This PSU team will play with a chip on its shoulder

[Online Persona]

1) Not ranked in AP and coaches poll is a slap in the face. I get it, on paper we limped to the finish after a strong start last year. Injuries played a major role in that and we lost some good NFL talent from that team.

2) The NFL talent lost (other than LB) is at position groups with a lot of strong depth. One could argue that the D line, secondary, QB, TE, WR group, RB room, and even OL should be at least a push to major upgrades from last year.

3) We are returning several players that would have been starting last year if they were available. Mustipher, Isaac, and Beamon on the DL and Wormely and Fashanu on the OL would have all started in the 2nd half of last season if available.

4) We have added some very strong talent through transfer and recruiting. Tinsley at WR, Robinson at DE are potentially strong starting talent additions. Singleton and Allen have transformed the RB room and Dennis-Sutton at DE, Durant at DT, and Saunders at WR are potentially immediately ready to bring high end depth as are perhaps a couple of LB additions.

5) Talented young players like Tangwell, any number of safeties and corners, Veilleux, possibly Meiga or Wallace at WR, the young DTs that stepped up when mustipher went down, etc. are more than likely going to be ready to step up with a year of seasoning.

Now I'm not saying we are going to win the Big 10. I'm also not saying we can't.

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

Fair and informed assessment…I like your thoughts.

 

[SR108]

1) Not ranked in AP and coaches poll is a slap in the face. I get it, on paper we limped to the finish after a strong start last year. Injuries played a major role in that and we lost some good NFL talent from that team.

2) The NFL talent lost (other than LB) is at position groups with a lot of strong depth. One could argue that the D line, secondary, QB, TE, WR group, RB room, and even OL should be at least a push to major upgrades from last year.

3) We are returning several players that would have been starting last year if they were available. Mustipher, Isaac, and Beamon on the DL and Wormely and Fashanu on the OL would have all started in the 2nd half of last season if available.

4) We have added some very strong talent through transfer and recruiting. Tinsley at WR, Robinson at DE are potentially strong starting talent additions. Singleton and Allen have transformed the RB room and Dennis-Sutton at DE, Durant at DT, and Saunders at WR are potentially immediately ready to bring high end depth as are perhaps a couple of LB additions.

5) Talented young players like Tangwell, any number of safeties and corners, Veilleux, possibly Meiga or Wallace at WR, the young DTs that stepped up when mustipher went down, etc. are more than likely going to be ready to step up with a year of seasoning.

Now I'm not saying we are going to win the Big 10. I'm also not saying we can't.

Always room for optimism during camp, and there are some strong depth positions on paper.

However,

The OLine is still a weakness until they prove otherwise. We have yet to see the ability to run the ball when we need to run the ball.

We are also very thin at Linebacker, as evidence starting a 5th year second team safety at linebacker.

 

[PSU20]

I think this team will surprise a lot of the experts who have them unranked. Some experts even have us an underdog to Purdue. I have a hunch we will win by at least 14.

I noticed Cole Brevard, our former DT who hit the portal is now with Purdue. They have given him rave reviews. After watching him get pushed around against Arkansas, I have to wonder about their assessment of him. Maybe he has developed and become a stud at DT. We'll see soon enough.

 

[PSU&Trout]

1) Not ranked in AP and coaches poll is a slap in the face. I get it, on paper we limped to the finish after a strong start last year. Injuries played a major role in that and we lost some good NFL talent from that team.

2) The NFL talent lost (other than LB) is at position groups with a lot of strong depth. One could argue that the D line, secondary, QB, TE, WR group, RB room, and even OL should be at least a push to major upgrades from last year.

3) We are returning several players that would have been starting last year if they were available. Mustipher, Isaac, and Beamon on the DL and Wormely and Fashanu on the OL would have all started in the 2nd half of last season if available.

4) We have added some very strong talent through transfer and recruiting. Tinsley at WR, Robinson at DE are potentially strong starting talent additions. Singleton and Allen have transformed the RB room and Dennis-Sutton at DE, Durant at DT, and Saunders at WR are potentially immediately ready to bring high end depth as are perhaps a couple of LB additions.

5) Talented young players like Tangwell, any number of safeties and corners, Veilleux, possibly Meiga or Wallace at WR, the young DTs that stepped up when mustipher went down, etc. are more than likely going to be ready to step up with a year of seasoning.

Now I'm not saying we are going to win the Big 10. I'm also not saying we can't.

Well done.
Every day I spend some time thinking 6-6 and an equal amount of time thinking 12-1.
My major problem, can't get out of my mind that dreadful loss at home to that dreadful no talent Illinois team.

 

[MacNit07]

Well done.
Every day I spend some time thinking 6-6 and an equal amount of time thinking 12-1.
My major problem, can't get out of my mind that dreadful loss at home to that dreadful no talent Illinois team.

Illinois? Inexcusable and grounds for dismissal (combining that with the coaching debacle at Indiana in 2020).

 

[PSU Soupy]

Question 1 about this team: Can we run the ball?
Question 2 about this team: Can we stop teams from running the ball?

If yes and yes then we will be a pretty darn good football team. If no and no we will be a painful team to watch, and much drinking will occur.

 

[Gitzit]

It would be a miracle if Penn State won the Big 10. Ohio State is signing 4 and 5 star defensive tackles every year. PSU get's one about every 4 years, and Franklin has not shown the ability to find many low ranked DT's that grow into studs either. They will not be able to hold up to a grind of a long season without quality depth on the defensive front. Sorry, but I wouldn't get your hopes up too high until franklin can start bringing in defensive linemen like OSU does.
If there are no injuries on the defensive line they might have an ok season, but there are usually some injuries.

DT Beamon is listed at 261 pounds

 

[lazydave841]

I think this team will surprise a lot of the experts who have them unranked. Some experts even have us an underdog to Purdue. I have a hunch we will win by at least 14.

I noticed Cole Brevard, our former DT who hit the portal is now with Purdue. They have given him rave reviews. After watching him get pushed around against Arkansas, I have to wonder about their assessment of him. Maybe he has developed and become a stud at DT. We'll see soon enough.

Purdue football position breakdown: Plenty of options on defensive line

The Boilermakers feature plenty of depth on the defensive line heading into the 2022 season

money.yahoo.com

This is the only mention I can find about Brevard other than his May 16 transfer. Seems to be part of the 3 deep, but not any expectation yet.

@BCfanatic2020 any word? Didn't see anything on your free board.

 

[MacNit07]

It would be a miracle if Penn State won the Big 10. Ohio State is signing 4 and 5 star defensive tackles every year. PSU get's one about every 4 years, and Franklin has not shown the ability to find many low ranked DT's that grow into studs either. They will not be able to hold up to a grind of a long season without quality depth on the defensive front. Sorry, but I wouldn't get your hopes up too high until franklin can start bringing in defensive linemen like OSU does.
If there are no injuries on the defensive line they might have an ok season, but there are usually some injuries.

DT Beamon is listed at 261 pounds

Excellent point. We have been getting bullied for years in the trenches - even by the “lesser-thans” (Illinois - hello!).
If that does not change, the mediocre and declining results would continue.

 

[PSUSignore]

Hope so. We will definitely have some talent at the skill positions and a very experienced QB. Some of that talent is unproven, but on paper they should be solid. As always, it will come down to the LOS and the play of both lines. That's were games are won or lost and our OL has been a liability for several years now, which is the main culprit holding PSU teams back.

 

[Ian]

1) Not ranked in AP and coaches poll is a slap in the face. I get it, on paper we limped to the finish after a strong start last year. Injuries played a major role in that and we lost some good NFL talent from that team.

2) The NFL talent lost (other than LB) is at position groups with a lot of strong depth. One could argue that the D line, secondary, QB, TE, WR group, RB room, and even OL should be at least a push to major upgrades from last year.

3) We are returning several players that would have been starting last year if they were available. Mustipher, Isaac, and Beamon on the DL and Wormely and Fashanu on the OL would have all started in the 2nd half of last season if available.

4) We have added some very strong talent through transfer and recruiting. Tinsley at WR, Robinson at DE are potentially strong starting talent additions. Singleton and Allen have transformed the RB room and Dennis-Sutton at DE, Durant at DT, and Saunders at WR are potentially immediately ready to bring high end depth as are perhaps a couple of LB additions.

5) Talented young players like Tangwell, any number of safeties and corners, Veilleux, possibly Meiga or Wallace at WR, the young DTs that stepped up when mustipher went down, etc. are more than likely going to be ready to step up with a year of seasoning.

Now I'm not saying we are going to win the Big 10. I'm also not saying we can't.

Offense is all about the OL. Pretty simple. Defensively it’s all about the the LB’s. But the absolute biggest issue that very few mention is special teams. Kickers are unproven and the return game was embarrassing last year.

 

[PSU20]

Purdue football position breakdown: Plenty of options on defensive line

The Boilermakers feature plenty of depth on the defensive line heading into the 2022 season

money.yahoo.com

This is the only mention I can find about Brevard other than his May 16 transfer. Seems to be part of the 3 deep, but not any expectation yet.

@BCfanatic2020 any word? Didn't see anything on your free board.

I found an article where they were really excited to have Brevard onboard and that he may start alongside Johnson. Also mentioned all the offers he had coming out of high school.

 

[PSU Soupy]

I was very hopeful about Brevard helping Mustipher shore up the middle of our line.....was always surprised that he could not even get in for a series.....

 

[NedFromYork]

Pinegar still around to be PK. That surprised me in a good way. We'll be solid there.

 

[PSU20]

Purdue football position breakdown: Plenty of options on defensive line

The Boilermakers feature plenty of depth on the defensive line heading into the 2022 season

money.yahoo.com

This is the only mention I can find about Brevard other than his May 16 transfer. Seems to be part of the 3 deep, but not any expectation yet.

@BCfanatic2020 any word? Didn't see anything on your free board.

Keep looking, I found more about him. Said Purdue is thrilled to have him and that he could start alongside Johnson.

 

[PSU20]

This is big news, as Purdue is looking for playmakers on the defensive line to replace GK and Mitchell. While he projects more of an interior DL, there is a great chance that he could come in and start at the 3 tech tackle spot, next to Lawrence Johnson at the nose.

Brevard was a 4 star recruit coming out of Carmel in 2020. At 6-4, 305 pounds, I could see him playing either tackle position on the defensive line though. Mark Hagen was the lead on this and obviously, did another great job of securing another in state defensive product, from his alma mater of Carmel.

He was a top 200 recruit on 247 sports and a 92 overall composite ranked player. He had offers from just about everyone, but in the end, he will end up back close to home, playing for a defense that found their rhythm last year - albeit under a new defensive coordinator, again, but most of the staff has stayed the same.

 

[Ian]

I found an article where they were really excited to have Brevard onboard and that he may start alongside Johnson. Also mentioned all the offers he had coming out of high school.

Hmmm. So the kid is buried deep on the PSU depth chart but might start at another B1G conference school. I guess he just didn’t fit in at PSU.

 

[scrivener]

1) Not ranked in AP and coaches poll is a slap in the face. I get it, on paper we limped to the finish after a strong start last year. Injuries played a major role in that and we lost some good NFL talent from that team.

2) The NFL talent lost (other than LB) is at position groups with a lot of strong depth. One could argue that the D line, secondary, QB, TE, WR group, RB room, and even OL should be at least a push to major upgrades from last year.

3) We are returning several players that would have been starting last year if they were available. Mustipher, Isaac, and Beamon on the DL and Wormely and Fashanu on the OL would have all started in the 2nd half of last season if available.

4) We have added some very strong talent through transfer and recruiting. Tinsley at WR, Robinson at DE are potentially strong starting talent additions. Singleton and Allen have transformed the RB room and Dennis-Sutton at DE, Durant at DT, and Saunders at WR are potentially immediately ready to bring high end depth as are perhaps a couple of LB additions.

5) Talented young players like Tangwell, any number of safeties and corners, Veilleux, possibly Meiga or Wallace at WR, the young DTs that stepped up when mustipher went down, etc. are more than likely going to be ready to step up with a year of seasoning.

Now I'm not saying we are going to win the Big 10. I'm also not saying we can't.

Not since the 2016-2017 group has JF had a team that could be described as your thread heading...playing with a chip. His teams typically are soft mentally after a loss, with a handful of guys over the years being bad apples in the locker room. JF doesn't seem to develop a team with a hard-scrabble, take no prisoners approach. It's unfortunate b/c he brings in boatloads of talent.

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

Not since the 2016-2017 group has JF had a team that could be described as your thread heading...playing with a chip. His teams typically are soft mentally after a loss, with a handful of guys over the years being bad apples in the locker room. JF doesn't seem to develop a team with a hard-scrabble, take no prisoners approach. It's unfortunate b/c he brings in boatloads of talent.

^^^^THIS.
There used to be a thing called The Penn State Flu. Opposing teams were always physically beat up and exhausted the week after playing Penn State. That hasn’t happened for awhile. The bad apple thing has always been a part of college football.

 

[scrivener]

^^^^THIS.
There used to be a thing called The Penn State Flu. Opposing teams were always physically beat up and exhausted the week after playing Penn State. That hasn’t happened for awhile. The bad apple thing has always been a part of college football.

Really great point...so many years under JVP, we had physical and punishing squads at the very least. I can't remember the last time, if any time, under JF we have truly been imposing against a legitimate opponent.

 

[bcspsu]

Really great point...so many years under JVP, we had physical and punishing squads at the very least. I can't remember the last time, if any time, under JF we have truly been imposing against a legitimate opponent.

A lot of that was built on having kids who grew up in hard-nosed, blue collar households in Western PA and Northeastern PA. Like I've said before, you just don't have as many kids playing football in general anymore in PA, and, from what I've seen, most of the kids who do play and end up going to PSU definitely don't have that mentality.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Really great point...so many years under JVP, we had physical and punishing squads at the very least. I can't remember the last time, if any time, under JF we have truly been imposing against a legitimate opponent.

Yep, things have changed.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Purdue football position breakdown: Plenty of options on defensive line

The Boilermakers feature plenty of depth on the defensive line heading into the 2022 season

money.yahoo.com

This is the only mention I can find about Brevard other than his May 16 transfer. Seems to be part of the 3 deep, but not any expectation yet.

@BCfanatic2020 any word? Didn't see anything on your free board.

A huge body for us who will help us perform better against Wisconsin and their ilk than we have but behind Lawrence Johnson as the number 2 guy is all I’ve heard. Was also behind demarje Lewis before he got injured and ended up out for the year.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

Not since the 2016-2017 group has JF had a team that could be described as your thread heading...playing with a chip. His teams typically are soft mentally after a loss, with a handful of guys over the years being bad apples in the locker room. JF doesn't seem to develop a team with a hard-scrabble, take no prisoners approach. It's unfortunate b/c he brings in boatloads of talent.

Great post.

How a team responds to adversity says a LOT about mental toughness. Our record following a loss -- even when we win, it's almost always more narrow than expected -- speaks for itself. That's 100% on Franklin and the culture he has established.

We have been the second most talented team in the Big Ten for the past 5 years or so. Our toughness simply doesn't match the physical talent.

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

A player’s parent I used to work with said Joe internally referred to the early-mid 90’s BIG 10 games against Michigan and Ohio State as “Body Bag games”

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Great post.

How a team responds to adversity says a LOT about mental toughness. Our record following a loss -- even when we win, it's almost always more narrow than expected -- speaks for itself. That's 100% on Franklin and the culture he has established.

We have been the second most talented team in the Big Ten for the past 5 years or so. Our toughness simply doesn't match the physical talent.

Purdue messes teams that aren’t tough up.. see Ohio state in 2018 before MSU and Minnesota popped us in the mouth the following weeks.

I was just assuming penn state would be tough.. has some of that gone away since paterno?

 

[bcspsu]

Purdue messes teams that aren’t tough up.. see Ohio state in 2018 before MSU and Minnesota popped us in the mouth the following weeks.

I was just assuming penn state would be tough.. has some of that gone away since paterno?

In the glory years under our greatest head coach, PSU used to be all substance with little style. Now, PSU is all style with little substance. I wish that we had both, but would choose the former over the latter.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

In the glory years under our greatest head coach, PSU used to be all substance with little style. Now, PSU is all style with little substance. I wish that we had both, but would choose the former over the latter.

Oh man… now you guys got me thinking. Purdue just doesn’t struggle against teams with style. Only substance. You look at last year and that was three of four losses (Ohio state being the other). Even Illinois had us looking for answers in the 4th

 

[SR108]

Really great point...so many years under JVP, we had physical and punishing squads at the very least. I can't remember the last time, if any time, under JF we have truly been imposing against a legitimate opponent.

The type of offensive scheme they run does not lend itself to physical/punishing. With that said, I got nothing in terms of an explanation regarding the defense.

 

[bcspsu]

The type of offensive scheme they run does not lend itself to physical/punishing. With that said, I got nothing in terms of an explanation regarding the defense.

Harbaugh moved Michigan away from that finesse type of offense last season, and the results got them to the Final Four. Alabama also has been primarily a running team throughout most of Saban's tenure, and only recently have they begun to open their offense up with more passing. I really wish that PSU would go back to the future with that type of offense; I'm so tired of watching our qbs have more rushing attempts than our running backs.

 

[Eurotrash1]

It’s not where you start but where you finish. Purdue is a very experienced team. It should be a good measuring stick.

 

[Delcolion915]

It’s not where you start but where you finish. Purdue is a very experienced team. It should be a good measuring stick.

It's going to be a loss. 11-12.

 

[BBHorn86]

Question 1 about this team: Can we run the ball?
Question 2 about this team: Can we stop teams from running the ball?

If yes and yes then we will be a pretty darn good football team. If no and no we will be a painful team to watch, and much drinking will occur.

And will they be ready to play at the opening kick? Never a Franklin strength

 

[BCfanatic2020]

It's going to be a loss. 11-12.

What makes you say that? From the outside everything looks to be trending up for PSU … are you just a generally pessimistic guy? Can’t stand Franklin? Or is there a reason

 

[Delcolion915]

What makes you say that? From the outside everything looks to be trending up for PSU … are you just a generally pessimistic guy? Can’t stand Franklin? Or is there a reason

Poor offensive line, poor linebackers, no running game.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Poor offensive line, poor linebackers, no running game.

Isnt OL supposed to be better this year

 

[lazydave841]

Isnt OL supposed to be better this year

Honestly, we don't know. It truthfully couldn't get much worse. Lol

2nd year OC, and 2 freshmen RBs seem to be the cause for optimistic posts.

Franklin alone is the cause for the pessimism.

 

[marshall23]

It's going to be a loss. 11-12.

10 more years!

 

[marshall23]

Poor offensive line, poor linebackers, no running game.

Some bandwagon fans.