About the All-Big Ten Honors

You see this guy?



His name is Denard Robinson, as I'm sure you are all well aware of. He was one of the most dynamic, electric players in college football this year, becoming the first quarterback in NCAA history to run and throw for more than 1,500 yards in one season. He led the Big Ten with 136.9 rushing yards per game, good for 4th in the nation, shattered Antwaan Randle El's previous rushing record by a Big Ten quarterback of 1,270 by finishing with 1,643 yards. He was in the top 20 in the country with a pass efficiency rating of 152.9, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,316 yard. And he scored 30 total touchdowns, running for 14 and passes for another 16. Rightfully, Denard Robinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

That's not the news here. No, the news is that despite being by far the best offensive player in the conference and one of the most terrorizing quarterbacks in the nation, despite being named the Offensive Player of the Year, Denard Robinson was somehow not named the First or Second Team All-Conference QB. What? How is that even possible? How can you be the best offensive player in the conference, and play quarterback, but not be the best quarterback in the conference? It makes no sense. None at all. But take a look at the All-Conference First and Second Teams. Denard Robinson, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, is nowhere to be found. Northwestern's Dan Persa was named the first team QB, with Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien as the second team signal caller.

Don't get me wrong, Persa had a great year for the Wildcats, and Tolzien helped lead the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title, but there isn't a chance in hell anyone in the Big Ten would rather have either one of those guys as their quarterback over Denard Robinson. Denard should have been named first team QB, with Persa as second team. No question about it. It doesn't make a lick of sense that the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year only gets Honorable Mention on the All-Conference team, especially when he was far and away the most dangerous quarterback in the conference.





I really need someone to explain this to me. Then again, I could use an explanation on the Penn Staters that were named to the team.

For starters, I have a really, really hard time believing that Stefen Wisniewski was one of the two best guards in the Big Ten this season.



Two years ago, sure. He was awesome as a sophomore. He really was. Then last season he moved to center out of necessity and struggled early on, becoming adequate as the year progressed. This year, back at guard from the very beginning, he was as much a part of the problems Penn State had on its offensive line as anyone. He was missing blocks, slow on pulling, overall struggling like the rest of the line. Yes, he stabilized as the season wore on, and he's by no means a terrible player, but if Stefen Wisniewski was named Stefen Jones, there's no way in hell he'd be named First Team All-Big Ten. None. He's just not at that level. He had some truly horrid games this season, some really good ones, but lacked the consistency needed, in my opinion, to make first team. Honestly, I would have him at Honorable Mention at best. Because his last name invokes memories of his All-Pro uncle, he gets more praise than he deserves. Like I said, I don't think Wisniewski is a bad player, but I do think he's perhaps the most overrated Penn State offensive lineman of my lifetime.

As for the Penn Staters named to the second team, with all due respect to Evan Royster and Ollie Ogbu, I don't think either player deserved it. Royster had such a slow start to his season that it's hard for me to take him making the all-conference team seriously. I guess it's more of a lifetime achievement award, being so tremendous for four seasons and becoming the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history. I don't have a huge problem with Royster being named to the second team, because he did get stronger as the year wore on and showed he could still have a huge impact, but his whole year was fairly underwhelming.

As for Ogbu, I just don't think he consistently made enough of an impact to warrant selection, though that may not have been his fault. Ogbu was definitely Penn State's best defensive tackle, and he received very little help from his linemates all season. Devon Still had some good games, but didn't have a season to write home about. Jack Crawford was MIA. Ditto any other defensive end not named Pete Massaro. So Ogbu was left to do it by his lonesome much of the time, and was forced to play a lot of snaps. I like the guy and think he's a great player. I was just surprised he was named to the second team.

The funny thing to me is that while Wisniewski was named first team and Royster named second team, Penn State's best and most consistent offensive player all year didn't make the cut. That would be Derek Moye, who had an absolutely tremendous season as the Nittany Lions' leading receiver, finishing among the Big Ten leaders in receiving yards, yards per catch and touchdowns.



If any Penn Stater deserved to be named to the All-Big Ten team, it was Moye. It's a shame the voters didn't feel the same way. Second team seems much more appropriate for Moye than Honorable Mention. Though I will admit, it would be tough to remove the four receivers selected: Tandon Doss of Indiana, Dane Sanzenbacher of Ohio State, and Marvn McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos of Iowa.

Also, Quinn Barham and Chris Colasanti don't deserve to be anywhere near honorable mention. D'Anton Lynn, who also was named, certainly belongs there.

As for the other big winners, Mark Dantonio was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and you will hear no arguments from me there. No one expected Michigan State to contend with Ohio State and Wisconsin, yet here they are as co-Big Ten Champs with those two schools.

Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year because he was the Big Ten's best defensive player, much like Jared Odrick was last season. And Wisconsin had the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Gabe Carimi, who is the biggest beast on that beastly Wisconsin o-line, and the Freshman of the Year in running back James White, who was tremendous spelling John Clay. Can't argue with any of those either.

Interestingly, Terrelle Pryor, the man Ohio State fans keep touting as a Heisman candidate before every season despite never really putting up Heisman numbers, was also left off of the first and second teams, joining list of honorable mentions.

400 Wins and Why I No Longer Enjoy the NFL

On Saturday afternoon, I watched Penn State come storming back from a 21-0 deficit to defeat Northwestern 35-21 and give legendary head coach Joe Paterno his 400th career victory.



It was one of the most entertaining games I've ever witnessed — an incredible comeback with hard hitting and huge momentum swings. There wasn't a single flag thrown for an illegal hit to the head, and it was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever watched.

Then on Sunday, I went to the Eagles-Colts game at Lincoln Financial Field, witnessing the Eagles finally defeating Peyton Manning in a 26-24 thriller. Yet it was one of the least enjoyable viewing experiences of my entire life, and it was 100 percent due to the referees wielding entirely too much power on the outcome of the game — most notably two personal foul penalties on the Eagles, one for hitting a defenseless receiver that actually was in the process of catching the ball and the other for Trent Cole grazing Peyton Manning on the back of his helmet.



Both plays led to Colts touchdowns, and one extended a crucial late-game drive on 4th and 18 on a play that would have pretty much iced the game. It was completely and utterly disgusting, the exact reason I am really beginning to hate the NFL.

Now listen, I completely understand the concern over head injuries and the NFL's desire to protect its players, but enough is enough. The absurdity of penalties and fines is reaching all new levels of insanity. Essentially, defensive players aren't allowed to do anything. On the Austin Collie play, Quintin Mikell cleanly hit Collie shoulder to shoulder, never once lowering his head or even hitting Collie with his helmet. Kurt Coleman also did not lead with his head, did not launch himself and went in shoulder first. Unfortunately, due to the impact of Mikell's hit, Collie's head collided with Coleman's head. Collie had the ball on a big gain. Mikell and Coleman simply made a play and knocked the ball loose. It was deemed a penalty because Collie's head dropped and hit into Coleman's. It was a truly horrific call. Both hits were clean, and even the NFL said so, not fining or suspending Coleman for the helmet-to-helmet contact because he didn't initiate it. But still, it was called a penalty, and the Colts scored shortly thereafter.

Then, with the game on the line, the Colts faced a 4th-and-18 with 3:36 remaining and the Eagles holding a 9-point lead. Trent Cole came flying in, slapped toward the ball in Manning's hand, grazed the back of his god damn helmet, then stripped the ball and the game was pretty much over. Except it wasn't, because grazing even the back of a quarterback's head is a penalty in the NFL. Instead of the Eagles having the ball and the game essentially over, the Colts got a first down and wound up scoring a touchdown to make it a 2-point game. I'm sorry, but the referees just shouldn't make that call, not with the game on the line and a 4th and 18 staring the Colts in the face and Cole literally doing nothing more than grazing the back of Peyton's head. But that's the NFL we live in. And it's absolutely disgusting. Defense is completely outlawed these days, and it's making me sick to my stomach. If you're not allowed to hit a receiver that is in the process of catching a pass and not allowed to even touch a quarterback pretty much anywhere, you might as well take off the pads, give everyone flags and change the name of the league to the NFFL — National Flag Football League.



How is it that Saturday after Saturday I can watch college football game after college football game and rarely see these penalties called, yet each and every Sunday, I'm forced to watch yet another penalty called on a clean play? I don't watch football to see yellow flags and men in zebra stripes. I watch football to see big plays, big hits and the best athletes in the world. Anymore, I can't do that watching the NFL. The referees determine too much of what goes on these days. And it's completely ruining my viewing experience. Maybe the NFL should take a long, hard look at what college football is doing, how the NCAA referees generally try to let the players decide the game, and take notes. Because these days, Saturdays are way more enjoyable than Sundays.

Not that I was altogether enjoying myself early on on Saturday. Penn State fell behind Northwestern 21-0 in the first half, and it could have been worst. The Wildcats missed a field goal that would have made it 24-0. The NIttany Lions looked lifeless. The offense was stagnant, moving the ball but then stalling, and the defense was getting eaten alive by Dan Persa. Robert Bolden played the first two series, decently moving the offense but then failing to get any points. Matt McGloin then came in to relieve him and didn't fare any better. This game had blowout written all over it, and after three unsuccessful drives with McGloin at the helm, I was calling for Bolden the rest of the way.



Good thing I'm not the coach. Because despite my protests, Matt McGloin trotted back out there for his fourth series with Penn State trailing 21-0. There were just 50 seconds remaining in the half, the Nittany Lions sat at their own 9-yard line, and they had just one timeout. It looked like they were going to go into halftime with no points and down three touchdowns, and I was already telling my dad that the score would be 35-3 before the third quarter even reached the halfway point. I mean, Northwestern wasn't just dominating, they were doing it in spectacular fashion as well.



Then something crazy happened. With the offensive line suddenly looking the way you expect a Penn State offensive line to look, Evan Royster picked up 7 yards on first down. Then McGloin hit Derek Moye for 9 more, and Evan Royster for another 7 yards after an incomplete pass. There were 35 seconds remaining as Penn State faced a 3rd and 3 at their own 32. They went with a draw play, content to get this thing to halftime if it was sniffed out, but hoping to bust one. That's exactly what happened, as Stephfon Green exploded for 21 yards. Then McGloin hit Graham Zug for a 20 yards, and Joe Suhey for 20 more. All the sudden Penn State was at the Northwestern 7 with 8 seconds remaining. Then bam, McGloin connects with Brett Brackett on an incredible catch by the senior wideout, and all the sudden a game that was a 21-0 rout that felt like 50-0 became a two-touchdown game. Just like that.



At first, I didn't think there was any way Brackett actually got his foot down. But he did. Incredibly. And Penn went into the locker room with life. That can be a scary thing at Beaver Stadium, especially with an electric atmosphere anticipating Joe Paterno's milestone 400th win. And it proved to be the drive that changed the game.

Clearly confident, Penn State came out in the 3rd quarter as a completely different team. The move to McGloin sparked something, and whatever the coaches said and did at halftime worked to perfection. The Nittany Lions completely flipped the script, taking command of the game. They scored touchdowns on all three possessions in the 3rd to take the lead and never looked back. The defense was flying around the field, showing the tenacity that has been the staple of so many Penn State defenses before, something that has been sorely missing this year. And the offense just exploded. Including the final drive of the first half, Penn State scored on five straight possessions, and each score was a touchdown.

The offensive line played by far its best game of the season, completely blowing Northwestern off the ball and opening huge holes for Evan Royster and Silas Redd. And the senior-freshman duo took full advantage. Royster finished with 134 yards on 25 carries, and scored a touchdown on a 13-yard catch. Redd added 131 yards on the ground himself on just 11 carries — an absurd 11.9 average — including a 4-yard touchdown run, and displayed the incredible talent and skill that have many people projecting him as the next great Penn State tailback. Derek Moye continued to pace the Lions in the receiving game, hauling in 5 catches for 85 yards and a score. Joe Suhey added six catches for 67 yards, and Nate Cadogan — offensive lineman turned tight end out of necessity — caught a 3-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the third quarter to make it a one-score game.

As good as all those players were, and as dominant as the offensive line was, the biggest spark that turned the game around was the commitment to stick with McGloin. I don't want to take anything away from Robert Bolden. I like him, and I think he does have a bright future. But there's just something different about this team when McGloin is under center. He's fiery, intense, whereas Bolden is stoic, quiet, emotionless. Maybe it's the fact that McGloin is a little older and been in the program a little longer, but the kid is very clearly a leader. He doesn't have the arm strength, the speed, the raw talent of Bolden, but he has something perhaps even more important in college football. He has command and the respect of his teammates. He is a leader.



And on Saturday, he led Penn State back from a 21-point deficit to get win No. 400 for Paterno by completing 18 of 29 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns. No one knows what the future has in store for Bolden and McGloin, but it's clear that right now, McGloin is the best option for the Nittany Lions at quarterback. He will most certainly be the starter the rest of the way.

It wasn't all offense that turned the tides in this game either. After getting embarrassed in the first half, the Penn State defense came out as a completely different group in the 2nd. They absolutely smothered Northwestern and adjusted to the tremendous play of Dan Persa. Sean Stanley made some huge plays, and everyone really picked it up. But there was one player more than any other that stood out.



Two season ago, Mike Mauti was a promising young linebacker expected to be the next great one at Linebacker U. Then he missed last season to an ACL injury, and for a lot this year has struggled to regain his top speed. Well on Saturday, that speed returned. Mauti was a monster in the second half, flying all over the field and disrupting play after play. It was easily his most impressive game of the season, and perhaps the best game of his college career. Without him, there's no telling how the game would have went. The Wildcats were scoring so easily in the first half that it was almost comical. Mauti clearly wasn't laughing, and he decided to change things in the second half.

It was a performance worthy of Linebacker U lore, and it can only be a good sign for Mauti moving forward. Next year, I expect him to be fully recovered and contending for a spot on the All-Big Ten team.

The best part of the entire victory was the way it played out. Down 21-0 in the game and struggling for a good part of the year, it would have been easy for Penn State to just roll over and die. But these players couldn't do that, not with Joe Paterno on the sidelines and on the verge of a milestone. You can say what you want about Paterno's age, his diminished role, the game passing him by. But you can't deny that his players truly love him and truly want to win for him. That's what happened on Saturday night. They knew they couldn't let Coach Paterno down, and they didn't. It was his 400th win, and it couldn't have come in better fashion.





"Let's go beat Ohio State!"

That was fun, and more often than not in my lifetime, being a Penn State fan has be fun. And that's all been due to Joe Paterno and the program, the atmosphere, the community he's built at Penn State. He won't be with us forever. He has far fewer years ahead of him than he has behind him. But as long he's living and breathing and healthy enough to be on those sidelines, he should be, no matter what anyone else says. We are Penn State because Joe Paterno is Penn State. Saturday was proof of that. I hope he lives forever. I really do.

As much as I enjoyed the tremendous victory for Penn State, I couldn't find myself sharing those same feelings on Sunday. Sure, things started out great. We got down to the Linc nice and early, had a great tailgate that included an odd yet incredible combination of a flask of whiskey and a Jewish pickle, and the Eagles even jumped out to a 13-0 lead. But settling for field goals followed by the worst officiated NFL game I've ever been at soured my experience, even with the Eagles holding on for a 26-24 win to defeat Peyton Manning for the first time in history, culminated to put a damper on the game.

Michael Vick was outstanding yet again, throwing for 218 yards and a score on 17 of 29 passing, and adding 74 yards on the ground including a huge 32-yarder and a score. The Eagles remain perfect in games Vick has started and finished, and the man has still not turned the ball over.



DeSean Jackson returned in style, repeatedly burning the Colts' secondary, hauling in 7 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. LeSean McCoy continued his impressive season, gaining 95 yards on 16 carries, including a 62-yarder. And the offense generally moved the ball at will, even with a lack of running plays called at times and the early struggles in the red zone.

Defensively, the Eagles were equally impressive. Yes, they gave up 24 points, but two of those touchdowns were hugely aided by the aforementioned horrendous calls. Dmitri Patterson played admirably in his first career start, and Kurt Coleman was impressive in relief of the injured Nate Allen. And Asante Samuel made the two biggest plays on gifts from Peyton, intercepting Manning twice, on the first and last drives of the night for the Colts. His first led to a David Akers field goal to put the Eagles up 10-0, and his second came on the final pass of the night by Manning, sealing the victory.

As great as it was to see all the playmakers doing what's expected, and as awesome as it was to see Mike Vick outplay Manning, I was really aggravated the entire game. The Colts were gift-wrapped two touchdowns thanks to those two personal foul penalties, and neither penalty was so egregious that it warranted a call. Yes, Collie got injured on one, but the hits were neither illegal or unnecessary. When the flag came out on that play, I lost my god damn mind and officially declared my hatred for the NFL. I still love football and wouldn't dare miss a Birds game, but I really don't and can't enjoy it anymore. I'm a defensive-minded guy. My favorite players have always been big hitters and big-play defenders. Now those guys are no longer allowed to do their jobs, and it makes me sick. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I didn't truly enjoy being at the stadium for an Eagles win. I was happy they won, don't get me wrong. But I was just so disgusted by the officiating that I almost wish I hadn't been there.

Football is contact sport. People are going to get hurt. It sucks when it happens, but it's part of the game. Always has been. Always will be. All the fines and rule changes in the world won't change that. All they'll do is continue to ruin my and so many other fans' enjoyment of the game we love so much. Shame on you, Roger Goodell and the NFL. Shame on you.

Good Things Come in Threes

They say that good things come in threes, and that was certainly the case this weekend for the Flyers and Penn State.



The Flyers had the number 3 all over the place. They scored three goals against the Penguins on Friday night to win 3-2. They then exploded for six goals on Saturday (3 x 2 = 6) to extend their winning streak to three games. And between the two weekend victories, the Flyers had three players score two goals in a game.

On Friday, it was Claude Giroux stealing the show, scoring yet another shorthanded goal — his third shorty of the season, by the way — on a beautiful pass by Mike Richards, then later scored the eventual game-winner on the power play by ramming home a loose puck in front of the net, his third game-winner of the year.





They were Giroux's 5th and 6th goals of the season, tying him for the team lead with Danny Briere. He also now leads the team with 11 points, and those three game-winners also are the most on the Flyers. He's certainly looking like he'll make good on my proclamation that Claude Giroux will be an all-star.

The victory on Friday was an important one on several levels. For starters, it was the first time all season the Flyers managed to win back-to-back games. That's an encouraging sign. Secondly, it was already the second time the Flyers have defeated the Penguins this season, taking a 2-1 season series lead. That looms large for how much this team has grown, winning two of three already against a team that has in recent memory tormented the Flyers. And lastly, it was yet another good outing by Sergei Bobrovsky, especially encouraging following a bit of a slump in his play after his tremendous start. Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 28 shots, proving to be early kryptonite for the Pens.

When you add to that Dan Carillo's beautiful redirection goal assisted by Matt Carle and Blair Betts, not to mention that Carcillo has been thriving once again on the fourth line and even managed to stay out of the penalty box against Pittsburgh, it was an all-around excellent win.

Of course, we all know that Carcillo is what he is, going back to his familiar role as agitator and oft-penalized player in Saturday's 6-1 victory, piling up 22 penalty minutes courtesy of two fights, a cross-check and a game misconduct in a game that got pretty ugly.







Truth of the matter is, Carcillo was actually doing his job in this one. When the Flyers went up big, the Islanders really lost their cool and started taking some dangerous runs at the Flyers. Trent Hunter had one particularly dangerous hit against Andrej Meszaros, a hit that injured the big defenseman. The hit was unnecessary and illegal, drawing a five-minute major. From there, things just got worse, and Carcillo and the rest of his teammates made it a point to protect their own.

The game got out of control because, well, the Flyers dominated. Bobrovsky was a rock in the net, stopping 30 of 31 shots. Meanwhile, Rick DiPietro was a sieve, surrendering six goals and somehow not getting pulled. Jeff Carter scored twice. Ditto Chris Pronger. And Kimmo Timonen had a great all-around game, opening the scoring with his first goal of the season, adding two assists — good for three points — blocking countless shots and finishing a plus-2 for the game. Andreas Nodl scored the other goal on a great hustle play by James van Riemsdyk to flag down a very nice pass by Carter; then JVR put a perfect pass to Nodl, who buried it. The helper by Carter gave him three points on the night as well.



The only negative was the injury to Meszaros. He's listed as day-to-day, and it doesn't sound too serious, so that's good.

You know what else was good? Penn State. Like, really good, at least offensively.

On Friday, I said I thought Penn State would be in for a long night, yet held out a little hope:

"I hope Michigan's terrible defense allows Penn State's running game to take the burden off McGloin, letting the inexperienced QB to get more comfortable …"

I never thought that would actually happen. But it did. In fact, that's exactly what happened in Penn State's 41-31 victory over Michigan in Happy Valley Saturday night. And it was Penn State's third straight win against the Wolverines. Stunning.

Right from the get-go, Penn State marched down the field 71 yards behind a rejuvenated Evan Royster and an unrecognizable offensive line. Clearly motivated by breaking the Penn State school rushing record, Royster looked like his old self, the one that was so effective the past few years. He didn't look slow or plodding or indecisive. He looked quick in hole, intelligent and aggressive. And he was the biggest difference in the game.

The way this season was going, it looked as though Royster was going to limp to the all-time record. Instead, he exploded through it on Saturday night, putting up by far his best performance of the season with 150 yards and two scores, breaking the record on a 20-plus-yard run.



Royster had nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns by halftime, and the Nittany Lions led 28-10. The only moment the game looked to be in doubt was when Denard Robinson responded to Penn State's opening drive with a 32-yard touchdown run. After that, it was all Penn State. Yes, Michigan did hang around and keep it close, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Royster and the offensive line were having their way with Michigan's horrid defense, and that, in turn, gave McGloin all the comfort he would need. The former walk-on looked infinitely better than he did a week before — partly due to his increased reps during the week as the starter, but mostly due to the effectiveness of the run game. McGloin was 17-28 passing, throwing for a touchdown to Graham Zug (who actually didn't drop the ball for once) and running for another TD on a QB sneak. And most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over. He spread the ball around, connecting with eight different receivers, and his ability to play under control kept the Penn State offense balanced.

Defensively, well, the Nittany Lions did still give up 31 points, and Denard Robinson predictably ran all over Penn State for 191 yards and three touchdowns, but the defense played good enough. They got several key stops in the first half, allowing the offense to get out to that 28-10 lead, and they limited Robinson, who had been completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, to just 11-23 throwing the ball for just 190 yards. It wasn't the best defense in the world, but it was a huge improvement and certainly good enough for the victory.

It was an all-around tremendous effort by Penn State, especially in the first half. Great to see Evan Royster look like a real football player again, and congrats to him. He's earned it. The win was Joe Paterno's 399th, placing him now just one win away from 400.



And as always, fuck michigan.

An Ugly-Looking Win

My weekend started off on the wrong foot. I got stuck late at work, on a Friday, causing me to miss the first two innings of my softball game. And I was only the 9th guy to show up, meaning we were playing down two guys, and now still were down one and had to surrender an out every time the 10th spot came up. Needless to say, we lost. I was pissed from being caught at work, pissed for being late and pissed at losing.

Then I had to get up all sorts of early on Saturday to drive out to State College with my dad and watch that sorry excuse for a football game that was Temple vs. Penn State.





My dad and I stopped at Wawa on the way up, got some grub and headed out west. Things were going great until we got near that stupid merge to one lane getting toward Boalsburg. Sweet christ do I hate merge points. Still, we make it through with plenty of time to spare, make a pit stop to pee and grab some beer, then try to locate some prime parking spots. Sadly, Eisenhower is full. So is my secret lot off-campus that apparently is no longer a secret. So finally, my dad gives up and heads toward the "football parking." When we get there, way back behind the track, it costs 40 god damn dollars to park, at least a half mile away from the stadium. I don't want to say my alma mater is screwing people with this outrageous price, but that's exactly what those bastards are doing.



Forty dollars? Get the fuck out of here. I will never park in those lots without a pass. Ever. My dad's a sucker.

Anyway, we doled out the cash, ate our hoagies and then went to meet up with my aunt and uncle, who were tailgating with my cousin. We exchanged pleasantries, relaxed for a little, and then I ventured inside. This was the first game I've attended since giving up my season tickets, so it was the first time I've taken in a Penn State game in somewhere other than section WBU in more than two years. And I gotta tell you, it was great. I sat in section WJU, which is on the same sideline as my former season tickets, but at the opposite end zone. The vantage point was basically the same, just from the other end of the field. But what made this so much more enjoyable was the fact that there was no Brokeback assholes starving for attention and begging people to acknowledge them. Far from it.



The people in section WJU were great. I was surrounded by knowledgeable fans, none of whom were there to get on the big screen or to make people notice them. No, all of these people were there for one reason and one reason only: to watch the game. And I found myself agreeing with most of what the people around me were saying, especially the guy in front of me. Really, really great section. I forgot what it's like to go to a Penn State game and have good people around you. It was awesome. What wasn't awesome was this shitty game.

Now, there was a lot of talk about how this was finally the year Temple had a real shot to take down Penn State. Having watched both teams a good amount over the past two years, I had my doubts. Sure, Temple has two extremely talented running backs, and yes, the Owls' defense is very good. But their quarterback, Chester Stewart, is awful, and even Penn State in transition is still Penn State. I knew Temple would give the Nittany Lions a game, but I expected Penn State to be in control the entire way and win by something like 10 to 14 points.

Well, if you look at the numbers and the numbers alone, that's what you would think happened because Penn State dominated in a 22-13 nail-biter:

Penn State outgained Temple 439 yards to 202 yards.

Evan Royster rushed for 187 yards on 24 carries.

Robert Bolden completed 18-of-28 passes for 223 yards with no interceptions.

Temple quarterback Chester Stewart completed 8-of-19 passes for 46 yards and 3 INT.

Penn State had 20 first downs to Temple's 8.

Penn State forced four turnovers and only gave up the ball once.

Penn State ran 74 offensive plays to Temple's 51

On top of that, Penn State finally freed Justin Brown somewhat, as the immensely talented sophomore led all receivers with 84 yards, averaging 21 yards a catch. Of course, he should have gotten the ball more than four times, but at least they threw to him enough to post some good yardage.

With all that said, you wouldn't expect the game to be as close as this one was. But after taking the opening drive and putting up a field goal, Penn State started a long, painful march of shooting themselves in the foot. Evan Royster, who started the game with a 50-yard run to help set up the field goal, fumbled on the first play of the second possesion, giving Temple the ball at Penn State's 28. Two plays later, Bernard Pierce was waltzing into the end zone to give the Owls a 7-3 lead. After following that up with a field goal to answer, Temple marched 75 yards in six plays, again capped by another Pierce touchdown, to give Temple a surprising 13-7 lead (North Penn's own Brandon McManus missed the extra point).

The offense was stagnant and predictable. Penn State hardly threw on first down, Temple would sell out on the run and the Nittany Lions would be facing a second and long time and time again. Then, once they moved down toward the red zone, they'd go into a shell, taking no shots and doing no damage. The one time they actually let Robert Bolden take a shot downfield, he hit Justin Brown for a 33-yard gain on a beautiful pump fake-double move. It was literally the only time in the first half the team took a shot down field, despite the fact they have the 6'5 Derek Moye, a player who has proven to be a good deep threat, and Brown, a star in the making if they ever decide to unleash the kid.

Defensively, the defensive ends and outside linebackers were doing a terrible job of keeping contain, allowing Pierce and Matt Brown to get the corner time and time again. Jack Crawford, despite all the talent in the world, looks like he still has absolutely no idea how to play football. He was the biggest culprit of the day on not keeping contain, getting sucked in on damn near every snap. Bani Gbadyu is a fast guy who tries to play football. He's not a football player who just so happens to be fast. He's like the Samuel Dalembert of Penn State football — very talented and looks the part, but really has no understanding of the game. After that pathetic showing and four games of doing absolutely nothing, I think it's officially time to limit the playing time of Gbadyu and Chris Colasanti, another player who hasn't done dick since the first game of the season. Give that playing time to Khairi Fortt, and let him roam free with Nate Stupar and Mike Mauti.



Things just weren't going very well. It looked like the Lions were sleepwalking through the game. Then, Temple pinned Penn State all the back at their own 1, and things looked like they were going to go from bad to worse. That's when Penn State actually woke up a little. Joe Suhey and Evan Royster gave Bolden some breathing room, then he hit Justin Brown on consecutive plays for gains of 12 and 33 yards. Then he hit Brett Bracket to get down to Temple's 29, and it looked as though the Nittany Lions were finally in business. But then a sack, a predictable run that went nowhere and a short pass later, Penn State had to settle for yet another field goal, making it 13-9. Something was just off on offense.

Luckily, the defense picked it up. Nick Sukay, who I absolutely murdered after the Alabama game, made a great read to intercept Stewart. Sukay made another awesome interception later in the game, and in all honesty, the guy played one heck of a game. Gotta give him credit where credit's due. As a result of the pick, Penn State got the ball at Temple's 45 with 3:22 remaining in the half. Riding Evan Royster, who was having his best game of the season (fumble excluded) in the first half, Penn State got a first down and then faced a 3rd-and-2 at Temple's 26 with 1:14 to go. Bolden, trying to pick it up himself, got stuffed after picking up just 1.

Now it was decision time, though in my opinion it was no decision at all. Even as the stadium implored Joe to go for it, I knew better than that. Collin Wagner had already hit three field goals in the game, had looked good all season, and Penn State was struggling to get points. Kick the field goal, make it a one-point game and regroup at halftime. It was a no-brainer. I turned to my dad and said, "I'd kick it," adding, "What has Penn State done so far that made anyone believe they could score a touchdown and not screw this up?" Yet Paterno and Galen Hall decided to go for it, got stuffed on fourth down and went into the half trailing 13-9. It made no sense. None at all. And I was pretty pissed about it.

Just like I was pissed that Penn State stopped taking shots down the field, and growing even more pissed that they weren't going to Justin Brown, who had gained 45 yards the two times they actually did get him the ball.

I'd be lying if I said the second half was much better offensively. It wasn't. Not until a 4th-quarter touchdown drive that came basically with Penn State finally doing everything I said they should have been doing all along, though to be fair to the coaches and the skill players, this offensive line really does suck, especially at run blocking.

Thankfully, the defense shook off the cobwebs from the first quarter, played much better in the second quarter and then pretty much dominated in the second half, shutting out Temple from there on out and forcing two turnovers (three total). The defensive ends and linebackers played much more disciplined and stayed in their lanes, Bernard Pierce hurt his ankle for the thousandth time since stepping foot on campus at North Broad, and the Cherry and White had nowhere to go. Nate Stupar and Mike Mauti were flying all over the field making plays, including some impressive tackles by Mauti and a big interception by Stupar that set up another field goal by Wagner.



Sophomore end Pete Massaro decided to distinguish himself from the very subpar play thus far by the defensive ends, flying off the ball to make several great plays in the backfield, record a couple sacks and almost kill Chester Stewart on the final play of the game. He most definitely earned himself a starting spot this weekend out in Iowa, supplanting either the disappointing Crawford or even more disappointed Eric Latimore.

The Nittany Lions did take care of business, taking the lead right before Stupar's pick on another Wagner field goal, and adding to it with Wagner's fifth field goal of the game. Then the game was finally iced with a 12-play, 96-yard beauty of a drive in the fourth quarter in which the coaches finally let Bolden open things up a little bit. On consecutive plays, including a first down!, Bolden hit Graham Zug for 19 yards and Brown for 12 yards. Then he hit Justin Brown again for 27 yards to get down near the end zone. If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times, Free Justin Brown!



From there, wanting to milk the clock and get in the end zone, Penn State put the ball in Evan Royster's hands, picking up 17 yards. With the defense softened up and Royster acting as a decoy, fullback Mike Zordich picked up 11 of the final 15 yards including the final one, scoring the only touchdown of the game for Penn State and putting the game away.

My dad likes to say there's no such thing as an ugly win, only an ugly loss, and in many respects that's true. But I said to him, that may not have been an ugly win, but it sure as hell was an ugly-looking win. At times, Robert Bolden looked very much like a freshman, badly overthrowing receivers and missing open guys. Other times, the playcalling was so vanilla, especially given the number of weapons this offense has. And the offensive line is still a work in progress, even more so with right tackle Lou Eliades tearing his ACL.

Still, Royster had by far his best game, looking like his old self in racking up 187 yards on the ground. Justin Brown displayed the talent I've been saying all along he has, pretty demanding that Penn State look his way more often. And they took care of the football, especially Bolden — who also showed tremendous poise in a 15-13 game to march Penn State 96 yards and put it away — which is always a good thing.

Defensively, there is work to do there too. The defensive line generated very little pressure on their own, and the ends are a mess with the exception of Massaro. Ollie Ogbu and Devon Still are very good inside, but neither one will ever be mistaken for Jared Odrick. At the linebacker spot, Chris Colasanti and Bani Gbadyu just aren't getting it done. If it were up to me, Mauti, Stupar and Fortt, who has really looked good in limited action, should be the unquestioned starters and get the bulk of playing time. In the secondary, I love everything about the corners, with Lynn, Morris and Thomas blanketing everyone (Lynn's one time getting burnt, though not costing the team due to Stewart's incredibly far overthrow, notwithstanding), but the safeties still worry me. Sukay had a really good game Saturday, but he has to prove he can do that regularly. Drew Astorino sometimes looks really good, other times looks completely awful. In fact, Andrew Dailey started for him, and Dailey isn't really the answer either.

But again, there are positives. The defense has talent, and they shut out Temple after the first quarter one week after pitching a shut out for an entire game, showing they've put the Alabama debacle behind them.

I'd be lying, however, if I said I feel good about going into Iowa for a prime time game on Saturday. I fully expect the Hawkeyes to handle Penn State. I hope I'm wrong. I really do. Lord knows we owe them.



Also, there were reports that Shawney Kersey, one of the 6 Penn State players I told you to watch in 2010, stopped showing up to practice and may transfer. I made it a point to look for him during warmups on Saturday, and he was nowhere to be found with the wide receivers during the pregame drills.



Well, he's back at practice and hopefully he's sticking around, because the potential of the redshirt freshman joining forces with Justin Brown down the road is something awesome to consider.

Way Too Much to Drink Links

In the past year, I've aged rapidly. My first 25 years on this earth, I felt like a young man (or child). But over the past year, at age 26, I'm beginning to feel old. Every time I do anything, I seem to get hurt. I'm no longer sore for hours or even days, but weeks. My body is breaking down. Or maybe it just hates me. Probably both.

On Friday night, I went to a bar that my buddy works at, met Toonces there. Our friend proceeded to feed us drink after drink after drink — shots of Jameson, beer following beer, all with 5% alcohol content or more — and we didn't even have to pay a dime.



I got completely plastered … and still wasn't done. Another friend of ours informed me he was at the bar right down the street from my house, so we headed back toward my home, joined him and poured down more shots and beers. I was all sorts of drunk. And tired. When I awoke on Saturday, I felt dehydrated, extremely worn out and wanting nothing more than to sleep.

But I couldn't, because I was on my way to Brooklyn with silver fox to start the process all over again, up in NYC at my sister's block party. So it began again, after a less-than-two-hour drive turned into a 3-plus hour nightmare trip, the nonstop drinking. I can't remember being without a beer in my hand from the moment we stepped out of my car until the moment I stumbled back inside and fell asleep. A bottle of Johnnie Walker touched my hands unopened and full, and a mere hour later was completely gone.

I had done it again. As I awoke on Sunday morning, entirely too early and completely deprived of sleep, my body ached, my shoulder shot. I wanted to die. But I couldn't even sleep. And I'm paying the price for it.

It's official, I'm old. Because just a few short years ago, this was something I could do from Thursday straight through Sunday. Now, two nights in a row and I was spent. I'm still trying to recover, some three days into the work week. Worn out, tired, dead. Though I did drink again last night to celebrate another softball playoff victory with my teammates, so that might have something to do with it. I may have a drinking problem.

Link time …

-Just more of the same for the Phillies: Another superstar goes down, as Ryan Howard joins Chase Utley on the DL right now in the 15-day variety, while Roy Halladay and Curbball dominate the Fish, again.



Halladay continued his complete and utter dominance of all things batters, pitching 7 innings of 5-hit, 1-run ball with 9 strikeouts. His ERA is now down to 2.17, second to only Florida's Josh Johnson (1.96). Not even Cliff Lee, who leads the AL with a 2.51 ERA, can say that.

Meanwhile, Carlos Ruiz not only was calling the pitches that Halladay was getting Marlins out with, but he went 4-for-5 at the dish with two runs, two RBIs, a homer and a double. I would go to the zoo with both these guys.

-Speaking of ZWR, The Phillies As Your Company's Softball Team just might be my favorite thing ever written in the history of the internet. It helps that I play adult men's softball, though in a bar league, not for my company.

-Ed rolls out his Preseason All-American list, with a little love for Stefen Wisniewski.



I'm not sure I agree with him, though I hope he's right. Make no mistake about it, Wisniewski is an excellent offensive lineman and will most likely follow his father's footsteps by playing in the NFL, but after a spectacular sophomore season playing guard, Wisniewski struggled to adjust to center last season, especially early on. I expect him to be better this year, so he could be as awesome again as he was in 2008. But he's still playing center this year, as far as I know, so he'll have to prove it. Let's hope he does.

-The terms of Brandon Graham's deal: 5 years, $22 million, $14 million guaranteed. Not bad for a guy who terrorized Wisniewski's offensive linemates the past four years.

-Run off the names of great Penn State tailbacks and there seems to be a never-ending stream of them: Curt Warner, Franco Harris, Ki-Jana Carter, Curtis Enis, Larry Johnson, Blair Thomas, Tony Hunt, John Cappelletti, Lenny Moore, Lydell Mitchell, D.J. Dozier, the list goes on. Well, when it's all said and done, it will be Evan Royster's name that tops them all, barring injury. Heading into his senior season, Royster is just 480 yards behind Curt Warner on Penn State's all-time career rushing yards list, planted at 2,918 yards to Warner's 3,398.



He's not the biggest or fastest or strongest running back Penn State has ever seen, but he's been damn good ever since he step foot on campus. Big props to Kirk Herbstreit, who I vividly remember saying prior to Royster's freshman season that Evan Royster is a name that Penn State fans will get awfully familiar with fast because he's going to be special. He was right. Royster isn't flashy, but he certainly is special.

Somewhat surprisingly, my favorite Penn State running back of all isn't considered one of the greatest, but he was expected to be before he got injured. That would be Downingtown's own Aaron Harris, who was nothing short of an absolute beast in high school and his freshman year at Penn State before he got hurt.





My least favorite Penn State running back? Eric McCoo. He got caught 60 yards downfield by a defensive lineman once. That's inexcusable.

-Ronnie Fields:



-Delonte West got waived by Minnesota. The Sixers should sign him and demand he sleeps with Elton Brand's mom.

-Great read on North Philly native Bo Kimble.

-UNC freshman Harrison Barnes show he's ready for the NBA now:



-Highlights from the Phillies minor league teams. Antonio Bastardo is killing it, and he absolutely should join J.C. Romero as the second lefty in the Pen, and Danys Baez should be sent down … back to Cuba!

-Evan Turner as Grant Hill 2.0? Great, so you're saying he'll never win a championship, suffer the Duke curse of getting injured over and over and over again, and reinvent himself as a defensive stopper with decrepit ankles. Awesome. Can he at least play the piano?



-Mike Modano is joining the Red Wings.

-LaVar Arrington is the Washington Post's newest blogger, via the Mottrams.

-One Mets fan has finally had enough. My only question is, "What took him so long?"

-DMX, Shaq, Iverson, Starbury, C-Webb and KG walk into a night club …



-Torii Hunter, one of the most spectacular centerfielders ever in his prime, is moving to right.











-Just watch:



Phils-Marlins tonight, Kendrick vs. Sanchez. Let's hope good Kendrick shows up, and the Mets actually beat the Braves again. Ugh, wanting the Mets to win just feels so wrong.

Finally, to the dumb lady who made my sandwich for lunch today, I hate you. I need a drink.

The Return of Royster Links

In case you haven't heard, Penn State junior running back Evan Royster is coming back for his senior season. Not a big surprise, seeing as he didn't exactly have a great season — a good season, yes, but not great — and isn't exactly making scouts foam at the mouth. After all, Royster isn't the fastest guy in the world, and at 6'1", 213 lbs, he's not the biggest guy either.



But, Royster is a very, very good running back. Like first team All-Big Ten good, joining Wisconsin's John Clay in the backfield for that honor. And while Royster may not be great any one single thing, he is very, very good at pretty much anything you can ask a running back to do. He's an excellent runner between the tackles. He sets up his blockers incredibly well. He has great vision and patience. And while he's not the fastest player in the world, he has more than enough speed to get to the edge and outrun you if he gets behind you. He also blocks very well, reading blitzes the way NFL teams expect. And he can catch out of the backfield with the best of them. Hell, he even lined up out wide a few times this season and caused some nightmare match-ups. I think he has the capabilities to be a backup running back in the NFL, especially with so many teams going to two-, three- and even four-back rotations.

With Penn State starting a true sophomore at quarterback who took very few snaps in this his freshman season next year, teams will be loading up the box on Penn State every week until Kevin Newsome can prove he can beat them with his arm. This will make things even tougher on Royster, who saw his production decline a bit in 2009 thanks to a subpar offensive line. No one would have blamed him if he decided he'd rather get paid, whatever round he was drafted in, than to try to up his stock by facing the daunting challenge of 8, 9 and 10 defenders in the box. Luckily for Penn State, who has an absolutely brutal road schedule next year (Alabama, Ohio State, Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana), Royster decided ultimately that coming back to earn his degree and get one more season of college football was worth it.

Glad to have him back.

Link time …

-Sadly, Jerome Hayes will not return for a sixth season.



A classic case of what could have been. Damn you, ACLs. Damn you right to hell! You will be missed Jerome. Best of luck.

-Talk about bad defense at the end of the game:



-World, don't sleep on these Owls, even after the shellacking at the hands of Kansas.

-Jalen Robison, meet Jerry Dixon:



-His name is DeShaun Thomas:



-That's impressive:



-A history of Gilbert's practical jokes.

In non-sports news, comedian/Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lang stabbed himself 9 times in an apparent suicide. Listen, I have no problems whatsoever with Artie Lang. In fact, I think "Dirty Work" is a vastly underrated movie.



But let me tell you something, if you can't even commit suicide right, you suck. Think about it, you failed at killing yourself. That's the ultimate in sucking at life. Killing yourself is so incredibly easy. If you fuck it up, I can understand why you're trying to kill yourself in the first place — you are horrible at living. Seriously, stick a gun in your mouth. Drink a whole bottle of cyanide. Hang yourself. It's not that hard. Really, it isn't. Anyone who "tried" do kill themselves didn't really try at all. You either kill yourself or you don't. Those who "attempt" to but don't simply didn't try hard enough. Seriously, it's not rocket science.

Flyers at PIttsburgh tonight and of course, Alabama and Texas for all the marbles.

Jared Odrick is a Beast

Ladies and gentlemen, something is going on here with sports voters getting things right for once in their lives and frankly, it's getting scary. Instead of horribly screwing things up per usual, the baseball voters correctly picked Joe Mauer as AL MVP, Zack Greinke as AL CY Young winner and Tim Lincecum as NL Cy Young winner — all correct. Now the Big Ten voters have gone and properly named Jared Odrick the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, despite ridiculously uninformed sour grapes from Michigan State fans, who clearly display they know as much about football as I do about women.



While players like Adrian Clayborn, Brandon Graham, O'Brien Schofield, Greg Jones and even his own teammates Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee are all fine, talented players who will be making their living on Sundays, Odrick has been the best defensive player on the best defense (statistically, I'd argue Ohio State's defense is better as a whole) all season long. Hell, he's been the best player on Penn State for two years now. And what people like Pete Rossman, who authored this travesty of a post, fail to realize is just how incredibly dominate Odrick has been and how important he is to the Penn State defense.

Unlike Graham and Clayborn, two scary good players, Odrick is a defensive tackle, not an end. Therefore, each and every play, Odrick had very little choice but to face double teams. I'm not saying Graham and Clayborn did not, because they most assuredly did, but being on the outside, they have the advantage of going wide and avoiding extra blockers much more easily than an interior lineman such as Odrick. Yet Odrick still disrupted an insane amount of plays in the backfield, got to the quarterback and proved he was an unblockable force. His combination of size and speed was unmatched at defensive tackle, and I'd be surprised if he isn't the first defensive lineman in the Big Ten drafted. He's that good.

The true testament to Odrick is the way he has made the players around him better. Yes, Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman are studs in their own right, but they get to maximize their ability because Odrick does such a tremendous job eating up blockers, allowing Bowman and Lee to use their incredible speed and instincts to make plays. And his value was even more evident this season when both Bowman and Lee were out for considerable amounts of time dealing with injuries. The defense didn't miss a beat with the likes of Nathan Stupar, Bani Gbadyu and Chris Colasanti filling in — and none of those guys will ever be mistaken for Bowman or Lee. Hell, he even made Josh Hull, one of the worst players I've ever seen, look decent at times. Trust me, that's an incredibly tough thing to do.

The shocking thing to me is that the voters got this one right. Much like Mr. Rossman, people tend to heap praise on the players who get gaudy sack numbers and have almost running back speed. That's why a guy like Aaron Maybin, who wasn't even half the player Odrick is, jumped up the draft charts and into the top 10. But this year, the voters ignored mere stats and truly looked at the players. And defensively, there was none better than Odrick. He's equally adept at putting pressure on the quarterback as he is at stuffing the run. His motor is so high and his conditioning so good that he rarely has to take a play off. And he can handle a double team, even against the better linemen, which will do him well on Sundays. Odrick has not only been the best player on the Penn State defense, not only the best player on Penn State period, but he has clearly been the best defensive player in the entire conference. It's nice to see him vindicated for his hard work and tremendous play.





In a senior class that was void of a ton of talent, Odrick is the one Penn Stater I will miss the most. More than Daryll Clark. More than Dennis Landolt. More than Sean Lee. I'm sad to see him go, but I'm happy to see him take home the hardware he most definitely earned. And I'll be thrilled to watch him in NFL next season. I just hope he doesn't get drafted by a team I hate.

Obviously, with winning the award, Odrick was named First Team All-Big Ten. He was one of six Nittany Lions named to the first team. Joining him were Daryll Clark, Dennis Landolt, Evan Royster, Stefen Wisniewski and Navorro Bowman. Now, I have a problem with three people in particular on this list. First off, Daryll Clark is a fluke fraud who has never once played well against a good team. He should not be first team. Then again, looking at the Big Ten quarterbacks, he certainly put up the best numbers and he's better than Ricky Stanzi or Terrelle Pryor. Still, perhaps Mike Kafka of Northwestern or Kirk Cousins of Michigan State would have been better choices. Then there are Landolt and Wisniewski. Listen, Landolt did a decent job last season, and Wisniewski was awesome at guard in 2008. But in 2009, these two were on a terrible line that should not have a single player on the first team. Landolt was probably the best offensive lineman for Penn State all season, but he wasn't great. And Wisniewski gave it the old college try, but the guy isn't a center. He's a guard, and he needs to get back there. He had more than a subpar season, and it's a joke he was named first team. Conversely, Royster and Bowman were locks, and both deserved first team recognition.

Three Penn Staters were named to the second team. Josh Boone definitely deserved it. He was the only player on the Penn State special teams worth a damn, and if he figures out a way to get the punts off a little quicker, he may make it to the NFL one day. Maybe. Sean Lee also is the right fit here. When he played, he was his usual awesome self. The problem is, he was limited to time on the field with injuries, so while he is definitely first team talent, he didn't quite deserve it. Second team is appropriate. Then there is Josh Hull. He shouldn't even be on the Penn State roster, let alone making the All-Big Ten second team. I've given him plenty of abuse over the past two seasons, so I'll spare it simply by saying I can't wait for him to graduate. That selection makes me sick.

But all I have to do is look at Jared Odrick's name on that Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award and everything is all right. Congrats, Jared. You'll be missed.

I Love the Drake (and Running the Football)

Forgive me for my lack of excitement over the weekend, but given Penn State's two home losses to Iowa and Ohio State, not to mention the Eagles continuing to make the same old mistakes, I just couldn't get myself too worked up over the games against Michigan State and the Bears, even though both had enormous implications for postseason play.

Penn State, despite its weaker than weak schedule, two home losses and overall underwhelming performance in 2009, was still in the BCS bowl discussion, and with a 42-14 victory, the Nittany Lions will probably (and wrongfully) be in one. And the Eagles, of course, sat at 5-4 heading into last night's game, just on the outskirts of the NFC playoff picture thanks to victories by the Cowboys and Giants earlier in the day. With the 24-20 victory, the Eagles moved back into the wild card lead, displacing the Giants, whom they already beat.



And yet, I really couldn't get into the games all that much. I watched, sure. And I watched with my usual critical eye, but I just couldn't put too much emotion into either game. These teams have broken me to the point of truly not allowing them to dictate my mood. Been that kind of season I guess. That approach seemed warranted after Penn State played a lackluster first half, putting up no points against a porous Michigan State defense in the first quarter and going into halftime tied 7-7.

However, the game turned on the first drive of the second half. Stephfon Green took the opening kickoff 37 yards to the Penn State 46, and three plays later, Philadelphia's own Curtis Drake made the play that put the Nittany Lions ahead for good. The freshman from West Catholic took a backward swing pass from Daryll Clark, and the high school quarterback faked as though he was going to run, stopped and fired one to the end zone. That's where Andrew Quarless, despite being double teamed, leaped up and snagged the pass for a touchdown, his second TD grab of the game. I love the Drake.



Between the last game against Indiana and then again yesterday, Drake has displayed his versatility and speed, proving he'll be a big asset to Penn State in the years to come. Against Indiana, he touched the ball three times, gaining 60 yards. That's 20 yards per touch. The highlight was his 26-yard gain on a reverse, where he really showcased his first-rate speed. And Saturday, he was at it again, gaining 18 yards on his only run of the game, hauling in two passes for 22 yards and posting a perfect quarterback rating, hitting Quarless in the end zone from 14 yards out.



From there, it was all Penn State. They rattled off four touchdowns in the third quarter and made it five in a row to go up 42-7 before the Spartans scored once more to end the game. After a subpar first half, Penn State came out and steamrolled Michigan State in the second, led by Evan Royster's 114 yards rushing and 8.8 yards per carry. In his three years at Penn State, the Nittany Lions are undefeated when Royster rushes for 100 yards or more. That's not a coincidence.

Daryll Clark and Graham Zug also had very nice games, though Clark was pretty bad in the first half and Zug inexplicably dropped an easy touchdown pass. Still, their numbers were impressive. Clark finished the game 19 of 27 passing for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Zug caught two of those TDs, nabbing four passes in all for 99 yards. And Quarless did the rest of the heavy lifting, scoring the first two TDs for Penn State and finishing with four catches for 62 yards.

Defensively, pretty much everyone played tremendously, with the exception of Josh Hull, who was burnt in coverage numerous times, because he sucks. But everyone else looked pretty good, especially Navorro Bowman, who was flying all over the field. And Nick Sukay even hauled in a pick, showing he's not useless back there.



Now, unjustly, Penn State will probably be playing in a BCS bowl. And they may be going to one in place of Iowa — you know, the team that beat Penn State in Beaver Stadium. Even despite the fact that Penn State has beaten such powerhouses as Akron, Syracuse, Temple (bowl eligible!), Eastern Illinois and Indiana. Their other wins came against Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern and Michigan State, all teams that are mediocre or worse. The only two quality opponents Penn State faced were Iowa and Ohio State. They lost to both of them. At home. That's a résumé that should disqualify any team from BCS contention. Yet all the computers and the pollsters and the bowl people see is a 10-2 record for a Penn State team that has a huge following and a fanbase that travels well to bowl games. In others, all they see is money. And that's why this average Penn State team is going to go to a BCS bowl. And that's wrong, especially if they get a BCS bid at the expense of an Iowa team that came in to Happy Valley and soundly defeated them. This is all coming from a diehard Penn State fan and alum.

But hey, at least Penn State wrapped up a disappointing 2009 season with a victory and a 10-2 record. I know there are a ton of programs that would be dying to finish 10-2.

Then there was last night's game in Chicago. From the start, it looked like the Eagles may be in for an easy night. On their first two drives, the Eagles went right down the field, doing a very nice job of balancing the pass and the run. On the opening possession, the Eagles went 68 yards in 8 plays to get to the Chicago 7. Of those eight plays, four of them were runs, an even 4:4 run/pass ratio. The Eagles stalled at the 7 and had to kick of field goal.

The defense followed up by stopping the Bears, and on the second drive, the Eagles took over on their own 24. They they proceeded to march 76 yards right down the field, capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Donovan to Jason Avant. The drive consisted of 8 plays and a penalty. The Eagles ran on four of those 8 plays again, for a 4:4 run/pass ratio. One was a McNabb scramble, so the Birds actually called 3 runs and 5 passes, but still, good ratio. They were up 10-0 and moving the ball at will, keeping Chicago off-balance by mixing up the play-calling.

Then the Eagles stopped running. Completely. And the Bears inched back into it behind the foot of Robbie Gould, better known as the player whose agent/lawyer sent me a cease and desist letter. Stupid Gould, who again could not hit a field goal if the goal posts were 50 yards apart at Penn State, made four field goals from 45, 28, 28 and 49 yards. I hate Robbie Gould.



But I hate Andy and Marty and their stupid play calling even more. After moving down the field with ease and putting up 10 points on their first two drives by balancing the run and pass evenly, the Eagles then went pass-happy again. On their third drive, the plays went like this: run, pass, penalty, pass, pass, pass, sack, punt. That's one run and five passes for 0 points. Following another Gould field goal, the Eagles went sack, pass, pass, run, run, interception. Four passes, two runs, 0 points. The next drive went just one play, when McNabb hit DeSean Jackson, who then fumbled and was recovered by Penn Stater Anthony Adams. After another Robbie Gould field goal made it 10-9 with 13 seconds left, LeSean McCoy did get a rush to end the half. That hardly counts.

So to recap, the Eagles ran the ball 8 times and passed the ball 8 times in the first two series and scored 10 points, building a 10-0 lead. Then they stopped running altogether, and a 10-0 lead turned into a 10-9 lead at halftime. Naturally, any smart coach would look at what worked and what didn't in that first half, then look at themselves in the mirror and conclude they had to get back to the run. But not Andy and Marty. No. Let's pass, pass, pass.

On their first possession of the 2nd half, the Eagles went incomplete pass, 5-yard penalty, pass, incomplete pass, punt. A three and out, no runs whatsoever. Sav Rocca, who should be cut today, punted the ball 16 yards, giving Chicago great field position. After another Gould field goal, the score was 12-10 Bears. The Eagles actually went back to the run, gaining 7 yards on first down with McCoy, then committing another dumb penalty, then gaining 10 yards on a swing pass that technically was a lateral to DeSean for a first down. They they gained 6 yards on a run by McCoy. That's three runs for 23 yards, over 7 yards per carry. Then McNabb got sacked, followed by a completion to Maclin short of the first down. Tough break, but they were running effectively and moved the ball a little bit before having to punt.

After the defense got a stop, the Eagles scored on the second play on a 48-yard bomb by McNabb to DeSean. Why? Because the Eagles got back to the run on the previous possession, forcing the Bears to respect the run and bring more guys in the box. That allowed DeSean to break free in the secondary, using his great speed, and McNabb hit him for the TD to regain the lead, 17-12.



Shocking how that works. On their only other scoring drive, the one that won the game, the drive breakdown went like this: run, pass, run, pass, run, pass, pass, run, pass, pass, run. That's 5 runs and 6 passes, resulting in a touchdown. What do you know? That final run was the 10-yard touchdown by LeSean McCoy that put the Eagles up 24-20 following a blocked field goal on a 48-yard attempt by Gould. That block felt so good for me. Nothing like seeing the dejected face of Robbie Gould. And then to punch it in the end zone to take the lead, well, that was the icing on the cake.

Of course, the game wasn't simply if you run the ball you will win. Jay Cutler was terrible yet again, helping out the Eagles by missing three completely wide open receivers for what surely would have been touchdowns. And the defense, despite getting the big stop at the end when it needed it, couldn't generate consistent pressure, even against a suspect Chicago line, Sean McDermott can't dial up a blitz that works to save his life, no one can tackle, and Chris Gocong completely sucks at football. Seriously, when Jeremiah Trotter has an infinitely better game than you at linebacker, that's a problem. For my money, Gocong was the worst player on the field for either team, getting beat badly for a touchdown, overrunning nearly every one of the few plays he actually was in position to make, and flat-out sucking. He's not a football player. Just isn't. At least not a linebacker. Stand-up defensive end, maybe. But linebacker, no.

Having said that, there were plenty of positives from this game too. For starters, they won, to improve to 6-4 on the season. Trent Cole was a beast, Sheldon played well despite being hurt and most of the D didn't make many mistakes. Even Dimitri Patterson played reasonably well, especially when that pussy Asante left the game. Seriously, Asante, you're getting paid huge bucks. Get out on the field. Hell, even Macho Harris did a decent job in coverage. It helps that the Bears don't really have any real wide receivers, but still.

Offensively, McNabb was sharp, completing 72 percent of his passes, and the Eagles proved they could run the ball, gaining 157 yards on the ground. The __Seans each had excellent games, as LeSean gained 99 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown while DeSean nabbed 8 catches for 107 and a score. Of course, it would help if these two secured the ball better, as both fumbled. Gotta hold on to that thing.

It was an important victory for the course of the season, and maybe after watching the game tape, Andy and Marty will realize just how scary good this offense can be when they stay balanced, though I doubt it. If they stick to running the ball, given how well LeSean has played this year, it will open things up even more for the explosive receivers. DeSean is a stud, Maclin looks more and more like the first-rounder he was each and every week, Celek is a bona-fide Pro Bowl candidate and Jason Avant is as reliable as slot receivers come. If you force teams to respect the run the way the Bears had to last night, the passing game will become even more efficient and explosive. It's not rocket science, though at times you'd think it was given the play-calling. If you run, the wins will come.



Oh, and Tim Shaw is on the Bears. He made two great special teams plays, one an enormous hit. Who knew he was still alive, let alone in the NFL? That makes for three Penn Staters on the Bears (Anthony Adams, Robbie Gould, Tim Shaw) and even a Temple Owl (Jason McKie). Good to see those guys are earning paychecks in the NFL. (Well, good for everyone except Robbie Gould. Fuck Robbie Gould. He doesn't deserve shit.)