Zombie Nation - Penn State football blog

Penn State Gameday: Michigan State

2009-11-21T09:30:00.001-05:00

Your Penn State football gameday headquarters.

Pregame

• Preview: No. 14 Penn State at Michigan State
• ABC/ESPN Coverage Map
• Penn State depth chart (as of 11/20)
• Official Game Notes
• Penn State Roster
• Joe Paterno's Press Conference
• Big Ten Pick'em: Week 12 2009
• ZN's CFB Top 25 :: Week 12 2009
• Poll Results: Penn State at Michigan State

Postgame

• Game Story:
• Game Review:
• Live Blog (3 p.m.)

Poll Results: PSU at MSU... hardly enthused

2009-11-20T20:00:00.004-05:00

Sixteen votes? Really? It was a better turnout for Indiana last week. I guess it's partly my fault, getting the poll going late this week. But still, c'mon people, this game will be the difference between a guaranteed 10-win season, or another four-loss adventure though mediocrity. Results, and a reminder about tomorrow's ZN Live Blog, below.

Big Ten Pick'em 2009: Week 12

2009-11-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Zombie Nation picks all of this week's Big Ten games. Which teams will wrap up the regular season with a victory? Can Michigan and others pull massive upsets this week? The bowl pecking order will be pretty much decided by Saturday night, so this is easily the biggest week of the season. Check it all out, in this week's pick'em.

(FYI: Each team name links to its respective official football site)

• Illinois - BYE

• Minnesota at No. 13 Iowa - The ZN pick: Iowa

• No. 16 Wisconsin at Northwestern - The ZN pick: Northwestern

• Purdue at Indiana - The ZN pick: Purdue

• No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan - The ZN pick: Michigan

• No. 14 Penn State at Michigan State - The ZN pick: Michigan State

☆☆☆☆

Standings, compiled by Gopher Nation:

(doesn't really matter at this point)

Preview: No. 14 Penn State at Michigan State

2009-11-19T15:00:00.001-05:00

Kickoff/TV: Sat., Nov. 21, 3:30 p.m. ET/ESPN (Mike Patrick, Craig James and Heather Cox)
Weather Forecast: Cool, clear.
Series Record: Penn State leads, 13-12-1.

Host: Michigan State Spartans
Record: 6-5 (4-3, Big Ten)
Last Game: Beat Purdue, 40-37
Injuries: LB Drew Stevens (knee) - possible; RB Glenn Winston (knee) - out for season; S Roderick Jenrette (foot) - out for season
Key Players: (offense) QB Kevin Cousins, WR Blair White, WR BJ Cunningham; (defense) LB Greg Jones, S Chris Rucker, DL Jerel Worthy
Head Coach: Mark D'Antonio, 3rd season, 22-15; 0-2 bowl record.
Season Statistics:
Offense - 139.7 rush/274.1 pass/31.0 points per game
Defense - 105.9 rush/245.0 pass/23.5 points per game
TO Margin - (-4)/(-0.36) per game

Michigan State, on paper -- The Spartans are a funky team this season, losing a ton of very, very close games, but winning a few more that were made more difficult than necessary. Michigan State was coming off its first New Year's Day bowl game in 10 years, and had enough talent returning or rising to figure on another successful campaign. That, however, would depend on if the team could do one thing: win some games it wasn't supposed to. Well, that never happened, and the Spartans now sit at 6-5, clinging to bowl eligibility. It's not like Michigan State has been a bad team this season. Far, far from it. In three losses to Central Michigan, Notre Dame and Iowa, the total margin of victory was seven, SEVEN, points, and Michigan State even had control of each one of those games heading into the final few minutes. Wisconsin turned out to be much better than anyone had projected, but Michigan State still put up 30 on the Badgers in Camp Randall. Really, the only inexplicable loss for the Spartans came in a weird, wild upset at Minnesota. The only other close game was last week against a better-than-you-think Purdue team, but the Spartans prevailed by three.

Michigan State tried to use the two-quarterback system early this season, surprisingly enough, to decent success. But this is now Kirk Cousins' offense, even if Keith Nicol still comes in for a few series here or there. The Spartans are 0.3 points per game away from leading the conference in scoring offense; they lead the Big Ten in total offense, pass offense, pass efficiency, and kickoff return average. Wonder how Michigan State has been able to stay in every game this season? There's your answer. The Spartans can turn it on offensively against any team, even if sometimes it comes a bit too late. And you can chalk much of that up to the defense, which can't seem to figure out how to make a big stop to save its team's life. The Spartans are allowing a not-terrible 23 points per game, but Michigan State is dead last in red-zone defense, and near the bottom in third-down conversions allowed. Probably more frustrating, and similarly to some of Penn State's issues, Michigan State has been fantastic at creating negative-yardage situations for its opponents (2nd in the Big Ten in sacks), but has forced a league-worst 12 turnovers. Big, game-changing plays on defense have been few and far between for Michigan State, in a season where just one or two might have made a huge difference.

Visitor: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 9-2 (5-2 Big Ten)
Last Game: Beat Indiana, 31-20
Injuries: CB AJ Wallace (shoulder) - possible; WR Chaz Powell (shoulder) - possible; RB Brandon Beachum (ACL) - out for season; DB Jacob Fagnano (ankle) - out; FB Josh Matzkin (foot) - out; DE Pete Massaro (knee) - out for season; LB Michael Mauti (knee) - out for season; DT Brandon Ware (foot) - out
Key Players: (offense) QB Daryll Clark, RB Evan Royster, WR Derek Moye; (defense) DT Jared Odrick, LB Navorro Bowman, LB Sean Lee
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 44th season at Penn State, 392-129-3; 23-11 bowl record
Season Statistics:
Offense - 172.3 rush/231.2 pass/28.5 points per game
Defense - 93.9 rush/178.1 pass/11.6 points per game
TO Margin - (+1)/(0.09) per game

Penn State, on paper -- Entering the final week of the season, 9-2 feels much worse than it actually is for the Penn State faithful. The Nittany Lions have had only two opportunities this season to beat premier teams, with both games coming in Beaver Stadium. But Penn State failed miserably in both tests, both on national television. No other final score has even come close to a Penn State loss, which might make the season feel even worse, knowing this team has the ability to play well. That ability just hasn't shown up in big games. The average margin of victory for Penn State this season has been 16.9. However, against all teams not named Iowa or Ohio State, that margin jumps to 23.8 per win. Penn State hasn't reached 10 wins in consecutive seasons since 1994. The Nittany Lions could very easily reach that plateau in 2009, as almost everyone pegged this team for 10 wins just as long as it got off the bus each Saturday. But with suspect special teams and a propensity for turning the ball over at key moments in big games, that goal isn't so certain with two games left against good teams.

In 2008, Penn State averaged 24.5 yards per kick return, 10.4 yards per punt return, while Derrick Williams scored two touchdowns on kick returns and another on a punt return. On punt coverage, Penn State allowed 5.3 yards per return. The Nittany Lions also did not allow a blocked punt in 2008. Now fast forward to 2009. With 11 games in the books, Penn State is averaging 18.4 yards per kick return, 5.3 yards per punt return, while scoring not a single return touchdown. This year on punt coverage, Penn State is allowing a ghastly 16.4 yards per return. Also, the punt team has allowed two blocked punts this season, including the game-changing scoop-and-score by Iowa. Against Ohio State two weeks ago, Penn State allowed punt returns of 43, 19 and 45 yards. With an offense that doesn't trust its offensive line any more, a quarterback that pushes in big games leading to mistakes, and special teams that have become the biggest single liability this season, Penn State could have a much tougher time reaching those 10 wins that were thought to be so easily attainable.

On the field -- East Lansing hasn't been kind to Penn State. The last outing westward, the Nittany Lions were eying a January bowl game, and holding a comfortable 24-7 third-quarter lead, everything was hunky-dory. That is, until everyone realized that John L. Smith was no longer Michigan State's head coach. Mark D'Antonio would have none of what Penn State was serving, and called for one aggressive play after another. Penn State lost 35-31, due to exactly what this year's game could hinge on: pass defense and special teams. In that game two years ago, the Spartans faked a punt in their own territory to gain a huge first down (and momentum), and bombed away to take the lead, forcing a stunned Penn State offense to wake up form its nap. This season, Penn State can't fall asleep, or it'll be a rerun of 2007.

In case you haven't noticed, special teams special team will be a pretty big deal in this game. So, I'm going to call for this game to come down to exactly that: each team's ability to play mistake-free special teams. But that comes in two ways. Penn State should take it literally. The Nittany Lions must hold Michigan State's return teams in check, while not turning the ball over or getting stuck in terrible field position. The Spartans, however, have to take advantage of Penn State's special teams woes, by exploiting the Lions' poor return games and propensity to turn the ball over. It's not a complex formula for either team. And both could end up playing well on special teams. But there will be at least one play that will make or break both teams, depending on which one steps up to seize the moment. In this kind of situation, I just don't trust Penn State.

Extra Points: The two teams play for what's probably the worst trophy in college football: The Land Grant Trophy... Penn State started out going 1-8-1 against Michigan State, but since joining the Big Ten, has gone 12-4... all four Big Ten losses to MSU have come in East Lansing... Average score between the two teams in Big Ten meetings: 35-27... Attendance prediction: 75,235

Prediction: No. 14 Penn State, 21 - Michigan State, 24

Coverage Map: Penn State at Michigan State

2009-11-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

So, you want one last shot to look good on national television? Here's your chance, with a bigger broadcast-audience (ABC) than we've seen all season.

Paterno presser transcript

2009-11-18T18:09:00.004-05:00

I love when Joe Paterno says he doesn't want to talk about something, then goes on for 10 minutes about how he doesn't know anything about anything.

Q. Your team has had slow starts in its three road games. Is there any explanation for that and is it at all a concern?
Well, yeah, I have a little concern obviously. Do I have an explanation? No. I really don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. Obviously, I'm just glad we were able to learn from the slow starts and go on from there. But other than that, I don't have anything. We had a slow start last week at home.

Q. Joe, what is Chaz Powell's status for Saturday? What is your impression of Greg Jones, the Michigan State linebacker?
I think Jones is a really good football player. In fact, we talked about him this morning. What has he got, a hundred some tackles, a couple other things? We were talking about him. I think it's 53, isn't it, his number? I don't talk names, I talk numbers when I talk with the staff. Basically that's where I come from with the numbers because I look at people, I don't look at reputations, I look at the way they play. He's a heck of a football player. Powell I doubt will make it. In fact, we're not really counting on him for this week.

Q. How do you think DeOn'tae Pannell was at guard last week and will he stay there the rest of the season?
We only have one game left. He'll stay at guard. I thought the he did a pretty good job really, not a great job, particularly if you figure he's coming off an injury and a new position. I thought overall he did a good job.

Q. What is the status of A.J. Wallace? How does the absence of Beachum affect your team?
Well, Beachum is obviously a big one. He was a kid that played on special teams as well as played fullback, tailback, a great kid on the practice field. A.J. may play, so I'm not going to get into that. But they're different types. Beachum is all over the place for you. Anything you ask him to do, he does well. A.J. is a little different. A.J., we've asked him to cover kicks, he's done a decent job on that. He's played a decent corner. So, he's a good football player who probably could be better than he performs. But Beachum is one of those guys; he's a coach's player.

Q. Devon Smith, why haven't we seen more of him lately than we had in the beginning of the year?
He didn't get in a couple games because he cut classes, all right? He wasn't in a couple games. He decided he was here to get an education, so we played him a little bit last week. He's okay. He's got a long way to go to grow up. But he practices hard. Obviously, he's got great speed. You compare him to a kid like (Curtis) Drake, which I'm assuming you're going to ask me about next.

Q. You got it.
Yeah, Drake has been a quarterback on a team that was one play away from winning the state championship. A little bit more versatility and can do more things than the other kid can do. He doesn't have the speed obviously that Smith has. They both have a place in the future. But, as I said, they've got to do it the way we want it done, and that means you go to class. If you don't go to class, you're wasting your time.

Q. Why didn't Drake play more earlier?
Why didn't he play more? Because Powell was better. Don't you go to the games?

Q. What are your thoughts about the season that Andrew Quarless has had both on and off the field? What do you think he needs to improve on to succeed if he goes on to the next level?
I think Quarless is doing really well. I think, obviously, we've done a lot of things with him that we haven't done with a tight end in the past. We put him in the backfield. He's half a fullback, half a tight end sometimes. I think he's had a heck of a year. He's been a leader, which has made me feel good about the fact that he took some of the things that we disagreed on, he took them to heart. He's going to be fine, graduate and everything else. I'm very pleased with Quarless. I think the biggest thing we have to do with him is probably get him the ball more.

Q. You used Kevin Newsome for that one play there. What was the thinking there? Did you plan to use him more before the game got tight?
I'm always trying to get Kevin in a little bit. Kevin Newsome has a future, but we put him in, let him get knocked around a little bit. He can run with the football, change of pace. You know, you hate to be out of style. The wildcat style... I go down every once in a while and look at new suits, stuff like that, buy a decent tie. My wife says, "You're not going to wear that tie to this press conference." I say, "Some of these guys don't even know what a tie is." I just want to be stylish, so we stick the wildcat in there one play a game (laughter).

Q. You usually wear a jacket.
I know, I usually wear a jacket. But after watching you guys for 11 weeks, I felt I was a little overdressed (laughter).

Q. Joe, the last couple weeks defenses have done a pretty good job against your wideouts, really didn't get much from the wideouts at all last week. Is that because of execution on your part or what defenses are doing to you? What can you do to adjust to that?
I think it's a question of what they're doing and giving us more of an opportunity to run the football. Early in the year, they challenged our wideouts, challenged our passing game, were not going to let us run the football. I think as the season went along, they started to realize the wideouts were guys they had to worry about, and (Daryll) Clark was a kid they made sure they didn't let him get a hot a hand. They started to change some coverages, do some things, which gave us an opportunity to run. I think we've done a little better job running the football. We've had some bumps and bruises up front, different combinations. (DeOn'tae) Pannell started out as a starting right tackle, now he's a left guard. We didn't count on (Ako) Poti doing much, and he's starting at right tackle. We've had to improvise a little bit up front. But even having said that, they're giving us better opportunities to run the football, and we're trying to take advantage of that. Maybe we should be throwing more. I don't know. I think we've scored enough points. We haven't maybe scored them exactly where everybody wants them. We didn't do a particularly good job against two of the better defensive teams that we played against, both Iowa and Ohio State. So I think we could be criticized in those games. But other than that, I think we've done a pretty good job.

Q. In a nutshell, how do you feel Michigan State's quarterback Kirk Cousins ranks among other quarterbacks in the Big Ten?
That's an interesting question because there are a lot of solid quarterbacks in this league. The kid at Northwestern (Mike Kafka) got hurt against us early. This kid here, Cousins, is a good quarterback. You know, they've beaten some pretty good football teams. They've been in games where they scored a lot of points, maybe not enough to win, but they've been very competitive because of their quarterback. Iowa had a fine quarterback (Ricky Stanzi). Kid breaks a leg, they lost the game last week that maybe they probably would have won. Not probably, but they would have had a better chance to beat Ohio State with their (starting) quarterback. There are a lot of kids in the league that are all-around good football players, and good wideouts. I've been a little bit perturbed because I think the media has jumped on the Southeastern Conference bandwagon, our schedule, this schedule. When you look at it, there's two pretty good teams in the Southeastern Conference. There's probably one other good team in the league that Texas is playing in. There's obviously three or four teams that are comparable in the Pac 10. Who knows who's going to win each week out there. I don't think some of the kids in our league have gotten the credit they should get, either the wideouts or the quarterbacks.

Q. Could you talk about Michigan State's kicking and return game? Will that be one of the more challenging outings for your special teams?
Every week has been challenging, one way or the other. But your point is right. They have an excellent kicking, return game, and an excellent punter. This kid (Aaron Bates) kicks the ball high, right down the middle of the field. They cover well. We just can't make any mistakes. The kicking game will be a big factor in how this game goes. If we don't cover our butts off - pardon the 'butt' reference - if we don't do a good job there, we'll have troubles. Really, that one kid can really go (Keshawn Martin). Ninety-some yards last week. They're good. We spent a little time yesterday on it. We're going to spend a lot of time on our kicking game this week.

Q. Joe, can you talk about where this rivalry with Michigan State ranks as far as in the Big Ten and why the past couple games at Michigan State have been so tough.?
Well, that covers a whole lot. Got an hour and a half in this press conference for me to answer? Michigan State plays well against us at home. We just talked about that this morning, how tough they've been out there in Lansing for us. That's number one. How is the rivalry? It depends on the year. We started out when we first got in the Big Ten, George Perles, who was coaching out at the Hula Bowl, who I think at that time was the athletic director and football coach of Michigan State, was an old friend, a guy who had been on the Pittsburgh Steelers staff for a long time, a guy I knew. I tried to recruit one of his kids who was a good football player. He called me up. He says, "Why don't we make our game, the game we're going to play, as the last one every year?" He said, "You've had a great tradition with Michigan State," which we do. Duffy Daugherty, who was the great head coach at Michigan State when they had the great teams in the '60s, was from Barnesboro, Pennsylvania. He was a Barnesboro, Pennsylvania kid. When they beat us in the '50s with those guys, they were all Johnstown area kids, (Conemaugh) Township and Adams Township. Nowadays, that's all been combined. So we've had a long history. Even when I came here in 1950, I think the only game, I think Michigan State broke Penn State's streak of 18, 19 wins when they had gone to the Cotton Bowl. So there was a good pattern to that. I thought that was a good idea. I think it's been a good series. Obviously, there's a couple series in the league, in the conference, that go back further and have a little bit more tradition. But I think, as we play our way into where we're not the outcasts here in the hinterlands, I think it will be a very significant - I don't know what you call it - end of the season game for both teams and for the league.

Q. You talked about the importance of your punt return guys fielding the ball cleanly. After you put a couple on the turf last week, do you consider making any changes? What do you think the problem is there?
We're not going to let them punt (laughter). We're going to try to catch the ball. You're right. We didn't catch the football. We spent some time on it. I think (Graham) Zug had a bad day. He was trying to make something happen. We were behind. He came out, I said, "You've got to be careful with the football." He said, "Coach, I tried to make something happen." You've got to appreciate that in a competitor. (Drew) Astorino, the same thing. He caught the ball, was running. You've got to give Indiana credit for that one because the kid saw that he had a shot at Astorino from the back, punched it out. I think your observation is right, we didn't handle the ball well, and we've got to handle it better. Having everything in tow, those things are going to happen to you. We were sloppy everywhere. We put the ball on the ground too many times there. Obviously a couple of them came from the punt game.

Q. Do you anticipate any changes there?
Oh, yeah. You're talking to an old punt returner. I still got the Brown record for the yardage in one game in punt returns. We'll be all right...we'll be all right.

Q. Last week you said you were going to make personnel changes on your special teams. How did those changes help you?
I thought we did a good job on coverage, both punts and on kickoffs. We changed some people. But, unfortunately, Beachum and Powell, we put Powell on the coverage team, and Powell probably won't play this week. Beachum, the same way. We've got to make a couple more changes this week, and hopefully they'll work out as well as the ones last week.

Q. Do you know who you're considering in replacing Beachum with?
I'm not sure yet.

Q. After you lost to Ohio State, everybody figured your BCS hopes were out the window. Now they're saying if you win on Saturday, you still have a shot at getting in the Orange Bowl. Wonder if you talked to your team about that.
You know, you guys know more than I do. The only thing I know is we're playing Michigan State this week. Don't make a darn bit of difference. You guys speculate all you want. If we don't beat Michigan State, none of that makes any...none of it's important. So I don't waste time with it. I'm going to try to go out there and show those guys how I used to catch punts, ran for touchdowns every time I got my hands on the ball, see if we can beat Michigan State on a punt return so we can keep some of you guys happy (laughter).

Q. Navorro Bowman has been a big part of the defense the last couple years. There are reports he's considering going to the NFL.
I don't even know what you're talking about. I've never talked to him about it.

Q. Evan Royster has 990 yards. Can you analyze some of his progress this year and throughout his career, how good of a back he's been for you?
In fact, I got on Royster a little bit either last week or two weeks ago. I said, "Hey, you're not playing with a lot of enthusiasm like you have (earlier in season)." I thought he played well last week. He's a good, solid, all around back. He's not flashy. He's consistent. He knows what's going on. He can do everything you want him to do. He blocks well enough. He's a really good receiver and he's intelligent. If we put something in on a Monday, we don't have to worry about whether he can handle it or not. You have some other players, when you debate whether you want to try something different for a particular game, you always wonder whether he can handle the mental part of it. Royster is a heck of an athlete. He was a great lacrosse player. He's got an older brother who was a fine football player that went out to Stanford. At some point people thought that our Royster was the best lacrosse player in the state of Virginia, which is a good lacrosse state. He's a good player.

Q. Hoping you have your old athletic director hat around somewhere. Are you involved or been kept up to speed with the university's new pricing plan for football season tickets that's out there?
Well, the only thing I know is they were debating it. They asked me what I thought. I said, "Look, you guys have the responsibility for 29 sports." It's a lot different than when I was the athletic director. Didn't have the impact it has now. We didn't have scholarships for all the women's sports. We didn't have to upgrade facilities. We're going to build another softball field, a better softball field, for the women, and I think we should. We didn't have some of the pressure that we have as far as expenses and things of that kind. You guys were all uptight about trying to find out how much I was making. Then when you found out how much I was making, that was the end of the story because there were guys out there making three or four times what I'm making. There's an awful lot of pressure. I think that the university is doing the best it can. Now, what exactly the specifics of the program are, I don't know. All I've ever said to Tim Curley is, "Tim, you're doing one heck of a job, all right?" You just look around at the facilities, you look at what they've done to the soccer field (Jeffrey Field renovation), you look at the baseball field (Medlar Field at Lubrano Park) that was put out there, you look at all the things that have been done. "How you paying for it?" He said, "Well, it's tough." I said, "Well, remember, whatever we do, do it well. " In fact, I'm going to be on his back to fix up the visiting team locker room. We've got the worst visiting team locker room in this conference. We have to spend money to fix that up. So I think that they're doing a heck of a job. I'm disappointed that either the media or somebody who knew what was going on would let it go because they had told me, "Wait until the season's over, we'll make the announcement." Michigan State is on my mind, all right? That to me is the only thing we should all be thinking about, Michigan State. Now all of a sudden I've got you asking me a question about something. I said, "I'm not a part of it, except I know you're going to do a good job." And I think the university has done a super job. You take a look at what other people are doing. How much are we charging compared to other people? I think we're probably at the bottom of the list. I saw what Michigan charges (for season football tickets), and I saw what Ohio State charges. See what these other people are charging, what kind of money we've got to raise. I don't know whether it's changed or not. When I was the athletic director, every time they raised tuition, the budget went up. We don't get a nickel from the university for anything, (Athletics) is completely self supporting. So they've got to do something or we've got to cut back sports, and we don't want to do that. But, that's not my bout.

Q. Might have been a pre season magazine where you talked about eight home games, the challenge it is for the fans.
I haven't got the slightest idea what you do with it. It's not my decision to make. I've got Michigan State to play this week.

Q. Can you talk about why Mark Dantonio looks to be a good fit at Michigan State? Last week you talked about Indiana playing in hard luck. Michigan State has been in every game and also has had hard luck. Might be better than their 6 5 record would indicate.
Absolutely. I think Michigan State is a fine football team. I thought Indiana was a good football team. I told you that. I think Michigan State and Mark Dantonio is a fine coach. I said to Bill Lynch before the game, "The one thing about this league right now is we've got more good, young coaches than I've seen since I've been in the league." I said, "I just hope that everybody understands it's going to take a while for some of the programs to get going. You've got to have a little luck." Michigan State has had some bad luck. Indiana has had some bad luck. Put the ball on the ground at the wrong time, get a lousy officials call, which you'll get from time to time. I said, "Just hang in there. " Michigan State is obviously a little further along than Indiana. They're on the verge of being a really good football team. I hope they're at least 10 days away. But they're good. Mark is a good coach. They're doing a heck of a job. It will be a good football game.

Q. Joe, could you talk about what (former AD) Ed Czekaj meant to Penn State?
Ed is one of the great Penn Staters. When I came here, Ed was an associate or assistant. I forget. Ike Gilbert was the business manager. We didn't have an athletic director in those days. We had a dean in phys ed and an athletics guy by the name of Carl Shott. Ed worked for Ike Gilbert as bookkeeper, and then Ed moved up. Ed was so loyal to Penn State. He was as fine a Penn Stater and did a good job. I got a little annoyed at one time, went in to see Ed. I said, "Ed, where is the money? I want to build some facilities." We had been to four straight New Year's Day Bowl games. There wasn't any money to build a couple facilities which I thought we needed. Ed said, "We've got to do some things, we built the research lab, did this and that, so it's been used." Ed said, "It wasn't really my decision, but it was the university's decision to do it. " I said, "Well, why don't you and I go down there and make a fuss?" He said, "I don't want to do anything that's going to embarrass Penn State. " He said, "I can sit and take a backseat." That's the way he was. He was just a wonderful, wonderful man. In a way, all those guys are gone. (Ernie) McCoy and Gilbert, Ed...Don't see much of Jim (Tarman) anymore...a long tradition of great Penn Staters.

Q. Has your team been as consistent as you might have hoped for at this point in the season, late in the season?
Well, I think we've played well. Obviously, we would liked to have won another game or two. But I think for a young team, some key positions, people were young, I thought overall we did all right. As I said, I would have loved to have won another game or two, and probably could have had a shot at it. But we didn't do it. So, hopefully we've learned from some mistakes we made and we won't make them again this week when we're, again, going out to Michigan and playing a tough Michigan State football team. You guys are the guys that are disappointed, I think.

GoPSUsports.com

Even Hitler hates EA Sports

2009-11-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yet another YouTube gem. If you're like me, along with a few million other pissed off gamers who pony up $60 each summer, this is the best way to spend the next four minutes...

My personal favorites: 2:00 and 2:57

D'Anton Lynn doesn't not blame Paterno's obstinacy

2009-11-17T13:15:00.001-05:00

Joe Paterno has morphed over the last few seasons, from a coach that used to micromanage nearly every working part of his team, to one that delegates control to his coaching staff. Overall, it's worked very well. But there's one part of this team on which Paterno still rests an acutely stubborn, heavy hand -- the punt return team.

In a conference call with reporters (BWI) yesterday, D'Anton Lynn was asked about the punt return unit, of course including its problems this season. You might remember that Lynn actually got the call last season to return a few punts, taking his only non-fair catch back 10 yards. So this guys knows what fielding punts can be like. Take a look at this exchange with reporters yesterday:

Q: Do you and other guys wish that you could have a crack at punt return? Is it a desired position and something guys hope to get before the season starts?

Lynn: Yeah, I returned punts in high school so returning punts in college is something that I'd definitely love to do.

Q: Is it something that just comes down to who is catching it in practice? It seems like that is the overriding priority is just to be able to field the ball.

Lynn: Yeah, that's how coach Paterno is. He definitely wants people back there that will catch the ball and Drew and Zug do a great job of catching the ball for the most part so that's part of the reason why they're back there.

Q: Does that mean you were having trouble fielding punts in preseason camp?

Lynn: No, I don't have trouble catching punts, I just think that Joe trusted Zug and Astorino more maybe because I know traditionally the free safety is always back there like Scirrotto was in punt safe, so that'd be Drew, and then Zug is our receiver, so he has sure hands. So, I guess they just trusted them more.

"Sure hands"... "Great job"

Those two phrases don't belong anywhere near an evaluation of Graham Zug's or Drew Astorino's ability to return punts. But I get it, Lynn can't bash his own teammates. I'm cool with that. However, how about the dig -- intentional or not -- he takes at Joe Paterno?

"Yeah, that's how coach Paterno is."

I didn't hear him say that, so it might have sounded different than it reads. But the overall gist of the interview leads anyone with half a brain to think that the rest of the team is growing tired of Paterno's last bastion of stubbornness -- special teams. He no longer has the offense. He hasn't had the defense for a while. The only thing left for Paterno to stick his ladle into is the special teams coordination. And it's starting to show.

Remember this spring, when I projected the depth chart? I had put down Zug as the backup/safe punt returner, behind Lynn. There were a few rather funny comments about my assertion that Paterno "usually likes to have one white guy with good hands available."

Unfortunately, I was only a quarter-correct. Zug ended up being the first-team punt return specialist, while Astorino -- as one commenter suggested -- became the safe man.

Sorry folks, but neither one of those players would exactly strike fear into opposing punt coverage teams.

Lynn? Chaz Powell? Devon Smith? Stephfon Green? Are their hands any better than what we've seen from Zug or Astorino this season? After fumbling three punt returns, and losing two of them, you can figure that one out.

Much of this has been chalked up to Penn State's horrid return blocking, as we've seen even when guys like Evan Royster were back fielding punts. But I'm not buying that as any excuse for the lack of simple ball-handling skills displayed by the two guys Penn State has back there right now.

When 107,000 people cheer your team because it successfully fair-caught a punt, it's no longer a "little thing" that can be worked out with more practice. This isn't a matter of just being careless with the football, as Paterno loves to put it. The season is two games from ending. If Penn State can't even safely field a punt with the supposed "hands guy," it's time to look elsewhere.

It doesn't look like that will happen, at least, not this season. Joe Paterno is sticking to his guns on this one, even if they're misfiring in his face.

*Paterno's press conference will be available shortly. I'll be very interested to see if/how this subject is brought up, and whether Lynn's name is invoked or not. Stay tuned.

Michigan State game notes released

2009-11-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Penn State will wrap up its regular season slate with a trip to East Lansing. Spartan Stadium wasn't kind to the Nittany Lions last time, but let's just worry about this year.

Penn State released the official Michigan State game notes, so head on over and check them out. Then, of course, come back here for even more Penn State football!

Beachum tears ACL

2009-11-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Brandon Beachum is out for the rest of the season, after tearing his ACL against Indiana. Via the Collegian:

"Brandon Beachum will miss the remainder of the 2009 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee on Saturday, according to a release issued by the Penn State football program."

Beachum recovered a Jerome Hayes kickoff return fumble, offering up a bit of irony that after all of Hayes' ACL injuries, he was directly involved in another player's ACL tear.

Beachum should be ready by next fall, but is most definitely out for the rest of this season and through spring practice.

Bowman earns Defensive POW

2009-11-15T22:15:00.000-05:00

Junior linebacker Navorro Bowman earned his first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor this season, the second of his career. Against the Indiana Hoosiers, Bowman logged a team-high 12 tackles, including two for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.

But Bowman's biggest play, and arguably the play of the game, came when he intercepted a tipped pass and ran it back 73 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

Penn State rises, others fall

2009-11-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

Penn State crept to No. 14 in this weeks' BCS Standings. The Nittany Lions were voted No. 12 in both the USA Today Coaches' Poll and the Harris Interactive Poll, but fell in the BCS computer average, to No. 21.

Penn State rose by a similar margin in the Associated Press Poll, up to No. 13.

ZN's CFB Top 25 :: Week 12 2009

2009-11-15T15:00:00.001-05:00

What should be the biggest story this week -- USC is falling apart at the seams -- has gotten only a sniff by the main stream media. For years, all we heard was how this was the greatest college football program in the history of the sport. But Troy has fallen, and no one seems to care. I give you the home stretch top 25.

Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result].

1. Texas (1), [10-0, W 47 - 14 Baylor]
2. Alabama (2), [10-0, W 31 - 3 Mississippi St]
3. Cincinnati (3), [10-0, W 24 - 21 West Virginia]
4. Florida (4), [10-0, W 24 - 14 South Carolina]
5. Texas Christian (5), [10-0, W 55 - 28 Utah]
6. Georgia Tech (6), [10-1, W 49 - 10 Duke]
7. Boise State (7), [10-0, W 63 - 25 Idaho]
8. Ohio State (9), [9-2, W 27 - 24 Iowa]
9. Pittsburgh (8), [9-1, W 27 - 22 Notre Dame]
10. Oregon (10), [8-2, W 44 - 21 Arizona State]
11. Penn State (13), [9-2, W 31 - 20 Indiana]
12. Louisiana State (12), [8-2, W 24 - 16 Louisiana Tech]
13. Wisconsin (14), [8-2, W 45 - 24 Michigan]
14. Iowa (11), [9-2, L 27 - 24 Ohio State]
15. Stanford (NR), [7-3, W 55 - 21 Southern Cal]
16. Oregon State (22), [7-3, W 48 - 21 Washington]
17. Virginia Tech (21), [7-3, W 36 - 9 Maryland]
18. Oklahoma State (24), [8-2, W 24 - 17 Texas Tech]
19. North Carolina (NR), [7-3, W 33 - 24 Miami(FL)]
20. Miami(FL) (19), [7-3, L 33 - 24 North Carolina]
21. Brigham Young (23), [8-2, W 24 - 19 New Mexico]
22. California (NR), [7-3, W 24 - 16 Arizona]
23. Arizona (15), [6-3, L 24 - 16 California]
24. Clemson (NR), [7-3, W 43 - 23 North Carolina St]
25. Rutgers (NR), [7-2, W 31 - 0 South Florida]

Dropped Out:
Southern Cal (16), [7-3, L 55 - 21 Stanford]
Houston (17), [8-2, L 37 - 32 UCF]
South Florida (18), [7-3, L 31 - 0 Rutgers]
Utah (20), [8-2, L 55 - 28 TCU]
West Virginia (25), [7-3, L 24 - 21 Cincinnati]

On the Cusp:
Southern Cal (16), [7-3, L 55 - 21 Stanford]
Houston (17), [8-2, L 37 - 32 UCF]
Utah (20), [8-2, L 55 - 28 TCU]
West Virginia (25), [7-3, L 24 - 21 Cincinnati]
Central Michigan (NR), [8-2, W 56 - 28 Toledo]
Nebraska (NR), [7-3, W 31 - 17 Kansas]
Temple (NR), [8-2, W 56 - 17 Akron]
Mississippi (NR), [7-3, W 42 - 17 Tennessee]

Notes: This season feels very back-loaded, as there are still HUGE regular season games left to be played. The Big East race is far from decided. The Big Ten could take a couple of twists next weekend. The Pac-10 isn't a sure thing yet. The SEC leaders aren't playing like top teams should. And don't get me started on the ACC. All that being said, most of my top 15 didn't change this week, most likely due to the fact that my dog could put together a better top 25 ballot than most of the actual voters. There is, however, one point I should make right now. Since most of you reading this care more about the Big Ten than any other league, I'll tell you that Iowa is not the same team it was with Ricki Stanzi. That's not to say the Hawkeyes won't win 10 games and get into the BCS. I'm just saying that I'm holding judgement until all the games are played. So, don't freak out that Penn State and Wisconsin are ahead of Iowa right now.

Past weeks:
WEEK ONE/PRESEASON
WEEK TWO
WEEK THREE
WEEK FOUR
WEEK FIVE
WEEK SIX
WEEK SEVEN
WEEK EIGHT
WEEK NINE
WEEK TEN
WEEK ELEVEN

Penn State rides underclassmen to senior day win

2009-11-14T20:30:00.002-05:00

For the third week in a row, Penn State's offense came out flat. So, tied at 10 entering the second half, the Nittany Lions' defense, which had played valiantly despite working against a minus-four turnover margin, took matters into its own hands. Junior linebacker Navorro Bowman intercepted a tipped pass and ran 73 yards to pay dirt, giving Penn state its first lead of the ballgame. The Nittany Lions offense followed up Bowman's pick-six with two consecutive scoring drives of its own, as Penn State (9-2, 5-2) emerged with a 31-20 win on senior day in Happy Valley.

But the valley was hardly happy most of the game, particularly when the Nittany Lions' not-so-special teams trotted onto the field. Penn State lost two fumbles on first half punt returns, and nearly lost another on the second half kickoff return. It became such a debacle by the third quarter, fans cheered when Graham Zug successfully fair-caught a punt. He and co-punt return specialist Drew Astorino each lost a fumble fielding punts. Penn State entered the game with one of the nation's worst punt return unit, and surely didn't help itself after today's performance. The Nittany Lions have spent all season unsuccessfully finding a replacement for 2008 All-American return specialist Derrick Williams.

As if the special teams weren't giving Penn Staters a big enough headache, the offense played its worst single quarter of the season. Senior quarterback Daryll Clark, who entered the game having thrown only eight interceptions for the season, tossed two picks in just four first quarter attempts. Clark would rebound, however, finishing his Beaver Stadium career with a 17-for-28, 194-yard performance, including a rush touchdown and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Evan Royster.

For Indiana, it's been a season-long trend of lost opportunities. The Hoosiers forced four turnovers in the first half, but only entered the locker room with 10 points to show for it. Indiana's offense held the ball for nearly 10 minutes in the first quarter, courtesy of the continuous giveaways by Penn State.

The Hoosiers had a tough time running on Penn State, finishing the game with only 48 net yards. This came despite giving up only two sacks for minus-11 yards. Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell had good protection against the Nittany Lions' pass rush, but after an early touchdown strike to Demarlo Belcher, couldn't lead the offense to another point until Penn State was working with a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead. Following two scores to open the game, Indiana failed to score on seven straight drives, including four punts, a missed field goal, and an interception. The Hoosiers entered the red zone only twice.

Chappell completed 32 of 51 passes for 298 yards -- all opponent single-game highs against the Penn State defense this season -- and two touchdowns.

The Penn State defense was a big part of forcing Indiana out of its early rhythm, as the Nittany Lions said good bye to five senior defensive starters, including two All-American candidates, linebacker and captain Sean Lee and defensive tackle Jared Odrick. Lee would end the game with 10 tackles and four pass breakups, while Odrick continued to be the rock of the defensive front.

However, some of the biggest plays for Penn State came from the underclassmen.

On defense, Bowman added a team-high 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a sack, to go along with his pick-six. Defensive linemen Devon Still and Sean Stanley each made stops behind the line, including a sack by the freshman Stanley. End Jack Crawford batted down two Indiana passes, and safety Nick Sukay came up big, breaking up what looked like a sure touchdown pass for Indiana.

When the Lions had the ball, it was another underclassman who provided some much-needed spark. True freshman receiver Curtis Drake finished with a career-high 60 total yards, including a 26-yard end around to propel on its first touchdown drive of the game.

Penn State improved its senior day record to 19-1 since 1990, and pushed its win streak to nine straight in home finales.

The Nittany Lions will face Michigan State (6-5, 4-3) next week in East Lansing, as the Spartans became bowl eligible with a 40-37 win at Purdue. Indiana (4-7, 1-6) will return home with hopes of spoiling the Boilermakers' bowl hopes.

Final Stats

Penn State Gameday: Indiana

2009-11-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

Your Penn State football gameday headquarters.

Pregame

• Preview: Indiana at No. 18 Penn State
• Penn State depth chart (as of 11/13)
• Official Game Notes
• Penn State Roster
• Joe Paterno's Press Conference
• Interview with Crimson Quarry
• Big Ten Pick'em: Week 11 2009
• ZN's CFB Top 25 :: Week 11 2009

Postgame

• Game Story: Penn State rides upperclassmen to senior day win
• Bowman earns Defensive Player of the Week

Bowman, Lee could exit lacking signature play

2009-11-13T11:00:00.001-05:00

Sean Lee will graduate, hopefully getting the nod on NFL Draft day this coming April. Navorro Bowman could leave early, joining Lee on the Radio City Music Hall stage. But regardless of whether or not the two linebackers make their Penn State exit together, at this point, neither has a chance of being revered as one of the all-time greats to don the Blue and White at "Linebacker U."

But how could this possibly be? Both have garnered All-Big Ten and All-America recognition. Both have played on some of the most dominating defenses Penn State has ever fielded. And both will end up playing in the NFL.

So, what's missing? "The play."

Name one signature, game-changing, program-defining play made by either Lee or Bowman. You can't. The closest thing might be Lee's forced fumble in the 2007 Outback Bowl, which was scooped up by Tony Davis for a touchdown. But was that really in line with some of the other, actual career-making plays by any of the Penn State linebackers whom we all consider to be the greatest?

In Jack Ham's sophomore season, he blocked three punts, a record that stood until 1989 when Andre Collins (more on him in a minute) tied it. Both Ham and Collins are tied in the Penn State record books for career blocked punts. In Ham's senior season, the All-American racked up 91 tackles in ten games and picked off four passes.

Dennis Onkotz, a contemporary of Ham at Penn State, was not only a notorious linebacker, but a fantastic punt return specialist. Onkotz had a 13.2 career punt return average, taking back two for touchdowns. He was just as valuable to the offense as he was the defense.

Shane Conlan was a two-time All-American, but in his final game as a Nittany Lion, played what could be deemed the best game by a Penn State linebacker in the program's history. In the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, the most watched game in the history of the sport, Conlan twice picked off Miami quarterback and Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde. The second pick Conlan returned down to the five yard line, setting up Penn State's go ahead score as the fourth quarter drew to a close. He would be named the Defensive Player of the Game, the National Championship game, to be precise.

Just a backup when Conlan was roaming the field, Andre Collins became Penn State's next great linebacker. Collins not only tied Jack Ham's career blocked punts record, but came up huge in the 1989 Holiday Bowl, with a 102-yard interception return of a two-point conversion attempt by BYU, one of the most entertaining plays in one of the most entertaining games of all time.

Then there was LaVar Arrington. The two-time All-America selection, and eventual No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick, was the undisputed king of big plays. His patented "LaVar Leap" became a football sensation that endures to this day, punctuated by the best of them all, as Arrington perfectly timed an Illinois running play to hurdle the entire line of scrimmage to tackle the ball carrier before the handoff was even complete. Arrington could go down as one of the best individual playmakers in Penn State football history.

In 2005, the likes of Arrington, Ham and Conlan seemed to be distant dreams, as the Nittany Lions were coming off their worst five-year stretch in program history. But there was hope, particularly in a defense led by junior linebacker Paul Posluszny. One could say that Posluszny's greatest single game came against Ohio State. However, the two-time All-American's greatest single play happened a week earlier, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Gopher running back Gary Russell took a hand off from one yard out, going airborne towards the end zone. His journey would be stopped short, though, by a similarly airborne Posluszny, who perfectly judged the play, halting Russell in mid-air before reaching the goal line.

Now, you're probably wondering why players like Dan Connor and Brandon Short aren't on this list. Well, because they are actually the precursors to how Bowman and Lee might end their Penn State careers, without that one play to forever ingrain their image in Penn State lore. Connor was by no means any less of a linebacker than Posluszny, nor was Short to Arrington. But what makes a player into an all-timer is a signature play, or at least a unique reputation like Ham or Onkotz, to define his career.

What have Lee and Bowman done to separate themselves from the rest of Penn State's great linebackers? Nothing, actually.

It's tough to come down on Lee, as he's been hampered by injuries the last two seasons. He might have had "the play" of his own, if he was given the time to do so. But Bowman, should he leave early for the NFL, will definitely leave Happy Valley lacking the one thing necessary to become one of the all-time leaders of Linebacker U -- a signature play.

The opportunities have been there for both of them. While there is no sense in blaming the defense for losses to Iowa and Ohio State, the unit, including its two best players, failed to come up with a big play when the team needed one.

Although time is ticking away, there is still some hope. Lee has three games left in his Penn State career. Bowman could very well come back for his senior season in 2010. But should the rest of this season unfold along the same path it has so far, two of the most talented linebackers ever to play for Penn State -- Linebacker U -- could end their careers as just another pair of great linebackers, but not among the greatest.

Photo: Joe Hermitt, Patriot News

Hoosier breakdown with Crimson Quarry

2009-11-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Indiana Hoosiers are headed into Happy Valley this week, for Penn State's annual Senior Day fodder. One of the most snake-bitten teams in college football this season, Indiana has been just two or three plays away from a winning record and a bowl bid. But the breaks haven't fallen the Hoosiers' way. In this week's Q&A, we welcome John from Crimson Quarry, the best (read:only) Indiana blog in the land, to talk about the Hoosiers season and the game on deck.

ZN: Indiana was screwed out of the chance to win at least two more games this season (Michigan, Iowa). Granted, the Hoosiers had other opportunities to become bowl eligible. However, can this team not only become bowl eligible this season (need to beat either PSU or Purdue), but actually land a bowl bid at 6-6?

CC: Actually, since IU is now 4-6, the Hoosiers need to beat both Penn State and Purdue, which obviously is quite unlikely. Still, as you note, a 6-6 record would not be a guarantee of a bowl bid this year. As you know, it's not all that far-fetched to think that the Big Ten could have eight or nine teams for seven slots, and likely will have only one BCS bid this year. In the unlikely event that IU becomes bowl-eligible, I really wouldn't mind if the Hoosiers ended up on the open market. Ending up in Boise or Albuquerque or Toronto would be preferable to the mind-numbing spectacle of playing a MAC team in Detroit. That's not a bowl game. It's called "September." I have been waiting for IU's fifth win before digging deep into bowl projections, and I don't think that win is going to come.

ZN: What's been the biggest surprise this season?

CC: I knew that Tandon Doss was a talent, but I did not expect him to emerge as IU's clear #1 receiver. Doss ranks 16th nationally with 65 catches and 843 yards (second in the Big Ten to Purdue's Keith Smith in both categories). IU's program has plenty of problems, but I'm pretty excited about the future prospects of our current skill position players.

ZN: And the biggest disappointment?

CC: I have been most disappointed in the defense. IU has a very experienced defense, two outstanding defensive ends, and a bunch of multi-year starters. IU pressures the quarterback well and has forced a bunch of turnovers this season, but the overall defensive numbers are as bad as ever. This defense continues to be less than the sum of its parts, and if this year's experienced defense couldn't be even average, it makes me shudder to think about next season.

ZN: Who can really cause headaches for Penn State this week, on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball?

CC: Tandon Doss is IU's top receiver, and receivers Terrance Turner and Demarlo Belcher also warrant some attention. Mitchell Evans has been productive as a receiver and as IU's Wildcat quarterback. Freshman RB Darius Willis has shown some glimmers but struggled against Iowa and Wisconsin. On defense, ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton are dangerous, and safety Austin Thomas has four interceptions.

ZN: What's is your biggest concern about facing this Penn State team?

CC: What concerns don't I have? IU often struggles with physical teams, we've been horrible in late-season road games for the last decade, and we haven't really played a competitive game in Happy Valley since 1993. My hope is that IU can continue to win the turnover battle, but unlike in games against Northwestern, Iowa, and Wisconsin, can take full advantage. But in a straight-up, relatively mistake-free game, IU has little chance.

ZN: And finally, what's the overall perception of the program, from within the Hoosier community? Is Bill Lynch on any sort of a hot seat, or is the program showing enough progress that he's not going anywhere?

CC: I think there is quite a bit of disagreement within the IU fan base about the program. Bill Lynch recently was given a vote of confidence by AD Fred Glass. Essentially, it was a flat guarantee that Lynch would be the coach next year and came close to saying that he would be back in 2011, too. Many fans were not thrilled about the decision to give Lynch the long-term job after his interim season of 2007, and are even less thrilled that the administration is treating Lynch, who was hired only because of the supposed continuity he would bring after the death of Terry Hoeppner, is going to get the full five years. I'm not convinced that Lynch is a sufficiently remarkable coach to turn the losingest program in the Big Ten into a modestly successful program, but it seems that he's going to get plenty of time to prove me wrong.

Many thanks again to John, and good luck to the Hoosiers... though, not too much luck.

Preview: Indiana at No. 18 Penn State

2009-11-12T22:00:00.004-05:00

Kickoff/TV: Sat., Nov. 14, 12 p.m. ET/Big Ten Network (Craig Coshun, Glen Mason and Anthony Herron)
Weather Forecast: Cool, drizzle early.
Series Record: Penn State leads, 12-0.

Host: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 8-2 (4-2 Big Ten)
Last Game: Lost to Ohio State, 24-7
Injuries: LG Johnnie Troutman (leg) - doubtful; DB Jacob Fagnano (ankle) - out; FB Josh Matzkin (foot) - out; DE Pete Massaro (knee) - out for season; LB Michael Mauti (knee) - out for season; DT Brandon Ware (foot) - out
Key Players: (offense) QB Daryll Clark, RB Evan Royster, WR Derek Moye; (defense) DT Jared Odrick, LB Navorro Bowman, LB Sean Lee
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 44th season at Penn State, 391-129-3; 23-11 bowl record
Season Statistics:
Offense - 171.4 rush/234.9 pass/28.3 points per game
Defense - 98.5 rush/166.1 pass/10.8 points per game
TO Margin - (+4)/(0.40) per game

Penn State, on paper -- In a game more hyped than September's clash against Iowa, Penn State fell flat on its face against Ohio State, and the entire nation was watching... again. The Nittany Lions had not one, but two chances to hush its critics. Many of the main stream media personalities had been dogging Penn State for the entire off-season and into the regular season, for what was perceived to be a weak schedule that didn't provide enough challenges for the Lions. Well, regardless of whether or not Penn State's schedule is in fact weaker than the average, perception is reality, especially in college football. And the Nittany Lions' 2009 campaign will be perceived as a disappointment by many observers. But if this season is a disappointment, then I can't imagine what would be considered a success. Daryll Clark is still on pace to smash the Penn State single-season passing record; the defense is having its best season statistically in more than a decade; Penn State could finish consecutive seasons with ten or more wins for the first time since 1993-94. It wasn't all that long ago that a "down" year equaled only four or five wins.

The Nittany Lions are still a young team, something many critics have curiously forgotten when launching countless volleys of "overrated!" The secondary, wide receivers and offensive line enter the season as easily the weakest units. Every starting receiver and defensive back from a year ago, plus three all-Big Ten offensive linemen and two All-America defensive ends departed. Taking those kinds of losses will usually crush any program outside of USC or Ohio State, but Penn State has filled the holes enough to have locked up eight wins before November. The offense has put up points against the teams its supposed to, while the defense has shut down nearly every team on the schedule. The only hiccups -- Iowa and Ohio State -- were due more to the ineffectiveness of the young offensive line than anything else, which in turn allowed the opposition short fields. Then, of course, there is the ongoing comedy of errors that is Penn State's special teams play. The Nittany Lions are at or near the bottom of every statistical special teams category. Penn State hasn't been able to find a suitable replacement for star return specialist Derrick Williams, and has averaged merely 5.2 yards per return. Last week against Ohio State, the Lions' punt coverage team allowed two long returns, which both set up Buckeye touchdowns in the 24-7 loss. Penn State has been able to overcome its inability to win the field positions battles against lesser teams, but it has absolutely killed the Lions against the upper-echelon of the Big Ten.

Visitor: Indiana Hoosiers
Record: 4-6 (1-5, Big Ten)
Last Game: Lost to Wisconsin, 31-28
Injuries: S Austin Thomas (shoulder) - possible; CB Ray Fisher (knee) - doubtful; RB Darius Willis (leg) - possible; S Jarrell Drane (leg) - possible; CB Chris Adkins (arm) - possible; S Jerimy Finch (hamstring) - possible; DE Darius Johnson (shoulder) - possible
Key Players: (offense) QB Ben Chappell, WR Tandon Doss, RB Darius Willis; (defense) DE Greg Middleton, DE Jamie Kirlew, LB Matt Mayberry
Head Coach: Bill Lynch, 3rd season, 14-21; 0-1 bowl record.
Season Statistics:
Offense - 116.1 rush/241.1 pass/24.1 points per game
Defense - 160.4 rush/250.4 pass/28.5 points per game
TO Margin - (+8)/(0.80) per game

Indiana, on paper -- The Hoosiers broke through the bowl threshold two seasons ago, landing a bid in the 2008 Insight Bowl. Last season wasn't so hot for the Crimson and Cream, struggling through injuries and inconsistencies from key players, and limping to a 3-9 record. Prior to this season, play-making quarterback Kellen Lewis was dismissed from the team, leaving a big void at the position. But with strong lines and just enough talent surrounding Ben Chappell, Indiana opened 2009 with three straight wins. They weren't the most dominant or comfortable victories, but if Indiana could land a few breaks, a bowl wasn't out of the question for this team. Seven weeks later, though, things aren't so rosy for Indiana. The Hoosiers fell victim to a few terrible officiating calls against Michigan and Iowa, a massive rally by Northwestern, and just couldn't hang with Wisconsin last week in a three-point loss. Staring down the double-barrel of Penn State and Purdue, it would take nothing short of a miracle for Indiana to play a 13th game.

Indiana's problem this season isn't all that different from seasons past, as the defense has failed to stop any team with a pulse. The Hoosiers are being out-gained by 53.6 yards and 4.4 points per game this season. Star defensive ends Jamie Kirlew and Greg Middleton haven't produced the kind of pressure many were hoping for to offset any deficiencies in the defensive back seven. As a result, opponents have gashed the Indiana defense for a league-worst 137.2 average quarterback rating and 231 first downs. The defense has been good inside the red zone, allowing a 76.3 scoring percentage. However, opponents have been allowed to get into the red zone way too much in the first place, as the Hoosiers have allowed 38 trips -- tenth-worst in the Big Ten. But the offense has held its own in enough games to give Indiana a chance. In losses to Michigan, Northwestern, Iowa and Wisconsin, the Hoosiers were able to put up 28 points per game. Chappell is the Big Ten's second-leading passer, while Tandon Doss is third in receptions per game and receiving yards per game, and also leads the conference in all-purpose yards per game. Indiana can also boast the league's best kickoff return specialist, Ray Fisher. However, Fisher could miss this week due to injury.

On the field -- In the previous 12 meetings between the two teams, Indiana has fielded enough decent squads against Penn State to pull off an upset. But it's never happened. Even in what should have been the Hoosiers' best chance to finally take down the Nittany Lions -- a 22-18 loss in 2004 -- Indiana couldn't lock up with win with a first-and-goal at the Penn State one-yard line. The Lions held on four downs, and virtually ended then-head coach Jerry DiNardo's tenure with Indiana. Will this week's game come down to such a dramatic climax? Don't bet on it. The best chance for the Hoosiers to even scare Penn State will be to get some dynamite play from the defensive ends, while praying against any major breakdowns in the defensive backfield. Clark was harassed all afternoon against Ohio State, wreaking havoc on the entire Penn State offense. But Indiana's front four, as good as they are, aren't comparable to the Buckeyes'.

As up and down as the Nittany Lions have been this season, they're more consistent than we might assume. Against any team that isn't fighting for a Big Ten title, Penn State has taken care of business with ease. However, when facing the two teams that are going to duke it out this week for the Rose Bowl, Penn State proved itself to be what it is, a very good but not great football team. Indiana might have its moments in this game, sort of like it did last season, as it headed into the locker room trailing only 10-7. But I really can't envision the Hoosiers upsetting Penn State on Senior Day. The Nittany Lions haven't blown a home finale since 1999, and that was against a Michigan team headed to the Orange Bowl.

Attendance prediction: 107,312

Prediction: No. 18 Penn State, 35 - Indiana, 7

Blog wars are so cute

2009-11-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Funny what a win over Penn State will do for a team. In case you haven't heard, Iowa and Ohio State meet up this week in Columbus. So far, it's become, well, interesting in blogland. BHGP and BBC go at it in a long-overdue hissy fit. (HT:BSD)

(I'm working on the Indiana preview now, so stay tuned)

Big Ten Pick'em 2009: Week 11

2009-11-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

Zombie Nation picks all of this week's Big Ten games. Let's just say, I'm ready to move on from last week. The Buckeyes host Iowa, which is a shell of the team that beat Penn State two months ago. Some other matchups should be of some interest to us in Nittany Lion Land, such as Michigan State vs Purdue and Michigan vs Wisconsin. Check out those, and more, in this week's pick'em.

(FYI: Each team name links to its respective official football site)

• Michigan at No. 20 Wisconsin - The ZN pick: Wisconsin

• Michigan State at Purdue at - The ZN pick: Michigan State

• No. 10 Iowa at No. 11 Ohio State - The ZN pick: Ohio State

• Northwestern at Illinois - The ZN pick: Illinois

• South Dakota State at Minnesota - The ZN pick: Minnesota

• Indiana at No. 18 Penn State - The ZN pick: Penn State

☆☆☆☆

Standings, compiled by Gopher Nation:

(doesn't really matter at this point)

Paterno presser transcript

2009-11-10T19:24:00.003-05:00

Exactly what the post headline reads. It's been a tough week, so bear with me. You can expect the flood gates to open up sometime tomorrow, with a bunch of the usual game-week posts. But tonight, this is all I got.

Q. Joe, you said after Saturday's game you would take a look at your special teams. What did you see and are you planning to make any changes?

We'll spend a little more time with them. I don't know if that's part of the problem or not. We did...we took a good look at them Sunday and yesterday. I think we're going to make a couple personnel changes. We went out yesterday without pads, so on Mondays it's tough to evaluate people. But today we'll go out there and challenge a couple guys a little bit so that we can find out whether we really have it right people in there.

Q. What is Johnny Troutman's status for Saturday? Can you evaluate your offensive line play against Ohio State?

Troutman probably won't play. He didn't practice yesterday. We didn't do much, but he didn't do anything. Obviously, we haven't done the kind of job you've got to do, particularly in the second half, against some clubs. I think we've depended too much on the big play. The offensive line, bumps and bruises, changing people around, has not helped. We looked as if we were making progress, but when we came up against a couple really good defensive seven up people, we haven't done a particularly good job.

Q. Would you like to be able to get Kevin Newsome a few series with the first team before the end of the season?

Hey, we've got a tough football game this week. Obviously, I haven't spent much time looking at Michigan State, but I've looked at Indiana. We got a tough ballgame this week. Indiana has had some awfully tough luck, some of which was based on bad officiating. They had a chance to beat a couple good football teams, and got some bad calls. I think we've got to concentrate on Indiana.

Q. In the losses to Iowa and Ohio State, why do you think your team was handled physically by those two front seven, as you said?

I think both Iowa and Ohio State played better than we did in the second half. Ohio State didn't turn the ball over. Obviously, we did a poor job covering some punts, turned the game around. Iowa blocked a punt, turned the game around, intercepted a pass. I think we played hard, but the other guys played pretty darn good.

Q. You talked a little bit about your offensive line. What can you do at this point in the season to help that along for the last couple of weeks and what is the situation at right tackle with who's going to be playing there?

We've got to get better. We've just got to keep working at the things that we've always done, try to overcome some deficiencies that maybe people have as far as technique or awareness of assignments, those kinds of things. The right tackle, (Ako) Poti really has played fairly well. I think he's had only one particularly bad play in the last two weeks, where we got sacked. But other than that, I think he's done fairly well. Troutman being banged up, in all fairness, Troutman was not playing that well. We'll probably have to sit around and figure out what we want to do with the left guard spot.

Q. I was wondering after you watched the film, what was your overall evaluation of Daryll Clark's performance?

I think Daryll was okay. We've gone from one extreme to the other. We started out the season with everybody wanting to take the run away from us, giving us a lot of opportunities in the pass game, because they didn't think we had the kind of wideouts or quarterback that could scare them. Now we're in a little different ballgame. People, they're fighting like the dickens to take the pass game away from us and challenging us to run the football. We haven't done a particularly good job, I think that's obvious, running the football. I think Daryll is doing all right. I'm sure we could have done this, could have done that. You can always figure out something else you could have done. But I think he's done fine.

Q. Sean Lee had a big game on Saturday. Is he as close as he's been now to 100 percent? Is he as close as he's been since he got hurt?

I think so. You'd probably have to ask him that. But just watching him play Saturday, I would agree with you. He played a good football game. If not as good as he can play, it's very close. I think he and (Navorro) Bowman both have played really well. And (Josh) Hull, we take him out on certain situations, but I think those three kids have done a good job. I think we've played fairly well defensively. The big pass (by Ohio State) hurt us. Don't ask me why it happened. One of the kids decided to guess on something, thought something else was going to happen, so he tried to make a play, left the guy wide open. Obviously that and the punt returns killed us.

Q. Evan Royster wasn't on the injury report this week. Is he feeling a lot better now at this point?

Actually, he played in the ballgame. It was kind of a funny situation. Before the game, I guess he ran into a couple of people, a couple of the kids that were dressed but they're not going to play, so they don't really get involved in the warm-up. We dressed 112 kids last week. That's probably as many as we've ever dressed. I figured, big game, the kids had done a good job getting us ready. But, he played the whole football game. I didn't see anything there where he was limping or anything like that. There was no problem with the medical people. He practiced yesterday. As I said earlier, we didn't practice very hard yesterday, which is typical of a Monday. But he seems fine.

Q. Indiana's running this pistol offense. I was wondering how different it is from what they've tried to do in the past?

Well, what they're doing is what we've seen a lot of people do now with the really good running quarterback. It's a version of the old triple option from the shotgun. They're doing a good job with their offense. As I started out the conversation, they've had some tough, tough breaks. They have really moved the football most of the time against some pretty good football teams. They can move the football...quarterback is tough. He may not have quite the speed (Terrelle) Pryor has, but he's very clever. Honest to goodness, I can't remember just how much I've seen them do with what they're doing right now. But right now they're running what you call a triple option, whatever you want to call it, and they're doing it very well.

Q. Joe, I know every year the goal is to try to go undefeated, win the conference, BCS Bowl game, win the national championship. You've got a chance to go 10 2, go to a decent New Year's Bowl in Florida. If somebody said before the season with this bunch, with as many questions as there were, 10 2, a New Year's Day Bowl game, would you have considered that a successful season?

Right now we're only 8 2. We've got a tough game this week. I'll think about it at the end if that happens. I think maybe we've got to be a little bit more realistic each year when you look at a lot of things that go into it -- our graduation rate, the type of kids we're recruiting, the type of effort we've gotten out of kids, the great job that the staff does. I think maybe if we end up 10 2, that's a pretty darn good year...if we end up 10 2.

Q. At one point you had one guy, seemed like you had the responsibility of special teams as one coach.

That's not true. We haven't had that years and years and years, if ever. I can't remember. We've always had one guy coaches this, one guy coaches that (on special teams). Everybody helps out. But we never had (just) a specialty teams coach. Now, your memory plays tricks on you after you've been around as long as I have, but I don't believe that.

Q. Do you think the process that you're using now (special teams coaching) is working?

I know where you're coming from. No, it's working. We've just got to do a little better job, get some better people in there. That's my problem, all right? I've got to make sure we get guys in there that can get the job done. It's not the scheme, it's not the coaching, it's a question of whether I'm giving them enough time or I've emphasized it enough and the whole bit.

Q. When you come out of a game like that, big picture, is there more cause for reflection going forward with personnel the rest of this year and beyond?

Well, I don't know 'beyond'. I think you always evaluate personnel, even when you win. The first question I do every Sunday when we meet after a football game, win or lose, is say, "Okay, let's go down personnel. Anything we should change? Anybody we've got out of place? Is there a better kid that we have overlooked?" We do that every week, regardless. Obviously, it becomes more dramatic when you lose because there's always things such as questions you're asking. But, you know, Ohio State played a good football game. We lot licked by them. You hate to lose at home. But they played well. Didn't put the ball on the ground. We kicked the ball 10 times. We punted 10 times. We didn't do a good job. We didn't make a couple first downs so we wouldn't have to kick. You just got to make sure you don't overreact, that's all, as a staff. I don't think we're going to overreact.

Q. It will be Senior Day. Can you talk about Sean Lee and then talk about what you tell your team, kind of reflect on this senior class, the contributions they brought to the table for you?

Haven't done it yet. I think a little later in the week as I watch practice, you know, we'll sit around and talk a little bit about some of those intangible things that you're talking about. Right now, I think we've got to focus on getting to be a little better football team, regardless of whether it involves seniors or involves other kids. If I had to second guess myself a little bit on personnel, it might be that we decided to redshirt some kids who are pretty darn good athletes early because we didn't think because I didn't want to play them 18, 20, 30 plays and tie up a year. So I have not really thought much about it, what I want to tell the seniors, because we've got another game after this one. I know where you're coming from. I think it's a good point. But I really can't honestly tell you I've thought about it. I haven't, not yet. I will later in the week.

Q. Can you just explain the philosophy behind splitting up the special teams coaching? What are some of the benefits to that?

Because that's the way I like to do it. We've always done that. I grew up with that when I played in college. I grew up with it when I came here as an assistant coach. I think if a guy is a linebacker coach, he's got responsibilities there. You know, when they limit you to nine full time coaches, you've got to be careful you don't take one out of the mix and (have him) doing nothing but working with specialty teams. You try to coordinate it so that you do have it. We haven't been bad on special teams through the years. Let's don't get carried away, guys. I'm not about to change. I think we're doing fine. I think the coaches are doing fine. As I mentioned earlier, if there's anything that I would question, it's whether we may not have the best people in there. That partly is because I decided that I didn't want to use some young, good athletes early in the year because I didn't want to just put them on a couple special teams. It had to be my decision, and that's the one I made, and it may not be right.

Q. Indiana has two defensive ends who have been all conference. How concerned are you about those guys?

Very concerned. They're two of the best ends we're going to play against. Big, quick kids. Obviously, with the tackle situation what it is, most of the time you have to pass protect them. We're very, very concerned about them. I'm concerned about the whole Indiana football team. I think their defense is playing maybe not as dramatically as well as a club like Iowa or Ohio State, but those two kids, they're tough. I think their whole scheme is good. They're well coached. They hustle all the time. So we've got our hands full. Those two guys are obviously the guys that create most of the problems.

Q. How would you evaluate your wide receivers, with the routes they were running? Looked like they were getting jammed at the line of scrimmage Saturday. Did they do a good job getting off of their coverage?

Again, I'd be reluctant to be critical of those guys. I think they did all right. I'm not so sure I did a great job in some areas. But, you know, they're young. Every once in a while they get in a new situation they have to adapt to, and they learn from it. If I were to evaluate that game, I would say Ohio State just was quicker than we were. That may have been because we may have been too emotional in our practices, what have you. I don't know. But they looked quicker than we were Saturday. Whether they're quicker than we are, I'm not sure, but they were Saturday. I think that's part of the reason the wideouts had their problems.

Q. You have two games left. How do you deal with letdown because there was so much hype from a week ago? You have two tough games remaining. How do you deal with it?

You go out and practice, try to get better. You know, 8 2 isn't a disaster. That's where we are, all right? Now, obviously when you lose to a couple good football teams at home, you don't score a point in the second half against either one of them, you've got some concerns. I've got some concerns about that. But, I still think we have a bunch of kids that want to go out there and do well. For me to go out there and do anything but encourage them, that's just not my style. I think we'll go out there, we'll practice hard this week, and we'll see how good we are. We may not be good enough for Indiana, but we'll find out. But, I'm not going to get into anything about what expectations people have, that "so and so thought we were going to do this or that." I think that's up to you guys. You guys can speculate all you want.

Q. Sean Lee and some of the other seniors in this class are probably some of the last players from that '05 freshman class. Do you have any special affinity to those guys? Can you reflect on what they've done for the program?

Sure I do. But, I don't have the luxury to sit around and say, "Boy, I love so and so. " We've got a tough job ahead of us this week. We've got to concentrate on the job we've got to get done. Every time some of the kids come back into the locker room...we're out in Chicago, Northwestern, there's a good eight, nine guys on the sideline, four of five I haven't seen in years. I mean, they brought back some memories of a lot of different situations. Every time Matt Millen comes up here to do a game, we get shooting the bull a little bit, "You remember when so and so did this, so and so did that," all those kind of things. Right now I don't have time for that. We've got to get our football team ready to play a little better than we've played all year because it's going to take a little better performance to beat Indiana. I don't know how to explain it any other way but that.

GoPSUsports.com

Indiana game notes released

2009-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's senior day. And whether you like it or not, these seniors have actually accomplished a lot in their four and five years with the team. So, please, do us all a favor and at least fill up the stadium this Saturday. They've given you all a lot to cheer about the last four years. It wouldn't be much to give back for one more home game.

Penn State released the official Indiana game notes, so head on over and check them out. Then, of course, come back here for even more Penn State football!

Michigan State kickoff set for ABC/ESPN

2009-11-09T11:58:00.004-05:00

Not a bad way to end the season:

ABC/ESPN will nationally televise Penn State's regular season finale at Michigan State on Nov. 21. The contest will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET in the schools' annual season ending clash for the Land Grant Trophy. ABC will regionally televise the contest and ESPN will air the game outside the ABC coverage area to the rest of the nation.

Although, it could very well end up being a bad way to end the season. Most of the nation associates Penn State with blowing games on the national stage. What if this is just another episode? One thing Penn State has going for it: the Lions are 3-0 on the road this season.

GoPSUSports.com

ZN's CFB Top 25 :: Week 11 2009

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the polls?! USC in front of Oregon! Freakin' USC in front of freakin' Oregon!!! This is exactly why I still post my own rankings each week. Check'em out under the break.

Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result].

1. Texas (1), [9-0, W 35 - 3 UCF]
2. Alabama (3), [9-0, W 24 - 15 LSU]
3. Cincinnati (2), [9-0, W 47 - 45 Connecticut]
4. Florida (4), [9-0, W 27 - 3 Vanderbilt]
5. Texas Christian (6), [9-0, W 55 - 12 San Diego State]
6. Georgia Tech (10), [9-1, W 30 - 27 Wake Forest]
7. Boise State (9), [9-0, W 45 - 35 Louisiana Tech]
8. Pittsburgh (11), [8-1, W 37 - 10 Syracuse]
9. Ohio State (13), [8-2, W 24 - 7 Penn State]
10. Oregon (5), [7-2, L 51 - 42 Stanford]
11. Iowa (7), [9-1, L 17 - 10 Northwestern]
12. Louisiana State (12), [7-2, L 24 - 15 Alabama]
13. Penn State (8), [8-2, L 24 - 7 Ohio State]
14. Wisconsin (15), [7-2, W 31 - 28 Indiana]
15. Arizona (16), [6-2, W 48 - 7 Washington St]
16. Southern Cal (19), [7-2, W 14 - 9 Arizona State]
17. Houston (17), [8-1, W 46 - 45 Tulsa]
18. South Florida (18), [7-2, DNP]
19. Miami(FL) (20), [7-2, W 52 - 17 Virginia]
20. Utah (22), [8-1, W 45 - 14 New Mexico]
21. Virginia Tech (21), [6-3, W 16 - 3 East Carolina]
22. Oregon State (24), [6-3, W 31 - 14 California]
23. Brigham Young (23), [7-2, W 52 - 0 Wyoming]
24. Oklahoma State (NR), [7-2, W 34 - 8 Iowa State]
25. West Virginia (25), [7-2, W 17 - 9 Louisville]

Dropped Out:
Notre Dame (14), [6-3, L 23 - 21 Navy]

On the Cusp:
Auburn (NR), [7-3, W 63 - 31 Furman(FCS)]
Central Michigan (NR), [7-2, L 31 - 10 Boston College]
Clemson (NR), [6-3, W 40 - 24 Florida State]
Stanford (NR), [6-3, W 51 - 42 Oregon]
Nebraska (NR), [6-3, W 10 - 3 Oklahoma]

Notes: Oh, how I hope Florida and Alabama go undefeated until the SEC title game. I can only imagine the complete hypocrisy spewing from the SEC contingent, if that game is close, calling for the Gators and Tide to meet again in the BCS title game. But that's weeks away, and there are still games to play. Outside of this week's top five, it's a complete crap shoot. All the teams that remotely look like top-10 teams all have one loss that haunts them. Remember when Pitt lost to NC State? Or when Georgia Tech was blown away by Miami? There's not much else to explain this week, so I'll leave it here.

Past weeks:
WEEK ONE/PRESEASON
WEEK TWO
WEEK THREE
WEEK FOUR
WEEK FIVE
WEEK SIX
WEEK SEVEN
WEEK EIGHT
WEEK NINE
WEEK TEN

Penn State drops, still in top 20

2009-11-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

Penn State dropped, as expected, to No. 18 in this weeks' BCS Standings. The Nittany Lions also fell to No. 17 in both the USA Today Coaches' Poll and the Harris Interactive Poll, and to No. 20 in the BCS computers' average.

Penn State fell by the largest poll margin in the Associated Press Poll, down to No. 19.