QB A-
I was very impressed with Allar. He has amazing arm strength and I like the way he buys time stepping up in the pocket. The only negative is he had a couple of passes that could have been intercepted but overall better than expected. Let's see how he does when throwing into tighter windows.
OL B-
The expectation was that this would be one of PSU's best OLs and it was going up against a weak WVa defense. Allar faced plenty of pressure and often had to use his mobility to escape trouble. The running game was solid but not spectacular. I might be too critical here but I was looking for a more dominant performance against a presumably weak defense.
RB B+
Singleton & Allen both averaged > 5 yds per carry. I liked the inside screen to Carter for 15 yds. A couple of 5 yard runs looked like they could have gone a long way if not tripped up.
TE ?
A lot of us expected more passing to the TEs given the uncertainty at WR. I think Warren was targeted twice with one catch. I don't think Johnson wasn't targeted. Maybe somebody else can comment on their blocking.
WR A-
This was a question going into the game and the WRs were very good. Smith and Wallace were both solid and Clifford/McClain were pleasant surprises. I think McClain in particular is going to have a good year for PSU. My only question is how they'll do against better defenses. WVa DBs played 10 yds deep and our guys and they couldn't keep up athletically. Will they be able to get better separation against better defenses that use press man coverage?
DL B-
WVa is supposed to have a great OL and a weak passing game. Giving up 146 rushing yards isn't horrible but I think our guys got bullied a bit. We didn't put up much of a challenge on 3rd and 4th and short.
P.S. IMO the play where WVa had 2 QBs on the field was the worst play call of the day, partly because PSU hadn't shown the ability to stop 2-3 yd carries up the middle.
LB C+
Jacobs was very good. Carter took some bad angles and missed his gap responsibility a few times. Some of that might be caused by Diaz' scheme where he prioritizes moving Carter around in pursuit of explosive plays. Deluca & Elsdon struggled. Kobe King was OK.
DB A
I'm not sure how much was due to WVa's poor passing attack but our DBs looked solid. Jaylen Reed looked very good which is important with Jayir Brown gone.
Special teams D
One kick return for 19 yds. One punt return for -2 yds. 1-3 on FGs. Thompson had a 29 yd punt but his second punt was better at 46 yds.
P.S. Sahaydak put a good strike on both missed FGs which tells me he wasn't afraid of the environment. Nothing against Felkins but I hope he gets another chance.
Predictions:
OSU only scored 23 at Indiana. I assume they'll get better but so will PSU. I think we have a 50/50 chance of beating them on the road this year.
I saw nothing in our DL and at MLB that makes me think we can stop Michigan's power running game. I hope I'm wrong.
I've always thought Illinois, Iowa, and Maryland could all sneak up and beat PSU this year but we should feel better about our chances after yesterday. Illinois barely got past Toledo and they lost in total yards, 1st downs, and time of possession. I expected Iowa to have a good defense and an improved offense with McNamara but Utah State played them even after a tough first quarter. Maryland played Towson so there was nothing to learn from that game.
I'll stick with 10-2 but not necessarily a loss to OSU. 11-1 remains a possibility but DT & MLB play will have to improve. Maybe Izzard & Vanover can help.
I was very impressed with Allar. He has amazing arm strength and I like the way he buys time stepping up in the pocket. The only negative is he had a couple of passes that could have been intercepted but overall better than expected. Let's see how he does when throwing into tighter windows.
OL B-
The expectation was that this would be one of PSU's best OLs and it was going up against a weak WVa defense. Allar faced plenty of pressure and often had to use his mobility to escape trouble. The running game was solid but not spectacular. I might be too critical here but I was looking for a more dominant performance against a presumably weak defense.
RB B+
Singleton & Allen both averaged > 5 yds per carry. I liked the inside screen to Carter for 15 yds. A couple of 5 yard runs looked like they could have gone a long way if not tripped up.
TE ?
A lot of us expected more passing to the TEs given the uncertainty at WR. I think Warren was targeted twice with one catch. I don't think Johnson wasn't targeted. Maybe somebody else can comment on their blocking.
WR A-
This was a question going into the game and the WRs were very good. Smith and Wallace were both solid and Clifford/McClain were pleasant surprises. I think McClain in particular is going to have a good year for PSU. My only question is how they'll do against better defenses. WVa DBs played 10 yds deep and our guys and they couldn't keep up athletically. Will they be able to get better separation against better defenses that use press man coverage?
DL B-
WVa is supposed to have a great OL and a weak passing game. Giving up 146 rushing yards isn't horrible but I think our guys got bullied a bit. We didn't put up much of a challenge on 3rd and 4th and short.
P.S. IMO the play where WVa had 2 QBs on the field was the worst play call of the day, partly because PSU hadn't shown the ability to stop 2-3 yd carries up the middle.
LB C+
Jacobs was very good. Carter took some bad angles and missed his gap responsibility a few times. Some of that might be caused by Diaz' scheme where he prioritizes moving Carter around in pursuit of explosive plays. Deluca & Elsdon struggled. Kobe King was OK.
DB A
I'm not sure how much was due to WVa's poor passing attack but our DBs looked solid. Jaylen Reed looked very good which is important with Jayir Brown gone.
Special teams D
One kick return for 19 yds. One punt return for -2 yds. 1-3 on FGs. Thompson had a 29 yd punt but his second punt was better at 46 yds.
P.S. Sahaydak put a good strike on both missed FGs which tells me he wasn't afraid of the environment. Nothing against Felkins but I hope he gets another chance.
Predictions:
OSU only scored 23 at Indiana. I assume they'll get better but so will PSU. I think we have a 50/50 chance of beating them on the road this year.
I saw nothing in our DL and at MLB that makes me think we can stop Michigan's power running game. I hope I'm wrong.
I've always thought Illinois, Iowa, and Maryland could all sneak up and beat PSU this year but we should feel better about our chances after yesterday. Illinois barely got past Toledo and they lost in total yards, 1st downs, and time of possession. I expected Iowa to have a good defense and an improved offense with McNamara but Utah State played them even after a tough first quarter. Maryland played Towson so there was nothing to learn from that game.
I'll stick with 10-2 but not necessarily a loss to OSU. 11-1 remains a possibility but DT & MLB play will have to improve. Maybe Izzard & Vanover can help.
