the current team and CJF's teams haven't even made the 4 team playoff yet going into the expanded playoff this season. Just not a great deal similar to me.

Orange Bowl loss to Sooners the year prior primed the pump for sure....experience is hard to replace

 

[19333lion]

Orange Bowl loss to Sooners the year prior primed the pump for sure....experience is hard to replace

I was so depressed the following morning. Those Sooner teams were roided to the max. What an outlaw program Barry (the Bootlegger's Son) Switzer ran.

 

[mcpat]

I couldn't believe that he went for those 4th downs.

At about the same point in the games against Ohio St and Michigan last year, he went for it on 4th down. I didn’t like it then and I didn’t like it on Saturday (until it worked).

 

[NoBareFeet]

The '86 team would not have planted a PSU flag on an opponent's field after a win. That team had high character.

 

[Jerry]

As a now "Old Head" who was a senior with you and also at that game- remember that it was Blair Thomas' coming out party of sorts as he had a big kick return. I think that there are many solid posts about similarities to other top teams like 82/94/05/16. Here are my memories of the 86 team that do and don't apply now:

Do:
*Stud running backs: Dozier/Thomas then: Nick/Kaytron now
*Solid- if not publicly recognized O Lines
*Finding ways to Win- including some games that maybe we didn't "deserve" to: Cincinnati/Maryland then and USC/ possibly a Wisky or Minny down the road
*Both WR Rooms were generally average- no Kenny Jacksons or Bobby Engrams on either 86 or now. Ray Roundtree was very good and an NFL player in 86- likely better than anyone on current depth chart
*There was a solid win on the road against a Traditional Power who was in a down cycle where maybe we didn't play our best but won: @ Notre Dame then (I was there too) and @ USC last week

Don't:
*John Shaffer today would be called a "Game Manager" who was a leader and winner but doesn't compare athletically to Drew in any way
*Missing are the true blockers and power backs that 86 had: Steve Smith and Tim Manoa- but that is sort of the H Back role now (and #71 in motion : )
*Tyler Warren is at a completely other level than our 86 guys. Brian Siverling- who dominated me in IM Basketball- was solid and more old school- it is a different position now but there is no comparison re: productivity
*Overall maturity on D- The 5th year senior comment is dead on- but we also had guys who knew and understood their roles. With a new DC and a few transfers/young players there could be some "learning curves" that kill us down the line. Like many- I watched Tony Rojas get lost and overrun plays multiple times last week that Shane Conlan would not do
*Our interior D line with Bob White and Pete Curkendall just felt tougher than where we are today. Durant is fantastic- but when we get into some of the other guys the trust factor isn't yet there. BTW I can still see Pete running away from our North Endzone seats where I sat with my Dad with his fumble (weird interception?) recovery sprint to help turn around the Terps game- which nonetheless went to the last possession/4th down play by Maryland which fell incomplete in our near endzone

STILL TBD:
*The "Signature Win"- Then @ Bama 23-3. Great afternoon spent watching on the old "projection" TV in The Lions Den.

Hopefully 11/2 will be this teams' version of that W vs OSU to push us into the upper echelon!

Go State!

Nice analysis.

Re your first "don't," I loved John Shaffer as a leader, a clutch player (though with a limited skill set), and a total class act, but honestly, I don't think he'd make the team today.

We're long past the "game-manager" phase of college football quarterbacking. In order to compete at the top level, your QB needs to make plays and make throws. We saw that on Saturday.

 

[Jerry]

Nope. Going into 1986, the previous 8+ years PSU football had shown a pretty consistent ability to compete with top 5-10 teams, with many signature wins. Nebraska, ND, Alabama, ....... The current team will have a chance to do the same, but really for the first time since 2016 which also included a blowout loss to UM and a pathetic loss to pitt. And then pretty much losses to the top 10 teams Franklin's teams faced right through today. Sure, the USC game was a nice win against a talented team, but which alredy had 2 losses. PSU in the late 70's and into the 80's had played for MNC's multiple times, whereas the current team and CJF's teams haven't even made the 4 team playoff yet going into the expanded playoff this season. Just not a great deal similar to me.

Agree. I think this team has a very long way to go to be mentioned in the same breath with the 1986 edition.

For one, that 1986 squad was arguably the best defensive team that Penn State has ever fielded. (OK, 1969 might be in the conversation.) Just a bunch of tough, seasoned, intelligent, and very talented football players on that D. I mean, they held what was considered one of the best offenses in college football history to 10 points, which absolutely nobody in the world dreamed could happen.

Secondly, and you alluded to this, that team exemplified the Penn State pedigree...the brand...the magic...the history of winning big games, to include a bunch of big-time bowls and a championships. Let's face it, we've lost that. You might even argue that we lost it before Joe left. Could it be recaptured? Yes, but it starts on the field...against the Ohio States of the world.