Postgame Thoughts

[TheWizardofCamelot]

A win is a win, regardless of how ugly and/or boring.

Need a kicker. Significantly impacted the outcome. The spread was probably correct if we have a kicker with a pulse.

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

OL and RBs are the bread and butter of this squad. This is exactly what we all envisioned when Allen/Singleton stepped on campus. Let’s focus on this strength and build the offense around it.

Tyler Warren is the best TE in the country.

I’ve been skeptical of Tom Allen but man these seconds halves don’t lie. It’s almost like he has no strategy until he sees what the offense presents in the first quarter or two and then he adjusts. Love what he’s doing with Carter as the roaming hybrid spy - crazy closing speed. And he finally made the adjustment on the quick slant!

Zane Durant is that dude. Talk about dominant out there.

The DL offsides has to stop. Barnes needs to be spoken to. Comical at this point.

Finally, is this team good enough to beat OSU? Ehh, not right now that’s for sure.

 

[Delcolion915]

A win is a win, regardless of how ugly and/or boring.

Need a kicker. Significantly impacted the outcome. The spread was probably correct if we have a kicker with a pulse.

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

OL and RBs are the bread and butter of this squad. This is exactly what we all envisioned when Allen/Singleton stepped on campus. Let’s focus on this strength and build the offense around it.

Tyler Warren is the best TE in the country.

I’ve been skeptical of Tom Allen but man these seconds halves don’t lie. It’s almost like he has no strategy until he sees what the offense presents in the first quarter or two and then he adjusts. Love what he’s doing with Carter as the roaming hybrid spy - crazy closing speed. And he finally made the adjustment on the quick slant!

Zane Durant is that dude. Talk about dominant out there.

The DL offsides has to stop. Barnes needs to be spoken to. Comical at this point.

Finally, is this team good enough to beat OSU? Ehh, not right now that’s for sure.

They don't have to be. They have to be good enough to beat USC, there.

 

[tboyer]

Agree about Carter, I like him better as a spy than as a pass rusher. He's incredibly quick into the backfield. It's like he's still more comfortable playing LB.

 

[olelion]

• The O line is the best in years.
• Also great to see strong DT play.
• Undisciplined with the multitude of penalties (the blatant block in the back on the pick 6 pissed me off)
• 43 is a liability on defense
• Would rather see Carter at LB
• Agree that Warren is best TE in conference
• Not sold on WRs yet
• Total D is giving up less than 50 yds in second half
• Starting to look a little like the Michigan model with a stronger QB
• Kicking is an issue (hopefully it rights itself ala Sam Ficken)

 

[ryoder1]

The defense is so flat early in these games. That first Illinois drive was embarrassing. We then started playing to our ability and out talented Illinois. These slow starts will catch up to us.

On offense the line and run game is great. Allar is solid but certainly not great. We have to execute better to finish off drives and the playcalling from the 30 yard in was not great. Tonight it felt like we knew they couldn't stop our run so we just kept on doing it and didn't try to pass downfield much.

A few other thoughts:

FG kicking is a dumpster fire
We don't return punts, ever, why?
Warren is our best player
Penalties are really hurting us, undisciplined
We are a physical offense but not as physical on defense
We will need to pass more to beat USC
Don't think we have the horsepower to beat OSU...now...but maybe when we play them if defense plays aggressively from the start and Allar has success in vertical passing

 

[lazydave841]

That first Illinois drive was embarrassing

Outside of Michigan '23 level dominance, I'm not sure what else you could ask for.

219 total yards allowed today. 75 on that 1st drive.

This team isn't without flaws, but I'd rather they gradually improve as the season goes. This game was semi-quazi "let's just run on them". Tough. Physical. Everything some said a Bielema team would be and wish Franklin was.

There is a lot more to like here than dislike.

 

[Kasparaitis]

• The O line is the best in years.
• Also great to see strong DT play.
• Undisciplined with the multitude of penalties (the blatant block in the back on the pick 6 pissed me off)
• 43 is a liability on defense
• Would rather see Carter at LB
• Agree that Warren is best TE in conference
• Not sold on WRs yet
• Total D is giving up less than 50 yds in second half
• Starting to look a little like the Michigan model with a stronger QB
• Kicking is an issue (hopefully it rights itself ala Sam Ficken)

• Both lines certainly played well in this game.
• Chet Parlevecchio was undisciplined. These guys are knuckleheads.
• Warren looks like he will be following his predecessors into The League. Even though he doesn’t have their haircuts.
• The wide receivers are average. Nothing more, nothing less.
•Defense is talented but feels like they could play better.
• Michigan sucks.
• Kicking speaks for itself. I have never seen a Penn State team with bad kickers. Even kickers who didn’t perform turned out to be good kickers.

 

[Delcolion915]

• The O line is the best in years.
• Also great to see strong DT play.
• Undisciplined with the multitude of penalties (the blatant block in the back on the pick 6 pissed me off)
• 43 is a liability on defense
• Would rather see Carter at LB
• Agree that Warren is best TE in conference
• Not sold on WRs yet
• Total D is giving up less than 50 yds in second half
• Starting to look a little like the Michigan model with a stronger QB
• Kicking is an issue (hopefully it rights itself ala Sam Ficken)

Sam Ficken was the result of the luxury of a team that wasn't going very far, and while it ended nicely, this is not the same thing: This is a team that doesn't have any luxury of losing two games because of poor kicking. It needs fixed right now and name checking Sam Ficken does not work.

Change the kicker. Now. It's not going to "right itself". It needs to be made right with a change.

As far as "better quarterback" goes, no, right now Allar is not better than McCarthy. There's still time though for THAT to right itself. If Allar can play more like McCarthy, then we have something that can go somewhere.

 

[Waltwam]

The defense is so flat early in these games. That first Illinois drive was embarrassing. We then started playing to our ability and out talented Illinois. These slow starts will catch up to us.

On offense the line and run game is great. Allar is solid but certainly not great. We have to execute better to finish off drives and the playcalling from the 30 yard in was not great. Tonight it felt like we knew they couldn't stop our run so we just kept on doing it and didn't try to pass downfield much.

A few other thoughts:

FG kicking is a dumpster fire
We don't return punts, ever, why?
Warren is our best player
Penalties are really hurting us, undisciplined
We are a physical offense but not as physical on defense
We will need to pass more to beat USC
Don't think we have the horsepower to beat OSU...now...but maybe when we play them if defense plays aggressively from the start and Allar has success in vertical passing

I thought Drew played great early, but as the game went on, he developed happy feet.

 

[junior1]

I thought Drew played great early, but as the game went on, he developed happy feet.

perhaps a "good news" thing with Allar...he's not getting drafted high enough to leave after this season.

 

[psu1969a]

A win is a win, regardless of how ugly and/or boring.

Need a kicker. Significantly impacted the outcome. The spread was probably correct if we have a kicker with a pulse.

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

OL and RBs are the bread and butter of this squad. This is exactly what we all envisioned when Allen/Singleton stepped on campus. Let’s focus on this strength and build the offense around it.

Tyler Warren is the best TE in the country.

I’ve been skeptical of Tom Allen but man these seconds halves don’t lie. It’s almost like he has no strategy until he sees what the offense presents in the first quarter or two and then he adjusts. Love what he’s doing with Carter as the roaming hybrid spy - crazy closing speed. And he finally made the adjustment on the quick slant!

Zane Durant is that dude. Talk about dominant out there.

The DL offsides has to stop. Barnes needs to be spoken to. Comical at this point.

Finally, is this team good enough to beat OSU? Ehh, not right now that’s for sure.

Barnes isn't the problem. Defensive linemen are taught not to move until the ball is snapped. They are not to anticipate the snap!

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

Illinois was not going to be beat with big plays and getting hit over the top. They actually are the first defense to deviate from the Allar strategy of stop the run and force Allar to beat you. Which is why we ran all over on them.

They essentially dared us to dink and dunk + run the entirety of the field. We would’ve been more successful is the kicker didn’t suck. Bend but don’t break with TDs.

Thankfully the PSU defense figured out the Illinois O and kept the game in check until the doors broke in the red zone.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

Barnes isn't the problem. Defensive linemen are taught not to move until the ball is snapped. They are not to anticipate the snap!

Right. They are TAUGHT. By whom? I mean, this is something you are taught in PeeWee. Are we not working to correct it?

10 DL offsides in 4 games. That’s ludicrous at this level.

 

[Ward Hog]

I'd add that we still need to tackle better. Too many extra yards on plays where the ballcarrier was stopped.

Of course, Illinois couldn't tackle Allen or Singleton at all.

 

[19333lion]

• The O line is the best in years.
• Also great to see strong DT play.
• Undisciplined with the multitude of penalties (the blatant block in the back on the pick 6 pissed me off)
• 43 is a liability on defense
• Would rather see Carter at LB
• Agree that Warren is best TE in conference
• Not sold on WRs yet
• Total D is giving up less than 50 yds in second half
• Starting to look a little like the Michigan model with a stronger QB
• Kicking is an issue (hopefully it rights itself ala Sam Ficken)

"Block in the back"? It was a playground push in the back. One the dumbest plays I've ever seen at any level of football, and pissed barely scratched the surface!

 

[LMTLION]

A win is a win, regardless of how ugly and/or boring.

Need a kicker. Significantly impacted the outcome. The spread was probably correct if we have a kicker with a pulse.

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

OL and RBs are the bread and butter of this squad. This is exactly what we all envisioned when Allen/Singleton stepped on campus. Let’s focus on this strength and build the offense around it.

Tyler Warren is the best TE in the country.

I’ve been skeptical of Tom Allen but man these seconds halves don’t lie. It’s almost like he has no strategy until he sees what the offense presents in the first quarter or two and then he adjusts. Love what he’s doing with Carter as the roaming hybrid spy - crazy closing speed. And he finally made the adjustment on the quick slant!

Zane Durant is that dude. Talk about dominant out there.

The DL offsides has to stop. Barnes needs to be spoken to. Comical at this point.

Finally, is this team good enough to beat OSU? Ehh, not right now that’s for sure.

I think we need to turn the dl offsides penalties into a drinking game!

 

[Springcity]

perhaps a "good news" thing with Allar...he's not getting drafted high enough to leave after this season.

He would be foolish to leave. If he doesn't come back it's because he was pushed to leave

 

[olelion]

I thought Drew played great early, but as the game went on, he developed happy feet.

I think James Franklin shut Kotelnicki down and had them stick to the run. Similar to Iowa last year

 

[ncgolfer]

Seeing Bielema lose a game by being bullied, out manned and having it rammed down his throat old school style was extremely satisfying to me.

 

[PSU4U]

A win is a win, regardless of how ugly and/or boring.

Need a kicker. Significantly impacted the outcome. The spread was probably correct if we have a kicker with a pulse.

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

OL and RBs are the bread and butter of this squad. This is exactly what we all envisioned when Allen/Singleton stepped on campus. Let’s focus on this strength and build the offense around it.

Tyler Warren is the best TE in the country.

I’ve been skeptical of Tom Allen but man these seconds halves don’t lie. It’s almost like he has no strategy until he sees what the offense presents in the first quarter or two and then he adjusts. Love what he’s doing with Carter as the roaming hybrid spy - crazy closing speed. And he finally made the adjustment on the quick slant!

Zane Durant is that dude. Talk about dominant out there.

The DL offsides has to stop. Barnes needs to be spoken to. Comical at this point.

Finally, is this team good enough to beat OSU? Ehh, not right now that’s for sure.

I'll give the other guy a little credit. He the rotund man always brings a good game plan and this year he has some talent to play his brand of ball and they play it very well. His QB is very good at what they do, and Illinois will have a good year. I hope they play Michigan (oops they do) I would like to see that one and I think it's in Illinois.

Not using injuries as an excuse but we have to play a bunch of young guys who are still making mistakes but getting better game by game. Often their speed and athleticisms are making up for some of their mistakes. They are getting better that's the important thing.

We get what should be another tune-up next Sat before heading to the coast and a big game out there.

As for Drew? Drew is Drew nothing new with him, the scheme he's playing in now makes him look much better although he has made some strides mentally. His throws are often just a little off, a little too high too low a little too wide a little too behind. I don't know how many catches were made yesterday that were a little behind the receiver that they caught but a few for sure. The receivers have been making some tough catches.

We are a very good team right now and they remind me of teams in the past who were great but had to grind and grit out some wins. Seems to me that's just the way it's going to be.

 

[fastlax16]

We will need to pass more to beat USC

Michigan beat them with 23 yards passing. We should have significantly more, but Michigan showed you can ram it down their throats with a power run game and ours is better than michigans.

 

[Obliviax]

I'll give the other guy a little credit. He the rotund man always brings a good game plan and this year he has some talent to play his brand of ball and they play it very well. His QB is very good at what they do, and Illinois will have a good year. I hope they play Michigan (oops they do) I would like to see that one and I think it's in Illinois.

Not using injuries as an excuse but we have to play a bunch of young guys who are still making mistakes but getting better game by game. Often their speed and athleticisms are making up for some of their mistakes. They are getting better that's the important thing.

We get what should be another tune-up next Sat before heading to the coast and a big game out there.

As for Drew? Drew is Drew nothing new with him, the scheme he's playing in now makes him look much better although he has made some strides mentally. His throws are often just a little off, a little too high too low a little too wide a little too behind. I don't know how many catches were made yesterday that were a little behind the receiver that they caught but a few for sure. The receivers have been making some tough catches.

We are a very good team right now and they remind me of teams in the past who were great but had to grind and grit out some wins. Seems to me that's just the way it's going to be.

Games against BB always seem to be grinds. Last season they had five turnovers so it’s an anomaly. Big, strong, physical, bend, don’t beat yourself.

PSU had really bad field position due to penalties the entire first half and was really conservative. In the second half the power run was working and the defense was stifling. If we hit those two FGs this would be considered a solid win.

 

[bdgan]

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

Allar seems good when he's playing free and loose which usually means throwing on 1st down. Look at the first drive - 20 yds to Wallace, 16 yds to Singleton, good runs mixed in.

He struggles when we run on 1st and 2nd down, are faced with 3rd and 6, and opponents know we're going to pass. More pressure = jittery feet. I remember one play like that when Allar was rolling right and a defender was coming. He threw a very short pass at Warren's feet. Some QBs remain composed, some panic. IMO Allar is somewhere in the middle.

Allar seems at his best when we're trying to score with not much time on the clock (like before halftime). We go quick and there's much less thinking.

 

[bdgan]

A win is a win, regardless of how ugly and/or boring.

Need a kicker. Significantly impacted the outcome. The spread was probably correct if we have a kicker with a pulse.

Drew was a tad off. Not sure if the zone and bend but don’t break strategy threw him off but he wasn’t great. Also oddly felt like AK and JF lost trust in him on third and fourth day. He needs to handle the happy feet a good bit better.

OL and RBs are the bread and butter of this squad. This is exactly what we all envisioned when Allen/Singleton stepped on campus. Let’s focus on this strength and build the offense around it.

Tyler Warren is the best TE in the country.

I’ve been skeptical of Tom Allen but man these seconds halves don’t lie. It’s almost like he has no strategy until he sees what the offense presents in the first quarter or two and then he adjusts. Love what he’s doing with Carter as the roaming hybrid spy - crazy closing speed. And he finally made the adjustment on the quick slant!

Zane Durant is that dude. Talk about dominant out there.

The DL offsides has to stop. Barnes needs to be spoken to. Comical at this point.

Finally, is this team good enough to beat OSU? Ehh, not right now that’s for sure.

I'm enjoying the post game coverage this year

 

[BBG65]

The OL run blocked very well, but maybe, the 2 injured guards are a concern. the freshman cousins ended up playing at right guard.

 

[AWS1022]

Outside of Michigan '23 level dominance, I'm not sure what else you could ask for.

219 total yards allowed today. 75 on that 1st drive.

This team isn't without flaws, but I'd rather they gradually improve as the season goes. This game was semi-quazi "let's just run on them". Tough. Physical. Everything some said a Bielema team would be and wish Franklin was.

There is a lot more to like here than dislike.

For years I’ve read on here that our OLine is too soft and we can’t run the ball down the other team’s throat and that’s the problem with Franklin. Now we do it and all I read is our passing game isn’t good enough and our defense gives up points on the first drive of the game too often. Baffling.

 

[AWS1022]

The defense is so flat early in these games. That first Illinois drive was embarrassing. We then started playing to our ability and out talented Illinois. These slow starts will catch up to us.

On offense the line and run game is great. Allar is solid but certainly not great. We have to execute better to finish off drives and the playcalling from the 30 yard in was not great. Tonight it felt like we knew they couldn't stop our run so we just kept on doing it and didn't try to pass downfield much.

A few other thoughts:

FG kicking is a dumpster fire
We don't return punts, ever, why?
Warren is our best player
Penalties are really hurting us, undisciplined
We are a physical offense but not as physical on defense
We will need to pass more to beat USC
Don't think we have the horsepower to beat OSU...now...but maybe when we play them if defense plays aggressively from the start and Allar has success in vertical passing

I wouldn’t say they’re flat, many teams script their first 15 plays or so and they come out looking like an offensive juggernaut and this happens a lot (not just to PSU). Then they have to go off script and they come back to earth.

 

[LMTLION]

For years I’ve read on here that our OLine is too soft and we can’t run the ball down the other team’s throat and that’s the problem with Franklin. Now we do it and all I read is our passing game isn’t good enough and our defense gives up points on the first drive of the game too often. Baffling.

I am very impressed with the OL. This is probably the first time since Sandusky that we put together a very good line. Obviously, he was already an all-time great, but what Saquon would’ve done with this level of OL! 2016 and/or 2017 would’ve been a national championship team.

 

[AWS1022]

I am very impressed with the OL. This is probably the first time since Sandusky that we put together a very good line. Obviously, he was already an all-time great, but what Saquon would’ve done with this level of OL! 2016 and/or 2017 would’ve been a national championship team.

Saquon would have been in another world, but so would Singleton if he played a bigger percentage of the game. I like Allen, but he does slow our game down when he’s in…still successful, but we lose the big play potential.

 

[royboy]

Games against BB always seem to be grinds. Last season they had five turnovers so it’s an anomaly. Big, strong, physical, bend, don’t beat yourself.

PSU had really bad field position due to penalties the entire first half and was really conservative. In the second half the power run was working and the defense was stifling. If we hit those two FGs this would be considered a solid win.

Yeah, 27-7 sounds a lot better. The missed FGs kept Illinois's chances alive and took longer to seal the Penn State win.

 

[LemonEars]

The OL run blocked very well, but maybe, the 2 injured guards are a concern. the freshman cousins ended up playing at right guard.

I bet Cousins will be starting by the Ohio State game.

 

[bdgan]

I wouldn’t say they’re flat, many teams script their first 15 plays or so and they come out looking like an offensive juggernaut and this happens a lot (not just to PSU). Then they have to go off script and they come back to earth.

ILL offense looked good for most of the 1st half, not just the 1st drive.

 

[AWS1022]

ILL offense looked good for most of the 1st half, not just the 1st drive.

They had 118 yards total after that first drive, they looked average.

 

[bison13]

Take away the third and 20 screen from their own 10 yard line where they picked up the first down and they did nothing the rest of the game. That play and their first drive account for over half of their total yards.

 

[m.knox]

Barnes isn't the problem. Defensive linemen are taught not to move until the ball is snapped. They are not to anticipate the snap!

Reminds of the snap drill from Jr. High. Go off and you'd run a lap.

 

[m.knox]

I think James Franklin shut Kotelnicki down and had them stick to the run. Similar to Iowa last year

If he did shut him down, it was the right call. Reminded me of playing Memphis in a bowl game several years ago. Every run was 5+ yards. Keep running it.

 

[KCLion]

Reminds of the snap drill from Jr. High. Go off and you'd run a lap.

I was a RB split wide at practice and got lazy and lined up offsides. I ran the hill for 15 minutes until Coach got tired of watching me.

 

[m.knox]

I was a RB split wide at practice and got lazy and lined up offsides. I ran the hill for 15 minutes until Coach got tired of watching me.

LOL... Coach would scream "Hills" and you'd could hear the collective groan a mile away. Run up it. Run backwards up it. Crawl up it. Crab walk up it. Hop up it. Worm up it. Carioca up it.......

 

[KCLion]

LOL... Coach would scream "Hills" and you'd could hear the collective groan a mile away. Run up it. Run backwards up it. Crawl up it. Crab walk up it. Hop up it. Worm up it. Carioca up it.......

Yep - you must have played for a similar coach.

But, I never lined up offsides in a game and we won 35 in a row paying attention to details like that.

 

[tboyer]

I bet Cousins will be starting by the Ohio State game.

Amazing how much we didn't notice a freshman was playing RG for the 2nd half. Credit to Cousins and to Coach.