Ugh!!!!!

Penn State once again showed all of their weaknesses, as they came up short against Illinois on Saturday. I hate to be an impatient guy, but it is time that Anthony Morelli was benched – it’s time to prepare Pat Devlin for success in the upcoming seasons. It’s also time to find a running back who actually holds onto the football and gains positive yards.

It might also be time to look into replacing the offensive coordinator, as well as the quarterback coach. Jay Paterno probably shouldn’t be coaching Division 1 football. The qb’s he’s been tutoring have never really developed, and the offensive play calling has been bone-headed at all the wrong times. This team should be 5-0, and not 3-2.

It’s just frustrating at this point. Who knows where they go from here. I feel bad for the great receivers they have, because they are not being used correctly. Just a thought, but IF Paterno retires after the season, do you think Bill Cowher would consider coaching Penn State?

Ugh!!!!

Hey, ya can't fault Penn State's defense for this one - they played their hearts out, and basically kept Michigan in check this weekend ... proving that they are one of the better defenses in the league. Sadly, the offense didn't follow suit.

Anthony Morelli was a major disappointment, looking like a deer in headlights all day, making terrible passes, and boneheaded decisions. And, when he did make a decent pass, his receivers let him down in critical moments.

Of course, Austin Scott might be the biggest goat on this team - to say that he has been a disappointment would be offensive to John Sacca. Scott was a heralded player coming out of high school, and was supposed to be the next Curt Warner ... not even close. The guy began his descent into infamy his freshman year, and he continued that run all the way to the Michigan game. Four fumbles in 2 games??? Tiki Barber thinks you have problems!

What a shame - the game was winnable, and now we have to look for the Outback Bowl. Hey, at least Notre Dame lost again.

3-0!

Joe Pa’s boys played a very uninspiring game this weekend against Buffalo, and I guess who could blame them? This game was sandwiched in between the Notre Dame and Michigan games, so the Nits probably were looking past this one. Morelli played well at quarterback, which is a good thing, but Austin Scott looked awful at running back, and that could really hurt us in Saturday’s game (we can’t lose the turnover battle against Michigan).

The Wolverines come into this game with a very convincing blowout win against the Domers of Notre Dame, so we’ll probably see a better Michigan team than the one that played the first two games of the year. Penn State needs to be able to neutralize Hart, and get major pressure on the freshman QB. Also, Morelli needs to play better than he did against Notre Dame. This won’t be an easy one for Joe Pa’s boys – their first real test of the season.

Go Lions!

What a 'Dame' Shame!

Anytime you beat Notre Dame, it’s a good thing. The Nits controlled most of the game on both sides of the ball, winning convincingly, 31-10. Of course, they could’ve won by much more, had they eliminated a few bone-headed mistakes.

I’m still concerned about Anthony Morelli, and at this point in his college career, I shouldn’t be. He made two disappointing (to say the least) plays – the first one was trying to throw a strike in double-coverage (that one was returned for ND’s only touchdown). The second was when he scrambled late in the first half, and instead of running out of bounds or throwing the ball away, he ran up the middle and fumbled the ball away. We can’t have this when we start playing the good teams (yeah, ND, I don’t consider you guys a good team …. How’s that?).

Of course, Derrick Williams has matured into an excellent player who will be seeing much action on Sundays in the near future. Austin Scott, with the exception of the first quarter fumble, looked more than capable in replacing Tony Hunt this year. The defense looked incredible for the second week in a row.

Let’s just hope that PSU doesn’t pull a Michigan (who would’ve thought I’d say that) next week against Buffalo. Go Lions!

No Surprises ...

Penn State opened its schedule against one of the worst teams in division 1 football, Florida International, so a win was expected … a big win was preferred. However, Joe Pa’s offense got a late wake-up call for this one, scoring only 24 points in the first half. However, the Nits did wake up in the second half to paste FIU 59-0.

Penn State’s stingy defense had a relatively easy time, holding FIU to under 120 yards and blocking a late field goal attempt to preserve the shutout. A lesson can be learned from week 1, as Michigan got embarrassed by a division 1AA team at home – possibly the biggest upset in college football history … certainly this decade.

Things will most certainly get a more difficult as Fat Charlie and the Irish come into town. Penn State should be fired up for this one, as Notre Dame thoroughly embarrassed Paterno’s Lions in South Bend last year, including running a fake punt and going for it on 4th down when the game was fully in hand. Penn State has to paste this team next week.

Go Lions!