Since there were a lot of key pieces missing defensively due to injuries etc I really didn't get any feel for how good the D might be this year, although the Secondary did look really confident and seemed to be potentially a strength of the Defense.
But Offensively I saw a LOT of nice things that give me hope. I'll start with the obvious which is McSorley. He is world's ahead of Stevens IMO, and that's not a knock on Stevens because he showed some really nice things too. McSorley has a very good grasp of the Offensive concepts, his reads are quick and precise, his execution is smooth, and his passing is amazingly pinpoint which MORE than makes up for any arm strength issues he could possibly have. He's also mobile and it is VERY clear that he is the leader of the Offense...just watch the sideline huddles, body language after plays, and all those little things that indicate "Hey I'm in charge just follow me...I'll get us where we need to go!" On the INT he made his only bad pass of the day and it wasn't because of the throw but was because of the CHOICE of who to throw to. On that play the WR on the outside cleared out the sideline area by going vertical, and underneath his route PSU had TWO receivers dragging across...one low and one mid-range. The man dragging across low was wide open, but Trace decided to try to fit a throw into the mid-range guy who was sorta bracketed high-low by the coverage. It was not the right choice obviously, and when he sees the video I'm sure he'll see the underneath man wide open and file that away in his head for the future.
The WR corps is ridiculously good. If any Big Ten team has three better starting receivers I'd love to know who they are. Hamilton has found a home at the Slot and Blacknall is ready for a breakout year. Godwin is just Godwin, which is to say clutch, fearless, and the true "go to" guy of the three. Behind them I think Thompkins and Polk give you deep speed, and Johnson will grow into a star eventually. The "drop" on that deep pass by Juwan that I read about before I saw the game wasn't really a "drop". Watch the DB first hit Juwan's arms before the ball gets there, and then reach in and knock it away after it lands in his hands. That being said, later this season Johnson will catch that ball...I guarantee it. Geisicki is back to being the player he was as a Fr and his blocking is coming along well. He will be a force to be reckoned with this season because of his ability, because of Moorhead's design and willingness to use him, and because he will be the "neglected" player when defenses scheme to stop Barkley and the WRs.
Now for the OLine. I saw some things that were REALLY encouraging there. First, the Nelson/Palmer switch is the best move possible. Palmer looks SO much more confident and aggressive at RT, and Nelson is the best lineman PSU has so why not put him at LT? Both OG's looked just fine, and Gaia seems much more at home at OC than he ever did at OG. Overall they played well, with confidence, adjusted well to blitzes and twists, moved their feet wayyyy better than they have in two years, and just seem to have a grasp of the schemes that they never really had the past two years. The depth is a bit of a concern as the second group didn't play all that well, but Beh, Jenkins, and Laurent were bright spots IMO and McGovern showed why I've been very reluctant to endorse ANY true Fr for a starting spot on the OLine. I have less concern about the OLine today than I have had for two years now.
Finally the overall scheme of Moorhead's...wow...I LOVE IT!! Did you notice that almost EVERY PLAY starts out looking the same? And that the OLine's pass protection on play-action passes is VERY deceptive and REALLY screws up the Defense's pass reads? The way that each play complements the others is something that wreaks havoc on defenses. It slows down their reads and can be real confusing. McSorley's ball handling enhances the confusion for the D, and the RBs carry out their fakes nicely too...really nice execution and scheming. The run game will be a real major threat with Barkley in there. Allen looked VERY good yesterday so imagine Say Say running behind the same blocking. With the threat of a legitimate run game, the passing game will be even better, and with a mobile QB the pressure on the OLine to protect will be lessened. When is the last time you saw so many precise passes that hit WRs/TEs in the seams? How ACCURATE was McSorley on all the Flares and Bubble Screens? How GOOD was the blocking by the WRs on those screens? I also LOVED how they started each half, with a little shovel pass up the middle. That is a variety of a draw play with very little risk...if you catch it you probably gain yards, and if you drop it it's an INC. I could go on for hours about Moorhead's schemes, but in the long run PSU's offensive success will come down to two things: 1) Continued improvement in execution and 2) Moorhead's ability to dissect a defense in-game.
Overall I loved what I saw, obviously. I can't wait to see them put it on the field vs Kent St.
But Offensively I saw a LOT of nice things that give me hope. I'll start with the obvious which is McSorley. He is world's ahead of Stevens IMO, and that's not a knock on Stevens because he showed some really nice things too. McSorley has a very good grasp of the Offensive concepts, his reads are quick and precise, his execution is smooth, and his passing is amazingly pinpoint which MORE than makes up for any arm strength issues he could possibly have. He's also mobile and it is VERY clear that he is the leader of the Offense...just watch the sideline huddles, body language after plays, and all those little things that indicate "Hey I'm in charge just follow me...I'll get us where we need to go!" On the INT he made his only bad pass of the day and it wasn't because of the throw but was because of the CHOICE of who to throw to. On that play the WR on the outside cleared out the sideline area by going vertical, and underneath his route PSU had TWO receivers dragging across...one low and one mid-range. The man dragging across low was wide open, but Trace decided to try to fit a throw into the mid-range guy who was sorta bracketed high-low by the coverage. It was not the right choice obviously, and when he sees the video I'm sure he'll see the underneath man wide open and file that away in his head for the future.
The WR corps is ridiculously good. If any Big Ten team has three better starting receivers I'd love to know who they are. Hamilton has found a home at the Slot and Blacknall is ready for a breakout year. Godwin is just Godwin, which is to say clutch, fearless, and the true "go to" guy of the three. Behind them I think Thompkins and Polk give you deep speed, and Johnson will grow into a star eventually. The "drop" on that deep pass by Juwan that I read about before I saw the game wasn't really a "drop". Watch the DB first hit Juwan's arms before the ball gets there, and then reach in and knock it away after it lands in his hands. That being said, later this season Johnson will catch that ball...I guarantee it. Geisicki is back to being the player he was as a Fr and his blocking is coming along well. He will be a force to be reckoned with this season because of his ability, because of Moorhead's design and willingness to use him, and because he will be the "neglected" player when defenses scheme to stop Barkley and the WRs.
Now for the OLine. I saw some things that were REALLY encouraging there. First, the Nelson/Palmer switch is the best move possible. Palmer looks SO much more confident and aggressive at RT, and Nelson is the best lineman PSU has so why not put him at LT? Both OG's looked just fine, and Gaia seems much more at home at OC than he ever did at OG. Overall they played well, with confidence, adjusted well to blitzes and twists, moved their feet wayyyy better than they have in two years, and just seem to have a grasp of the schemes that they never really had the past two years. The depth is a bit of a concern as the second group didn't play all that well, but Beh, Jenkins, and Laurent were bright spots IMO and McGovern showed why I've been very reluctant to endorse ANY true Fr for a starting spot on the OLine. I have less concern about the OLine today than I have had for two years now.
Finally the overall scheme of Moorhead's...wow...I LOVE IT!! Did you notice that almost EVERY PLAY starts out looking the same? And that the OLine's pass protection on play-action passes is VERY deceptive and REALLY screws up the Defense's pass reads? The way that each play complements the others is something that wreaks havoc on defenses. It slows down their reads and can be real confusing. McSorley's ball handling enhances the confusion for the D, and the RBs carry out their fakes nicely too...really nice execution and scheming. The run game will be a real major threat with Barkley in there. Allen looked VERY good yesterday so imagine Say Say running behind the same blocking. With the threat of a legitimate run game, the passing game will be even better, and with a mobile QB the pressure on the OLine to protect will be lessened. When is the last time you saw so many precise passes that hit WRs/TEs in the seams? How ACCURATE was McSorley on all the Flares and Bubble Screens? How GOOD was the blocking by the WRs on those screens? I also LOVED how they started each half, with a little shovel pass up the middle. That is a variety of a draw play with very little risk...if you catch it you probably gain yards, and if you drop it it's an INC. I could go on for hours about Moorhead's schemes, but in the long run PSU's offensive success will come down to two things: 1) Continued improvement in execution and 2) Moorhead's ability to dissect a defense in-game.
Overall I loved what I saw, obviously. I can't wait to see them put it on the field vs Kent St.
