For all its flaws, I love college football, especially this season.
We came "this close" to being undefeated. Meanwhile UM, MSU, Iowa are (so far) having historical years which puts them in the Who'da thunk category. And OSU is rounding into form.
Our weak links -so far- turned out to be mostly in places we didnt think were weak links: the OL, TE, RB. ( Yes, we knew Cliff's backup had very limited PT. And that killed us for one game ( so far.) But how bout that D? One of our best in a long long time. Kudos to the players and coaches on that side of the ball! And while the DBs have excelled, the DL has stepped up Big Time, and the LBers are much improved as well. And ST's deserve a halftime bow.
As far as the OL, I keep waiting for them to get it together. Both pass pro and especially run blocking have been average at best. We need some holes to run through if we are going to get through the second half of the season successfully. I take solace in Herby's comments that PSU is the most well-rounded team in the BT. We have to kick things up a notch or two from here on out, considering the tough schedule ahead.
But OSU-MSU-UM also have seriously rough schedules. MSU's O is great but their D is suspect. Ditto OSU, who's D may keep them from going all-the-way.....again. UM keeps winning though they seem a bit flawed as well. And our Nittany Lions are still working on being the team we hope they can be. Personally, I am aching to see some holes open up, and some 200+ yard rushing games in the neear future. If Roberson is to be THE QB for a while, my guess is we will see a more diverse run game. I know we cant afford to lose him, too, but it is what he does best at this point in time. And if his arm is as good as they think, getting the run game going will give him time to settle in to the position of starting QB. Having a bye week gives us a chance to make that happen.
Yes, losing Mustipher- who was having an excellent season - was a big blow, but we seem to have young players who ARE stepping up. Wish I could say that about other player groups. But as of yet, the fan base is still waiting for players to emerge. Now would be a good time, dont you think?
We came "this close" to being undefeated. Meanwhile UM, MSU, Iowa are (so far) having historical years which puts them in the Who'da thunk category. And OSU is rounding into form.
Our weak links -so far- turned out to be mostly in places we didnt think were weak links: the OL, TE, RB. ( Yes, we knew Cliff's backup had very limited PT. And that killed us for one game ( so far.) But how bout that D? One of our best in a long long time. Kudos to the players and coaches on that side of the ball! And while the DBs have excelled, the DL has stepped up Big Time, and the LBers are much improved as well. And ST's deserve a halftime bow.
As far as the OL, I keep waiting for them to get it together. Both pass pro and especially run blocking have been average at best. We need some holes to run through if we are going to get through the second half of the season successfully. I take solace in Herby's comments that PSU is the most well-rounded team in the BT. We have to kick things up a notch or two from here on out, considering the tough schedule ahead.
But OSU-MSU-UM also have seriously rough schedules. MSU's O is great but their D is suspect. Ditto OSU, who's D may keep them from going all-the-way.....again. UM keeps winning though they seem a bit flawed as well. And our Nittany Lions are still working on being the team we hope they can be. Personally, I am aching to see some holes open up, and some 200+ yard rushing games in the neear future. If Roberson is to be THE QB for a while, my guess is we will see a more diverse run game. I know we cant afford to lose him, too, but it is what he does best at this point in time. And if his arm is as good as they think, getting the run game going will give him time to settle in to the position of starting QB. Having a bye week gives us a chance to make that happen.
Yes, losing Mustipher- who was having an excellent season - was a big blow, but we seem to have young players who ARE stepping up. Wish I could say that about other player groups. But as of yet, the fan base is still waiting for players to emerge. Now would be a good time, dont you think?
