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Penn State 2019 Season articles


Reason #1 - sure. You liked others better. Probably should have stopped there.

#2 - Barkley, perhaps McSorley, can be conceded, but Moorhead? Did I miss the playoff game he took the Bulldogs to? Did his QB or RB finish top 5 for the Heisman?

#3 - so because Sparty returns a lot from a 6-7 team, PSU isn't top 25 material? Bahaha!

I'm glad our fans made enough of a protest to cause him to answer.
 
[/QUOTE] Ha, ha. He says it is math and science, but doesn't apply any science or at least doesn't talk about how this science applies to #2 and #3. About the only indicators that can be used to predict success before the season starts are (a) recruiting and (b) # of returning starters (that are actually good players).

Considering PSU has one of the longest streaks being ranked, it makes no sense to leave them out. This guy is not familiar with PSU.
 
Ok, MSU returns almost all its starters. Makes sense.

Ohio State wins 10-12 games every year. Makes sense.

Don Brown’s defense gave up 103 points in his last 2 games .... both losses. Only 5 starters from it return. What’s so great about that? Makes no sense.

MSU returns all its starters from an offense that ranked 116th in the country.

That video was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.
 
Its funny how only Penn State can’t replace talented players with other good players. We’ve finished with Top 15 classes the last three years, including the #3 class by 247 last year, but that doesn’t matter, we can never replace Saquon and Trace.

Saquon was great. But look at our history at the position. Curt Warner, DJ Dozier, Blair Thomas, Curtis Enis, Ki Jana Carter, Larry Johnson, etc. They are all great backs yet were replaced by other great backs. We didn’t turn into Rutgers when they left.

The talent on this team, right now, is the best its been since the 90s. We have the 5th most 4 and 5 star players in the country, 49. When Franklin arrived we had 18. To say that the program “spiked” from being a .500 team is completely misleading. We were a .500 team because of the sanctions and having 45 scholarship players playing. We aren’t going back to that, dumb mfer.

The “problem” with this team is it is young. 9 sophomore, 1 freshman starters. But if they put it together during this early soft part of the schedule, watch out. Keep all these receipts.
 
Contrived bafflegab and I hope every opponent and coach we face this season, buys into it.
I hope the same. I can't help but wonder if he is questioning the offensive staffs ability to move this team forward, but does not want to verbalize that belief. Why else would he not rank this team?
 
I hope the same. I can't help but wonder if he is questioning the offensive staffs ability to move this team forward, but does not want to verbalize that belief. Why else would he not rank this team?

Where did he go to school? Did Vandy hand his alma mater an unexpected L ..... who knows? To ignore all the recruiting post SB and McSorley (who this guy probably thought should be a db coming out of HS) is insane.
 
I hope the same. I can't help but wonder if he is questioning the offensive staffs ability to move this team forward, but does not want to verbalize that belief. Why else would he not rank this team?

It all comes down to replacing PRODUCTION. Was Saquon a better back at PSU than Miles Sanders? Yes, but Sanders had more yards rushing in 2018 than Saquon had in 2017.

Same with QB. Trace was an all time great. He also was injured in 2018, had a passer rating of 124, and PSU finished 64th in the country in passing. Can Clifford be more productive this year? Yes, of course.

Football is a team sport and being successful is more than one individual player, especially when you are recruiting players of similar pedigree.
 
I like Klatt -- very fun to listen to -- but his argument is superficial and backward looking. It's not like Penn State was Purdue and lightning struck and they won the B1G and now PSU is Purdue again. PSU isn't back to a 2015 sanctions roster. In fact PSU has a solidly top 10 roster, at least on paper the strongest PSU roster since the early 1990s.

Secondly, it's very wrong to say 2016 was only about Moorhead, McSorley and Barkley.

It was about Charles Haley and Marcus Allen -- blocking and returning the FG against Ohio State, and making the 4th down stop against Wisconsin. It was about Cabinda who consistently made big plays in big games. And Gesicki and Godwin and Blacknall. It was about a LOT of players -- look how many are in the NFL today -- who were 3 stars developed by Galt and the coaching staff. Barkley was a 3 star recruit headed to Rutgers at the time Franklin made his pitch.

Anyway I guess we'll see. I don't find Klatt persuasive, but Audrey Snyder -- who really knows PSU well -- is predicting 4 losses this year. I think PSU will do better than 4 losses but reasonable people can differ. 4 losses is still a top 20 team. Taking PSU out of the top 25 is pretty absurd IMHO.

I hope the same. I can't help but wonder if he is questioning the offensive staffs ability to move this team forward, but does not want to verbalize that belief. Why else would he not rank this team?
 
Anyway the best response to Klatt is -- THANK YOU. No better bulletin board material than to have the Fox Sports college football analyst leave PSU out of the Top 25 and call PSU a "500" program. If that doesn't light a fire under this team emotionally....

It's great to have a little underdog mentality. Lack of respect from national sports pundits doesn't cost you anything except a few preseason AP votes, but it probably works wonders for motivating a team at practice and in the 4th quarter of a tough game.
 
IDAHO

Idaho football meanwhile will be traveling a long ways away from Moscow. The Vandals take on 15th ranked Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

Idaho will need its offensive line to protect, protect, protect against the Nittany Lions defensive front. Penn State led the FBS in sacks last season and they return some of its best pass rushers.

PSU defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos led the team in sacks last year. He was also one of the best in the nation in tackles for loss.

"You've got to get it out quick, but you've also got to try to make some big plays," said Head Coach Paul Petrino of counteracting PSU's defense. "Gross-Matos comes off that edge, he's a really good pass rusher. Actually, #18 wasn't a starter last year but played a decent amount, and he's real fast off the other edge. Then two great big guys inside that push the pocket, so that'll definitely be something important that we do a good job of protecting."
 
Maybe start a thread for these so everyone checks them out? They are too good to miss.

If they aren't in the Season thread, f' em.:cool:

iu
 
Ha, ha. He says it is math and science, but doesn't apply any science or at least doesn't talk about how this science applies to #2 and #3. About the only indicators that can be used to predict success before the season starts are (a) recruiting and (b) # of returning starters (that are actually good players).

Considering PSU has one of the longest streaks being ranked, it makes no sense to leave them out. This guy is not familiar with PSU.[/QUOTE]
Our defense is too good for the Lions not to be ranked. Our receivers will return this year as a major force and we win 10-12 games.
 
MgoBrian thinks Michigan will be a 12 to 16 point favorite AT Penn State.

An Embarrassing Prediction, No Doubt
So… expectations. Early lines for Michigan games:

  • @ Wisconsin: Michigan –7.5
  • Iowa: Michigan –15.5
  • Notre Dame: Michigan –7
  • MSU: Michigan –14
  • OSU: Michigan –3.5
Penn State isn't listed but they're a pick'em at Iowa, implying a –12 Michigan spread, and a –13.5 dog at OSU, implying a -16 Michigan point spread.
 
MgoBrian thinks Michigan will be a 12 to 16 point favorite AT Penn State.

An Embarrassing Prediction, No Doubt
So… expectations. Early lines for Michigan games:

  • @ Wisconsin: Michigan –7.5
  • Iowa: Michigan –15.5
  • Notre Dame: Michigan –7
  • MSU: Michigan –14
  • OSU: Michigan –3.5
Penn State isn't listed but they're a pick'em at Iowa, implying a –12 Michigan spread, and a –13.5 dog at OSU, implying a -16 Michigan point spread.

I don't think Michigan covers 3 out of five 5 of those
 
MgoBrian thinks Michigan will be a 12 to 16 point favorite AT Penn State.

An Embarrassing Prediction, No Doubt
So… expectations. Early lines for Michigan games:

  • @ Wisconsin: Michigan –7.5
  • Iowa: Michigan –15.5
  • Notre Dame: Michigan –7
  • MSU: Michigan –14
  • OSU: Michigan –3.5
Penn State isn't listed but they're a pick'em at Iowa, implying a –12 Michigan spread, and a –13.5 dog at OSU, implying a -16 Michigan point spread.
Lol. The transitive property of betting lines

Edit: how does he explain Wisconsin only being -2.5 at home against Iowa. Idiot
 
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I like Klatt -- very fun to listen to -- but his argument is superficial and backward looking. It's not like Penn State was Purdue and lightning struck and they won the B1G and now PSU is Purdue again. PSU isn't back to a 2015 sanctions roster. In fact PSU has a solidly top 10 roster, at least on paper the strongest PSU roster since the early 1990s.

Secondly, it's very wrong to say 2016 was only about Moorhead, McSorley and Barkley.

It was about Charles Haley and Marcus Allen -- blocking and returning the FG against Ohio State, and making the 4th down stop against Wisconsin. It was about Cabinda who consistently made big plays in big games. And Gesicki and Godwin and Blacknall. It was about a LOT of players -- look how many are in the NFL today -- who were 3 stars developed by Galt and the coaching staff. Barkley was a 3 star recruit headed to Rutgers at the time Franklin made his pitch.

Anyway I guess we'll see. I don't find Klatt persuasive, but Audrey Snyder -- who really knows PSU well -- is predicting 4 losses this year. I think PSU will do better than 4 losses but reasonable people can differ. 4 losses is still a top 20 team. Taking PSU out of the top 25 is pretty absurd IMHO.
I know that you know this but it was Grant Haley

would have been pretty funny if it was Charles Haley lol
 
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I thought this was interesting. So, #7 ranked, Big Ten East favorite Michigan against heavy underdog MTSU. Penn State is going three deep across the board the entire game against Idaho. Franklin has directly addressed the defensive line depth and said this week they will play 6 defensive tackles and 6 defensive ends in every game on a rotation. Michigan is playing many of the defensive starters the entire game until garbage time. 1) They are going to get worn down over the course of a game and a season. 2) More likely to be injured when you are tired, and they don't have depth behind them. We play them the 7th game of the season.


SUBSTITUTION NOTES: So: lots. The starting DL was Paye/Kemp/Mason/Hutchinson. Danna and Uche mostly got passing down snaps but did also get in some on standard downs. Hinton and Speight got in the game late. DE Hutchinson and DE Paye almost never left the field; Kemp only got pulled on jetpack downs. Dwumfour got one snap, the first TD, leaving after aggravating his hand injury.

At the LB level Hudson did not come off the field. Ross only got pulled on passing downs; Glasgow got about 3/4ths of the snaps with Gill getting a dozen or so. Anthony and McGrone got in late. Uche got slightly under half of Michigan's snaps.

DBs:S Metellus and S Hawkins didn't leave the field until garbage time; Thomas, Gray, and Hill were in a near-equal rotation for CB snaps, and there were never any 3-CB snaps. Kelly-Powell got a few eventful snaps at the end.
 
That's interesting. It's probably tradeoffs. You give more snaps to your starters, they probably get sharper and you can do more complicated things. As long as they stay healthy it's good. Brown obviously gets good results but then they tend to break against Ohio State and collapse in the bowl game. Maybe exhaustion is part of it. It would be interesting to see if this was the substitution pattern last year. Or maybe it's just how their roster is working this year.

PSU's situation is unusual though. Very rare for any team to go three deep on the DL. It's just the way recruiting worked out -- some third year players are finally ready and some freshmen and redshirt frosh are ready early.



I thought this was interesting. So, #7 ranked, Big Ten East favorite Michigan against heavy underdog MTSU. Penn State is going three deep across the board the entire game against Idaho. Franklin has directly addressed the defensive line depth and said this week they will play 6 defensive tackles and 6 defensive ends in every game on a rotation. Michigan is playing many of the defensive starters the entire game until garbage time. 1) They are going to get worn down over the course of a game and a season. 2) More likely to be injured when you are tired, and they don't have depth behind them. We play them the 7th game of the season.


SUBSTITUTION NOTES: So: lots. The starting DL was Paye/Kemp/Mason/Hutchinson. Danna and Uche mostly got passing down snaps but did also get in some on standard downs. Hinton and Speight got in the game late. DE Hutchinson and DE Paye almost never left the field; Kemp only got pulled on jetpack downs. Dwumfour got one snap, the first TD, leaving after aggravating his hand injury.

At the LB level Hudson did not come off the field. Ross only got pulled on passing downs; Glasgow got about 3/4ths of the snaps with Gill getting a dozen or so. Anthony and McGrone got in late. Uche got slightly under half of Michigan's snaps.

DBs:S Metellus and S Hawkins didn't leave the field until garbage time; Thomas, Gray, and Hill were in a near-equal rotation for CB snaps, and there were never any 3-CB snaps. Kelly-Powell got a few eventful snaps at the end.
 
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