The RPO will be around as long as Franklin is the coach here. Puts the defense in a position where they can't win. He won't recruit a QB who can't run it.
How important was Moorhead?
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The RPO will be around as long as Franklin is the coach here. Puts the defense in a position where they can't win. He won't recruit a QB who can't run it.
If the Fiesta Bowl was a preview of what is to come, then I think Penn State has elevated its perch. Rahne’s Fiesta Bowl game calling was better than Moorhead’s standard game - no doubt about that
Yeah, that O is broke as hell. 460 yards per game. 41 points per game. RB that averaged 5.7 yards per carry and had close to 600 yards catching the ball....what a waste. We need a FB, 2 TE's, and 4 YPC...that will show em.
Agree...it is one thing to know the offense, it is another to "feel" the offense. Copying is easy.
I am encouraged by the two back offense and his aggressiveness down the stretch in the Bowl game.
Yeah, that O is broke as hell. 460 yards per game. 41 points per game. RB that averaged 5.7 yards per carry and had close to 600 yards catching the ball....what a waste. We need a FB, 2 TE's, and 4 YPC...that will show em.
Yea that was just a ridiculous comment. I'm not sure who that poster is so I'm going troll.
Was the RPO perfect? No, nothing is but it was pretty damn good and outside of the Stevens (Lion) package for the bowl game (which I think they went to too much) I liked the tweeks Rahne made for the game. I think we see some more "variations" of it this season. I'd still like to see our 3rd and short % go higher. I almost felt more comfortable at 3rd and 7 then I did at 3rd and 2....almost.
Every offense around has some sort of deficiency. Saying that teams couldn't have swarmed to Barkley in a different offense is pretty naive as I don't care what offense or team you have, he would have been PLAN A to stop 100% of the time. People are incredible about breaking down failed plays after the fact...yet you rarely see those people talk about the good ones that worked in the same scheme and system.
I think JoMo was a great hire....However, if JoMo would have been forced to play with Hack as his QB, we might have seen a lot of similar results to what we saw under Donovan...
During our bowl game against Ga, our offense seemed to move a lot better with McSorley than with Hack (I know Rahne was the OC for that game)..
JoMo definitely took it up another notch from there, and I am glad he was here. But yes, I think occasionally he outsmarted himself. Thinking of the MSU game, I think it was our second to last drive that he called for a bomb and it got picked (in all fairness, the wR did have a step or two). We had been moving the ball on short passes and he decided to go to the bomb despite the horrible field conditions....MSU couldn't cover Barkley on the short stuff that entire drive, keep taking the high percentage mismatch that they were giving us.
Am glad we had JoMo, but I think we should do well without him...
During our bowl game against Ga, our offense seemed to move a lot better with McSorley than with Hack (I know Rahne was the OC for that game)..
JoMo definitely took it up another notch from there, and I am glad he was here. But yes, I think occasionally he outsmarted himself. Thinking of the MSU game, I think it was our second to last drive that he called for a bomb and it got picked (in all fairness, the wR did have a step or two). We had been moving the ball on short passes and he decided to go to the bomb despite the horrible field conditions....MSU couldn't cover Barkley on the short stuff that entire drive, keep taking the high percentage mismatch that they were giving us.
Am glad we had JoMo, but I think we should do well without him...
So, what you're saying is that it's all about the mesh point.
Oh, make no mistake. The guy despises Penn State. That is why the article surprised me.
It will be an interesting year to judge Franklin and Rahne not only due to the loss of Moorhead but also Gattis and Huff. We also lost a once in a lifetime RB in Barkley. SB won us games on sheer talent. You can't credit Moorhead for Saquon's improvisational brilliance. This year, coaching will matter a whole lot more. I look for a lot more traditional up the middle pounding with OL and Sanders. We will have to play smarter without Saquon bailing us out. I think 10-2 season will show we are in very good hands. 3 losses would be disappointing and 4 would show that something is not right with staff. If we score plenty and lose then perhaps a different story but we should be able to win 10 given a favorable schedule.
Oh good. We still have people ready to hop on the hot seat bandwagon. How refreshing.
Cmon, Judge..we have OSU, MSU, Wisconsin, Iowa at home. Our OOC is not exactly muderer's row. We have Sr. QB, major talent at WR, best OL depth in years, highly touted and mature RB and loads of RB depth behind him. I would think 4 losses would a tough pill this year. It is not bandwagon.
If I hated PSU, I'd take every shot I could, too. Nobody from our school has ever fired back. Like taking candy from a baby.
RR has at least demonstrated that he can use various mesh times instead of the dreaded stand still start and wait for the line to collapse mainstay of Moorhead. Now if he starts some plays with the tailback lined up behind the QB and installs a mobile mesh point (see OSU and Georgia) he will be ...........................a superstar and the PSU offense should be ..........spectacular!
You seem to forget the defense is also replacing quite a bit and will be relying heavily on young guys. Schedule or not, they still have to get up to speed and make plays. How many combined starts are gone?
Cabinda, Bowen, Allen, Haley, Campbell, Cothren, and Cothran........that is a pretty big chunk of experience. 9-10 wins seems fair, but that is assuming the young guys can step in and play at a high level...which is not a given.
Why are coaches always the reason teams lose games? We have very good talent. Wisky, UM, Ohio St. and MSU have very good talent too. Iowa had enough to blow out Ohio St. I guess that loss was on the coaches?
Absolutely agree. Franklin is the straw that stirs the PSU-football drink.
Am waiting with interest to see how Rahne's offense performs in his first full season as OC.
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Agree that LB spot is young but we were very young at DE last year and now it should be a strength. Parsons will be a monster blitzing so I expect Pry to use that talent. At DT, Givens and Windsor have played quite a bit of football and secondary should be strong with Reid returning. It is young in spots but we have lots of experience at key spots. Injuries will be x factor.
It was their only loss in BT. I am talking about 3 more losses. I can't predict why we may lose games but yes, ultimately underachieving teams usually fall on the coaches. I would consider 4 losses in that realm, given our schedule. A year when we are playing Auburn on road and MSU, UW, OSU on road, then maybe 4 losses would be understandable. We also have to consider Nebraska's rise. They won't be doormat much longer under Frost. One good season and Cali talent will start flowing to Lincoln.
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I’m not worried about your expectations to be honest. This conversation is a decade late. The fact you typed that with a straight face shows where Franklin has PSU right now. Fans guess work doesn’t always equate to reality. I think they’ll be fine but they lost more than you realize. Mike G, Hamilton, and Barkley were huge parts of the offense never mind the defensive losses. We hope they reload, but that remains to be seen.
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Too many "moving pieces" to definitively determine Moorhead's importance.
Considering the wholesale changes on the coaching staff, I believe PSU fans have their expectations set a couple of notches "too high".
The 2018 season should be "informational". I'm further wondering how a 7-5 season or perhaps an 8-4 season will resonate with most on this board.
Considering the wholesale changes on the coaching staff, I believe PSU fans have their expectations set a couple of notches "too high".
The 2018 season should be "informational". I'm further wondering how a 7-5 season or perhaps an 8-4 season will resonate with most on this board.
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He was incredibly important in 2016. Another magnificent decision by JF to bring him in. Moorhead deserves a huge amount of the credit for reviving the PSU brand from the depths of pedophilia. I'm not sure you could point to a more entertaining team these past two years. A QB who has been described as "McSorcerer is still there, completing passes perfectly spiraled from his ass."
Very exciting offense with incredible results. At this point though, the Jimmy's and Joe's are so good that we don't actually need a Moorhead or McSorely performing perfectly spiraled miracles from their ass.
Very exciting offense with incredible results. At this point though, the Jimmy's and Joe's are so good that we don't actually need a Moorhead or McSorely performing perfectly spiraled miracles from their ass.
Come on marshall blaming the coaches starts back in little league for some of these guys. It was never their or their kids talent, or lack there of, but it was always the coaches fault.
Question, do you look at our schedule or the depth charts of our opponents before setting expectations for the season? OSU lost starters at DT (both), LBs (both), DE (1), CB (1) and safety (1) plus new QB and 2 OL. I think UW loses 7 starters on D. UM will start a QB who has never played a snap for them and will have to learn new offense. If you think my "expectation" not to lose 4 games is ridiculous even though we play every major game at home (except UM) so be it.
Not to go too off topic, but I'll be really surprised if Nebraska is ever again a consistent top 10 team. They'll likely be better under Frost. But why would kids from California want to play in Lincoln. And then play many of their games another 1,000 miles to the east. The landscape of CFB has changed so dramatically that what may have worked for Nebraska in the 70s and 80s and 90s as far as attracting players is unlikely to work now. These kids they are recruiting have never known Nebraska as a winner. It's hard to believe many of them, with no natural ties to the area, would decide to go play for a school that they have no connection to.
I think games are played on the field. Teams should get off the bus and look at the scoreboard.......every time I have, it reads 0-0. It isn't some play station creation. Turnovers, weather, injuries, and officials calls can all impact the outcome. To say nothing of the impact of those factors on opponents during their seasons. Everyone is entitled to approach their respective "fandom" in any manner they choose. I choose to experience each game and not put up a predetermined win total that will define my satisfaction with the coaching staff.
Perhaps the most enjoyable win for me (as a PSU Fan of more than 50 years) was the OT win in the Pinstripe Bowl. After the sanctions, I had made peace with the demise of PSU Football, as I had experienced it and never thought it would be relevant again in my lifetime. The return, to even an insignificant bowl and a victory was thrilling. I'm enjoying the ride.....recruiting, competing on the national stage again and most of all gratified to see it all come full circle. I'm not turning on Coach Franklin even if the team loses 3, 4 or 5 games.
It’s not ridiculous, it’s a guess. You can try and act as if you know exactly what can and should happen, but in reality you really don’t anymore the me or anyone else. PSU isn’t on a run yet like tOSU, Bama, or Clemson. That is the plan but nothing is guaranteed next year. We replace a decent amount but have recruited well so we’ll see what happens. Sorry I don’t get too excited with the hyperbole expectations line anymore.
It’s not a PSU thing either, but run with it. I think 9-10 wins is what we’ll expect in most years with some better than others. I’m not getting a pitchfork and kerosene ready yet because of something said here.
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I would have been MUCH more impressed with Motorhead if he migrated AWAY from the RPO as we got deeper into the B1G season... make all those opposing a-wholes practice for it only to hit them with some other scheme(s)... quite honestly - i thought that was coming... i guess that’s with the benefit if hindsight
What teams do you know of that abandon their offense in mid year? I mean every team will try a new wrinkle or two, but they don’t go away from their base offense.
I apologize as I used a broad brush when referencing the term “RPO” ... I’m talking about what became the all-too-common TM9/SB26 embrace/freeze/read 6yds behind the LOS...
There are different ways to execute the RPO w/o having SB26 with a defender in his chest behing the LOS
Is the geometry teacher getting paid nearly 5 million a year? Geez, I guess Carly Fiorina's employees failed her. Reality is that highly paid people like CF are held accountable for under-performing results. I never said fire CF if 4 losses this year. I said something is wrong with staff possibly. Well-coached and confident teams overcome the weather, injuries, penalties and turnovers. OSU won NC with their 3rd string QB. We are not are quite at OSU's talent level but getting pretty close. I am thankful that CF has us in a strong place but if we lost 4 games all on kickoff return failures then I might want to look at who is coaching them. Not saying circumstances around the losses don't matter but not as much as some think.
I don't have a crystal ball nor do I have some zen-like approach to my PSU football expectations. I love my Lions, love my school and we set a high-bar for college football with our atmosphere and support. Top college kids see our devotion and now what to play here again. It is fun times ahead.
I sat in front of someone at the Indiana game who screamed the entire time to bench McSorley. Who will end up with just about every passing record at Penn State. These snowflakes who demand perfection from their favorite team or there will be hell to pay (coaches fired, starters benched) are among the most annoying parts of following sports.
Paterno was one of the greatest coaches of all time. Setting aside the last 10 years when he should have been retired, he had great years and some down years mixed in. That's just how it goes. Injuries, chemistry issues, player performance, etc. Franklin WILL win a national championship, he'll recruit with the best of them, he'll have the best strength staff in the country, he'll have a program to be proud of off the field. But there will be underachieving seasons. Impossible for it not to happen. Try not to be too much of a dick when that occurs.
There were "fans" behind me at one of the games who blamed Franklin for every muffed play. " Real good, Franklin!" when a guy dropped a pass or missed a block. Really tiresome.
My buddy and I began renaming every player Franklin. Trace overthrew geisicki on a 3d and 8, forcing a punt. "Cmon, Franklin, you gotta make that throw!"
Cabinda or the DE missed an easy TFL: "Wrap him up, Franklin! You gotta make that stop!"
We never turned around or addressed the issue directly. Surprisingly they STFU about Franklin.
When you focus so hard on one thing, other things start to fade away. People honestly don’t appreciate what Franklin and Company are doing already. It’s as if people don’t watch how many TFL’s PSU gets when playing RPO teams or just other teams in general. That is a negative in that offense, but the pros totally outweigh the cons.
It’s like they are battered fans waiting for failure because of everything that has occurred in recent so they cannot enjoy what is going on. Who honestly says they enjoy something while basically saying they are waiting for the shoe to drop? It’s odd to me, but to each their own I guess.
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I’m not sure when it became so common to blame the coach for every loss, but it’s happened. I know when I played it was the players fault if we didn’t play well enough to win. Now if you talk to people or read posts on this (and other message boards) every loss is the coach’s fault. Lose a close game to OSU, it’s Franklin’s fault for getting too conservative. Get blown off the field by Michigan, it’s Franklin’s fault for not having his players motivated. Hell, if they don’t win by enough it’s Franklin’s fault. I just want to know when these scholarship athletes get held accountable for playing poorly.
