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Obli's Observations - The Sun Came Up Today

Obliviax

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Aug 21, 2001
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There isn't a lot to be said that hasn't already been said. But here are my observations:

  • If you had told me that Clifford would get hurt and not play in the second half, I'd have thought PSU would lose in ten out of ten bets. I am willing to say not a single person on this board would have thought PSU would win on the road against a #3 team in the nation. So enough with the gloom and doom.
  • We also all knew the biggest weakness on the team was at QB. SC has exceeded all expectations (except for that weak-ass shit INT to start the game). Anyone who thought TR was prepared to lead this team on the road against a top 5 defense in the nation was smoking crack. TR is just a different kind of QB than SC. You can't game plan for QB a and then play QB b when his skill set is 180 degrees different and expect performance.
  • In the meantime, WL's team beat LSU and is 5-0. He was 14 of 17 for 3 TDs and zero INTs. He also had 75 yards rushing with a 6.8 YPC average. This isn't to state he is better than SC, I don't think he is. But he was a very good back up and we'd have won this game had he stayed. He made the right move....especially if SC decides to stay one more year.
  • Football is a game of momentum. SC getting injured shook up our team, especially the OL. It invigorated a crazy Iowa crowd that was largely neutralized up until that point. It is pretty clear, if SC doesn't get hurt, we win going away. I think I am a fairly realistic observer and don't drink the PSU coolaid. But PSU was dominating the game to that point, and the second half would have been the same IMHO.
  • A team is only as strong as its weakest link my football coach always used to say. Why? the other team will find your weakest link and game plan to exploit it. Iowa is well-coached. When they saw our starting QB, they changed their plan. They stacked the LOS and dared PSU to prove they could throw. That and the field position allowed Iowa to shut down the entire short game. Good luck throwing deep from your own endzone against a six-man blitz on the road with a lead and a second-team QB.
  • I don't have a problem with the fans booing. This happens all the time...all the time. Fans will be fans. The coach is a different story. Bush-league and I suspect that flash ferentz will have a word with him. I was surprised CJF called him out.
  • I've got several Iowa friends who are apologizing for their win. They know they stole one and were upset that the coach acted like that. Hey, a win is a win. Depth is part of the game. PSU got caught flat-footed without a suitable second-team QB. Perhaps it is lack of talent or lack of preparation but TR was clearly not prepared to play in that environment.
  • Having said all of that, PSU has everything in front of them. If we win out, a very tough assignment, we play for the B1G championship. I know that it is now a razor's edge but it is always that way for PSU: We have to beat both UM and tOSU to make it to the championship game. So nothing has changed.
  • Finally, this is the most difficult schedule I can recall in several decades. We play Iowa (#2), tOSU (#6), UM (#8) and Spary (#10). We have already played Wisconsin and Auburn when both were ranked in the top 25 at the time.
 
There isn't a lot to be said that hasn't already been said. But here are my observations:

  • If you had told me that Clifford would get hurt and not play in the second half, I'd have thought PSU would lose in ten out of ten bets. I am willing to say not a single person on this board would have thought PSU would win on the road against a #3 team in the nation. So enough with the gloom and doom.
  • We also all knew the biggest weakness on the team was at QB. SC has exceeded all expectations (except for that weak-ass shit INT to start the game). Anyone who thought TR was prepared to lead this team on the road against a top 5 defense in the nation was smoking crack. TR is just a different kind of QB than SC. You can't game plan for QB a and then play QB b when his skill set is 180 degrees different and expect performance.
  • In the meantime, WL's team beat LSU and is 5-0. He was 14 of 17 for 3 TDs and zero INTs. He also had 75 yards rushing with a 6.8 YPC average. This isn't to state he is better than SC, I don't think he is. But he was a very good back up and we'd have won this game had he stayed. He made the right move....especially if SC decides to stay one more year.
  • Football is a game of momentum. SC getting injured shook up our team, especially the OL. It invigorated a crazy Iowa crowd that was largely neutralized up until that point. It is pretty clear, if SC doesn't get hurt, we win going away. I think I am a fairly realistic observer and don't drink the PSU coolaid. But PSU was dominating the game to that point, and the second half would have been the same IMHO.
  • A team is only as strong as its weakest link my football coach always used to say. Why? the other team will find your weakest link and game plan to exploit it. Iowa is well-coached. When they saw our starting QB, they changed their plan. They stacked the LOS and dared PSU to prove they could throw. That and the field position allowed Iowa to shut down the entire short game. Good luck throwing deep from your own endzone against a six-man blitz on the road with a lead and a second-team QB.
  • I don't have a problem with the fans booing. This happens all the time...all the time. Fans will be fans. The coach is a different story. Bush-league and I suspect that flash ferentz will have a word with him. I was surprised CJF called him out.
  • I've got several Iowa friends who are apologizing for their win. They know they stole one and were upset that the coach acted like that. Hey, a win is a win. Depth is part of the game. PSU got caught flat-footed without a suitable second-team QB. Perhaps it is lack of talent or lack of preparation but TR was clearly not prepared to play in that environment.
  • Having said all of that, PSU has everything in front of them. If we win out, a very tough assignment, we play for the B1G championship. I know that it is now a razor's edge but it is always that way for PSU: We have to beat both UM and tOSU to make it to the championship game. So nothing has changed.
  • Finally, this is the most difficult schedule I can recall in several decades. We play Iowa (#2), tOSU (#6), UM (#8) and Spary (#10). We have already played Wisconsin and Auburn when both were ranked in the top 25 at the time.
I agree with all of that except I definitely expected us to beat the #3 team on the road.

IMO the only chance for PSU to finish 10-2 or better this year is if Mustipher & Clifford return healthy.
 
Glass half empty version: Clifford is out for the year, we finish 7-5, Franklin bolts for USC, recruiting class falls apart. *insert sad Price is Right trombone sound*
 
Agree. We had this until Cliff went down. This does not change the balance of our season. Let's win out.
 
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Good job as usual, Obli. Hope to see your game recaps at some new site.

I hated to see the "bend, don't break" defense break at a crucial time (after playing magnificently most of the game). There was no containment when the Iowa QB rolled out to the right, and then the WR was totally open on the left side of the field. A good strong throw and all of a sudden our lead was gone.

By the way, as this board phases out, you should get some recognition for having over 102,000 posts! As far as I know, it's the highest current number (and it's somewhere near where @T J ended up). Your wit and wisdom is appreciated!

**edit to note -- T J ended up with 98,000+
 
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Good job as usual, Obli. Hope to see your game recaps at some new site.

I hated to see the "bend, don't break" defense break at a crucial time (after playing magnificently most of the game). There was no containment when the Iowa QB rolled out to the right, and then the WR was totally open on the left side of the field. A good strong throw and all of a sudden our lead was gone.

By the way, as this board phases out, you should get some recognition for having over 102,000 posts! As far as I know, it's the highest current number (and it's somewhere near where @T J ended up). Your wit and wisdom is appreciated!

**edit to note -- T J ended up with 98,000+
Its funny....the browns game against the Chargers was a perfect example of football defense.
  • With 3 or 4 minutes to go, the Chargers scored but missed the PAT to tie the score. So they ended up kicking to the browns who were then needed to protect a 1 point lead. I knew the Browns were sunk.
  • The Browns, instead of needing a score to break the tie, then needed to protect a one-point lead. So they ran three conservative plays and punted.
  • The Chargers marched down the field and had ~ 1:50 to go. The Browns laid down to let them score the TD and get the ball back with 1:30 to go. The RB for the Chargers, kneeled down on the one-yard line for a first down but NOT scoring a TD. Browns called a TO.
  • Chargers run the ball again but instead of taking a knee and running the clock down, the RB kind of runs around. Three Browns, literally, picked him up and CARRIED HIM INTO THE ENDZONE while he struggled to get down and NOT score.
  • Chargers go for two to get up by 7. The RB is ruled a TD but on replay is ruled to be down before crossing the line.
  • Browns get the ball and go down the field with the game ending with two WR's tackled in the end zone on a hail mary but the refs didn't call it.
This was after a completely egregious call when the Chargers scored relative to my first bullet point (where the Chargers should have tied it but missed the PAT). It was 4th and 4 and the Browns covered all of the short receivers. So the Chargers threw deep on a hail mary, 30 yards downfield. The ball was thrown on the OOB line bu the Browns defender was between the WR and the OOB/ball area. The Chargers WR grabs the defender by the Jerzy near his shoulder and uses this to propel himself up to try to catch the ball. The ball was a couple of yards away so was incomplete. The refs called the Browns for Def pass interference that allowed the Chargers to score.

This is Def pass interference in the NFL

 
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Good job as usual, Obli. Hope to see your game recaps at some new site.

I hated to see the "bend, don't break" defense break at a crucial time (after playing magnificently most of the game). There was no containment when the Iowa QB rolled out to the right, and then the WR was totally open on the left side of the field. A good strong throw and all of a sudden our lead was gone.

By the way, as this board phases out, you should get some recognition for having over 102,000 posts! As far as I know, it's the highest current number (and it's somewhere near where @T J ended up). Your wit and wisdom is appreciated!

**edit to note -- T J ended up with 98,000+
To me that was a play that was based on scouting. Play action left, roll right, stop and throw back left. One of those one shot plays.
 
To me that was a play that was based on scouting. Play action left, roll right, stop and throw back left. One of those one shot plays.
Iowa HAD to use misdirection against our defense, which was playing very well, and very aggressively. Ferentz tried it a few times with a little success, but this was the big one he was scheming for. It was a great call and we have to learn to be more disciplined there.
 
Its funny....the browns game against the Chargers was a perfect example of football defense.
  • With 3 or 4 minutes to go, the Chargers scored but missed the PAT to tie the score. So they ended up kicking to the browns who were then needed to protect a 1 point lead. I knew the Browns were sunk.
  • The Browns, instead of needing a score to break the tie, then needed to protect a one-point lead. So they ran three conservative plays and punted.
  • The Chargers marched down the field and had ~ 1:50 to go. The Browns laid down to let them score the TD and get the ball back with 1:30 to go. The RB for the Chargers, kneeled down on the one-yard line for a first down but NOT scoring a TD. Browns called a TO.
  • Chargers run the ball again but instead of taking a knee and running the clock down, the RB kind of runs around. Three Browns, literally, picked him up and CARRIED HIM INTO THE ENDZONE while he struggled to get down and NOT score.
  • Chargers go for two to get up by 7. The RB is ruled a TD but on replay is ruled to be down before crossing the line.
  • Browns get the ball and go down the field with the game ending with two WR's tackled in the end zone on a hail mary but the refs didn't call it.
This was after a completely egregious call when the Chargers scored relative to my first bullet point (where the Chargers should have tied it but missed the PAT). It was 4th and 4 and the Browns covered all of the short receivers. So the Chargers threw deep on a hail mary, 30 yards downfield. The ball was thrown on the OOB line bu the Browns defender was between the WR and the OOB/ball area. The Chargers WR grabs the defender by the Jerzy near his shoulder and uses this to propel himself up to try to catch the ball. The ball was a couple of yards away so was incomplete. The refs called the Browns for Def pass interference that allowed the Chargers to score.

This is Def pass interference in the NFL

I thought the two Brown's WRs kind of ran into each other. Plus there is never PI called on a Hail Mary play.
 
Iowa HAD to use misdirection against our defense, which was playing very well, and very aggressively. Ferentz tried it a few times with a little success, but this was the big one he was scheming for. It was a great call and we have to learn to be more disciplined there.
To the credit of PSU's defense against the #2-rated team in the country:

11 tackles for a loss -- total of 38 yards lost on those

Iowa punted 9 times.
 
  • I've got several Iowa friends who are apologizing for their win. They know they stole one and were upset that the coach acted like that. Hey, a win is a win. Depth is part of the game. PSU got caught flat-footed without a suitable second-team QB. Perhaps it is lack of talent or lack of preparation but TR was clearly not prepared to play in that environment.
You must know the <1% of IA fans who are not Richard Craniums.
 
Some great points in here about PSU moving forward and the sky not falling and the world not ending as some posters seems to think. Also excellent points on the backup (3rd string) qb situation

 
Some great points in here about PSU moving forward and the sky not falling and the world not ending as some posters seems to think. Also excellent points on the backup (3rd string) qb situation

he's wrong when he says "clifford doesn't play defense". That is just a dumb thing to say. PSU couldn't sustain drives and had several three and outs. The point being, keeping the ball on offense is THE BEST DEFENSE there is.
 
he's wrong when he says "clifford doesn't play defense". That is just a dumb thing to say. PSU couldn't sustain drives and had several three and outs. The point being, keeping the ball on offense is THE BEST DEFENSE there is.
That’s true and I’m sure Josh Pate himself would tell you that. He also said if he was told PSU would get a 17-3 lead at some point they could kneel on it the rest of the game and still win crediting PSU’s defense. Of course there are other factors there such as playing with a short field the entire second half but I think his main point was, you have an Iowa team who’s Offense hasn’t been good and a PSU’s team who’s D had been great up to that point. Something had to break and it was PSU’s D not Iowa’s O. Just unfortunate that injuries decided this one for PSU on both sides of the ball.
 
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That’s true and I’m sure Josh Pate himself would tell you that. He also said if he was told PSU would get a 17-3 lead at some point they could kneel on it the rest of the game and still win crediting PSU’s defense. Of course there are other factors there such as playing with a short field the entire second half but I think his main point was, you have an Iowa team who’s Offense hasn’t been good and a PSU’s team who’s D had been great up to that point. Something had to break and it was PSU’s D not Iowa’s O. Just unfortunate that injuries decided this one for PSU on both sides of the ball.
I don't agree with that. you can't put your defense in the field for almost the entire half and not expect their performance to suffer...especially coming off of tremendous games against two other physical teams. Plus, what is NOT factored in is several injuries to the defense as well. Honestly, I don't think he watched the game. I think he simply read the articles.
 
To the credit of PSU's defense against the #2-rated team in the country:

11 tackles for a loss -- total of 38 yards lost on those

Iowa punted 9 times.
Yeah all that even after losing PJ our leading D Lineman. Could have been worse for Iowa
 
The Clifford doesn't play defense line is wrong. The way football is played today, the QB position is the most important one on the field. The entire offense goes through the QB. To just eliminate that part of the game and say "oh well, time to pitch a shutout defense!" is ridiculous.
 
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I don't think that Yurcich has it in him to sit on a 14 or 21 point lead with half a game remaining
Unless Franklin tells him to do that. Maybe he just wanted to play it safe, hoping Roberson would not turn the ball over, that Stout would change field position, and the defense would hold for a half.
 
There isn't a lot to be said that hasn't already been said. But here are my observations:

  • If you had told me that Clifford would get hurt and not play in the second half, I'd have thought PSU would lose in ten out of ten bets. I am willing to say not a single person on this board would have thought PSU would win on the road against a #3 team in the nation. So enough with the gloom and doom.
  • We also all knew the biggest weakness on the team was at QB. SC has exceeded all expectations (except for that weak-ass shit INT to start the game). Anyone who thought TR was prepared to lead this team on the road against a top 5 defense in the nation was smoking crack. TR is just a different kind of QB than SC. You can't game plan for QB a and then play QB b when his skill set is 180 degrees different and expect performance.
  • In the meantime, WL's team beat LSU and is 5-0. He was 14 of 17 for 3 TDs and zero INTs. He also had 75 yards rushing with a 6.8 YPC average. This isn't to state he is better than SC, I don't think he is. But he was a very good back up and we'd have won this game had he stayed. He made the right move....especially if SC decides to stay one more year.
  • Football is a game of momentum. SC getting injured shook up our team, especially the OL. It invigorated a crazy Iowa crowd that was largely neutralized up until that point. It is pretty clear, if SC doesn't get hurt, we win going away. I think I am a fairly realistic observer and don't drink the PSU coolaid. But PSU was dominating the game to that point, and the second half would have been the same IMHO.
  • A team is only as strong as its weakest link my football coach always used to say. Why? the other team will find your weakest link and game plan to exploit it. Iowa is well-coached. When they saw our starting QB, they changed their plan. They stacked the LOS and dared PSU to prove they could throw. That and the field position allowed Iowa to shut down the entire short game. Good luck throwing deep from your own endzone against a six-man blitz on the road with a lead and a second-team QB.
  • I don't have a problem with the fans booing. This happens all the time...all the time. Fans will be fans. The coach is a different story. Bush-league and I suspect that flash ferentz will have a word with him. I was surprised CJF called him out.
  • I've got several Iowa friends who are apologizing for their win. They know they stole one and were upset that the coach acted like that. Hey, a win is a win. Depth is part of the game. PSU got caught flat-footed without a suitable second-team QB. Perhaps it is lack of talent or lack of preparation but TR was clearly not prepared to play in that environment.
  • Having said all of that, PSU has everything in front of them. If we win out, a very tough assignment, we play for the B1G championship. I know that it is now a razor's edge but it is always that way for PSU: We have to beat both UM and tOSU to make it to the championship game. So nothing has changed.
  • Finally, this is the most difficult schedule I can recall in several decades. We play Iowa (#2), tOSU (#6), UM (#8) and Spary (#10). We have already played Wisconsin and Auburn when both were ranked in the top 25 at the time.
Thank you!
 
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Glass half empty version: Clifford is out for the year, we finish 7-5, Franklin bolts for USC, recruiting class falls apart. *insert sad Price is Right trombone sound*
Why would USC want CJF under those circumstances??
 
Why would USC want CJF under those circumstances??
The fundamentals with Franklin don't change based on one bad season where he loses his starter and backup QB in the same calendar year. Based on what happened when he came here, you probably see some key members of the current #2 recruiting class become trojans.
 
That’s true and I’m sure Josh Pate himself would tell you that. He also said if he was told PSU would get a 17-3 lead at some point they could kneel on it the rest of the game and still win crediting PSU’s defense. Of course there are other factors there such as playing with a short field the entire second half but I think his main point was, you have an Iowa team who’s Offense hasn’t been good and a PSU’s team who’s D had been great up to that point. Something had to break and it was PSU’s D not Iowa’s O. Just unfortunate that injuries decided this one for PSU on both sides of the ball.
Nah. The D didn’t break. For goodness sake, they showed up like champs again and again and again. But when Iowa gets the ball at midfield or better time and again, and the PSU offense is going three and out time and again, something called fatigue becomes a factor. This game will be debated for a long time but I’m certainly not ready to throw in the towel (not saying you are but others sure are). We’ll beat Illinois and then comes the ultimate litmus test. I expect a helluva game.
 
Iowa HAD to use misdirection against our defense, which was playing very well, and very aggressively. Ferentz tried it a few times with a little success, but this was the big one he was scheming for. It was a great call and we have to learn to be more disciplined there.
It was inevitable they were going to score. They were starting the drives in such positive field position that I think if they didn't get the TD they would have beaten us with two more FGs. We were so pathetic on offense that they were destined to get the ball back after the drive which resulted in the TD probably two more times. Remember their FG kicker was money and I think he drills anything from 50 and in and possibly from 55 and in.

Additionally, they always burn us with one big play everytime we play out there. You could sense it was coming and sure enough it did.
 
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Glass half empty version: Clifford is out for the year, we finish 7-5, Franklin bolts for USC, recruiting class falls apart. *insert sad Price is Right trombone sound*
You mean the glass empty version. Franklin isn’t leaving for USC.
 
That game was won, and then Clifford went down. Simple as that.
One more score and it was over. Iowa needed a td against our D for the win, and they got it. Hats off to them. Injuries are part of the game.
 
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It was inevitable they were going to score. They were starting the drives in such positive field position that I think if they didn't get the TD they would have beaten us with two more FGs. We were so pathetic on offense that they were destined to get the ball back after the drive which resulted in the TD probably two more times. Remember their FG kicker was money and I think he drills anything from 50 and in and possibly from 55 and in.

Additionally, they always burn us with one big play everytime we play out there. You could sense it was coming and sure enough it did.
What is the Iowa/PSU won/loss breakdown over the past 10 games? They deserve credit for taking advantage of Clifford’s injury. Prior to him getting hurt, it was 17-3 PSU despite an INT at the PSU 8 on the first possession and PSU had 208 yards of offense to Iowa’s 49.
 
Nah. The D didn’t break. For goodness sake, they showed up like champs again and again and again. But when Iowa gets the ball at midfield or better time and again, and the PSU offense is going three and out time and again, something called fatigue becomes a factor. This game will be debated for a long time but I’m certainly not ready to throw in the towel (not saying you are but others sure are). We’ll beat Illinois and then comes the ultimate litmus test. I expect a helluva game.
I never said the D didn’t show up nor did I say they didn’t play great. They made a ton of critical great stops. I won’t get caught up in semantics. If the term “break” bothers you then I’ll say “worn down”. Just referencing the many many times we heard the “bend but don’t break” defensive style. They played great but got worn down. It is possible for both things to be true. That will happen with any D no matter how great they are playing when you factor in injuries, playing with half a field, and never getting a breather due to 3 and outs.
 
Unless Franklin tells him to do that. Maybe he just wanted to play it safe, hoping Roberson would not turn the ball over, that Stout would change field position, and the defense would hold for a half.
sorry I meant with a healthy QB1

was referring to this from Josh Pate

That’s true and I’m sure Josh Pate himself would tell you that. He also said if he was told PSU would get a 17-3 lead at some point they could kneel on it the rest of the game and still win crediting PSU’s defense.
 
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