Obli's Week Two Observations - Consistency

[Obliviax]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

 

[Midnighter2]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

I still haven't watched the game (watched the Women's US Open instead), but did listen to the 247 post-game podcast. They generally feel the same as you; solid win, but points/plays left on the field. While not concerning in a game against Ball State, you want to execute and convert in advance of your massive, massive non-conference, premiere home game against Auburn. I think Lee needs to be more decisive; he's a big back to be constantly running around laterally trying to find room to run. Cain is my preference at RB because he does hit the hole. I like our WR's - especially Dotson and Washington. OL and QB is still a problem but haven't cost us anything to this point. I rarely look ahead, but man, if Allar is all he's cracked up to be, he will be the missing piece this team has lacked since CJF took over. The RB's look tremendous too. I also think the D is the best CJF's had since he's been here, but disappointed in our two 5 star LBs to date. Neither have played up to their ranking (Smith and Jacobs) so far and depth is thin. I like Luketa better at end too. Ebiketie (SP?) has been a godsend.

Really looking forward to the game this week - will be a lot of fun!

 

[BBrown]

I still haven't watched the game (watched the Women's US Open instead), but did listen to the 247 post-game podcast. They generally feel the same as you; solid win, but points/plays left on the field. While not concerning in a game against Ball State, you want to execute and convert in advance of your massive, massive non-conference, premiere home game against Auburn. I think Lee needs to be more decisive; he's a big back to be constantly running around laterally trying to find room to run. Cain is my preference at RB because he does hit the hole. I like our WR's - especially Dotson and Washington. OL and QB is still a problem but haven't cost us anything to this point. I rarely look ahead, but man, if Allar is all he's cracked up to be, he will be the missing piece this team has lacked since CJF took over. The RB's look tremendous too. I also think the D is the best CJF's had since he's been here, but disappointed in our two 5 star LBs to date. Neither have played up to their ranking (Smith and Jacobs) so far and depth is thin. I like Luketa better at end too. Ebiketie (SP?) has been a godsend.

Really looking forward to the game this week - will be a lot of fun!

You should watch the game when you get a chance.
Smith was very good and seemed much more decisive. I thought he had a good game.
Luketa played ok at LBR but was much better at DE.
+100 on AK and it would be awesome if the refs would throw a flag on the OL for holding him. It was pretty obvious.
Right now I can't decide between Lee or Cain. Cain looked better against wiscy than he did Sat. and I thought Lee looked great on Sat. Bottom line though, we need some speed. Barkley, Sanders or Journey would have housed several runs.
I guess what I'm saying is I don't think the RB"s are making the OL look that great.

 

[Obliviax]

You should watch the game when you get a chance.
Smith was very good and seemed much more decisive. I thought he had a good game.
Luketa played ok at LBR but was much better at DE.
+100 on AK and it would be awesome if the refs would throw a flag on the OL for holding him. It was pretty obvious.
Right now I can't decide between Lee or Cain. Cain looked better against wiscy than he did Sat. and I thought Lee looked great on Sat. Bottom line though, we need some speed. Barkley, Sanders or Journey would have housed several runs.
I guess what I'm saying is I don't think the RB"s are making the OL look that great.

Agree. He is pushing 250 lbs now so may be getting too big for LB. (Luketa)

 

[BBrown]

Agree. He is pushing 250 lbs now so may be getting too big for LB. (Luketa)

I like Smith and think he's going to be very good but I don't see the crazy athleticism we saw with Micah.

 

[Madsol]

You should watch the game when you get a chance.
Smith was very good and seemed much more decisive. I thought he had a good game.
Luketa played ok at LBR but was much better at DE.
+100 on AK and it would be awesome if the refs would throw a flag on the OL for holding him. It was pretty obvious.
Right now I can't decide between Lee or Cain. Cain looked better against wiscy than he did Sat. and I thought Lee looked great on Sat. Bottom line though, we need some speed. Barkley, Sanders or Journey would have housed several runs.
I guess what I'm saying is I don't think the RB"s are making the OL look that great.

Agree about the RBs. Good, solid runners. But not HR threats. I don't think that back is on the roster.

 

[BrucePa]

I was worried that the Wisconsin game on the road would be troublesome. Penn State never starts well, and that game was a pleasant surprise. I was worried about Ball State being a trap game, with all of their returning starters from a MAC championship team. So I'm glad I'm worried about Auburn and its speed next week. A 4-0 September would exceed expectations....

 

[Sooner Lion]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

Thanks for the excellent write-up! Two comments. 1. The apple does not fall far from the tree. Joey Porter was one of the best trash-talkers in Steeler history. 2. Arkansas dominated the LOS vs Texas on Saturday night. This was a Texas team loaded with 4 and 5 star talent across the board. Arkansas averaged over 7 yards per carry. Their defense limited Bijan Robinson to 3.6 ypc. This is the same Bijan Robinson who averaged 8.2 ypc in 2020. How in the world did Sam Pittman come in and develop these 3 star Arkansas big boys so fast? What will it take to do the same in State College?

 

[okinburg1]

Watching it in real time one thing I realized after Balls Tate's 1st 3 and out, there was never really any danger of PSU losing the game. As mentioned, PSU took what was given on O, kept it fairly vanilla in light of next weeks game and hung 44 on a quality MAC team. The D was very good again, took away their one big time weapon and realistically should keep PSU in every game the rest of the season. WRT special teams, Stout is without a doubt playing his way onto an NFL roster. Can't wait for Saturday night!

 

[NittanyChris]

Some points:

1. This has been the type of game in the past in which we would start out slowly but pour it on in the second half. It was very nice to see the Offense clicking right out of the gate instead.

2. The secondary looks fantastic and deep. Aside from the usual suspects, Daequan Hardy was fantastic and even Dixon was impressive.

3. Nice to see young Theo Johnson get a TD. I, like most others, still would like to increase the TE productivity, as the talent is there to make it a dangerous weapon.

4. OLine was solid but not outstanding. I think there’s room for improvement and they will get better and better.

5. Parker Washington will catch anything anywhere near him. His hands are amazing. 3rd and 6, with the game on the line, I’m going his way most of the time.

WE ARE!!!

 

[Nitt1300]

The biggest difference I see is in the secondary- not only can the corners cover, but the safeties are getting to the ball. Haven't seen this in years.

 

[Obliviax]

The biggest difference I see is in the secondary- not only can the corners cover, but the safeties are getting to the ball. Haven't seen this in years.

Agreed. Two very good, if not great, corners are allowing the S to do more than protect against deep passes. so far....

 

[RTRMR]

The biggest difference I see is in the secondary- not only can the corners cover, but the safeties are getting to the ball. Haven't seen this in years.

Totally agree.
If this game were played against prior defenses, the BSU QB would’ve thrown for way more yards/big passing plays.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

1. The apple does not fall far from the tree. Joey Porter was one of the best trash-talkers in Steeler history.

Yea, #9's behavior is not what I want to see in a Penn State uniform. Don't care how well he can play.

I'd like to see PSU come out with a well-disciplined team that simply executes, maybe even helps an opponent up from the ground after knocking them down.

I want to see class again. This is on Franklin. Given the name on #9, I don't think he will do anything.

Other than that, there was nothing overly negative about this game. We know there is room for improvement at QB and along the lines. That's fine. It's the character stuff that I feel should be the top priority.

I really like the play of Parker Washington. Executes way beyond his size, and doesn't puff himself up after making a great play.

Call me old-fashioned and a Joe-Bot if you want.

 

[Ward Hog]

I think our plan against Ball State was to overwhelm them with talent and get a lot of guys on the field against a good opponent. Ball State is a very well coached and disciplined team, so they are a good team to practice against. Because of their lesser athletic talent, they tried a lot of stunting up front which our OL needs as the sacks on SC were again primarily communication issues. We are not blowing guys off the ball, but that is part of the way the RPO game works. Auburn has really athletic big guys on the D line.

 

[ChiTownLion]

Are Luketa and Ebiketie both in their final year of eligibility? Did not expect to see DE emerge as a strength.

 

[BiochemPSU]

The biggest difference I see is in the secondary- not only can the corners cover, but the safeties are getting to the ball. Haven't seen this in years.

The secondary finally looks like a secondary that you would see at the top programs: fast athletes who come up and deliver a hit, but who can also drop back, recover, and cover with aggression. I know Peyton Manning hasn't been throwing at them, but the film the past two games has to be making upcoming QBs a little hesitant to pull the trigger every time a pass is called. I would suspect at some point we will start to see quick nickle and dime offenses with a power running game sprinkled in to try to flip field position, avoid 3 and out, and avoid the big turnover. I know that is basically the Wisconsin offense, but a team with a better QB may have an easier time. I don't know if that is Auburn.

 

[PV_lion]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

Good summary

With respect to your comments on the quality of Ball State. I agree they don’t have a lot of high end talent But I think I heard the announcer say at the outset that they had a lot of fifth year seniors and returning starters. So what they lacked in talent they certainly made up for in terms of experience.

 

[MaconNitt]

another solid write up, especially liked the Nickelodeon reference, my kids watched that show all the time.

 

[Obliviax]

Good summary

With respect to your comments on the quality of Ball State. I agree they don’t have a lot of high end talent But I think I heard the announcer say at the outset that they had a lot of fifth year seniors and returning starters. So what they lacked in talent they certainly made up for in terms of experience.

i believe they started 20 of 22 starters from last year where they won the MAC and the bowl game against San Jose State.

 

[bdgan]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

I don't think Lee came out because he fumbled. I think CJF wanted to get Ford some PT in a blowout game.

I thought Lee looked great running the football and carrying defenders with him. That was my biggest positive takeaway but I realize that Ball State was a bit worn down by then.

 

[Obliviax]

Just an aside, didn't want to start a new thread, former PSU recruiting target, ND recruit, BC transfer and starting QB is out for the season with hand injury: Phil Jurkovic.

 

[RickinDayton]

I like Smith and think he's going to be very good but I don't see the crazy athleticism we saw with Micah.

The issue with Smith is he often fails to wrap up. Too many times he tries to "shock tackle" if you understand what I mean. He throws himself at the runner or receiver but ften fails to wrap up on solo tackles. That won't work against AU back, "Tank" Bigsby.

 

[royboy]

PSU playing really solid football -- great punting, few penalties, creating turnovers and not making turnovers, players understanding their roles, developing depth.

Perhaps best of all -- so far preventing big plays by opposing offenses. Ball State is a decent team with a good playmaker in Justin Hall. Against PSU, he had 6 catches, but for just 35 yards. Wisconsin did not make big chunk plays either.

It's a pleasure NOT to see receivers running wide open in the PSU secondary. The two starting CBs TCF and Porter can cover, the Safeties are outstanding, and the nickel/slot defender Hardy is playing very well.

So far, very good recipe for success.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Good write up. Team looks solid in all aspects. Methinks the issue with Lee is that he is trying to hit a home run every play. Normal for a young guy that is a backup trying to impress the coaches for more playing time. Soon as he realizes he needs to be consistent he will get more carries. My only concern is that our backs haven’t shown they have great speed. No sudden acceleration when they see daylight. Perhaps they just haven’t gotten an open field to hit the after burners yet.

QB has been decent. No mistakes but a bit inaccurate. He will improve over time. Hopefully, the Auburn game will be a jump up. Not having been at a game, and with the tele showing tight shots, hard to know how the receivers are doing and if QB is seeing the field.

D has been great as others noted. Nothing to add.

As for the Auburn game......they will be fired up and crashing hard on defense. Good time to mix in some counter action, hit TEs on hot reads, play to their emotions.

 

[CbusLion10]

I’ll add that Devyn Ford looked a lot quicker than usual on his handful of reps. He doesn’t run with a lot of power, but he looked like a contributor. I’d like to see him run some routes out of the backfield on 2nd/3rd and long.

 

[CDLionFL]

The issue with Smith is he often fails to wrap up. Too many times he tries to "shock tackle" if you understand what I mean. He throws himself at the runner or receiver but ften fails to wrap up on solo tackles. That won't work against AU back, "Tank" Bigsby.

Good call. All those 'shock tackles' will cause are longer gains and potential targeting issues. A big wrap and drive backwards is just as impressive as lighting someone up.

 

[N&B4PSU]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

Watched the whole game (finally) and have little to add except that I'm pretty sure Lee is every bit as fast as Ford... making Ford almost an afterthought imo.

Someone mentioned that Lee came out after putting the ball on the carpet but I think Franklin showed Auburn all he needed to with those 4 hitters Lee produced. The "fumble" was the kind I can live with...he was carrying it fine but got hit at a weird angle. No loss.

The game sent Auburn a good idea of all the things we can do and the sense that we haven't cracked the full package yet. It will make prepping for us much more difficult.

Looking forward to getting the TE's more involved... we do that, i really like our chances.

It was a good win against a good football team (i expect #23 on Ball State has his sights set on sundays... really nice to watch him play).

This team is battle tested and seems to have a good sense of how much better they can be. There isn't one team on this schedule that they can't expect to compete with heads up.. meaning going to the shoe will not be as daunting as usual (although by the time we play I expect osu will have ironed out their issues). At this moment, we should be a 3 point dog at iowa and osu... we can win both without miracles.

 

[HazletonLion]

Good write up, that Wiscy game was really a hangover game.

Lots of different formations , splits, and pre start discipline.

What happend to Holmes ? Lovett?

 

[N&B4PSU]

Good write up, that Wiscy game was really a hangover game.

Lots of different formations , splits, and pre start discipline.

What happend to Holmes ? Lovett?

Thought I saw Lovett on special teams. If so, it suggests he's working his way out of the pooch palace. Hope he can get into the mix on saturday.

 

[BBrown]

Thought I saw Lovett on special teams. If so, it suggests he's working his way out of the pooch palace. Hope he can get into the mix on saturday.

I thought Lovett had a nagging type injury? Not sure what is up with Holmes, Ellis and Beamon.

 

[SR108]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited. After a couple of days, I realize the great thing about the game was "consistency". PSU played a very predictable and bland game. Ball St. was very concerned about giving up deep "explosion" plays so PSU took what was given. In that, we played a balanced game and got what you wanted to expect from just about every position.

Offense

• PSU was precise in the first half and simply drove the length of the field with sustained plays that moved the chains and then allowed us to get under center (where the paychecks are cashed).
• I see what CJF says about Cain and why he is the go to back. He just makes yardage and seems to squirt into little holes (down @BobPSU92 ) and make something out of nothing. He moves the chains and puts the offense into manageable situations. Contrast this with Lee who, I think has great talent, but is inconsistent. Many people don't know that the Detroit Lions were a better team the year after Barry Sanders suddenly retired. BS was one of the best that ever lived but after breaking off several miraculous runs, he'd get stuffed and the drive would stall. Cain is consistent, Lee is not. Oddly, Lee has only one yard less rushing with 12 less carries.
• The OL was a little disappointing, IMHO. While we made yardage, I didn't see the OL move anyone (again). And while Ball State is a pretty good team, they simply don't match up with PSU talent-wise.
• I did see some experimenting, I think. I saw the center move to guard and a new center inserted. Was someone banged up? Were they just trying new stuff? Disappointed at guard? This, I don't know.
• WRs continue to play well. Good solid, fundamentally well-played WR performance. After last year, all we could hope for. Dotson made a great move to get into the endzone on his TD. Washington tied Dotson for most receptions.
• TE performance was good and improving. I saw some missed blocks but saw some pancakes as well.
• SC ran the offense well. he didn't do anything to turn your head but that is SC. No turnovers and well managed. (BTW, I did see Lee put the ball on the ground and I am sure that contributed to his lack of use down the stretch in favor of ford). SC has been showing good pocket presence and seems to move to open areas smoothly when kids are covered and there is a rush.
• Roberson made a nice TD throw but his first series looked bad. Understandable. he does look like a good athlete but needs to feel comfortable is we need him against a good team. He clearly has a good arm and can run the ball.

Defense

• This may be the best defense of the CJF era. The second and third levels along with great play by "Hey" Arnold E is disruptive.
• it looks like we have a LOT of depth with the exception of DL but are building depth there as well.
• It also looks like we rested some guys, Brisker to name one.
• Great to see a defensive TD. First in, what, six years?
• I am not a fan of trash-talking. Number 9 seems to do a lot of that. He's going to draw a flag soon. But he and TCF are playing great corner.

Special Teams

• Stoud averaging 51 YP punt. awesome. KO's as strong as I've ever seen.
• 3 of 4 FGs with a long of 45 and 5/5 in PATs. Big improvement but not comfortable, yet.

Overall, a good solid game after a huge win and a huge upcoming game. Ball State is a good team by MAC standards. They are not Akron. Toledo gave ND fits. Ball St won the Western Conference, the MAC championship game and toasted San Jose State in a bowl game. They are not Wisconsin or Auburn but are a solid team. But PSU was able to tune up and improve a lot while resting some kids. I hear a lot of talk about formations, motions and innovation on offense. That we may see some interesting stuff against Auburn that we didn't want to use in the first game due to first-game jitters. Or the second game because we didn't want to show them. But we will see them Saturday night. I got a kick out of watching the Steelers Matt Canada plays off of the jet sweep. I know many don't like him but I thought his Pitt experience was exceptional and hard to defend. I'd love to see more off of the jet sweep with Dotson and others.

Lee is the better running back, not sure if he is the better all around back. Neither of them are explosive big play backs but Lee will get you 10 while Cain will get you 5 or six.

The offensive line is a disappointment so far, your right about not moving bodies off of the LOS. The good SEC teams are always very physical in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. this has me worried regarding Saturday night. Hard to tell if Auburn is a "good" SEC team considering who they have played.

After watching the game twice, I thought Clifford played a good game. He is actually reading defenses better and going through progressions better. His main problem is accuracy. We do not get a lot of YAC. He doesn't throw people open and his long balls are off target more often than not. However, he is not forcing things, and his running the ball is a threat that teams need to prepare for.

Our wide receivers are pretty solid, I would like to see the TE's used more in the passing game. Dotson is probably our only big play threat however, so get used to the "efficiency" style offense.

As long as we stay relatively injury free on D, we should be in every game because of our defense. We have a very good, bordering on great secondary, the linebackers are much improved, and the DLine is better than expected thanks to the transfers, but we have thin depth. Smith had a real good game Saturday.

 

[Obliviax]

Lee is the better running back, not sure if he is the better all around back. Neither of them are explosive big play backs but Lee will get you 10 while Cain will get you 5 or six.

The offensive line is a disappointment so far, your right about not moving bodies off of the LOS. The good SEC teams are always very physical in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. this has me worried regarding Saturday night. Hard to tell if Auburn is a "good" SEC team considering who they have played.

After watching the game twice, I thought Clifford played a good game. He is actually reading defenses better and going through progressions better. His main problem is accuracy. We do not get a lot of YAC. He doesn't throw people open and his long balls are off target more often than not. However, he is not forcing things, and his running the ball is a threat that teams need to prepare for.

Our wide receivers are pretty solid, I would like to see the TE's used more in the passing game. Dotson is probably our only big play threat however, so get used to the "efficiency" style offense.

As long as we stay relatively injury free on D, we should be in every game because of our defense. We have a very good, bordering on great secondary, the linebackers are much improved, and the DLine is better than expected thanks to the transfers, but we have thin depth. Smith had a real good game Saturday.

I agree with everything you said. A lot of YAC is hitting the receiver in stride. Too often they have to work to make a catch and then are in a position to be tackled right away. Having said that, SC runs the team well and they are performing under his tutelage. We have also been winning the turnover game.

 

[lionpride90]

The team's trajectory is good. The Ball St game was a boring win as it should have been. It did not require scheme adjustments. We protected the ball and made the plays we needed to. Going back to the end of last season, with wins against both Michigan teams, I like the way this is all shaping up. A win against Auburn would add to the momentum and confidence. 2021 could be a special year.

 

[africamurphy]

I came away, after the game, with a good feeling. But looking back, there was nothing special about this game to get me excited.

It's too early still to know what we have. Will Ball State be a 10-2 MAC team...or 7-5? If we beat a 10-2 MAC championship game participant by 31 scores with subs in most of the 4th quarter...that's a win worth getting excited about.

We'll know more very soon...Auburn this week...Indiana in 3 weeks.

But I have a feeling this was a very good win...probably on par with beating Maryland...and maybe even Michigan and Michigan State, depending on where those teams grow to this year.

 

[SLion]

Nice write up as usual. Hard to argue with any points. What I am realizing now, it that MY is replacing what was exciting vs what is successful. We would love to have a Journey Brown or Hamler where we get big 70 yard hit but putting Clifford under center with QB sneak or running Cain up gut for some YAC accomplishes the bigger picture..moving the chains. Let's face it - in our biggest losses we often relied too much on big plays and failed to do simple thing like get first downs when it mattered. How often did we throw silly long sideline pass (with zero chance of comp) on 1st or second down at critical times under previous OCs? It was frustrating to rely on big plays all the time. Cain almost popped a TD on first drive. Good blocking and last defender just tripped him. It was a good play by BSU but alot of open field ahead.

On D front, very little to complain aboout. Agree on Smith with smash tackle. It will cost him and us at some point. Grab the guy. I am liking Tangelo's development. He is very strong and can get into backfield in a hurry. He nearly sacked UC on their first drive.

 

[Obliviax]

It's too early still to know what we have. Will Ball State be a 10-2 MAC team...or 7-5? If we beat a 10-2 MAC championship game participant by 31 scores with subs in most of the 4th quarter...that's a win worth getting excited about.

We'll know more very soon...Auburn this week...Indiana in 3 weeks.

But I have a feeling this was a very good win...probably on par with beating Maryland...and maybe even Michigan and Michigan State, depending on where those teams grow to this year.

Agreed...but don't look now but Sparty is looking GOOD as is MD.

 

[N&B4PSU]

I thought Lovett had a nagging type injury? Not sure what is up with Holmes, Ellis and Beamon.

I saw #23... it might have been the other guy wearing #23. They don't wear names lol.

 

[RickinDayton]

Agreed...but don't look now but Sparty is looking GOOD as is MD.

I think you're right. B1G East is going to difficult this year. MSU, UM, MD & "Rutgres" all look improved. Does "Indinia" bounce back against Cincinnati?

 

[Obliviax]

I think you're right. B1G East is going to difficult this year. MSU, UM, MD & "Rutgres" all look improved. Does "Indinia" bounce back against Cincinnati?

I am not so sure about UM....they have great talent but haven't played anyone yet. Washington gave them a game and they are really bad this year. (lost to Montana and UM). But aside from Illinois, the schedule is brutal. I agree, a key game is indy vs Cincy. Indy imploaded against Iowa.

When you add our East schedule to @Iowa, @ Wisconsin and vs Auburn that is rough.