Give IL some credit....

[tboyer]

Bielema's defense was exactly the kind of thing I expected -- keep an extra man at the LOS, jam the run, pressure the QB, make Allar uncomfortable and force him to release early. And their DL and LBers look good, especially #4 who had the game of his life. Young Mr. Allar now knows what it's like to play against a Big Ten defense and he'll get another taste next week.

Yurcich's response was to be very patient and try not to put Allar in positions where he was going to get hit in the pocket or throw INTs. So they didn't attempt slow-developing patterns and punted a lot. They would have punted a bit less if not for some stupid penalties and 2 easy dropped passes from McLain (who I didn't see in the game after the 2nd one).

Throwing to the backs worked really well and I was wondering why Yurcich didn't use it for most of the game, but it was probably that he didn't want to risk IL safeties or corners recognizing the play and jumping the route. They went to it again late when they really needed a drive.

Defensively, the middle seems a little soft. If Bielema wanted to try 9 OL running the ball, that might have worked again today against this D. But PSU does make up for its lack of strength in the middle with mobility and energy. They play hard and as soon as you end up in a 2nd and long, this defense is tough because there are so many good pass rushers and a secondary that can flat out play. For PSU to still have corners like this after the corners they've graduated the last two years -- secondary coaches are just killing it.

Anyway the announcers made a couple of good points. 1) PSU fans have to be wondering if this team is built to stand up to Michigan and Ohio State. That remains an unanswered question. 2) The PSU defense has tradeoffs. They are a high risk/high reward D and they do kind of fall apart at times and give up quick scores. But they are always entertaining.

 

[PSUMATT85]

Bielema's defense was exactly the kind of thing I expected -- keep an extra man at the LOS, jam the run, pressure the QB, make Allar uncomfortable and force him to release early. And their DL and LBers look good, especially #4 who had the game of his life. Young Mr. Allar now knows what it's like to play against a Big Ten defense and he'll get another taste next week.

Yurcich's response was to be very patient and try not to put Allar in positions where he was going to get hit in the pocket or throw INTs. So they didn't attempt slow-developing patterns and punted a lot. They would have punted a bit less if not for some stupid penalties and 2 easy dropped passes from McLain (who I didn't see in the game after the 2nd one).

Throwing to the backs worked really well and I was wondering why Yurcich didn't use it for most of the game, but it was probably that he didn't want to risk IL safeties or corners recognizing the play and jumping the route. They went to it again late when they really needed a drive.

Defensively, the middle seems a little soft. If Bielema wanted to try 9 OL running the ball, that might have worked again today against this D. But PSU does make up for its lack of strength in the middle with mobility and energy. They play hard and as soon as you end up in a 2nd and long, this defense is tough because there are so many good pass rushers and a secondary that can flat out play. For PSU to still have corners like this after the corners they've graduated the last two years -- secondary coaches are just killing it.

Anyway the announcers made a couple of good points. 1) PSU fans have to be wondering if this team is built to stand up to Michigan and Ohio State. That remains an unanswered question. 2) The PSU defense has tradeoffs. They are a high risk/high reward D and they do kind of fall apart at times and give up quick scores. But they are always entertaining.

Too rational!😀😀

 

[BOSCO2]

Too rational!😀😀

Uncalled for on this or any other PSU board.

 

[bvillebaron]

Bielema's defense was exactly the kind of thing I expected -- keep an extra man at the LOS, jam the run, pressure the QB, make Allar uncomfortable and force him to release early. And their DL and LBers look good, especially #4 who had the game of his life. Young Mr. Allar now knows what it's like to play against a Big Ten defense and he'll get another taste next week.

Yurcich's response was to be very patient and try not to put Allar in positions where he was going to get hit in the pocket or throw INTs. So they didn't attempt slow-developing patterns and punted a lot. They would have punted a bit less if not for some stupid penalties and 2 easy dropped passes from McLain (who I didn't see in the game after the 2nd one).

Throwing to the backs worked really well and I was wondering why Yurcich didn't use it for most of the game, but it was probably that he didn't want to risk IL safeties or corners recognizing the play and jumping the route. They went to it again late when they really needed a drive.

Defensively, the middle seems a little soft. If Bielema wanted to try 9 OL running the ball, that might have worked again today against this D. But PSU does make up for its lack of strength in the middle with mobility and energy. They play hard and as soon as you end up in a 2nd and long, this defense is tough because there are so many good pass rushers and a secondary that can flat out play. For PSU to still have corners like this after the corners they've graduated the last two years -- secondary coaches are just killing it.

Anyway the announcers made a couple of good points. 1) PSU fans have to be wondering if this team is built to stand up to Michigan and Ohio State. That remains an unanswered question. 2) The PSU defense has tradeoffs. They are a high risk/high reward D and they do kind of fall apart at times and give up quick scores. But they are always entertaining.

Good post. Allar was off today for sure. The 2 drops didn’t help of course. A young QBs progress isn’t linear. What I did like is that he didn’t turn the ball over or make any key mistakes in his first Big road game.

 

[bcspsu]

Good post. Allar was off today for sure. The 2 drops didn’t help of course. A young QBs progress isn’t linear. What I did like is that he didn’t turn the ball over or make any key mistakes in his first Big road game.

We could be in Bama’s position right now, who’s playing with their third qb already this season in today’s game, and it’s not because of injuries.

 

[AWS1022]

Good post. Allar was off today for sure. The 2 drops didn’t help of course. A young QBs progress isn’t linear. What I did like is that he didn’t turn the ball over or make any key mistakes in his first Big road game.

What’s funny is prior to the start of the season everyone said the Illinois game was going to be tough because it was going to be Drew’s first road game and he might struggle. Then he does and the game was tough and suddenly the sky is falling.

 

[PSUWrestlingFanSince2011]

Yeah I was surprised Illinois didnt try jamming it down our throats the entire game.

 

[bcspsu]

What’s funny is prior to the start of the season everyone said the Illinois game was going to be tough because it was going to be Drew’s first road game and he might struggle. Then he does and the game was tough and suddenly the sky is falling.

I realize that this Illinois defense isn’t the 1994 Illinois defense, but our 1994 offense, which was maybe one of the best all-around offenses in college football history, had to scratch and claw to score 35 points at Illinois. Our current offense which has a qb who started only his third game and first road game, scored 30 points today, and probably left up to 7 points on the field.

I’m actually happy about this game because it won’t delude anybody into thinking that they’re better than they are. As long as we keep winning, I’d rather see a realistic progression.

 

[bvillebaron]

Yeah I was surprised Illinois didnt try jamming it down our throats the entire game.

Because they couldn’t. Get a grip.

 

[bvillebaron]

Yeah I was surprised Illinois didnt try jamming it down our throats the entire game.

Illinois had 62 yards rushing and a whopping 2.1 yards per rush. What game were you watching?

 

[bcspsu]

Because they couldn’t. Get a grip.

PSU got some defensive players back today and it definitely made a difference.

 

[bison13]

Drew didn’t play great but when he needed to he dropped one right in the bucket to get an extra score before halftime. I know it seems silly to say that one drop would’ve changed the whole outcome but I think that first drop which would’ve resulted in a first down would’ve added to the score and knocked Illinois out early.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

Bielema's defense was exactly the kind of thing I expected -- keep an extra man at the LOS, jam the run, pressure the QB, make Allar uncomfortable and force him to release early. And their DL and LBers look good, especially #4 who had the game of his life. Young Mr. Allar now knows what it's like to play against a Big Ten defense and he'll get another taste next week.

Yurcich's response was to be very patient and try not to put Allar in positions where he was going to get hit in the pocket or throw INTs. So they didn't attempt slow-developing patterns and punted a lot. They would have punted a bit less if not for some stupid penalties and 2 easy dropped passes from McLain (who I didn't see in the game after the 2nd one).

Throwing to the backs worked really well and I was wondering why Yurcich didn't use it for most of the game, but it was probably that he didn't want to risk IL safeties or corners recognizing the play and jumping the route. They went to it again late when they really needed a drive.

Defensively, the middle seems a little soft. If Bielema wanted to try 9 OL running the ball, that might have worked again today against this D. But PSU does make up for its lack of strength in the middle with mobility and energy. They play hard and as soon as you end up in a 2nd and long, this defense is tough because there are so many good pass rushers and a secondary that can flat out play. For PSU to still have corners like this after the corners they've graduated the last two years -- secondary coaches are just killing it.

Anyway the announcers made a couple of good points. 1) PSU fans have to be wondering if this team is built to stand up to Michigan and Ohio State. That remains an unanswered question. 2) The PSU defense has tradeoffs. They are a high risk/high reward D and they do kind of fall apart at times and give up quick scores. But they are always entertaining.

For the record, McClain was in the game after his drops. In fact, he caught a pass after his back to back drops.

 

[rrdd2021]

We could be in Bama’s position right now, who’s playing with their third qb already this season in today’s game, and it’s not because of injuries.

Saban's press conference this week should be a fun one to listen to.

 

[tboyer]

Drew didn’t play great but when he needed to he dropped one right in the bucket to get an extra score before halftime. I know it seems silly to say that one drop would’ve changed the whole outcome but I think that first drop which would’ve resulted in a first down would’ve added to the score and knocked Illinois out early.

They were also on the verge of knocking them out when KLS got assessed 15 yards for basically extricating himself from the hold of the IL defender. That one was pretty cheap and it might have been a 9 point swing.

 

[Psubiomed]

For the record, McClain was in the game after his drops. In fact, he caught a pass after his back to back drops.

And he dropped a third also.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

And he dropped a third also.

Yes he did... turning too early to run before securing the ball on a curl pattern. Geez.. think... JV coach screaming at you.. 'Catch the ball first!"
Lol...

Surprised he got that 4th pass thrown his way.

 

[Fayette_LION]

Bielema's defense was exactly the kind of thing I expected -- keep an extra man at the LOS, jam the run, pressure the QB, make Allar uncomfortable and force him to release early. And their DL and LBers look good, especially #4 who had the game of his life. Young Mr. Allar now knows what it's like to play against a Big Ten defense and he'll get another taste next week.

Yurcich's response was to be very patient and try not to put Allar in positions where he was going to get hit in the pocket or throw INTs. So they didn't attempt slow-developing patterns and punted a lot. They would have punted a bit less if not for some stupid penalties and 2 easy dropped passes from McLain (who I didn't see in the game after the 2nd one).

Throwing to the backs worked really well and I was wondering why Yurcich didn't use it for most of the game, but it was probably that he didn't want to risk IL safeties or corners recognizing the play and jumping the route. They went to it again late when they really needed a drive.

Defensively, the middle seems a little soft. If Bielema wanted to try 9 OL running the ball, that might have worked again today against this D. But PSU does make up for its lack of strength in the middle with mobility and energy. They play hard and as soon as you end up in a 2nd and long, this defense is tough because there are so many good pass rushers and a secondary that can flat out play. For PSU to still have corners like this after the corners they've graduated the last two years -- secondary coaches are just killing it.

Anyway the announcers made a couple of good points. 1) PSU fans have to be wondering if this team is built to stand up to Michigan and Ohio State. That remains an unanswered question. 2) The PSU defense has tradeoffs. They are a high risk/high reward D and they do kind of fall apart at times and give up quick scores. But they are always entertaining.

Saw one play where we were at 3rd and 2 and Ill had 10 players in the box and at the LOS. Can't run through a wall. Got to be able to take advantage of those situations.

 

[pennstater04]

Drew didn’t play great but when he needed to he dropped one right in the bucket to get an extra score before halftime. I know it seems silly to say that one drop would’ve changed the whole outcome but I think that first drop which would’ve resulted in a first down would’ve added to the score and knocked Illinois out early.

I thought the same thing regarding the drops. There were multiple drops, and that’s sports. Anyone who has played knows confidence is a funny thing ….sometimes you make plays and confidence builds….sometimes plays are missed and doubt creeps in. My biggest concern watching that game is our receiving corps. I think they may have over achieved against WVU. Was a few drops from Cephas in that game, now McClain and also TD drop from Kaytron. Drew might have been a little off, but still made plenty of good throws, and the drops setup more difficult situations and the entire game may of played out differently had we caught momentum early as you said.

Regardless a win is a win….come home next week for a big game and another chance to improve.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

Saw one play where we were at 3rd and 2 and Ill had 10 players in the box and at the LOS. Can't run through a wall. Got to be able to take advantage of those situations.

I thought many of the calls made for the offense in 3rd and short were asinine yesterday and totally contrary to what defensive set was deployed. Also, many outside run Attempts started to close to the los and were too slow to develope.

 

[SR108]

Yeah I was surprised Illinois didnt try jamming it down our throats the entire game.

They got behind.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

They got behind.

...and should have been behind more quickly except for critical and easily controllable mistakes.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

The WR group is mediocre, and hands are the biggest issue - because it doesn’t seem like separation is an issue. Allar was off, but there were 4-5 drops that impacted the offensive flow in a big way. KLS’ 15-yard penalty completely shifted the game as well. I’m hopeful Cliff and Saunders can continue to progress. Wallace out was big.

I thought MY did a nice job mixing in TEs and RBs to open things up a bit. I would’ve leaned on the run a bit more because the Illinois defense was wearing out in the third.

It’s imperative for our defense to put the offense behind the sticks - that’s where the speed/athleticism can shine in those 2nd and 3rd and longs. Iowa/Michigan/OSU are really going to strategize the importance around 1st down playcalling.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

The WR group is mediocre, and hands are the biggest issue - because it doesn’t seem like separation is an issue. Allar was off, but there were 4-5 drops that impacted the offensive flow in a big way. KLS’ 15-yard penalty completely shifted the game as well. I’m hopeful Cliff and Saunders can continue to progress. Wallace out was big.

I thought MY did a nice job mixing in TEs and RBs to open things up a bit. I would’ve leaned on the run a bit more because the Illinois defense was wearing out in the third.

It’s imperative for our defense to put the offense behind the sticks - that’s where the speed/athleticism can shine in those 2nd and 3rd and longs. Iowa/Michigan/OSU are really going to strategize the importance around 1st down playcalling.

Drew was very uncharacteristically inaccurate yesterday - sailed a lot of balls (Theo Johnson was very open in the endzone and Drew just made a very bad throw). It wasn't his best game - it happens. It was his first Road Game start in a Conference Game - so not all that shocking (ILL's gameplan was to stack the LOS, stop the run and force Drew to beat them while bring extra rushers on a constant basis). The defense really helped keep the "game pressure" off of Drew (CJF's "complimentary football" - bail the offense out until they start to click... keep as much "game pressure" as possible off the offense [much more pressure on QB if you're playing from behind]), but Drew did play well enough to win the game easily (they never trailed and had a 2 score lead, or more, from the last score of 1st half on.

 

[slykens]

Rose glasses view - Despite a tough Illinois defense, self inflicted pains (drops and penalties), and Allar seeming a bit off most of the day, Penn State beat the spread on the road and continues its nation leading streak of 30+ point performances.

Sky is falling view - Penn State struggled to beat an inferior opponent and needed five turnovers to do it.

The truth is somewhere in between. The team has faults but there is no faultless team this year. Georgia needed a big third quarter to beat USC. Michigan looks pedestrian most of the time. Florida State about lost to BC. Texas pulled away from Wyoming late. Ohio State hasn’t looked unbeatable either. And Alabama looks incredibly average.

As Franklin says, 1-0 every week. This coming week we see another imperfect team in Iowa which I think Penn State matches up well against.

 

[GregInPitt]

McClain did play after his two drops and I believe had his one catch after the drops. (5 targets, 1 catch)

Nice to see Saunders get some playing time and have some success at WR. (3 targets, 2 catches)

Where is Cephus? (2 targets, 1 catch). Need more targets to Cephus.

At TE, Warren had a very good game receiving and looks to have great hands. Johnson (5 targets, 2 catches) got the plays called to him but Allar seemed to misfire on too many of those throws.

The staff seems to be wasting Pribula's playing time. What do they believe they are accomplishing by playing Pribula and then letting him run around like a high school QB? If he is needed Pribula will need to run the whole PSU offense and to get him more ready to do that he needs to run the running plays and pass plays that are the nucleus of the offense. He's played a good bit the last 2 weeks but it seems he could have matured a lot more as a QB by cutting down on the QB runs........

 

[tboyer]

McClain did play after his two drops and I believe had his one catch after the drops. (5 targets, 1 catch)

Nice to see Saunders get some playing time and have some success at WR. (3 targets, 2 catches)

Where is Cephus? (2 targets, 1 catch). Need more targets to Cephus.

At TE, Warren had a very good game receiving and looks to have great hands. Johnson (5 targets, 2 catches) got the plays called to him but Allar seemed to misfire on too many of those throws.

The staff seems to be wasting Pribula's playing time. What do they believe they are accomplishing by playing Pribula and then letting him run around like a high school QB? If he is needed Pribula will need to run the whole PSU offense and to get him more ready to do that he needs to run the running plays and pass plays that are the nucleus of the offense. He's played a good bit the last 2 weeks but it seems he could have matured a lot more as a QB by cutting down on the QB runs........

Agree with all of this. Warren is just huge for this offense right now -- makes the tough catch in traffic when they really need a 1st down. Has no trouble catching bullets.

Re Pribula, when you're up 30-7 as much as you want to say nothing changes, it does. You don't call as many passes. But it's still super valuable for Pribula to get to play this much against a quality Big Ten defense (even if they were a little gassed). He looks like he can run the offense if Allar gets hurt and Pribula's quickness running the ball would actually have been very helpful against this kind of a defense with a stacked front.

 

[SR108]

The staff seems to be wasting Pribula's playing time. What do they believe they are accomplishing by playing Pribula and then letting him run around like a high school QB? If he is needed Pribula will need to run the whole PSU offense and to get him more ready to do that he needs to run the running plays and pass plays that are the nucleus of the offense. He's played a good bit the last 2 weeks but it seems he could have matured a lot more as a QB by cutting down on the QB runs........

This^^^^
Let the kid throw the ball. We get it, he is a running threat, so let’s see if he can throw the ball.

 

[AWS1022]

McClain did play after his two drops and I believe had his one catch after the drops. (5 targets, 1 catch)

Nice to see Saunders get some playing time and have some success at WR. (3 targets, 2 catches)

Where is Cephus? (2 targets, 1 catch). Need more targets to Cephus.

At TE, Warren had a very good game receiving and looks to have great hands. Johnson (5 targets, 2 catches) got the plays called to him but Allar seemed to misfire on too many of those throws.

The staff seems to be wasting Pribula's playing time. What do they believe they are accomplishing by playing Pribula and then letting him run around like a high school QB? If he is needed Pribula will need to run the whole PSU offense and to get him more ready to do that he needs to run the running plays and pass plays that are the nucleus of the offense. He's played a good bit the last 2 weeks but it seems he could have matured a lot more as a QB by cutting down on the QB runs........

They lined Johnson up a lot out wide, which I wasn’t a big fan of and didn’t seem to work very well. TE’s usually do their damage across the middle.

 

[87 Penn St8]

They were also on the verge of knocking them out when KLS got assessed 15 yards for basically extricating himself from the hold of the IL defender. That one was pretty cheap and it might have been a 9 point swing.

As a team leader and upperclassman that was a total mess up on his part. Went from 3rd and 2 in fg range to 3rd and 17 with a punt.

While it was a cheap borderline call....he needs to be better. The fake hamstring gag on his Rose Bowl td may reveal an inner goofball who may not always be thinking.

A lot to learn from an otherwise uneventful W. 1-0. Move on.

 

[lazydave841]

The staff seems to be wasting Pribula's playing time. What do they believe they are accomplishing by playing Pribula and then letting him run around like a high school QB? If he is needed Pribula will need to run the whole PSU offense and to get him more ready to do that he needs to run the running plays and pass plays that are the nucleus of the offense. He's played a good bit the last 2 weeks but it seems he could have matured a lot more as a QB by cutting down on the QB runs........

For better or for worse, the idea seems to be "let's put Pribula on tape running the zone read, mostly keeping it" and teams will have to prepare for it. Be it as it may, he had success running on the Illinois defense.

After the time out on our first scoring drive, it might have been better to have responded with Pribula in to run the zone read vs matching up with Illinois in their goal line set (we had an advantage prior to the time out). Of course, the inherent risk of fumbling comes into play, but you live or die by risks like this.

Personally guessing, I think if Allar goes down, the offense changes to something more rush friendly with Pribula. He isn't going to run the same passing plays as Allar.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

McClain did play after his two drops and I believe had his one catch after the drops. (5 targets, 1 catch)

Nice to see Saunders get some playing time and have some success at WR. (3 targets, 2 catches)

Where is Cephus? (2 targets, 1 catch). Need more targets to Cephus.

At TE, Warren had a very good game receiving and looks to have great hands. Johnson (5 targets, 2 catches) got the plays called to him but Allar seemed to misfire on too many of those throws.

The staff seems to be wasting Pribula's playing time. What do they believe they are accomplishing by playing Pribula and then letting him run around like a high school QB? If he is needed Pribula will need to run the whole PSU offense and to get him more ready to do that he needs to run the running plays and pass plays that are the nucleus of the offense. He's played a good bit the last 2 weeks but it seems he could have matured a lot more as a QB by cutting down on the QB runs........

This!

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

They were also on the verge of knocking them out when KLS got assessed 15 yards for basically extricating himself from the hold of the IL defender. That one was pretty cheap and it might have been a 9 point swing.

I was shocked that was called-I've NEVER seen such a minor physical tangle be called that earlier in the interaction.

 

[royboy]

On offense, more of #7 and less of #11? Catching the ball is fundamental.

Not only did Saunders have 2 catches, he gained a first down with good moves after the catch.

Really like him on punt returns -- he catches everything even it means covering some ground quickly and catching the punt in a crowd. Shows some speed and elusiveness, perhaps he'll break one.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

On offense, more of #7 and less of #11? Catching the ball is fundamental.

Not only did Saunders have 2 catches, he gained a first down with good moves after the catch.

Really like him on punt returns -- he catches everything even it means covering some ground quickly and catching the punt in a crowd. Shows some speed and elusiveness, perhaps he'll break one.

The curl is so hard to execute when a QB places the 🏈 right between your hands with touch in the wide open spaces. It is like the pick and roll in basketball when the roll comes before the pick. Never seems to work out in reverse. 😂

 

[94LionsFan]

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Saunders too. Seems to me he’s got an athleticism that’s missing from the rest of the WR corps.

 

[The Song Remains the Same]

I realize that this Illinois defense isn’t the 1994 Illinois defense, but our 1994 offense, which was maybe one of the best all-around offenses in college football history, had to scratch and claw to score 35 points at Illinois. Our current offense which has a qb who started only his third game and first road game, scored 30 points today, and probably left up to 7 points on the field.

I’m actually happy about this game because it won’t delude anybody into thinking that they’re better than they are. As long as we keep winning, I’d rather see a realistic progression.

I was at that game. First quarter iirc, Kerry Collins threw 2 interceptions and Kijana Carter fumbled once against Simeon Rice and Kevin Hardy led defense, which was one of the top Defenses in NCAA, allowing 121 points in 11 non PSU games plus 35 to PSU.

 

[The Song Remains the Same]

For the record, McClain was in the game after his drops. In fact, he caught a pass after his back to back drops.

He also made a tackle on special teams.

 

[PennSt8er]

I keep bringing up the 11:00 AM start on the road when framing how these kids played. How many of us are out of our pajamas on a Saturday at 11:00 AM?

 

[PSUWrestlingFanSince2011]

The WR group is mediocre, and hands are the biggest issue - because it doesn’t seem like separation is an issue. Allar was off, but there were 4-5 drops that impacted the offensive flow in a big way. KLS’ 15-yard penalty completely shifted the game as well. I’m hopeful Cliff and Saunders can continue to progress. Wallace out was big.

I thought MY did a nice job mixing in TEs and RBs to open things up a bit. I would’ve leaned on the run a bit more because the Illinois defense was wearing out in the third.

It’s imperative for our defense to put the offense behind the sticks - that’s where the speed/athleticism can shine in those 2nd and 3rd and longs. Iowa/Michigan/OSU are really going to strategize the importance around 1st down playcalling.

I think our best 3 is KLS, Wallace, and Saunders right now. Not sure about Omari as he's been injured off and on. Still not giving up on Cephus but he's running out of time. I'm worried about McClains hands not just bc he dropped 2 balls but bc they were as simple as a catch gets, pass and catch and a short pass. Remember Juwann Johnson that one year?