Today's game vs. Ohio U. game in 2012....

[VaNtyLion]

Eerily similar in that a top MAC team pretty much handles PSU team that has lingering talent - in one case in the upper class and another in the lower - but still very little experience when it comes to depth. Emotion carried PSU for much of that game.

It makes zero sense to be overly critical of the D given that Temple held the ball for over 38 minutes vs. 22 for PSU....throw in playing without Haley, Wartman and having Bell hobbled the whole second half.

Offensively, to say sanctions are not still a significant factor in this unit's shortcomings is insane. This doesn't acquit the staff from the gameplan - it was awful from the 3rd series on - but if you're given the same set of ingredients you're never going to make filet mignon out of ground turkey...you're lucky if you can get something barely edible looking at that OL. All of the talent in the world means nothing if it's built on a foundation of sand that our OL is right now, and there's one primary reason for that.

So what does this do for the season? Well, newsflash, we weren't going anywhere this year anyway...and while it may seem little consolation, we may only see an overall D on par with Temples 2 more times thanks to having a weak schedule. With a roster having 88/122 spots taken by Freshman or Sophomore eligibility, you have to focus on being a better team in November than you were in September, scratch and claw to get to a bowl game and go from there. I thought 9-3 was realistic but after today and the injuries on D I'd take 6-6 and another month of practice to be honest. If that means we burn some redshirts to get ready for next year, that may be entirely necessary if those true freshman are upgrades over the upper class.

Biggest difference b/w '12 and '15? That Ohio U. game signified the program being torn down. Right now it's just really beginning to being built back up. Patience is a 4 letter word to some fan bases but entirely necessary with this team

 

[Grass]

VaNtyLion I always enjoy your posts. I agree with everything you say. What gets me so pissed is when teams blitz the hell out of you and you don't make them pay for it. Whatever happened to throwing it to where the blitzer is coming from? If you burn them one time it will keep them a little bit honest. So frustrating. As bad as the oline is, Hack needs to throw some of those balls away. I would settle for throwing it up for grabs. I thought Huard was spot on with a lot of his comments during the game. As painful as it was to hear it, I agreed with him 100%. Oh well, what can you do?

 

[VaNtyLion]

VaNtyLion I always enjoy your posts. I agree with everything you say. What gets me so pissed is when teams blitz the hell out of you and you don't make them pay for it. Whatever happened to throwing it to where the blitzer is coming from? If you burn them one time it will keep them a little bit honest. So frustrating. As bad as the oline is, Hack needs to throw some of those balls away. I would settle for throwing it up for grabs. I thought Huard was spot on with a lot of his comments during the game. As painful as it was to hear it, I agreed with him 100%. Oh well, what can you do?

I think it's a really complex situation. When Hack is in a rhythm, he's excellent. When that rhythm is disrupted, he has a very difficult time getting back into it and the whole offense basically falls apart.

The internal clock in his head is so screwed up from the pass rush that he missed opportunities because he's already tucking the ball waiting to go down. Hack does need to throw it away more (reminds me of Roethlisberger this way, especially earlier in his career), but when the time getting to drop back, set and throw is so slim you'd basically be coaching him to look that way as his first option...it's comical.

My biggest criticism today was Lynch disappeared from the gameplay after we got up 10-0 until it was too late, and we ended up in 2nd and 3rd and long as a result of the passing on 1st down. There was no rhyme or reason for what was going on in the gameplan but still not a ton of alternatives given the shape of the oL.

 

[Grass]

Yeah, I know the poor kid is gun shy from all of the abuse he has taken. They need to beat it in his head to get rid of the ball. I also agree about the running game. If you aren't going to get a first down any way at the very least try and run the ball. It's so perplexing. I see countless teams that are so much better organized with a lot less talent on offense that move the ball way better than this team.

 

[LionFan96]

Kudos to you for your optimism, but I see no excuse for the loss and the way PSU lost today. One thing I find especially confusing is the notion that "It makes zero sense to be overly critical of the D given that Temple held the ball for over 38 minutes vs. 22 for PSU". That seems to me to be a significant mark against Penn State's defense, because it shows they let Temple sustain drives and didn't get them off the field. There's plenty of blame to go around, and I can't think of a single bright spot. Lack of depth and sanctions are reaching they point where they're excuses. Maybe they're still legit reasons for losses to higher echelon teams, but not when you get destroyed by Temple from the 2nd quarter on.

 

[VaNtyLion]

Kudos to you for your optimism, but I see no excuse for the loss and the way PSU lost today. One thing I find especially confusing is the notion that "It makes zero sense to be overly critical of the D given that Temple held the ball for over 38 minutes vs. 22 for PSU". That seems to me to be a significant mark against Penn State's defense, because it shows they let Temple sustain drives and didn't get them off the field. There's plenty of blame to go around, and I can't think of a single bright spot. Lack of depth and sanctions are reaching they point where they're excuses. Maybe they're still legit reasons for losses to higher echelon teams, but not when you get destroyed by Temple from the 2nd quarter on.

If PSU's offense was moving the ball and scoring quick, and as a result the D was on the field more, then criticism would be valid. But when the D is out there b/c the offense had a whopping 3 first downs over the final 3 quarters, that's something entirely different. That PSU's D was also having to work around not having Haley, losing Wartman and Bell playing on one leg for the 2nd half of the game, and the backups are basically all freshman or sophomores that have played very little....I can't find a ton to put at their feet save for some missed tackles.

 

[LionFan96]

If PSU's offense was moving the ball and scoring quick, and as a result the D was on the field more, then criticism would be valid. But when the D is out there b/c the offense had a whopping 3 first downs over the final 3 quarters, that's something entirely different. That PSU's D was also having to work around not having Haley, losing Wartman and Bell playing on one leg for the 2nd half of the game, and the backups are basically all freshman or sophomores that have played very little....I can't find a ton to put at their feet save for some missed tackles.

This was what you call a team loss - offense, defense, coaching. Penn State's defense gave up more than enough to not be exempt from any blame.