I can't think of any PSU team in recent memory that has shown as much improvement as the 2016 squad. From where we were in mid-late September, to where we are now, is really unbelievable. The team is playing with confidence and making proper adjustments. Running the table, while not a guarantee, is certainly not out of the question. Barkley is the best RB in the country. The separation he got on his 81 yard TD burst yesterday was impressive. He's one of the few guys that actually looks fast in our all-white uniforms. McSorely is a leader. Hiring Moorehead and Limegrover was like hitting two grand slams in the same inning. Franklin is doing a great job. He represents us well, and has clearly gotten this program rolling again. Keep up the good work, coach. This team is fun to root for. Go State!
Improvement
- Thread starter lunsmooth
- Start date
I agree. It is refreshing to look at a stat sheet and see domination in almost every category. OK, Purdue isn't that great a team, still, these are impressive numbers.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...o_pdf/2016-17/box_score/stats_20161029aaa.pdf
The only nit I might pick is that PSU lost in TOP every single quarter. OK, I know it's a fast-scoring offense and all that, but still this gives PSU opponents more time to do something with the ball (in Purdue's case it was mostly "something bad"). Against better opponents, PSU will either need to find ways to sustain long drives or have a very deep and solid defense, or the defense is going to be very tired by the 4th quarter. Purdue controlling the ball for 10 minutes in the first quarter alone probably contributed greatly to that "slow start." PSU did do most of their scoring in the 3rd quarter where Purdue controlled the ball for over 9 minutes, but 14 of those points were off Purdue turnovers. BTW, this was the case last week as well, PSU was dominated by OSU in TOP, especially in the 4th quarter...yet that's where PSU did most of their scoring. Weird.
Franklin and staff are obviously doing a very good job and they are to be commended. Now that defensive players have recovered from injuries, this team looks very different. If the offense can start getting more consistent early in the game, this team will have a very strong finish and great springboard for next year.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...o_pdf/2016-17/box_score/stats_20161029aaa.pdf
The only nit I might pick is that PSU lost in TOP every single quarter. OK, I know it's a fast-scoring offense and all that, but still this gives PSU opponents more time to do something with the ball (in Purdue's case it was mostly "something bad"). Against better opponents, PSU will either need to find ways to sustain long drives or have a very deep and solid defense, or the defense is going to be very tired by the 4th quarter. Purdue controlling the ball for 10 minutes in the first quarter alone probably contributed greatly to that "slow start." PSU did do most of their scoring in the 3rd quarter where Purdue controlled the ball for over 9 minutes, but 14 of those points were off Purdue turnovers. BTW, this was the case last week as well, PSU was dominated by OSU in TOP, especially in the 4th quarter...yet that's where PSU did most of their scoring. Weird.
Franklin and staff are obviously doing a very good job and they are to be commended. Now that defensive players have recovered from injuries, this team looks very different. If the offense can start getting more consistent early in the game, this team will have a very strong finish and great springboard for next year.
Can we now save the hot seats for deer stands?
A lot of that improvement is due to the return of Bell & Cabinda. A LB trio of Bell, Cabinda, & Bowen is much better than a trio of Cooper, Jan Johnson, and Bowen. We also now have Smith, Cooper, Brown, & Farmer to provide some depth.
Yes the whole team is improving and playing with more confidence. The young OL seem to be improving slowly and the play calling has improved (getting the ball to Barkley outside). The young DL is also playing better and the WRs are doing a better job fighting for 50-50 balls.
My biggest concerns:
- I still don't understand so many long passes. I understand the need to throw when opponents stack the LOS but why not 15 yards instead of 30+ yards? It seems like too much all or nothing.
- The 1st half yesterday reminded me of the 1st half vs. Pitt. Purdue was very creative with their offense and PSU was off balance and out of position. The only time we stopped Iowa was when they missed a FG. That's got to get cleaned up.
I think that Joe's tweaks were perhaps more subtle.... they were definitely made, and part of JVP's reputation over the years was as a coach who made great in-game adjustments. Maybe there was less to adjust to until about 10 years ago or so, but JVP and his coaches were outstanding game-planners and made great adjustments in game for the most part. I think that contributed to many of his wins being thanks to very solid 2nd halves of games and defenses that could take over a game in the 2nd half.
just my opinion.
This team is really growing into its identity. Impressive improvements, especially as the offense is really understanding the concepts and executing better.
The 2012 team certainly showed great improvement as the season went on. They were a talented bunch who stumbled out of the gate and then proved to be a bunch of true 'fighters'.
While I think there were many other PSU teams who showed great improvement over the course of a season, this year's team's improvement is perhaps more striking than almost any others in recent memory. I sure did not know what to expect after the Michigan game, even after gaining some optimism from the 2nd half of the Pitt game. The 2nd half of the Minn. game seemed to be the light switch moment from a fans' perspective, but I'm sure it was more subtle than that over a few games and practices.
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Agree with Moorehead and Limegrover, but don't forget elevating Pry instead of going outside the program. The defensive adjustments at halftime have almost shut down the opposing offenses in most of our games.
Very rarely were any of Joe's teams -especially on defense-caught on their heels for an entire half The only time I can think of was in 2003 against MSU and then PSU stormed back in the second half with Zack Mills and RJ Luke
Well, we were caught on our heels on offense for entire games, but that was more our offensive philosophy and not having many too skill players when it came to the passing game. With some exceptions like '82 and '94, Joe was loathe to adapt to the increasing role of the passing game on offense, despite having a strong running game to set up the pass.
But on defense, yes, we would make adjustments during the first half most of the time, so that the game didn't get too far away from us. I think the adjustments the current staff make at halftime are more noticeable because it looks like two different teams played the first and second halves, as opposed to the more gradual adjustments in game Joe's staff would make.
Agree with bdgan. Cabinda and Bell coming back from injury was huge. He is also right about the DL. They have played considerably better than I thought would be the case. I thought losing some really good defensive lineman to the NFL would have more of an impact on the performance of the DL.
And, although the OL has certainly improved, you have to give Trace a LOT of credit for his ability to run, not just for yardage, but to get out of the pocket when under pressure and either keep plays alive or avoid sacks. That has been huge. I think his mobility has given him a definite edge over Hack as a PSU quarterback.
Agreed. As an old timer, I can testify that for the longest time PSU virtually never gave up a second-half lead.
