Now What????

The Nittany Lions had another uninspiring victory this weekend against a less than impressive foe. Sure, a win is a win, I guess, but sometimes you wish that this team showed you something.

Seriously, of the 8 wins, how many were truly victories in which you left the game thinking, “man, Joe-Pa’s boys are really playing well?” Not many, I’m sure. Not to take anything away from the defense, which has played well for every game except the Notre Dame game, but this offense is putrid.

Penn State will most likely play a New Year’s day game – sure it will be at 11:00 a.m., and I’ll be really hungover. And I guess I shouldn’t complain, because prior to last year, this team hasn’t given us much to hope for. I’m going to guess that whichever team we play, we’ll be the underdog. My hope is that Joe Pa’s boys can find some building blocks for next season. They aren’t losing much, BUT the guys that are coming back (at least on the offensive side of the ball) haven’t shown me much.

Maybe we’ll have a rematch against Florida State, which would probably be about as exciting as an insurance seminar. However, anytime JoePa can beat Bobby Bowden, I’m cool with that.

I Hate Sparty!

The Nittany Lions had an easy time with overmatched Temple on Saturday, with Tony Hunt having a HUGE day on the ground. The Lions’ defense absolutely dismantled the Owls’ offense, limiting them to under 80 total yards, and 0 points.

With a win this coming Saturday to the disappointing Spartans of Michigan State, Paterno’s boys could be playing on New Year’s day …. Albeit at 11:00 a.m. This was the first game Joe-Pa has missed since 1977 (thanks to his broken leg) … as of right now, word has it that Joe “might” be allowed to coach from the press box against Michigan State … the problem is that Joe has enough trouble seeing the action from the sidelines.

My guess is that Penn State will beat Michigan State, but you never know – these two teams tend to have pretty crazy games. Thankfully, this contest will be played in Happy Valley.

Like a Bye Week

As predicted, Penn State’s woeful offense was … well … woeful against Wisconsin this past weekend. Thankfully, the Nits get a break this Saturday, as they play the Temple Owls on Saturday. Unfortunately, I think the game will be a lot closer than it should be – Al Golden’s team is playing a lot better than they did 5 weeks ago. Joe-Pa’s boys should still win, but it probably won’t be by the 40 points that one would expect.

So, what’s wrong with the offense? I have come up with some reasons … most of which are probably obvious:

1. The Offensive Line is not progressing. In fact, at times, they look like they’ve taken a step back. They are o.k. at run blocking, but they are lacking in the pass protection department. They seem to be getting outperformed by their foes on defensive line routinely. Plus, nobody seems to be picking up the blitz. Truthfully, I don’t think this o-line was very good last season, but were routinely saved by a fleet-footed Michael Robinson.

2. Morelli’s poor play. Sure, they o-line hasn’t helped, but Morelli has been anything but decisive when throwing the ball. Usually, he holds onto it too long, and ends up getting sacked. Sometimes, he makes poor decisions in throwing the football into triple coverage. Whatever the reason is, he has not progressed at all, and it should be an interesting offseason with highly touted freshman Pat Devlin breathing down his neck.

3. Wide Receiver Drops. These guys are supposed to be the best crop of receivers in recent Penn State memory. But, they are playing more like the Philadelphia Eagles receivers (not a compliment). Combine this with an inexperienced qb and o-line, and you’ve got trouble.

4. Coaching. Man, I’m not sure I like the tandem of Galen Hall and Jay Paterno calling the plays anymore. They seemed great last season, but I think Robinson’s athletical ability made them look a lot better.