Oblis Observations

[The Spin Meister]

Still trying to spin the narrative to match your completely inaccurate predictions, I see. WVU only lost 2 fumbles to our 1, so that's hardly insurmountable!

And the referees were HORRIBLE on Saturday, especially with regard to the WVU OL literally tackling our guys. So our defense was actually far more dominant than the stats showed.

With that said, everyone who wasn't trying to stir up board drama knows that WVU is not a team that will end up ranked higher than 20 (and likely lower), so expectations should be tempered. We were solid at all levels, so hopefully we can stay healthy and have a strong performance at USC (the first real quiz), and beyond.

Actually, I don’t know that WVU will not end up in top 20.

They lost their speed back for whole 2nd qtr. He had a couple good runs and his speed was a threat from anywhere on the field. Losing him allowed our D to play differently,

If we didn’t get a huge pass with 20 seconds left in the first half WVU would have been down only 13-6 and feeling a lot better than being down 20-6 and pissed.

Don’t know if long delay hurt us or them. But giving up that score and not getting at it for over two hours had to hurt.

It’s a well known adage that the two most important possessions are the lady of the first half and the first of the second half. That TD was huge.

WVU could very well go on a run. Two weeks from now they play at their hated archival Pitt and won’t even think about our win over them. They beat Pitt …. could be on a roll,

 

[SR108]

Actually, I don’t know that WVU will not end up in top 20.

They lost their speed back for whole 2nd qtr. He had a couple good runs and his speed was a threat from anywhere on the field. Losing him allowed our D to play differently,

If we didn’t get a huge pass with 20 seconds left in the first half WVU would have been down only 13-6 and feeling a lot better than being down 20-6 and pissed.

Don’t know if long delay hurt us or them. But giving up that score and not getting at it for over two hours had to hurt.

It’s a well known adage that the two most important possessions are the lady of the first half and the first of the second half. That TD was huge.

WVU could very well go on a run. Two weeks from now they play at their hated archival Pitt and won’t even think about our win over them. They beat Pitt …. could be on a roll,

It was a good win over a decent power 4 opponent in a difficult atmosphere. Nothing more. The key going forward is to learn from the film, clean up mistakes, and get better. Bottom line, we need to have a chance against Ohio State and USC, and win the games that we should win.

 

[PSU2UNC]

“Interesting on the horsecollar that wasn't called. I guess the defender didn't take the runner down but it was clearly a player grabbing the horse collar. I'd never thought about it but I guess it isn't like facemask where if you grab and jerk it no matter how hard, it is a penalty.“

I saw that too. I was screaming at the TV. IIRC, the announcers didn’t even mention it. They kept yapping on about something else. I think it was Allen who got yanked around. How the hell did they miss that? Rotten officiating. We got away with a couple obvious calls and so did they.

This was actually a correct non-call.
Here is the rule:
"All players are prohibited from grabbing the inside back collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, the area, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling the ball carrier down. This does not apply to a ball carrier, including a potential passer, who is inside the tackle box." (bold is mine for emphasis)

Because he didn't actually drag him down "by the nameplate" it's not a foul.

The refs missed A LOT of other calls but that wasn't one of them.

 

[Roar More]

Landon Tangwell does a nice job in his recap. Miss him as a player but he has kept his love for PSU.

Tangwell post-game

 

[The Spin Meister]

Here’s an observation I haven’t seen anyone make: on the long pass to Evans Allar seriously under threw the ball. Omari was two steps past the defender and would have been an amazing TD pass if thrown accurately.

And with Drew’s cannon I expected him to have that distance. Omari had to come to a full stop and make a contested catch. One that could have been missed or drawn a penalty.

And had it been a TD Bomb future opponents would have played it over several times to it’s defensive backs, causing them fear The Arm and play back.

 

[lazydave841]

Here’s an observation I haven’t seen anyone make: on the long pass to Evans Allar seriously under threw the ball. Omari was two steps past the defender and would have been an amazing TD pass if thrown accurately.

And with Drew’s cannon I expected him to have that distance. Omari had to come to a full stop and make a contested catch. One that could have been missed or drawn a penalty.

And had it been a TD Bomb future opponents would have played it over several times to it’s defensive backs, causing them fear The Arm and play back.

The ball traveled 60 yards in the air. Notice the height of the throw. This was more about throwing a 50/50 ball that Evans had a chance to catch. Notice the ball tap. Allar holds this throw a touch longer than you would if he was trying to hit Evans in stride.

I could be wrong here, but it seems like this was intentionally a "give Omari something he can go up for" vs "hit Omari on the Go route in stride".

 

[The Spin Meister]

The ball traveled 60 yards in the air. Notice the height of the throw. This was more about throwing a 50/50 ball that Evans had a chance to catch. Notice the ball tap. Allar holds this throw a touch longer than you would if he was trying to hit Evans in stride.

I could be wrong here, but it seems like this was intentionally a "give Omari something he can go up for" vs "hit Omari on the Go route in stride".

When a guy has two steps you try to hit him in stride. As big and strong as Allar is I expected him to get it there.

Perhaps I am failing to understand how rare it is to have the ability to throw it that far. Sixty yards is a helluva throw. Just thought he could do it.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

I agree with everything except that we could have thrown all day. I wasn't seeing a lot of WRs except Wallace getting separation. That's why Allar ran with the ball as much as he did.

That's what was impressive about Moss & Nussmeier last night. It's not just that they completed 75% of their passes. Everything was quick and precise. Both were releasing the ball before the WR made their break. Allar doesn't seem to have that same chemistry with our WRs. Maybe they're just not good enough.

Maybe you are right but maybe the chemistry will develope soon with some game reps. Allar missed a wide open Omari Evans ( I mean...wide open).

 

[Obliviax]

When a guy has two steps you try to hit him in stride. As big and strong as Allar is I expected him to get it there.

Perhaps I am failing to understand how rare it is to have the ability to throw it that far. Sixty yards is a helluva throw. Just thought he could do it.

I think the ball slipped out of Allar's hand. CJF made a joke about "spirals preferred, ducks accepted" in his post game presser.

Allar was either late, causing him to half to throw the ball too far, or it slipped out of his hand a little.

Having said that, it was a Trace McSorley special. He almost always underthrew the ball. The advantage still goes to the offense on those plays because the defender is looking at the WR giving the WR more time to position himself and adjust. With 20 seconds left before the half, it if would have been intercepted that would not have been consequential.

 

[PurposePitch]

When a guy has two steps you try to hit him in stride. As big and strong as Allar is I expected him to get it there.

Perhaps I am failing to understand how rare it is to have the ability to throw it that far. Sixty yards is a helluva throw. Just thought he could do it.

He obviously has that distance. Not every throw is perfect.

 

[lazydave841]

When a guy has two steps you try to hit him in stride. As big and strong as Allar is I expected him to get it there.

Perhaps I am failing to understand how rare it is to have the ability to throw it that far. Sixty yards is a helluva throw. Just thought he could do it.

Allar could have been late making the throw. I agree that typically you attempt to hit him in stride, but for some reason Allar didn't let it loose.

 

[tboyer]

Having had a few days now to think about this, I think I've come back to the same feeling I had before Saturday -- PSU's dominance at the LOS pretty much determines the game, as it did last year.

PSU's O-line was dominant against a not-so-great WVa defensive front, especially in pass blocking. As I think Obli pointed out, PSU could have thrown 50 times and put up 50 points, but with control of the game it made sense to run the ball and eat clock.

And PSU's D-line was, if not dominant, certainly winning the battles against an experienced and athletic W.Va. O-line. PSU's front 7, even making a lot of mistakes, contained a very solid W.Va. run game -- Garrett Greene is kind of a McSorley type who breaks down defenses with his legs, and the PSU front didn't let him do that. Kudos to Tom Allen for crafting a very positionally disciplined D.

We pay a lot of attention to PSU's skill players and secondary, and they deserve it. But football at the highest level in the 21st century pretty much begins with great size and athleticism at the LOS. If you don't have that, you don't play high level NCAA football. It looks to me like PSU, barring injuries, will have it this year.

If they make the playoff, it's their O-line and D-line that get them in. Once they're in, by the 2nd round of the playoff, the skill players matter more and there I'm not so sure PSU has what it needs to compete at that level. Running backs yes, receivers and QB, we'll see. Allar's next test is against Illinois and that should be a pretty good test.

 

[psu00]

It’s tough to get a good feel for any team after only 1 game. Comparing to last year’s WVU game they were very similar.

2023- PSU 38-15.
2024- PSU 34-12.

PSU stats-
2023- 22/30 for 332 yards, 3 TDs, 0 int.
2024- 12/18 for 235 yards, 4 TDs, 0 int.

2023- 35 carries for 146 yds, 2 TDs.
2024- 42 carries for 222 yards, 1 TD.

WVU’s stats-
2023- 16/27 for 162 yds, 0TD, 0 int.
2024- 15/29 for 161 yards, 0 TD, 1 int.

2023- 40 carries for 146 yds, 2 TDs.
2024- 37 carries for 85 yds, 1 TD.


I thought they played well against a respectable team on the road. Overall, pretty good for the first game of the year. The real test of where they are will be the USC game in a few weeks.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Having had a few days now to think about this, I think I've come back to the same feeling I had before Saturday -- PSU's dominance at the LOS pretty much determines the game, as it did last year.

PSU's O-line was dominant against a not-so-great WVa defensive front, especially in pass blocking. As I think Obli pointed out, PSU could have thrown 50 times and put up 50 points, but with control of the game it made sense to run the ball and eat clock.

And PSU's D-line was, if not dominant, certainly winning the battles against an experienced and athletic W.Va. O-line. PSU's front 7, even making a lot of mistakes, contained a very solid W.Va. run game -- Garrett Greene is kind of a McSorley type who breaks down defenses with his legs, and the PSU front didn't let him do that. Kudos to Tom Allen for crafting a very positionally disciplined D.

We pay a lot of attention to PSU's skill players and secondary, and they deserve it. But football at the highest level in the 21st century pretty much begins with great size and athleticism at the LOS. If you don't have that, you don't play high level NCAA football. It looks to me like PSU, barring injuries, will have it this year.

If they make the playoff, it's their O-line and D-line that get them in. Once they're in, by the 2nd round of the playoff, the skill players matter more and there I'm not so sure PSU has what it needs to compete at that level. Running backs yes, receivers and QB, we'll see. Allar's next test is against Illinois and that should be a pretty good test.

Excellent post. The D line …..we knew would be good. The O line was a question with three new starters and some young guys in the mix.

Way is great for us the schedule is set. Started with a good game forcing players to focus all summer camp. Now two easy games and a bye for guys to get more game experience and for coaches to move guys around and try different combinations.

Then a good game against Illinois to ramp up the opposition and prepare for the meat of the schedule. As always just half to stay healthy.

 

[tboyer]

It’s tough to get a good feel for any team after only 1 game. Comparing to last year’s WVU game they were very similar.

2023- PSU 38-15.
2024- PSU 34-12.

PSU stats-
2023- 22/30 for 332 yards, 3 TDs, 0 int.
2024- 12/18 for 235 yards, 4 TDs, 0 int.

2023- 35 carries for 146 yds, 2 TDs.
2024- 42 carries for 222 yards, 1 TD.

WVU’s stats-
2023- 16/27 for 162 yds, 0TD, 0 int.
2024- 15/29 for 161 yards, 0 TD, 1 int.

2023- 40 carries for 146 yds, 2 TDs.
2024- 37 carries for 85 yds, 1 TD.


I thought they played well against a respectable team on the road. Overall, pretty good for the first game of the year. The real test of where they are will be the USC game in a few weeks.

Wow those stats are amazingly similar.

Holding this team to 85 yards rushing 1st game of the season -- that shows good coaching on D. Those guys were not making many mistakes. I'm going to miss all the sacks and chaos of the Manny Diaz defense, but the Tom Allen D could be just as effective in a different way. And there's a chance the Tom Allen D will serve PSU better against top 5 offenses.