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Obli's Observations

Obliviax

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2001
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went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really. Also have to say "as usual". Here are my observations:

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman? As it stands, it was an interesting observation point and I got some great photos. Downside was, seriously, I couldn't read the player's numbers or the scoreboard stats because I was so far away. I did yell "he missed the tag"...well, more like "ref, how about that hold???".
  • Speaking of the refs....we got a couple of fortunate calls. That was unusual as well.
  • Kudos to the staff...they had the kids ready to play and put them in a position to make plays. But they have to make the plays. In many cases, they didn't. From two catchable long throws to WR's to a couple of complete drops by TE's to horribly overthrown Hamilton in the seam and really crappy throws on bubble screens the passing game sputtered. PSU could have had this team blown out by the end of the first quarter. And that includes two first qtr turnovers (fumble and an on-side kick).
  • That brings me to Hack...kids is a complete and absolute stud. My 11 year old daughter has her first crush...seriously...she couldn't take her eyes off of his photos in the program (OB is in trouble...I know...). Kid throws bullets down the field and it seems the longer the pass the more accurate it is. I know that the first play of the game was a little under thrown and allowed the DB to recover, but that ball went 40 yards+ in the air. The DB made a nice play on the ball to not get a PI call. Point is, Hack's problems are on short throws....throw the ball downfield. That's his strength. I think the WR's will get better at catching the ball. Word was that O'Brian sent a boat load of Houston's scouts to the game. Wouldn't surprise me to see them draft him. However, I still am not convinced he'll leave. QB's, good ones, play until they are ~40. But their first two years are key. Staying a year too long is so much more desirable than a year late (ask Johnny Football). And, QB's like Hack (pocket passers) don't often suffer career ending injuries. With the young talent at WR and RB, our offense will be much better next year. Aside from Mangiro, we will have our entire line back (and Laurent seems as good as Mangiro).
  • That brings me to the O-line....they were adequate. Nelson helped stabilize but PP continues to be a problem. Now, the kid he was up against was their best player but PP has to get batter. Watch tOSU put Bosa out at left DE over him a lot on Saturday night. Wendy played a good game. Overall, line seemed consistent, for the most part on pass blocking. Still, few holes in the running game but at least they improved.
  • Speaking of the running game, I thought the RB's did well considering. Scott and Allen combined to average 6.4 YPC. But I thought many of those yards were made by the RB and not the line. Indy seemed to always know where to blitz a LB, but the RB would shift to the left or right and get some good yardage...sometimes just 3 or 4 but that's enough to set up the next play. We are in good shape at RB for the next several years no matter what we get in recruiting.
  • On defense, the team played lights out. I was impressed by Indy's scrappy second team QB. he's a good runner in space and the kind of player that gives PSU fits. The third string kid played well too. But PSU's defense was too much for them.
  • Interesting observations on defense....PSU played a lot of man. Unusual for a secondary so young. Yet, they still almost always just brought four. I guess it was to contain the second team QB who wasn't a great passer but a really good runner. Secondary and LB'ers played a good game, to match a really good front four. Johnson and Zettle and Nassib are a load and tOSU hasn't seen anything like them yet this year. Cabinda and Bell are playing well too.
  • Its great to be excited, for a change, when we return a punt of kickoff (Indy's punter was great at kicking high balls inside the 10 yard line, what ever happened to the rule that if it is behind the ten, let it go and hope it goes into the endzone?)
  • Still hard to get a handle on this team. Indy, who played tOSU well, was banged up but they were against tOSU as well. They also got back a good DT who missed the tOSU game.
  • In the end, this team has the talent. They just need to be consistent and execute. This is something that is not surprising for as many young kids that are playing key positions and roles. Kudo's to the staff for calling a good game, could they have been holding out??? We'll see against tOSU.
  • This was a key game...IMHO, we should win against Md and Ill. We should have a great shot at beating NW, who I believe was a little over rated after they beat Stanford in the first game of the year. two or three more wins would make this a successful season and get a bowl. But I think we can be competitive against tOSU, UM and Sparty as well. We might not win, but they will know we've been there.
Finally, perhaps it is old hat for people that go to a ton of games...but while the students were late, they showed up. I especially got a kick out of the wave...then the slo-mo wave...then the fast motion wave. I've never seen that. Plus, when the wave got to the Indy fans, they booed (light-heartedly). Even the Indy fans were laughing. Key was dynamite and he seemed thrilled to lead the "We Are...Penn State" cheer.. The jet flyby was fun, they were introduced to open their flight suits to have PSU gear on underneath. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!
 
went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really. Also have to say "as usual". Here are my observations:

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman? As it stands, it was an interesting observation point and I got some great photos. Downside was, seriously, I couldn't read the player's numbers or the scoreboard stats because I was so far away. I did yell "he missed the tag"...well, more like "ref, how about that hold???".
  • Speaking of the refs....we got a couple of fortunate calls. That was unusual as well.
  • Kudos to the staff...they had the kids ready to play and put them in a position to make plays. But they have to make the plays. In many cases, they didn't. From two catchable long throws to WR's to a couple of complete drops by TE's to horribly overthrown Hamilton in the seam and really crappy throws on bubble screens the passing game sputtered. PSU could have had this team blown out by the end of the first quarter. And that includes two first qtr turnovers (fumble and an on-side kick).
  • That brings me to Hack...kids is a complete and absolute stud. My 11 year old daughter has her first crush...seriously...she couldn't take her eyes off of his photos in the program (OB is in trouble...I know...). Kid throws bullets down the field and it seems the longer the pass the more accurate it is. I know that the first play of the game was a little under thrown and allowed the DB to recover, but that ball went 40 yards+ in the air. The DB made a nice play on the ball to not get a PI call. Point is, Hack's problems are on short throws....throw the ball downfield. That's his strength. I think the WR's will get better at catching the ball. Word was that O'Brian sent a boat load of Houston's scouts to the game. Wouldn't surprise me to see them draft him. However, I still am not convinced he'll leave. QB's, good ones, play until they are ~40. But their first two years are key. Staying a year too long is so much more desirable than a year late (ask Johnny Football). And, QB's like Hack (pocket passers) don't often suffer career ending injuries. With the young talent at WR and RB, our offense will be much better next year. Aside from Mangiro, we will have our entire line back (and Laurent seems as good as Mangiro).
  • That brings me to the O-line....they were adequate. Nelson helped stabilize but PP continues to be a problem. Now, the kid he was up against was their best player but PP has to get batter. Watch tOSU put Bosa out at left DE over him a lot on Saturday night. Wendy played a good game. Overall, line seemed consistent, for the most part on pass blocking. Still, few holes in the running game but at least they improved.
  • Speaking of the running game, I thought the RB's did well considering. Scott and Allen combined to average 6.4 YPC. But I thought many of those yards were made by the RB and not the line. Indy seemed to always know where to blitz a LB, but the RB would shift to the left or right and get some good yardage...sometimes just 3 or 4 but that's enough to set up the next play. We are in good shape at RB for the next several years no matter what we get in recruiting.
  • On defense, the team played lights out. I was impressed by Indy's scrappy second team QB. he's a good runner in space and the kind of player that gives PSU fits. The third string kid played well too. But PSU's defense was too much for them.
  • Interesting observations on defense....PSU played a lot of man. Unusual for a secondary so young. Yet, they still almost always just brought four. I guess it was to contain the second team QB who wasn't a great passer but a really good runner. Secondary and LB'ers played a good game, to match a really good front four. Johnson and Zettle and Nassib are a load and tOSU hasn't seen anything like them yet this year. Cabinda and Bell are playing well too.
  • Its great to be excited, for a change, when we return a punt of kickoff (Indy's punter was great at kicking high balls inside the 10 yard line, what ever happened to the rule that if it is behind the ten, let it go and hope it goes into the endzone?)
  • Still hard to get a handle on this team. Indy, who played tOSU well, was banged up but they were against tOSU as well. They also got back a good DT who missed the tOSU game.
  • In the end, this team has the talent. They just need to be consistent and execute. This is something that is not surprising for as many young kids that are playing key positions and roles. Kudo's to the staff for calling a good game, could they have been holding out??? We'll see against tOSU.
  • This was a key game...IMHO, we should win against Md and Ill. We should have a great shot at beating NW, who I believe was a little over rated after they beat Stanford in the first game of the year. two or three more wins would make this a successful season and get a bowl. But I think we can be competitive against tOSU, UM and Sparty as well. We might not win, but they will know we've been there.
Finally, perhaps it is old hat for people that go to a ton of games...but while the students were late, they showed up. I especially got a kick out of the wave...then the slo-mo wave...then the fast motion wave. I've never seen that. Plus, when the wave got to the Indy fans, they booed (light-heartedly). Even the Indy fans were laughing. Key was dynamite and he seemed thrilled to lead the "We Are...Penn State" cheer.. The jet flyby was fun, they were introduced to open their flight suits to have PSU gear on underneath. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!
 
Always look forward to your observations. thanks.
Are you in the camp that feels Laurent is as good as Mangrio? If so that would give us at lest 2 good OLmen for next year.
Do you see man in the D backfield for OSU? Got my doubts but interesting.
Regarding future victories, Md no looks like a problem. Sort of a perfect storm. New coach, unknown. Extra week to prepare. follows our big game with OSU. Now don't feel all that great about Illinois who I had earlier in the W column. Saw them Saturday and they play well. Seven Ws looks difficult, six maybe somehow.
 
Always look forward to your observations. thanks.
Are you in the camp that feels Laurent is as good as Mangrio? If so that would give us at lest 2 good OLmen for next year.
Do you see man in the D backfield for OSU? Got my doubts but interesting.
Regarding future victories, Md no looks like a problem. Sort of a perfect storm. New coach, unknown. Extra week to prepare. follows our big game with OSU. Now don't feel all that great about Illinois who I had earlier in the W column. Saw them Saturday and they play well. Seven Ws looks difficult, six maybe somehow.

I didn't see a drop off between Laurent and Mangiro. Perhaps Mangiro is better at calling out blocking assignments...but WL played pretty well.

tOSU has lost at least three WR's to injury, and this was considered to be one of their weaker positions. I can see PSU playing a similar defense: man on the outside, rush four and contain their QB's from advancing the ball. People have to remember they've played VT, Hawaii, N Ill, W Michigan, Indiana and MD...not exactly murderers row.
 
went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really. Also have to say "as usual". Here are my observations:

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman? As it stands, it was an interesting observation point and I got some great photos. Downside was, seriously, I couldn't read the player's numbers or the scoreboard stats because I was so far away. I did yell "he missed the tag"...well, more like "ref, how about that hold???".
  • Speaking of the refs....we got a couple of fortunate calls. That was unusual as well.
  • Kudos to the staff...they had the kids ready to play and put them in a position to make plays. But they have to make the plays. In many cases, they didn't. From two catchable long throws to WR's to a couple of complete drops by TE's to horribly overthrown Hamilton in the seam and really crappy throws on bubble screens the passing game sputtered. PSU could have had this team blown out by the end of the first quarter. And that includes two first qtr turnovers (fumble and an on-side kick).
  • That brings me to Hack...kids is a complete and absolute stud. My 11 year old daughter has her first crush...seriously...she couldn't take her eyes off of his photos in the program (OB is in trouble...I know...). Kid throws bullets down the field and it seems the longer the pass the more accurate it is. I know that the first play of the game was a little under thrown and allowed the DB to recover, but that ball went 40 yards+ in the air. The DB made a nice play on the ball to not get a PI call. Point is, Hack's problems are on short throws....throw the ball downfield. That's his strength. I think the WR's will get better at catching the ball. Word was that O'Brian sent a boat load of Houston's scouts to the game. Wouldn't surprise me to see them draft him. However, I still am not convinced he'll leave. QB's, good ones, play until they are ~40. But their first two years are key. Staying a year too long is so much more desirable than a year late (ask Johnny Football). And, QB's like Hack (pocket passers) don't often suffer career ending injuries. With the young talent at WR and RB, our offense will be much better next year. Aside from Mangiro, we will have our entire line back (and Laurent seems as good as Mangiro).
  • That brings me to the O-line....they were adequate. Nelson helped stabilize but PP continues to be a problem. Now, the kid he was up against was their best player but PP has to get batter. Watch tOSU put Bosa out at left DE over him a lot on Saturday night. Wendy played a good game. Overall, line seemed consistent, for the most part on pass blocking. Still, few holes in the running game but at least they improved.
  • Speaking of the running game, I thought the RB's did well considering. Scott and Allen combined to average 6.4 YPC. But I thought many of those yards were made by the RB and not the line. Indy seemed to always know where to blitz a LB, but the RB would shift to the left or right and get some good yardage...sometimes just 3 or 4 but that's enough to set up the next play. We are in good shape at RB for the next several years no matter what we get in recruiting.
  • On defense, the team played lights out. I was impressed by Indy's scrappy second team QB. he's a good runner in space and the kind of player that gives PSU fits. The third string kid played well too. But PSU's defense was too much for them.
  • Interesting observations on defense....PSU played a lot of man. Unusual for a secondary so young. Yet, they still almost always just brought four. I guess it was to contain the second team QB who wasn't a great passer but a really good runner. Secondary and LB'ers played a good game, to match a really good front four. Johnson and Zettle and Nassib are a load and tOSU hasn't seen anything like them yet this year. Cabinda and Bell are playing well too.
  • Its great to be excited, for a change, when we return a punt of kickoff (Indy's punter was great at kicking high balls inside the 10 yard line, what ever happened to the rule that if it is behind the ten, let it go and hope it goes into the endzone?)
  • Still hard to get a handle on this team. Indy, who played tOSU well, was banged up but they were against tOSU as well. They also got back a good DT who missed the tOSU game.
  • In the end, this team has the talent. They just need to be consistent and execute. This is something that is not surprising for as many young kids that are playing key positions and roles. Kudo's to the staff for calling a good game, could they have been holding out??? We'll see against tOSU.
  • This was a key game...IMHO, we should win against Md and Ill. We should have a great shot at beating NW, who I believe was a little over rated after they beat Stanford in the first game of the year. two or three more wins would make this a successful season and get a bowl. But I think we can be competitive against tOSU, UM and Sparty as well. We might not win, but they will know we've been there.
Finally, perhaps it is old hat for people that go to a ton of games...but while the students were late, they showed up. I especially got a kick out of the wave...then the slo-mo wave...then the fast motion wave. I've never seen that. Plus, when the wave got to the Indy fans, they booed (light-heartedly). Even the Indy fans were laughing. Key was dynamite and he seemed thrilled to lead the "We Are...Penn State" cheer.. The jet flyby was fun, they were introduced to open their flight suits to have PSU gear on underneath. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!

Good stuff as always!! Can't wait for the game this weekend!
 
  • Laurent looked as good as Mangiro to me.
  • 6 more games. Gotta win 3 to get to 8 total. It would be difficult getting excited about losing 4 of the remaining 6. The 3 you mentioned are winnable. Michigan looks awfully good but they are at home. MSU has been struggling so we might have a shot there.
  • What's up with the students always being late. I've heard stories about having difficulty getting in but I don't know if that's true.
  • I think one of the problems with the crowd is that we've had 5 consecutive home games. I'm not sure people want to make the trip on consecutive weeks like that. Another problem is probably ticket prices. What was the price for a decent single game ticket, $125? IMO the University administrators are shafting the fans by charging that much to watch a sanction impacted team (especially since they caused the sanctions).
  • Hack had success throwing vertically. Donovan has been reluctant to do that. Will he go into a shell again at OSU?
  • I hate the WR screen, especially when it's thrown to the wide side. Some of those throws are > 20 yards and easy for defenders to snuff out when they're playing close coverage. It would help if the DBs were afraid of getting beat deep or if Hack would get rid of the ball faster.
 
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  • Laurent looked as good as Mangiro to me.
  • 6 more games. Gotta win 3 to get to 8 total. It would be difficult getting excited about losing 4 of the remaining 6. The 3 you mentioned are winnable. Michigan looks awfully good but they are at home. MSU has been struggling so we might have a shot there.
  • What's up with the students always being late. I've heard stories about having difficulty getting in but I don't know if that's true.
  • I think one of the problems with the crowd is that we've had 5 consecutive home games. I'm not sure people want to make the trip on consecutive weeks like that. Another problem is probably ticket prices. What was the price for a decent single game ticket, $125? IMO the University administrators are shafting the fans by charging that much to watch a sanction impacted team (especially since they caused the sanctions).
  • Hack had success throwing vertically. Donovan has been reluctant to do that. Will he go into a shell again at OSU?
  • I hate the WR screen, especially when it's thrown to the wide side. Some of those throws are > 20 yards and easy for defenders to snuff out when they're playing close coverage. It would help if the DBs were afraid of getting beat deep or if Hack would get rid of the ball faster.

Some good points.

One other thought I forgot to include: It seems to me the staff is learning through iteration. It is a little unnerving that they seem to try something and see if it works or not. They don't seem to "anticipate" or "prepare" very well. For example, Temple game plan was a mess and they didn't adjust until after that game. Usage of Hack, early, has been horrible and they are now seeming to adjust. Different O-lines are another example.

now, to be fair, they've had to have substantially different lineups at the o-line and RB every week. This is also true of the LBers. It sure would be nice to start a consistent O and D for more than one game in a row.
 
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Some good points.

One other thought I forgot to include: It seems to me the staff is learning through iteration. It is a little unnerving that they seem to try something and see if it works or not. They don't seem to "anticipate" or "prepare" very well. For example, Temple game plan was a mess and they didn't adjust until after that game. Usage of Hack, early, has been horrible and they are now seeming to adjust. Different O-lines are another example.

now, to be fair, they've had to have substantially different lineups at the o-line and RB every week. This is also true of the LBers. It sure would be nice to start a consistent O and D for more than one game in a row.

The D should be back to full strength with Lucas, Allen, and Bell returning. Not sure if Bell is 100% though.

No clue where we stand with Mangiro. Nelson is back. Lynch probably won't be back soon and that hurts. I assume Barkley will play this week, hopefully at 90%+.
 
The D should be back to full strength with Lucas, Allen, and Bell returning. Not sure if Bell is 100% though.

No clue where we stand with Mangiro. Nelson is back. Lynch probably won't be back soon and that hurts. I assume Barkley will play this week, hopefully at 90%+.
Rev
went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really. Also have to say "as usual". Here are my observations:

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman? As it stands, it was an interesting observation point and I got some great photos. Downside was, seriously, I couldn't read the player's numbers or the scoreboard stats because I was so far away. I did yell "he missed the tag"...well, more like "ref, how about that hold???".
  • Speaking of the refs....we got a couple of fortunate calls. That was unusual as well.
  • Kudos to the staff...they had the kids ready to play and put them in a position to make plays. But they have to make the plays. In many cases, they didn't. From two catchable long throws to WR's to a couple of complete drops by TE's to horribly overthrown Hamilton in the seam and really crappy throws on bubble screens the passing game sputtered. PSU could have had this team blown out by the end of the first quarter. And that includes two first qtr turnovers (fumble and an on-side kick).
  • That brings me to Hack...kids is a complete and absolute stud. My 11 year old daughter has her first crush...seriously...she couldn't take her eyes off of his photos in the program (OB is in trouble...I know...). Kid throws bullets down the field and it seems the longer the pass the more accurate it is. I know that the first play of the game was a little under thrown and allowed the DB to recover, but that ball went 40 yards+ in the air. The DB made a nice play on the ball to not get a PI call. Point is, Hack's problems are on short throws....throw the ball downfield. That's his strength. I think the WR's will get better at catching the ball. Word was that O'Brian sent a boat load of Houston's scouts to the game. Wouldn't surprise me to see them draft him. However, I still am not convinced he'll leave. QB's, good ones, play until they are ~40. But their first two years are key. Staying a year too long is so much more desirable than a year late (ask Johnny Football). And, QB's like Hack (pocket passers) don't often suffer career ending injuries. With the young talent at WR and RB, our offense will be much better next year. Aside from Mangiro, we will have our entire line back (and Laurent seems as good as Mangiro).
  • That brings me to the O-line....they were adequate. Nelson helped stabilize but PP continues to be a problem. Now, the kid he was up against was their best player but PP has to get batter. Watch tOSU put Bosa out at left DE over him a lot on Saturday night. Wendy played a good game. Overall, line seemed consistent, for the most part on pass blocking. Still, few holes in the running game but at least they improved.
  • Speaking of the running game, I thought the RB's did well considering. Scott and Allen combined to average 6.4 YPC. But I thought many of those yards were made by the RB and not the line. Indy seemed to always know where to blitz a LB, but the RB would shift to the left or right and get some good yardage...sometimes just 3 or 4 but that's enough to set up the next play. We are in good shape at RB for the next several years no matter what we get in recruiting.
  • On defense, the team played lights out. I was impressed by Indy's scrappy second team QB. he's a good runner in space and the kind of player that gives PSU fits. The third string kid played well too. But PSU's defense was too much for them.
  • Interesting observations on defense....PSU played a lot of man. Unusual for a secondary so young. Yet, they still almost always just brought four. I guess it was to contain the second team QB who wasn't a great passer but a really good runner. Secondary and LB'ers played a good game, to match a really good front four. Johnson and Zettle and Nassib are a load and tOSU hasn't seen anything like them yet this year. Cabinda and Bell are playing well too.
  • Its great to be excited, for a change, when we return a punt of kickoff (Indy's punter was great at kicking high balls inside the 10 yard line, what ever happened to the rule that if it is behind the ten, let it go and hope it goes into the endzone?)
  • Still hard to get a handle on this team. Indy, who played tOSU well, was banged up but they were against tOSU as well. They also got back a good DT who missed the tOSU game.
  • In the end, this team has the talent. They just need to be consistent and execute. This is something that is not surprising for as many young kids that are playing key positions and roles. Kudo's to the staff for calling a good game, could they have been holding out??? We'll see against tOSU.
  • This was a key game...IMHO, we should win against Md and Ill. We should have a great shot at beating NW, who I believe was a little over rated after they beat Stanford in the first game of the year. two or three more wins would make this a successful season and get a bowl. But I think we can be competitive against tOSU, UM and Sparty as well. We might not win, but they will know we've been there.
Finally, perhaps it is old hat for people that go to a ton of games...but while the students were late, they showed up. I especially got a kick out of the wave...then the slo-mo wave...then the fast motion wave. I've never seen that. Plus, when the wave got to the Indy fans, they booed (light-heartedly). Even the Indy fans were laughing. Key was dynamite and he seemed thrilled to lead the "We Are...Penn State" cheer.. The jet flyby was fun, they were introduced to open their flight suits to have PSU gear on underneath. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!
regarding catching a punt inside the 10. Saw this on NFL Network. Because punters now routinely drop the ball nose-first and kick the nose, the ball is expected to bounce back to the line of scrimmage or laterally, not towards the end zone. So Catch the ball and take the field position rather than risk it hitting one of your guys.
 
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Isn't it funny how we get calls against teams we don't care about or should I say the BIG doesn't care about?! The call on Wilson was a joke. I'm pretty sure we'll be on the other side of that phenomenon this week.
 
went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really. Also have to say "as usual". Here are my observations:

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman? As it stands, it was an interesting observation point and I got some great photos. Downside was, seriously, I couldn't read the player's numbers or the scoreboard stats because I was so far away. I did yell "he missed the tag"...well, more like "ref, how about that hold???".
  • Speaking of the refs....we got a couple of fortunate calls. That was unusual as well.
  • Kudos to the staff...they had the kids ready to play and put them in a position to make plays. But they have to make the plays. In many cases, they didn't. From two catchable long throws to WR's to a couple of complete drops by TE's to horribly overthrown Hamilton in the seam and really crappy throws on bubble screens the passing game sputtered. PSU could have had this team blown out by the end of the first quarter. And that includes two first qtr turnovers (fumble and an on-side kick).
  • That brings me to Hack...kids is a complete and absolute stud. My 11 year old daughter has her first crush...seriously...she couldn't take her eyes off of his photos in the program (OB is in trouble...I know...). Kid throws bullets down the field and it seems the longer the pass the more accurate it is. I know that the first play of the game was a little under thrown and allowed the DB to recover, but that ball went 40 yards+ in the air. The DB made a nice play on the ball to not get a PI call. Point is, Hack's problems are on short throws....throw the ball downfield. That's his strength. I think the WR's will get better at catching the ball. Word was that O'Brian sent a boat load of Houston's scouts to the game. Wouldn't surprise me to see them draft him. However, I still am not convinced he'll leave. QB's, good ones, play until they are ~40. But their first two years are key. Staying a year too long is so much more desirable than a year late (ask Johnny Football). And, QB's like Hack (pocket passers) don't often suffer career ending injuries. With the young talent at WR and RB, our offense will be much better next year. Aside from Mangiro, we will have our entire line back (and Laurent seems as good as Mangiro).
  • That brings me to the O-line....they were adequate. Nelson helped stabilize but PP continues to be a problem. Now, the kid he was up against was their best player but PP has to get batter. Watch tOSU put Bosa out at left DE over him a lot on Saturday night. Wendy played a good game. Overall, line seemed consistent, for the most part on pass blocking. Still, few holes in the running game but at least they improved.
  • Speaking of the running game, I thought the RB's did well considering. Scott and Allen combined to average 6.4 YPC. But I thought many of those yards were made by the RB and not the line. Indy seemed to always know where to blitz a LB, but the RB would shift to the left or right and get some good yardage...sometimes just 3 or 4 but that's enough to set up the next play. We are in good shape at RB for the next several years no matter what we get in recruiting.
  • On defense, the team played lights out. I was impressed by Indy's scrappy second team QB. he's a good runner in space and the kind of player that gives PSU fits. The third string kid played well too. But PSU's defense was too much for them.
  • Interesting observations on defense....PSU played a lot of man. Unusual for a secondary so young. Yet, they still almost always just brought four. I guess it was to contain the second team QB who wasn't a great passer but a really good runner. Secondary and LB'ers played a good game, to match a really good front four. Johnson and Zettle and Nassib are a load and tOSU hasn't seen anything like them yet this year. Cabinda and Bell are playing well too.
  • Its great to be excited, for a change, when we return a punt of kickoff (Indy's punter was great at kicking high balls inside the 10 yard line, what ever happened to the rule that if it is behind the ten, let it go and hope it goes into the endzone?)
  • Still hard to get a handle on this team. Indy, who played tOSU well, was banged up but they were against tOSU as well. They also got back a good DT who missed the tOSU game.
  • In the end, this team has the talent. They just need to be consistent and execute. This is something that is not surprising for as many young kids that are playing key positions and roles. Kudo's to the staff for calling a good game, could they have been holding out??? We'll see against tOSU.
  • This was a key game...IMHO, we should win against Md and Ill. We should have a great shot at beating NW, who I believe was a little over rated after they beat Stanford in the first game of the year. two or three more wins would make this a successful season and get a bowl. But I think we can be competitive against tOSU, UM and Sparty as well. We might not win, but they will know we've been there.
Finally, perhaps it is old hat for people that go to a ton of games...but while the students were late, they showed up. I especially got a kick out of the wave...then the slo-mo wave...then the fast motion wave. I've never seen that. Plus, when the wave got to the Indy fans, they booed (light-heartedly). Even the Indy fans were laughing. Key was dynamite and he seemed thrilled to lead the "We Are...Penn State" cheer.. The jet flyby was fun, they were introduced to open their flight suits to have PSU gear on underneath. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!

The team is improving, enough to give Ohio State a game? I doubt it. They are going to have to do something to help Palmer. It is hard to believe he is the best they have, but he obviously is. Hack is getting better each game. The dropped passes if caught would have resulted in points.

Ohio State will have problems with our DLine, but if we can't move the ball score points and eat some clock, they will win easily going away. This team would be pretty good if it only had just an average offensive line. Still disappointed in the staffs seemingly inability to make any half time adjustments that are effective.
 
The team is improving, enough to give Ohio State a game? I doubt it. They are going to have to do something to help Palmer. It is hard to believe he is the best they have, but he obviously is. Hack is getting better each game. The dropped passes if caught would have resulted in points.

Ohio State will have problems with our DLine, but if we can't move the ball score points and eat some clock, they will win easily going away. This team would be pretty good if it only had just an average offensive line. Still disappointed in the staffs seemingly inability to make any half time adjustments that are effective.

totally agree. In another post, I mentioned that this staff seems to learn by iteration; trial and error. They aren't often proactive.

tOSU will move Bosa around, as they have the last two years against us. We just don't stack up well against their line. But Bosa will probably end up over PP more often than not (despite rumors he will play DT to shore up their run D, some of this depends on Barkley's health, I suspect). With Bosa over PP, they will also flood that area to confuse blocking. Out staff will now counter with several plays they've developed including seam routs to Gesicki and Hamilton (both wide open vs Indy) and slants.

Check out tOSU's record. Their Defense hasn't been great. They've given up a lot of points to VT, Indy and MD. While their O is getting heat, they've scored a lot; 42, 34 & 39 in those three games.

In the Indy game, we just didn't execute well. We had five dropped passes and several really poor throws on easy ones (Hamilton in the seam, bubble screens). If we can finally execute, we've got a shot. But we need to survive the first quarter (on the road in a prime time game for many of these players).
 
  • What's up with the students always being late. I've heard stories about having difficulty getting in but I don't know if that's true.
We have this discussion every week of every season lately. The entry system for the students (imho) is kind of a mess the way it's done (or at least the way is used to be done a few years ago) and isn't conducive to quick entry through the gates and into seats. And of course this is made a lot worse when a lot of the students all show up at the last minute.

Add to this the fact that in order to sit together, students need to enter together so there are a lot of students congregating either outside the entry stalls or near the ticket window (they have to go get an assigned seat once they are through the gate) in order to get their group of friends together which clogs things up. And finally, since they fill the rows from the bottom up, they aren't even using some of the ramps to get to the seating so they all have to wait in long lines to go up to their section.

So unless they figure out a way to stream them into their seats faster, or the students all decide to show up a lot earlier (unlikely) this will be a weekly phenomenon.
 
totally agree. In another post, I mentioned that this staff seems to learn by iteration; trial and error. They aren't often proactive.

tOSU will move Bosa around, as they have the last two years against us. We just don't stack up well against their line. But Bosa will probably end up over PP more often than not (despite rumors he will play DT to shore up their run D, some of this depends on Barkley's health, I suspect). With Bosa over PP, they will also flood that area to confuse blocking. Out staff will now counter with several plays they've developed including seam routs to Gesicki and Hamilton (both wide open vs Indy) and slants.

Check out tOSU's record. Their Defense hasn't been great. They've given up a lot of points to VT, Indy and MD. While their O is getting heat, they've scored a lot; 42, 34 & 39 in those three games.

In the Indy game, we just didn't execute well. We had five dropped passes and several really poor throws on easy ones (Hamilton in the seam, bubble screens). If we can finally execute, we've got a shot. But we need to survive the first quarter (on the road in a prime time game for many of these players).

Bosa will have a field day against Palmer. Not sure why they would move him inside to handle our running game which they can probably handle without moving him, unless of course Barkley plays and gets on a roll, although that will require our offensive line to have their best game of the year. OSU has problems with running QB's, we don't have one.
 
We have this discussion every week of every season lately. The entry system for the students (imho) is kind of a mess the way it's done (or at least the way is used to be done a few years ago) and isn't conducive to quick entry through the gates and into seats. And of course this is made a lot worse when a lot of the students all show up at the last minute.

Add to this the fact that in order to sit together, students need to enter together so there are a lot of students congregating either outside the entry stalls or near the ticket window (they have to go get an assigned seat once they are through the gate) in order to get their group of friends together which clogs things up. And finally, since they fill the rows from the bottom up, they aren't even using some of the ramps to get to the seating so they all have to wait in long lines to go up to their section.

So unless they figure out a way to stream them into their seats faster, or the students all decide to show up a lot earlier (unlikely) this will be a weekly phenomenon.

When I was a student, we had a section or two each for FR, SO, JR, and SR classes. Once you got to the stadium, you could sit anywhere within your section. If you didn't want to sit near the bottom of your section, you just moved up to the middle somewhere and took your seat. Not sure why that model wouldn't work today to streamline entry and make the stadium look more full at the same time.
 
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went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really.

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman?. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!
  • ==========================================================
As a point of information -- ticket prices for the Northwestern game (at NW) are $50 and 35 from the NW ticket office........what a difference. Let's get their AD and market the 'event' properly.

In the past, Penn State excused themselves by saying STEP was instituted to keep ticket prices down -- what happened??
 
1) The discussion of problems at wideout for tOSU is interesting. I can recall a number of closely fought PSU-tOSU games that were broken open by an Ohio State wideout (or 2 or 3) that PSU couldn't cover.

I'm sure Urban Meyer is not about to run out of 6-3, 215-pound receivers who run a 4.4. They grow on trees for him. But maybe there is reason to hope that PSU secondary at least has the athletes to run with them this year. And if their wideouts lack experience....

2) Did someone say Bosa has only 1.5 sacks this year? Against the teams they've played? That's hard to imagine. Has he been banged up? I can't imagine an Ohio State defensive line that doesn't destroy PSU's OL, but maybe we can hope......Maybe it won't be as much of a mismatch as it appears right now.

3) The pattern should be clear, Meyer puts a lot of prep time into the PSU game and they save a lot of plays. Ohio State will be doing things on Saturday that they haven't done all year. That's great -- that is respect for the PSU program. But .... it could lead to a game that is out of hand by halftime, especially if the PSU offense goes into 3-and-out mode or starts producing turnovers. PSU has got to play far better on offense than they have played all year for this to not be a blowout. Forget scoring. They have to sustain drives and maintain possession or the PSU defense is going to get gassed against these guys.

4) Even if PSU plays well, make no mistake, they will not be allowed to win this game. If the game is close into the 2nd quarter, just watch, you WILL see the B1G crew do its thing. Replay means they can't do some things now, but replay doesn't prevent bizarre flags like that hold on the punt two years ago that gave Ohio State possession and basically turned the game around for them. This, too, I think is part of the preparation for this game -- it is part of the Big Ten's preparation.

In a way, that is a sign of respect for Penn State as well. If the B1G has to step in to save Ohio State's butt, Penn State should regard that as a victory this year. And some day, when PSU's program fully revives, I really think the B1G will be on PSU's side in close games because they want undefeated teams in the playoff. But not this year.
 
went to the game this weekend and had a blast, really. Also have to say "as usual". Here are my observations:

  • Beautiful day with great weather. Where was everyone? I was the guest of a "varsity S" member and was invited to the cookout. Tickets were purchased through Varsity S. However, the tickets were $75 each and were way, WAAAAY up in WFU...that as in F. U. Seriously, this is how you treat former letterman? As it stands, it was an interesting observation point and I got some great photos. Downside was, seriously, I couldn't read the player's numbers or the scoreboard stats because I was so far away. I did yell "he missed the tag"...well, more like "ref, how about that hold???".
  • Speaking of the refs....we got a couple of fortunate calls. That was unusual as well.
  • Kudos to the staff...they had the kids ready to play and put them in a position to make plays. But they have to make the plays. In many cases, they didn't. From two catchable long throws to WR's to a couple of complete drops by TE's to horribly overthrown Hamilton in the seam and really crappy throws on bubble screens the passing game sputtered. PSU could have had this team blown out by the end of the first quarter. And that includes two first qtr turnovers (fumble and an on-side kick).
  • That brings me to Hack...kids is a complete and absolute stud. My 11 year old daughter has her first crush...seriously...she couldn't take her eyes off of his photos in the program (OB is in trouble...I know...). Kid throws bullets down the field and it seems the longer the pass the more accurate it is. I know that the first play of the game was a little under thrown and allowed the DB to recover, but that ball went 40 yards+ in the air. The DB made a nice play on the ball to not get a PI call. Point is, Hack's problems are on short throws....throw the ball downfield. That's his strength. I think the WR's will get better at catching the ball. Word was that O'Brian sent a boat load of Houston's scouts to the game. Wouldn't surprise me to see them draft him. However, I still am not convinced he'll leave. QB's, good ones, play until they are ~40. But their first two years are key. Staying a year too long is so much more desirable than a year late (ask Johnny Football). And, QB's like Hack (pocket passers) don't often suffer career ending injuries. With the young talent at WR and RB, our offense will be much better next year. Aside from Mangiro, we will have our entire line back (and Laurent seems as good as Mangiro).
  • That brings me to the O-line....they were adequate. Nelson helped stabilize but PP continues to be a problem. Now, the kid he was up against was their best player but PP has to get batter. Watch tOSU put Bosa out at left DE over him a lot on Saturday night. Wendy played a good game. Overall, line seemed consistent, for the most part on pass blocking. Still, few holes in the running game but at least they improved.
  • Speaking of the running game, I thought the RB's did well considering. Scott and Allen combined to average 6.4 YPC. But I thought many of those yards were made by the RB and not the line. Indy seemed to always know where to blitz a LB, but the RB would shift to the left or right and get some good yardage...sometimes just 3 or 4 but that's enough to set up the next play. We are in good shape at RB for the next several years no matter what we get in recruiting.
  • On defense, the team played lights out. I was impressed by Indy's scrappy second team QB. he's a good runner in space and the kind of player that gives PSU fits. The third string kid played well too. But PSU's defense was too much for them.
  • Interesting observations on defense....PSU played a lot of man. Unusual for a secondary so young. Yet, they still almost always just brought four. I guess it was to contain the second team QB who wasn't a great passer but a really good runner. Secondary and LB'ers played a good game, to match a really good front four. Johnson and Zettle and Nassib are a load and tOSU hasn't seen anything like them yet this year. Cabinda and Bell are playing well too.
  • Its great to be excited, for a change, when we return a punt of kickoff (Indy's punter was great at kicking high balls inside the 10 yard line, what ever happened to the rule that if it is behind the ten, let it go and hope it goes into the endzone?)
  • Still hard to get a handle on this team. Indy, who played tOSU well, was banged up but they were against tOSU as well. They also got back a good DT who missed the tOSU game.
  • In the end, this team has the talent. They just need to be consistent and execute. This is something that is not surprising for as many young kids that are playing key positions and roles. Kudo's to the staff for calling a good game, could they have been holding out??? We'll see against tOSU.
  • This was a key game...IMHO, we should win against Md and Ill. We should have a great shot at beating NW, who I believe was a little over rated after they beat Stanford in the first game of the year. two or three more wins would make this a successful season and get a bowl. But I think we can be competitive against tOSU, UM and Sparty as well. We might not win, but they will know we've been there.
Finally, perhaps it is old hat for people that go to a ton of games...but while the students were late, they showed up. I especially got a kick out of the wave...then the slo-mo wave...then the fast motion wave. I've never seen that. Plus, when the wave got to the Indy fans, they booed (light-heartedly). Even the Indy fans were laughing. Key was dynamite and he seemed thrilled to lead the "We Are...Penn State" cheer.. The jet flyby was fun, they were introduced to open their flight suits to have PSU gear on underneath. Last but not least, our AD never misses an opportunity to get onto the field!!!

Really good post.
Regarding the wave. Yea the wave is fun but do the damn thing when the OTHER team has the ball not our offense.
Palmer really struggled blocking. I like them putting either Wilerson or Albert Hall over there to help him. Don't bother with Gesicki he can't block a lick. Frankly I move him to WR next year and have him spend the entire off season with the JUGGS machine.
Did anyone ever say what was up with Joey J? there was another poster, not sure if it was here or in the Den, that thought Julius might have hurt himself in the Army game. But if thats the case why have him kicking off?
And speaking of kicking off I get what the directional kick is supposed to do but its not working. I saw it work once in the RU game. Just have him kick it through the endzone.
 
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Always look forward to your observations. thanks.
Are you in the camp that feels Laurent is as good as Mangrio? If so that would give us at lest 2 good OLmen for next year.
Do you see man in the D backfield for OSU? Got my doubts but interesting.
Regarding future victories, Md no looks like a problem. Sort of a perfect storm. New coach, unknown. Extra week to prepare. follows our big game with OSU. Now don't feel all that great about Illinois who I had earlier in the W column. Saw them Saturday and they play well. Seven Ws looks difficult, six maybe somehow.

I think Laurent is decent, he's improved a lot since last season.
His shotgun snaps are better than Mangiros.
I don't know if I would say Laurent is better than Mangiro but seeing that Mangiro can also play another position I think they should move him and let Laurent play center or at the very least try it out in practice or series or 2 during the game.
 
Isn't it funny how we get calls against teams we don't care about or should I say the BIG doesn't care about?! The call on Wilson was a joke. I'm pretty sure we'll be on the other side of that phenomenon this week.

IDK, on the radio they said Wilson ran into the ref. If so then its a flag, we got flagged for it a couple games ago maybe RU?
I think on one of our big pass plays Ham said that we got away with one and that we had an OL down field but he also said the hold on Nelson on a big play was pretty ticky tacky.
I saw numerous non holds called on Nassib, some right in front of the ref, specifically the play that the QB got hurt on.
also on, I think the very first pass play, the IU defender made a throat slashing gesture that wasn't called.
But yea I doubt we see any of those calls this week and I'm sure the video feed will work fine if its questionable for tOSU.
 
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When I was a student, we had a section or two each for FR, SO, JR, and SR classes. Once you got to the stadium, you could sit anywhere within your section. If you didn't want to site near the bottom of your section, you just moved up to the middle somewhere and took your seat. Not sure why that model wouldn't work today to streamline entry and make the stadium look more full at the same time.

Yep thats the way it was for me as well. Now it just seems to be a cluster...
 
When I was a student, we had a section or two each for FR, SO, JR, and SR classes. Once you got to the stadium, you could sit anywhere within your section. If you didn't want to sit near the bottom of your section, you just moved up to the middle somewhere and took your seat. Not sure why that model wouldn't work today to streamline entry and make the stadium look more full at the same time.
Yea, the only reason I think they don't do that now is because for some games that were really packed, if they had students sitting wherever they wanted, then students coming in later probably didn't have any seats because no one was squeezing together enough? ...I can't think of any other reason.

With today's technology why not have some sort of app that the students can access similar to stub hub or ticketmaster to choose their seats each week within the student section and then instead of a payment they just scan their student ID card or enter their student number. That way groups that wanted to sit together could get together during the week and pick out their seats and then at game time they could just head right into the stadium and up to their seats. Just like a concert...every Sunday night before a home game, open up the seating and then the students can go on line and choose their seats....seems easy enough. I'm sure the University would even find a way to charge a "nominal" fee for the "privilege" of getting assigned seats for that weekends game in advance.
 
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