We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badgers!

The Penn State defense once again shined this weekend, and, unfortunately, the Nittany Lion offense once again looked putrid. At the very least, they won a road game against a Big Ten opponent. Sure, Purdue is by no means the cream of the crop of the Big Ten, but we’ll take any win at this point.

This sets us up for an intriguing game next Saturday, as JoePa’s boys travel to the land of cheese to play a very good Wisconsin Badgers team. As usual, our hopes are bound to our stingy defense – and Wisconsin will be much more of a test than the Boilermakers. Penn State has been solid with their run defense all season long, and they’ll need another great performance this weekend to keep them in the game.

Morelli is showing signs of maturity, BUT Penn State’s offensive line has found it difficult to block against the pass. Paterno will probably give Tony Hunt even more carries this week, as it seems he is the only one that is capable of gaining positive yardage at times.

I fear this game may come down to special teams, and if that is the case, there is no way Penn State will win. Hopefully, the defense will help in the scoring. If Penn State wins this, they may actually be playing on New Year’s day … one step at a time, though.

Boiler Maker, Please!

Thankfully, Penn State still has Temple on their schedule, so they can back into the Liberty Bowl. Seriously, this offense is about as potent as a Crystal Gale album (oh my god, never thought I'd use that one). Thankfully, the defense is more than respectable.

My question is, how can this offense be so pathetic with all of its "weapons." I mean, is the offensive line really this poor? Is Morelli really this bad? Is Galen Hall's (or Jay Paterno's) play calling really this hideous?

The Nits really had no right winning the game against the lowly Illini last week. Certainly, their offense did everythin in its power to try and lose the game. If they can barely win games against awful teams at home, how can they be expected to win on the road.

Which is exactly where they'll be this week. Purdue is another not very good team. However, unless Paul Posluvsny is quarterbacking this week, you can guarantee another lackluster offensive production. I think Penn State will win, but I wouldn't even bet your d*ck on the game.

Let's Make some Illi-Noise!!!

Not totally unexpected, Penn State lost to a superior Michigan team on Saturday. Truthfully, I was hoping for more heart, especially from the offense. The O-line was putrid, receivers dropped passes, Morelli was indecisive and got sacked far too many times. While the defense played better than the offense, missed tackles, and poor linebacker play was evident. I guess I should be glad we didn't get blown out, but honestly, I'm not.

The Nits get sort of a break this weekend, as they play a not-so-good Illinois team. Defensively, they are bad, and they aren't much better offensively. Morelli should have plenty of time to throw the football, and this should hopefully help him ... that is, if he plays (concussion). Hunt, who has been excellent this season - event against very good defenses, should have a field day, and hopefully the linebackers can show up this time. I don't think Joe-Pa's boys will have any trouble with this one.

Not Michigan!

I really don't want to make this a Paterno rant, I swear. But I have a feeling this post is going to go down that street. Yes, Penn State was able to win its first road game of the season yesterday. Sure, the team showed some grit in overtime. But did it really need to get to overtime?

Paterno's (or whoever is calling the offense at this point) play calling was putrid in the last four minutes of that ball game. To run sweeps that lose yards in order to "run out the clock" was laughable. A good team would never have given the ball back to the Gophers. And when will Paterno realize that it is important in this day and age to have a special teams coach? Add two more field goal blunders to the list of special teams disasters of the past 5 seasons. Those points would've surely prevented overtime. Anytime a Penn State special teams unit is on the field, many Penn Staters are at risk of heart failure.

Their next opponent is yet another potential national champion - the Michigan Wolverines, and Chad Henne. The Nits are going to have their hands full on both sides of the football in this one. If there is any semblence of hope, it is that most of PSU's players should still have a bad taste in their mouths following last season's only defeat at the hands of Michigan. The home field advantage should provide some additional motivation, if at the very least for one quarter. Keep it close, guys - that may be victory enough for us.

Gopher-Time

The Nits made easy work of the overmatched Mildcats this Saturday, much to the satisfaction of Penn State fans around the country. Sure, Morelli still has some room to grow, but he looked much more comfortable on Saturday. His next big goal is to win a road game, and what better place to do it than at Minnesota.

The Gophers are by no means a pushover, even though they currently reside in last place in the Big 10. Their two wins have come against lesser teams (Temple and Kent State), but they were able to hang close against an elite team last week (Michigan).

The Nits must continue to rely on their suddenly strong defense, and hope that Morelli can make enough plays to win. A road win would mean the world to this group of young talented players.