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.