PSU training Camp Show on BTN.

[GregInPitt]

Malik McClain TEARIN IT UP is another rumor right now...

No mention of Cephas by Yurcich. He mentioned like 4 or 5 guys even the other transfer, McClain, but not him. I thought that was strange especially if he could challenge KLS for the #1 WR role.

It does seem odd that Yurchich wouldn't mention Cephas when he seemed to go through the WR's competing for serious PT in camp. But didn't Yurcich mention that he didn't really want to name names, doesn't want to forget someone?

I remember watching the limited highlights on McClain and he really showed some talent on not only the difficult catches he made but the strong moves he made after the catch. I was looking for McClain to show up big in the B/W game but he didn't get targeted too much. McClain is a really big target and would be a great compliment to KLS and Wallace, even if he's the 4th WR that plays on the outside as the first in the game for the two outside starters. But I'm still hoping he wins the 3 starter position. WR could be a positive surprise this season and the comments from the 3 B10 guys support that outcome.

Just hope that the staff can manage the snaps and keep all of the top 5 or 6 WR's happy with snaps so that they all come back for 2024 that can come back.

 

[Obliviax]

I think a lot of people forget that the game was tied until Rising hot hurt.

Agreed but being at the game, it always felt like PSU was in control. It was a matter of time until the dam broke. And don't forget, that very same second-string QB came back to darn near with the Rose Bowl the year before against tOSU. He led a drive that resulted in a game-tying TD with 1:54 left. tOSU then drove down and kicked a FG to win it.

 

[lazydave841]

I just checked the pbo to verify: Rising got hurt after the game was 21-14. It would have been a battle to the end had he not gotten hurt, but we did take the lead after forcing a drive he led to punt.

 

[Obliviax]

No mention of Cephas by Yurcich. He mentioned like 4 or 5 guys even the other transfer, McClain, but not him. I thought that was strange especially if he could challenge KLS for the #1 WR role.

for the bloggy just dropped a film study on him, FYI

Dante Cephas and The Art of Beating Press Coverage

Transfer wide receiver Dante Cephas joins Penn State with an advanced understanding of how to create separation.

fortheblogy.com

 

[The Spin Meister]

Again, Kobe King is the starter and has improved exponentially according to the staff.

But there is always the possibility of injury or a trip to the doghouse for some reason .

 

[LemonEars]

Not that much

Elsdon is the classic player that Joe Paterno often referred to as "a fine young man". This means he is getting all he can out of his limited athletic ability. He will be a rousing success in life and possibly a great football coach. He just doesn't have the speed and quickness necessary to star against top level talent. He probably made a mistake coming to Penn State. He should have gone to Temple, pitt, or some school that plays against lesser talent.

 

[bdgan]

Elsdon is the classic player that Joe Paterno often referred to as "a fine young man". This means he is getting all he can out of his limited athletic ability. He will be a rousing success in life and possibly a great football coach. He just doesn't have the speed and quickness necessary to star against top level talent. He probably made a mistake coming to Penn State. He should have gone to Temple, pitt, or some school that plays against lesser talent.

He got to play for a top 10 team in front of 107,000 fans and his team won the Rose Bowl. Why was that a mistake?

 

[The Spin Meister]

Elsdon is the classic player that Joe Paterno often referred to as "a fine young man". This means he is getting all he can out of his limited athletic ability. He will be a rousing success in life and possibly a great football coach. He just doesn't have the speed and quickness necessary to star against top level talent. He probably made a mistake coming to Penn State. He should have gone to Temple, pitt, or some school that plays against lesser talent.

Sorta like when my ex- girlfriend said I was a ‘dear, dear friend,’🥵

 

[bdgan]

Sorta like when my ex- girlfriend said I was a ‘dear, dear friend,’🥵

I heard a comedian the other day talking about going in for a kiss and getting "the pullback". He said nothing makes you feel more like the Elephant Man than getting "the pullback".

 

[voltz99]

Yep, that's how I thought it would play out. Wallace didn't pass block very well the last 2 years so how can he improve enough to be the best option at RT when he's even heavier.

The posted rep of Wallace doing well against Carter looks like Carter tried to bully Wallace and Wallace latched onto him and used his strength and mass to stuff him away from the QB. But can he win reps against speed rushers?

-Do what Michigan did, pick up the 1st down running the ball.
- Dont be in 3rd and long.

 

[ryoder1]

Utah was running the ball very effectively against us until Rising got hurt. In fact the game was tied 14-14 until then.

Clifford played the best game of his career vs Utah so I think PSU would have still won but it would have been very close.

QBR ratings in that game:
Rising - 85.1
Barnes - 18.4

QB rushing in that game:
Rising - 56
Barnes - minus 17

No one is disputing the fact that the game was tied mid-way through the 3rd and the teams were evenly matched for the most part. You would expect that in a Rose Bowl. We were not playing Rutgers at home.

The point I would challenge is the implication that from this game our run defense was very shaky/lousy and therefore we should be very concerned that Michigan will run all over us again this year because nothing has significantly changed . I know you are not coming right out and saying this but you certainly are making this implication.

Could you be right? Sure anything can happen. I think this is looking at things negatively though.

First, our run defense did look better vs Utah than vs Mich. We were not getting gashed. Did we look like the '85 Bears? No, but doing okay. Also Utah focuses on the run so they were going to have success.

Second, we will be improved on the D-Line this year. I would be shocked if we are not. DDS will have a breakout year and I believe one of the DTs will step up.
Third, our LB play will be better. Should have two all B10 players, Carter 1st team, Jacobs 2nd or 3rd team.

 

[voltz99]

Utah was running the ball very effectively against us until Rising got hurt. In fact the game was tied 14-14 until then.

Clifford played the best game of his career vs Utah so I think PSU would have still won but it would have been very close.

QBR ratings in that game:
Rising - 85.1
Barnes - 18.4

QB rushing in that game:
Rising - 56
Barnes - minus 17

Sorry to disappoint you but it was not close. We can probably come up with excuses to make PSU blowout losses close too.

 

[bdgan]

Sorry to disappoint you but it was not close. We can probably come up with excuses to make PSU blowout losses close too.

If Rising wasn't hurt the game still wouldn't have been close?

QBR ratings in that game:
Rising - 85.1
Barnes - 18.4 (This was all because PSU's defense got better, not because Rising was out?)

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Has anyone recorded this show? I can’t record it, but can record anything else. Just wondering if BTN is blocking recording.

I watched the replay on YouTube, free of commercials.

 

[Marylovesthelions]

And more than all that….. a full year with Diaz. He now the players and how to maximize their talents. And they know his system far better and can make much better reads and adjustments…. critical in a aggressive defense.

You could see the difference in second half. It was like the film was slightly speeded up. Didn’t seem like the same players.

You can not bitch about QB injuries when your offense requires him to run by design.

 

[Psubiomed]

Sorta like when my ex- girlfriend said I was a ‘dear, dear friend,’🥵

I got that from my ex also, but I felt a little better when she racked up 2 dui arrests, then called police on the guy she was with, and he then did 6 months in county jail for destruction of all her property, and shortly after that she was homeless, lost her car, and custody of her kids.

I have no idea what dark forces were in support of me but I didn't ask and just said "thank you" lmao 😂

 

[Psubiomed]

On Utah: If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

It's irrelevant. We played great football and won 35-14 not counting when Utahs 1st unit went down the field on our 4th unit.

 

[Online Persona]

I got that from my ex also, but I felt a little better when she racked up 2 dui arrests, then called police on the guy she was with, and he then did 6 months in county jail for destruction of all her property, and shortly after that she was homeless, lost her car, and custody of her kids.

I have no idea what dark forces were in support of me but I didn't ask and just said "thank you" lmao 😂

I think that's sad that people would feel that way about someone they obviously used to care about. Why do you take pleasure in her misfortunes? Because she rejected you? That's so petty. I don't have a single ex-girlfriend with which I am on bad terms. I don't have any really a part of my life anymore beyond FB friends. It just seems counterproductive to wish for someone else to have misfortune.

 

[ryoder1]

No but there was almost no conversation about anyone at QB other than Allar. They even had an interview segment with Allar on Bar stools.

Franklin has known Allar will be the starter since the day he signed with us. Who are we kidding. He can say whatever wants to the media. Just like he knew Clifford was the starter for at least the last 3 years.

 

[The Spin Meister]

I think that's sad that people would feel that way about someone they obviously used to care about. Why do you take pleasure in her misfortunes? Because she rejected you? That's so petty. I don't have a single ex-girlfriend with which I am on bad terms. I don't have any really a part of my life anymore beyond FB friends. It just seems counterproductive to wish for someone else to have misfortune.

I do think he was taking glee in her misfortunes. Just that he is glad he didn’t get sucked down by them.

 

[LemonEars]

He got to play for a top 10 team in front of 107,000 fans and his team won the Rose Bowl. Why was that a mistake?

Good point. I take back saying he made a mistake. He will always have the memories of huge crowds in big games. If he went to a minor program like Temple, pitt, etc, he would be their defensive captain but play in front of 14,000 sleepy fans with rare TV appearances. He made the right decision coming to Penn State although his playing time will diminish.

 

[Online Persona]

I do think he was taking glee in her misfortunes. Just that he is glad he didn’t get sucked down by them.

You may be right. I just read it that he seemed to take some pleasure in her misfortune.

 

[Psubiomed]

I think that's sad that people would feel that way about someone they obviously used to care about. Why do you take pleasure in her misfortunes? Because she rejected you? That's so petty. I don't have a single ex-girlfriend with which I am on bad terms. I don't have any really a part of my life anymore beyond FB friends. It just seems counterproductive to wish for someone else to have misfortune.

You have no idea what this woman did to me, and many others. I cannot print it here. Let's just say she deserved everything she got and then some.

 

[Psubiomed]

You may be right. I just read it that he seemed to take some pleasure in her misfortune.

I did. She's a horrible person who did horrible things to people.

 

[RickinDayton]

He had great recruiting rankings but not many true freshmen are ready to play right away at this level. It will be interesting to see how he does.

Well he certainly will not play ahead of Olu but should get some quality reps @ least in OOC games.

 

[marshall23]

Diaz does have a long history of struggles against rushing attacks dating back to his time in Texas....FWIW

Players today have very little experience or exposure to a run game that comes right at you. Pop Warner thru high school is spread...a combination of sports like soccer/lacrosse etc. Defenses as a result will have trouble adjusting.

 

[indynittany]

Sorry if already discussed, but I was disappointed that the TE strength was overlooked. That’s a great room and I believe those guys are going to play a big role for us.

 

[tboyer]

I don't think you can adjust to your defense running out of gas. Kudos to Harbaugh, he had a plan and it worked.

THIS. A big part of PSU's defensive problem against Michigan was the fact that the offense couldn't get anything done. Especially when you're giving up a size advantage, you can't have your defense on the field for 4 quarters or things will get ugly.

Sounds like UM could be better than Ohio State again this year -- which would mean new employment opportunities for Ryan Day.

 

[Thomas1945]

THIS. A big part of PSU's defensive problem against Michigan was the fact that the offense couldn't get anything done. Especially when you're giving up a size advantage, you can't have your defense on the field for 4 quarters or things will get ugly.

Sounds like UM could be better than Ohio State again this year -- which would mean new employment opportunities for Ryan Day.

Harbaugh once said something to the effect that Day was born on third base and acts like a guy that hit a triple. Harbaugh appears hell bent on proving it.

 

[tboyer]

I don’t think we were considered one of the better defenses in the country when we played them last year. By the end of the year, we were much better.

I think it's still a question how the PSU DL matches up with Michigan OL. They will have a size advantage again. Michigan is kind of like Wisky how they can grind down teams, only with skill players that Wisky could only dream about. Even the Ohio State D-front was ground down to nothing by these guys last year -- that never happens.

The best defense against Michigan will be really clean execution on offense. I think we can at least hope for that given Yurich has had time now to train the offensive personnel for his playbook and the OL program is rolling.

OL is the last big puzzle piece that was missing for PSU to be elite. If they have the OL that some people think they do, this is the first year in a while that they have a chance to play at a playoff-caliber level.

 

[tboyer]

Harbaugh once said something to the effect that Day was born on third base and acts like a guy that hit a triple. Harbaugh appears hell bent on proving it.

Well Ohio State is a funny job because you hardly even have to recruit, you just pick from the 5 stars all pounding on your door. And then for the most part you just let the 5 stars be 5 stars and that's enough. Day is a good coach but who knows if he's a great coach. The downside of that job is, if you lose to Michigan (or PSU or anybody) once or twice, your job is on the line, and if you lose 3x you're out. Two losses at Ohio State is considered a disastrous season.

 

[brupsu]

I heard a comedian the other day talking about going in for a kiss and getting "the pullback". He said nothing makes you feel more like the Elephant Man than getting "the pullback".

Never had that problem.It was never an issue to read the moment.Unless you were in with some chick who was way above your pay grade and she made it painfully obvious lol.
“I am not an animal”
Even then After loosening them up with a few drinks and some witty conversation it usually worked out well.

 

[bdgan]

Never had that problem.It was never an issue to read the moment.Unless you were in with some chick who was way above your pay grade and she made it painfully obvious lol.
“I am not an animal”
Even then After loosening them up with a few drinks and some witty conversation it usually worked out well.

I never had that happen either but I certainly had to calculate if my advance was welcome before I went in and that's not guaranteed. These days you really have to be careful with unwelcomed advances.

 

[Obliviax]

THIS. A big part of PSU's defensive problem against Michigan was the fact that the offense couldn't get anything done. Especially when you're giving up a size advantage, you can't have your defense on the field for 4 quarters or things will get ugly.

Sounds like UM could be better than Ohio State again this year -- which would mean new employment opportunities for Ryan Day.

Yep, good post.

The best defense is a good offense. The best offense, is a good defense. They are interlocking parts of the game. UM has a tremendous OL and RBs. They have for the last three years. We may not be able to stop their run consistently, as few teams have been able to accomplish that. But our offense can score more points than theirs.

 

[bdgan]

THIS. A big part of PSU's defensive problem against Michigan was the fact that the offense couldn't get anything done. Especially when you're giving up a size advantage, you can't have your defense on the field for 4 quarters or things will get ugly.

I agree that the 4th quarter can get ugly if the defense is on the field too long but I don't agree that was the problem last year. Last year things were ugly from the opening snap, not in the 4th qtr. Michigan never punted, not once!

 

[lazydave841]

I agree that the 4th quarter can get ugly if the defense is on the field too long but I don't agree that was the problem last year. Last year things were ugly from the opening snap, not in the 4th qtr. Michigan never punted, not once!

Why do you think they broke off the 2 big runs in the 2nd half? Because our offense had 15 plays in the first half. Clifford ran 60 some yards on one play and Jacobs pick 6'd a pass. Our defense never did stop them, but we were making them grind it out with long drives and FGs.

Then they broke off the 2 big runs and that was the dagger. Nobody has the depth to play the game like that game played out.

I believe home field and more experience in the front 7 will be a huge positive this season, but I can say with certainty that if they dominate across the LoS on both sides again we unequivocally lose big.

 

[bdgan]

Why do you think they broke off the 2 big runs in the 2nd half? Because our offense had 15 plays in the first half. Clifford ran 60 some yards on one play and Jacobs pick 6'd a pass. Our defense never did stop them, but we were making them grind it out with long drives and FGs.

Then they broke off the 2 big runs and that was the dagger. Nobody has the depth to play the game like that game played out.

I believe home field and more experience in the front 7 will be a huge positive this season, but I can say with certainty that if they dominate across the LoS on both sides again we unequivocally lose big.

I get it that a defense can get worn down but here are UM's first half possessions:

1. 60 yds
2. 77 yds
3. 70 yds
4. 2 runs for 33 yds followed by INT
5. 60 yds

It's not like the PSU defense was solid early but got worn down. They were dominated from the start.

I hope home field and experience will help this year but I'd be more optimistic if we were competitive early on in last year's game then faded. Unfortunately it didn't happen that way.

 

[lazydave841]

I get it that a defense can get worn down but here are UM's first half possessions:

1. 60 yds
2. 77 yds
3. 70 yds
4. 2 runs for 33 yds followed by INT
5. 60 yds

It's not like the PSU defense was solid early but got worn down. They were dominated from the start.

I hope home field and experience will help this year but I'd be more optimistic if we were competitive early on in last year's game then faded. Unfortunately it didn't happen that way.

I completely understand where you are coming from, but they only had 16 pts to show for those yards. Holding them to FGs was a win compared to giving up 6. Had our offense found a rhythm, the game could have been 41-31 or so.

What do you think about '21? Michigan was relatively as good, we were measurably weaker and we played them 21-17.

Sometimes you have to just chalk it up to "it wasn't our day".

 

[bdgan]

I completely understand where you are coming from, but they only had 16 pts to show for those yards. Holding them to FGs was a win compared to giving up 6. Had our offense found a rhythm, the game could have been 41-31 or so.

What do you think about '21? Michigan was relatively as good, we were measurably weaker and we played them 21-17.

Sometimes you have to just chalk it up to "it wasn't our day".

From the Detroit Free Press:

"The disparity in the first half in offensive stats was striking. The Wolverines had more first downs (18-1). They had more yards (274-83). They had more snaps (50-14) and had a massive edge in time of possession, nearly 24 minutes to six." Still, it remained close, in part because Michigan couldn't quite make timely plays in the red zone early."

You're correct that PSU having only one 1st down put a lot of added pressure on the defense. But even so we gave up 18 first downs in the first half and never really stopped them.

 

[Online Persona]

From the Detroit Free Press:

"The disparity in the first half in offensive stats was striking. The Wolverines had more first downs (18-1). They had more yards (274-83). They had more snaps (50-14) and had a massive edge in time of possession, nearly 24 minutes to six." Still, it remained close, in part because Michigan couldn't quite make timely plays in the red zone early."

You're correct that PSU having only one 1st down put a lot of added pressure on the defense. But even so we gave up 18 first downs in the first half and never really stopped them.

I would argue that the defense did stop them in terms of limiting them to FGs. That means when the field condensed in the red zone, we were able to stop them. When we had to defend the entire field, we were not able to stop them. So perhaps this holds a clue to how we stop in them this year? I'm not suggesting that we play short yardage defense the entire game, but perhaps if we can pick our spots to give some more help from the secondary in the run game. And maybe they were just guessing right on our defense based on our tendencies. Either way, I'm sure we take a different approach this year and I'm sure our offense helps out the defense much more than last year.