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Is PSU bad or is Michigan that good?

WreslingFan0314

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2017
673
909
1
I understand the dark mood here after yesterday's game and many are down on this Nittany Lion team. I did a little digging, watched a few YouTube videos and have some thoughts.

A couple things about Michigan that may have been missed. I saw a lot of people reference their games/scores against Iowa, Maryland and Indiana. I think those games were a bit deceiving after looking a little closer.
1. Michigan dominated Iowa. They were more methodical in their approach and didn't have the big plays they did yesterday, but they led 20-0 and 27-7 before Iowa scored a garbage time TD with :08 left in the game. The 27-14 final score was deceiving as it wasn't that close.
2. Michigan started slow defensively against Maryland giving up some yardage to Taulia. But they took over in the 2nd half, controlling the ball. Maryland only had Five 2nd half possessions - Punt, Punt, TD, INT, TD. But they had a 2 score lead and Maryland's final TD with :45 left in the game that was already decided.
3. Indiana - Michigan definitely started slowly after scoring on their first drive. Indiana committed to stopping the run, loading the box. It's an excuse but you could they were shaken after RB Coach Mike Hart had a seizure on the sideline in the 1st, right in front of the team, and had to be carted off. They regrouped in the 2nd half and Indiana only had 29 yards of offense in the whole 2nd half. In 6 2nd Half possessions, they punted the first 4, lost a fumble and turned it over on downs, running just 28 plays. Indiana continued to overplay the run and Michigan ended up throwing 36 times for over 300 yards.

None of that matters, other than it shows the scores can be a bit deceiving, as we saw yesterday at Halftime.

On the flip side, I don't think PSU is nearly as bad as they showed yesterday. Are they are top 5 or top 10 team? No
But I think the Michigan matchup was a bad one for them as their OL and DL are very good. Their DL has been questioned all year because of the lost of their two Edge rushers from last year, but they're very good and more balanced. That proved nightmarish for Penn State's OL. And Michigan's OL is one of the best in the country. They haven't been healthy and played yesterday without their starting RT, but the backup has had plenty of experience. In the Red Zone, PSU's DL made some plays. But when spread out, Michigan was too much. I don't think a lot of teams will do that to PSU. Yesterday was just a buzzsaw kind of day overall.

But their are things to look forward to. How they play from here, especially next week, will determine a lot. How much heart do they have? Can they come back after being whipped? Can they clean up some of the poor tackling? Minnesota will present a challenge running the ball, but their QB may or may not play. If they are one dimensional, I think PSU steps up and handles them, especially at home. Mo Ibrahaim may still get his 100 yards, but I don't see them giving up 300-400 yards again. The big plays from Corum and Edwards yesterday were fluky in the sense that there were several. Those guys can break long runs, but not typically so often. Questions for PSU next week start with their psyche and how well they can bounce back, There is an old saying about not letting the same team/game beat you twice. PSU has to avoid that. And second, how will they be at QB? I haven't heard anything about Clifford's health. Was he just banged up or is there more? Will they make the change to Allar and if so, is he ready? If they do, it would seem better to do it this week rather than against OSU.

I think PSU will be fine. Most likely they'll end up as a team ranked in the 15-20 range and win most games, but struggle against the Elite teams. Not want many want to hear, but better than the mood in general, I think. Let's just hope the reaction and bounce back this week is the right one, or things could then spiral down hill fast.
 
I understand the dark mood here after yesterday's game and many are down on this Nittany Lion team. I did a little digging, watched a few YouTube videos and have some thoughts.

A couple things about Michigan that may have been missed. I saw a lot of people reference their games/scores against Iowa, Maryland and Indiana. I think those games were a bit deceiving after looking a little closer.
1. Michigan dominated Iowa. They were more methodical in their approach and didn't have the big plays they did yesterday, but they led 20-0 and 27-7 before Iowa scored a garbage time TD with :08 left in the game. The 27-14 final score was deceiving as it wasn't that close.
2. Michigan started slow defensively against Maryland giving up some yardage to Taulia. But they took over in the 2nd half, controlling the ball. Maryland only had Five 2nd half possessions - Punt, Punt, TD, INT, TD. But they had a 2 score lead and Maryland's final TD with :45 left in the game that was already decided.
3. Indiana - Michigan definitely started slowly after scoring on their first drive. Indiana committed to stopping the run, loading the box. It's an excuse but you could they were shaken after RB Coach Mike Hart had a seizure on the sideline in the 1st, right in front of the team, and had to be carted off. They regrouped in the 2nd half and Indiana only had 29 yards of offense in the whole 2nd half. In 6 2nd Half possessions, they punted the first 4, lost a fumble and turned it over on downs, running just 28 plays. Indiana continued to overplay the run and Michigan ended up throwing 36 times for over 300 yards.

None of that matters, other than it shows the scores can be a bit deceiving, as we saw yesterday at Halftime.

On the flip side, I don't think PSU is nearly as bad as they showed yesterday. Are they are top 5 or top 10 team? No
But I think the Michigan matchup was a bad one for them as their OL and DL are very good. Their DL has been questioned all year because of the lost of their two Edge rushers from last year, but they're very good and more balanced. That proved nightmarish for Penn State's OL. And Michigan's OL is one of the best in the country. They haven't been healthy and played yesterday without their starting RT, but the backup has had plenty of experience. In the Red Zone, PSU's DL made some plays. But when spread out, Michigan was too much. I don't think a lot of teams will do that to PSU. Yesterday was just a buzzsaw kind of day overall.

But their are things to look forward to. How they play from here, especially next week, will determine a lot. How much heart do they have? Can they come back after being whipped? Can they clean up some of the poor tackling? Minnesota will present a challenge running the ball, but their QB may or may not play. If they are one dimensional, I think PSU steps up and handles them, especially at home. Mo Ibrahaim may still get his 100 yards, but I don't see them giving up 300-400 yards again. The big plays from Corum and Edwards yesterday were fluky in the sense that there were several. Those guys can break long runs, but not typically so often. Questions for PSU next week start with their psyche and how well they can bounce back, There is an old saying about not letting the same team/game beat you twice. PSU has to avoid that. And second, how will they be at QB? I haven't heard anything about Clifford's health. Was he just banged up or is there more? Will they make the change to Allar and if so, is he ready? If they do, it would seem better to do it this week rather than against OSU.

I think PSU will be fine. Most likely they'll end up as a team ranked in the 15-20 range and win most games, but struggle against the Elite teams. Not want many want to hear, but better than the mood in general, I think. Let's just hope the reaction and bounce back this week is the right one, or things could then spiral down hill fast.
Good post. This team is a decent team with some holes in the line play on both sides and middle LB are young.
One issue was the Diaz scheme of playing a pressure D. When the back got five yards past the LOS it was off to the races. Pressure Ds often give up big plays. Perhaps we needed a more cautious D for a higher percentage of plays. Call pressure irregularly to maximize impact.
 
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