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Very nice win...still a lot of football to be played...but 10-2 looks achievable

Jerry

Well-Known Member
May 29, 2001
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What a difference a week makes. The guys showed up to play last night. Signs of life in the running game. Solid performance by Sean. The D didn't shut down Ibrahim but did contain him. Personally, I'm not surprised at all. The 4.5-point betting spread was ridiculously low from the beginning.

Yes, it was an advantage to have Minny's second-string QB, but I don't think it would have turned out much differently if Morgan had played. For one thing, even before his injury he hasn't looked that great recently. For another, given the circumstances, the backup performed respectably, but the deck was stacked against him. Still, he looks to have a nice future there.

I think the objective next week is to play a competitive game against Ohio State. The Bucks are loaded as usual and have arguably the best offense in the country. They hung 54 on a pretty decent Iowa D yesterday. Therefore, let's face it, though beating them is not impossible -- a man can dream -- it would rank as a pretty stunning upset. One thing we have going for us is that unlike with Michigan, where expectations were high, nobody thinks we can take down Ohio State. Therefore, there's really not a lot of pressure. Just don't get embarrassed.

Assuming we can give the Bucks a game and not have a repeat of the Michigan fiasco, you look at the remaining schedule...and nobody on it looks fearsome. The two road games are against bad teams. The tougher opponents, Maryland and Michigan State, are at home. As things stand, we should be favored in all four.

And I think some of the "experts" still have a potential 10-2 Penn State slotted in a NY6 bowl. Not bad. Much better than most anyone predicted back in August. But talking about it is one thing. Doing it is another.
 
Agreed. I’ll dream about a win next weekend but will be satisfied with being competitive. Blow out losses to both Michigan and Ohio State would make 10-2 far less satisfying.
 
New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.
 
New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.
You actually post some good solid stuff most of the time. This is another solid one
 
New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.
Not only did they keep him in there, they kept giving him the ball when passing the ball was the only shot they had to come back. Long time consuming drives don’t work when you’re down multiple TD’s. Their one goal the last quarter and a half was not to win, but to get him to 100 yards.
 
New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.
Was at the game last night and it was shocking to see how heavy those boxes were just from that vantage point. I am happy that we had the sense to beat it over the top.
 
New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.

Exactly, 3.2 ypc is not impressive. So what, they gave Ibrahim the ball for a ton of wasted plays - Ibrahim only averaging 3.4 ypc is why Minnesota punted so much.
 
What a difference a week makes. The guys showed up to play last night. Signs of life in the running game. Solid performance by Sean. The D didn't shut down Ibrahim but did contain him. Personally, I'm not surprised at all. The 4.5-point betting spread was ridiculously low from the beginning.

Yes, it was an advantage to have Minny's second-string QB, but I don't think it would have turned out much differently if Morgan had played. For one thing, even before his injury he hasn't looked that great recently. For another, given the circumstances, the backup performed respectably, but the deck was stacked against him. Still, he looks to have a nice future there.

I think the objective next week is to play a competitive game against Ohio State. The Bucks are loaded as usual and have arguably the best offense in the country. They hung 54 on a pretty decent Iowa D yesterday. Therefore, let's face it, though beating them is not impossible -- a man can dream -- it would rank as a pretty stunning upset. One thing we have going for us is that unlike with Michigan, where expectations were high, nobody thinks we can take down Ohio State. Therefore, there's really not a lot of pressure. Just don't get embarrassed.

Assuming we can give the Bucks a game and not have a repeat of the Michigan fiasco, you look at the remaining schedule...and nobody on it looks fearsome. The two road games are against bad teams. The tougher opponents, Maryland and Michigan State, are at home. As things stand, we should be favored in all four.

And I think some of the "experts" still have a potential 10-2 Penn State slotted in a NY6 bowl. Not bad. Much better than most anyone predicted back in August. But talking about it is one thing. Doing it is another.

Ummmmmm......, not for nothing, but PSU still has tons to play for - take a look at the 2016 Season when we won the B1G Championship.... it is a near mirror image to this year so far including losing badly to #4 scUM @scUM and rebounding strongly prior to playing duhO$U @TheBeav.
 
What a difference a week makes. The guys showed up to play last night. Signs of life in the running game. Solid performance by Sean. The D didn't shut down Ibrahim but did contain him. Personally, I'm not surprised at all. The 4.5-point betting spread was ridiculously low from the beginning.

Yes, it was an advantage to have Minny's second-string QB, but I don't think it would have turned out much differently if Morgan had played. For one thing, even before his injury he hasn't looked that great recently. For another, given the circumstances, the backup performed respectably, but the deck was stacked against him. Still, he looks to have a nice future there.

I think the objective next week is to play a competitive game against Ohio State. The Bucks are loaded as usual and have arguably the best offense in the country. They hung 54 on a pretty decent Iowa D yesterday. Therefore, let's face it, though beating them is not impossible -- a man can dream -- it would rank as a pretty stunning upset. One thing we have going for us is that unlike with Michigan, where expectations were high, nobody thinks we can take down Ohio State. Therefore, there's really not a lot of pressure. Just don't get embarrassed.

Assuming we can give the Bucks a game and not have a repeat of the Michigan fiasco, you look at the remaining schedule...and nobody on it looks fearsome. The two road games are against bad teams. The tougher opponents, Maryland and Michigan State, are at home. As things stand, we should be favored in all four.

And I think some of the "experts" still have a potential 10-2 Penn State slotted in a NY6 bowl. Not bad. Much better than most anyone predicted back in August. But talking about it is one thing. Doing it is another.
Announcers last night said that Suckeyes have only one win with a team with a winning record......and that team is Toledo! Said they have yet to be tested and the hostile environment next week will make it harder.

Not saying it will be a PSU win but don’t count it out.
 
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New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.

Agree. Most on here claim that PSU's problem is that they can't run to set up the pass.... this is nonsense imho as most b1g Ds are, by design, to stop the run forcing you to back them off by hurting them with the pass (hence the 7-man Fronts featuring 4 DL). PSU's offense struggles when Cliff is off and misses open receivers early - if you consistently hurt a stacked box with accurate passing over the middle in the seam before the deep-help, eventually you will back the LBs off. Against most b1g defenses you often need to establish the passing game to set-up the running game.
 
Agreed. I’ll dream about a win next weekend but will be satisfied with being competitive. Blow out losses to both Michigan and Ohio State would make 10-2 far less satisfying.
Exactly. 10-2 with this schedule and bad losses to Michigan and Ohio State isn't impressive. An improvement over last year but not where we need to be.
 
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Announcers last night said that Suckeyes have only one win with a team with a winning record......and that team is Toledo! Said they have yet to be tested and the hostile environment next week will make it harder.

Not saying it will be a PSU win but don’t count it out.
I win our "best wins" are Purdue (who lost to a horrible Wisconsin team and is 5-3) and Minnesota who is 4-3 and fading fast. It's tough to get quality wins playing in the Big Ten right now.
 
Exactly. 10-2 with this schedule and bad losses to Michigan and Ohio State isn't impressive. An improvement over last year but not where we need to be.
After the ‘94 undefeated season, that 10-2 type of season has been our ceiling. Hopefully we can punch through that ceiling at some point but who knows. Success is not easy or automatic. I can list a bunch of traditional powers right now that would love to be in our position.
 
After the ‘94 undefeated season, that 10-2 type of season has been our ceiling. Hopefully we can punch through that ceiling at some point but who knows. Success is not easy or automatic. I can list a bunch of traditional powers right now that would love to be in our position.
True but they don't have the advantages in recruiting that we do other than Texas. Oklahoma is just having a bad year--Venables needs to rebuild after Lincoln took the key players with him. Texas has made countless bad hires and A&M is paying guys not to go to Texas though it's not helping them win.

College football right now is Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State then a huge gap then a few teams then another huge gap before an even larger gap.

We need to close the gap. 10-2 this year is a step in the right direction. Just need to take bigger steps.
 
I win our "best wins" are Purdue (who lost to a horrible Wisconsin team and is 5-3) and Minnesota who is 4-3 and fading fast. It's tough to get quality wins playing in the Big Ten right now.
You are forgetting about our impressive win over the terror of the SEC West, those awesome Auburn Tigers, sitting atop their division at 3-4.

We need to lock Franklin down to a 25 year extension this week because you know those big programs are going to be sniffing around after that most impressive win over the dreaded Minnesota Gophers.
 
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True but they don't have the advantages in recruiting that we do other than Texas. Oklahoma is just having a bad year--Venables needs to rebuild after Lincoln took the key players with him. Texas has made countless bad hires and A&M is paying guys not to go to Texas though it's not helping them win.

College football right now is Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State then a huge gap then a few teams then another huge gap before an even larger gap.

We need to close the gap. 10-2 this year is a step in the right direction. Just need to take bigger steps.
Add Michigan in there. Dabo is going to raise living hell when he doesn't get in the playoffs this year at 13-0...and hopefully that will be enough for the committee to stop dragging their feet on the 12 team playoffs
 
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True but they don't have the advantages in recruiting that we do other than Texas. Oklahoma is just having a bad year--Venables needs to rebuild after Lincoln took the key players with him. Texas has made countless bad hires and A&M is paying guys not to go to Texas though it's not helping them win.

College football right now is Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State then a huge gap then a few teams then another huge gap before an even larger gap.

We need to close the gap. 10-2 this year is a step in the right direction. Just need to take bigger steps.
Our recruiting advantage is due to Franklin recruiting the east coast so well. PA is not what it was in recruiting with western PA’s decline in youth population and high school football talent (a trend that may be accelerating.) I despise the current dominance of 4 - 5 programs as well. We will not get to elite until the lines become elite, and that is something that Joe failed at as much as Franklin. We do have a window of opportunity with Allar, who may be able to compensate for not having an elite line.
 
Add Michigan in there. Dabo is going to raise living hell when he doesn't get in the playoffs this year at 13-0...and hopefully that will be enough for the committee to stop dragging their feet on the 12 team playoffs
Michigan and Clemson are close
Should Clemson be there at 13-0? Not sure honestly. DJU won't win a playoff game
 
Our recruiting advantage is due to Franklin recruiting the east coast so well. PA is not what it was in recruiting with western PA’s decline in youth population and high school football talent (a trend that may be accelerating.) I despise the current dominance of 4 - 5 programs as well. We will not get to elite until the lines become elite, and that is something that Joe failed at as much as Franklin. We do have a window of opportunity with Allar, who may be able to compensate for not having an elite line.
That's where we disagree. Our advantage comes from being the only legit program east of Ohio State and north of Georgia. We should dominate PA, NJ, VA and MD.
 
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I mean, we all agree we're only going to play 2 ranked teams this year, right?
So--beat Ohio State or the resume is unimpressive--no?
 
Ummmmmm......, not for nothing, but PSU still has tons to play for - take a look at the 2016 Season when we won the B1G Championship.... it is a near mirror image to this year so far including losing badly to #4 scUM @scUM and rebounding strongly prior to playing duhO$U @TheBeav.

Yes, we do have tons to play for. That was one of my points.

Can lightning strike twice against the Bucks? It's a long shot but never say never. On any given day and all that.

OK, I think I'm out of cliches. ;)
 
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New Mexico State 21 132 6.3 2 TDs
Western Illinois 23 130 5.7 2 TDs
Colorado 23 202 8.8 3 TDs
Michigan State 22 103 4.7 1 TD
Illinois 15 127 8.5 1 TD
Penn State 30 102 3.4 1 TD

Ibrahim was definitely contained. Lowest ypc of the season. He got his 100, but they kept him in there to get it then pulled him from the game the next possession after.

We faced some heavy boxes early. We had to throw our way out of them. The TEs were wide open. Once they covered the middle, the run game and WRs had more room.

Give Yurcich some credit. Once they hit the TEs for a couple big plays, everything seemed to open up.
 
I mean, I'd take a 1 loss Bama, Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia and Tennessee over 13-0 Clemson....which is why a 4 team playoff is beyond stupid.
The point is that it's going to take an elite name coach like Dabo, to complain about it, to make it happen before 2026...it needs to happen next year but it won't.
 
The point is that it's going to take an elite name coach like Dabo, to complain about it, to make it happen before 2026...it needs to happen next year but it won't.
I think it will happen before 2026 regardless--there's so much money involved but you could be right
 
Because you deserve better.

This troll douche still keeps telling us how insanely overrated ASWP (who just lost to another awful unranked ACC team) would win the b1g West LMAO! What's that tell you? Purdue, Minny, Wisconsin and Illinois would crush ASWP.
 
Also, about the refs, I got a good laugh from a comment on the game thread to the effect that "now I know what a Michigan fan feels like."

Amen to that. It's nice when the zebras cut you some breaks. Or just call an even game.

On Ji'Ayir Brown's interception, I held my breath waiting for a pass interference call. Never came.

Conversely a fortuitous pass interference call on Minnesota kept a key drive alive in the 3rd quarter and set up the TD that allowed us to pull away.

I slam the B1G refs here a lot, so it's only fitting that they should be praised when they don't go out of their way to screw us over.

Figure the odds that will be the case again next week.
 
This troll douche stoll keeps telling us how insanely overrated ASWP (who just lost to another awful unranked ACC team) would win the b1g West LMAO! What's that tell you? Purdue, Minny, Wisconsin and Illinois would crush ASWP.
Based on what? Delusion?
Pitt and all those teams (aside maybe Illinois) is a pick 'em and you know it
Actually you don't know it which is the problem
 
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