On Saturday, Penn State finished its unprecedented 2012 season with a win over Wisconsin. The win put the Nittany Lions at 8-4. Usually 8-4 wouldn't be considered a great season, especially in Happy Valley. Not a terrible season, but not great. Yet when you consider where this program was a year ago, or six months ago, 8-4 is incredible. It's perhaps the best 8-4 season that ever was.
Let's take a quick look at where the program was a year ago. We all know what happened, and I'm not going to rehash that. I just want to mention that the program had parted ways with its legendary coach, who had led the program since before most of the people who read this site were born, long before. For the first time in almost half a century, there would be a new man patrolling the sidelines for Penn State. The man hired to replace him would have some big shoes to fill, and such a major change could in itself be cause for a season of struggles.
Then six months ago the NCAA handed down its sanctions on the Penn State football program. Crippling sanctions that were pretty much intended to blast the program back to the Stone Age while competing against programs with hovercrafts and laser guns. There would be no bowl games for four years, there would be less scholarships available, and current players could transfer without the penalty of having to sit out a year. And some major pieces sure did transfer. Silas Redd, the team's leading rusher. Justin Brown, the team's best returning wide receiver. Anthony Fera, the team's dependable starting kicker and punter. The team's depth chart was left depleted, and players who under ordinary circumstances wouldn't have seen the field all season where forced into major playing time.
So all hell had broken loose in Happy Valley. Talented players were leaving for supposedly greener pastures, recruits were being scared away, second- and third-string players were about to get significant playing time, and there was a brand-new, first-year head coach trying to navigate this mess. At this points the "experts" proclaimed the program basically dead, and you heard predictions of 2-10 and 3-9 being bantered about. So how did 8-4 come to be?
It all starts with the leadership of the senior class, especially Mike Mauti. After the sanctions were announced, Mauti stood with a group of fellow players and defiantly stated that he, and the players behind him, were going to stay at Penn State, show what Penn State was really all about, and work to leave a positive impression on the program and help it start to rebuild. And boy did he. Along with fellow seniors Jordan Hill and Gerald Hodges, he anchored the defense and provided invaluable leadership. The entire senior class deserves to be greatly commended, but in particular Mauti. His loyalty, passion, dedication, and leadership were inspirational and should be an example to us all.
Next in line to get a ton of credit is first-year head coach Bill O'Brien. The hiring of O'Brien was not met with much enthusiasm from alumni, fans, and even former players. And after an 0-2 start, it didn't look good. But once the team got comfortable with the coach's schemes and ideas, it started to click. The team won 8 of its last 10 games and even managed to flirt with the top 25 a few times. O'Brien did some really good things on the field while also making some rookie mistakes, but his leadership cannot be denied. He sat there and accepted the sanctions, even though he or no one on his team had anything to do with the atrocities that occurred. Instead of complaining or making excuses, he sat there, accepted his circumstances, and said that his program would recognize what happened and do its best to move on to try to keep the program afloat through the sanctions and work on building a bright future. He's off to a great start. I sure hope he doesn't leave.
Credit is also due to Matt McGloin. I have been extremely critical of McGloin during his time at Penn State. He was never able to overtake Rob Bolden for full-time starting quarterback responsibilities, and his play was frustrating to say the least. He had a propensity to make mind-boggling throws that would inevitably lead to interceptions. He was a turnover machine.
But during the spring, coach O'Brien endorsed Matt as his starter. Matt studied the coach's new offense and learned it well, and he flourished. In 2012 he was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 10. He completed 60.5% of his passes for 3,271 yards. And he threw 24 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. He looked poised, he looked in control, and for the most part he made the correct reads and throws. He also deserves credit for his senior leadership.
Two quick final notes. Allen Robinson showed some star potential throughout the season. The sophomore receiver finished with 77 catches for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns. Just for reference, his freshman season numbers were 3 catches for 29 yards.
Finally, it was fitting that Sam Ficken ended the season with a game-winning field goal. To say the season has been an struggle for Ficken would be an understatement. It's hard to put a loss on a single individual, but if ever there was a time it would be on Ficken in the Virginia game. Yes, Allen Robinson dropped a touchdown pass, and I'm sure there were plenty of less obvious mishaps that occurred, but Ficken missed 4 of his 5 field goal attempts (including a 20 yarder), and missed an extra point, with Penn State losing by a single point. That games seems forever ago now, and it was nice to see the kid pull through against Wisconsin and hit that big kick and end his season on a good note.
As a Penn State fan, I can't thank this team enough. Especially coach O'Brien and the seniors. I'm thankful for the loyalty they displayed, and thankful that they helped Penn State take a step forward. Most importantly, I'm happy for them, that their loyalty and dedication paid off and was rewarded. They were a part of one of the most important seasons in Penn State history, and they will go down as one of the most special.
Heading into the 2012 college football season, no one knew what to expect from the Penn State Nittany Lions. After starting 0-2 with a loss to Ohio at home and a squandered opportunity at Virginia, things looked grim. But from there, Bill O'Brien and Penn State bounced back with five straight victories before falling to Ohio State.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions bounced right back again, trouncing Purdue 34-9 to prove that no matter what sort of turmoil this team goes through, Penn State will not succumb to the pressures and quit on this season.
Matt McGloin bounced back from a difficult game where he reverted to his old self by picking apart the Boilermakers to the tune of 321 yards passing and two touchdowns without any of those costly turnovers. Brandon Moseby-Felder bounced back from a season of dropped passes with his best game to date, hauling in six passes for a game-high 129 yards and a score. The running game bounced back from an anemic showing against the Buckeyes to gain 185 yards, led by Zach Zwinak's 134. The defense bounced back after getting worn down by Ohio State to suffocate Purdue's offense. And Bill O'Brien bounced back from a rough second half where he was outsmarted by his counterpart Urban Meyer by pushing all the right buttons. Hell, even Sam Ficken bounced back from a season of struggles to make both his field goal attempts and knock through four extra points.
All in all, it was an encouraging sign, another in a line of many for the program. No matter what kind of hand the Nittany Lions are dealt, they seem to find a way to come out ahead. Truthfully, 6-3 isn't the type of record that's going to knock the socks off of the college football world, but this is no ordinary 6-3 team. It's a 6-3 team that simply refuses to make excuses or take the easy way out.
This entire season has been built around bouncing back, a program that needed to bounce back from a scandal so heinous and unfathomable that many thought it would take years, if not even longer. And while the long-term ramifications are still to be sorted out, this team, led by this new, fearless coach, just keeps bouncing back.
These Nittany Lions bounced back from the departures of some key players by circling the wagons and playing for each other. They bounced back from a demoralizing start to go on a winning streak. And they bounced back from a rough home defeat to a rival with another impressive performance.
As a result, Penn State is beginning to bounce back as well, at least from an alumni standpoint. Thanks to the football program, especially the players. going out and working their tails off to provide a distraction for a few hours, some of that pride that was so suddenly stripped away is returning. I saw it this weekend in Boston as I watched the game at The Greatest Bar, Boston's Penn State bar. The alumni there were cheering and chanting and hanging on every play, showing their school pride in a city some 430-plus miles away.
For a program and school that still has a long way to go to restore faith and take the proper steps to help in any way it can for the pain and misery it allowed to happen on its very campus, this team represents the Penn State resolve.
No matter how many jokes we are the butt of — from South Park to The League to everything in between — and no matter how many people want to pigeonhole an entire community based off the actions of five individuals, we are all working as hard as we possibly can to bounce back, to help our university bounce back. Bill O'Brien and the 2012 Penn State Nittany Lions are a proud extension of that, a team that just keeps bouncing back and showing its resolve.
Ever since Daryll Clark's departure upon graduating following the 2009 season, Penn State has had a rough time with the quarterback position. The past two seasons in particular, the flip-flopping between heralded recruit Rob Bolden and former walk-on Matt McGloin had taken over as the focal point and created the biggest division among Penn State fans — not to mention the hopes held out for Paul Jones.
Bolden seemed to posses the superior physical traits, whereas the offense just seemed slightly more competent with McGloin at the helm. Either way, neither guy impressed that much playing in the offense coached by Galen Hall and Jay Paterno. Bolden, following a few promising starts his freshman year, never developed and looked progressively worse, while McGloin had flashes of decency, but nothing more. It looked as though Penn State was going to be locked in a quarterback controversy for the foreseeable future as the new coaching staff came in, at least until the next highly touted recruit, Christian Hackenberg, makes his way to campus.
However, once Bolden decided to transfer to LSU following the Penn State sanctions and Paul Jones flamed out at QB, the new head coach gave McGloin the keys to the offense with little behind him. For the first time, now as a senior, the Penn State offense was Matt McGloin's and Matt McGloin's alone. For many Penn State fans, myself included, that was a terrifying proposition, mainly because during his sophomore and junior seasons, McGloin looked to outsiders as a guy with walk-on talent attempting to play the game like Brett Favre — bad decisions and all.
After all, McGloin entered his senior seasons with just a 54 percent completion percentage in his career and an unimpressive 22 to 14 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Given the departures of his top receivers and his star tailback Silas Redd, many people projected another struggling Penn State offense just like the Nittany Lions had in 2010 and 2011, even with O'Brien and his offensive acumen now in town.
Turns out, O'Brien and McGloin have been a match made in some sort of bizarro-world heaven.
As if overnight, under the tutelage of O'Brien, McGloin has gone from a shaky, overconfident quarterback to arguably the best passer in the entire Big Ten. Following Saturday's brilliant performance in a dismantling of Penn State nemesis Iowa in Iowa City, in which McGloin was 26-38 for 289 yards and two touchdowns, McGloin leads the conference with 255.4 passing yards per game, is second only to Taylor Martinez in completion percentage and has 14 touchdown passes to just two interceptions.
It's as if he's an entirely new player, nothing like the guy who would make mind-numbingly putrid decisions at inopportune times we've seen the past two years.
It goes to show you just what a vote of confidence from the coach can do for a guy, allowing himself to go out and play without having to look over his shoulder.
Even more importantly, though, it shows just how brilliant of a coach Bill O'Brien is. With former quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno tutoring McGloin, there was little to no development, and the offense looked inept. Now after just one spring and summer with O'Brien, McGloin is playing nearly flawless football, and he gets better each and every week. That can't be a coincidence. Bill O'Brien is the real deal.
And with his help, now McGloin is not only a competent college quarterback, he's one of the best signal-callers to date this season in the Big Ten. Saturday was just more proof on how far McGloin has come in a short time. In leading the Nittany Lions to their fifth straight victory, McGloin had perhaps the best game of his Penn State career, literally playing a near perfect football game. If anything, his numbers should have been even better if it were not for a number of drops, and his opening touchdown pass to Jesse James was a thing of beauty, the type of play I didn't think Matt McGloin was even capable of making.
Heading into the season, there may not have been a bigger Matt McGloin detractor than myself. I just didn't think he was good enough to pull an offense that had struggled mightily the past two seasons out of the cellar.
So far, I couldn't have been more wrong. Outside of his struggles against Northwestern — struggles he overcame by the way to lead the Nittany Lions to a dramatic come-from-behind victory — McGloin has been absolutely brilliant in this his senior campaign. He's no longer forcing throws and trying to do more than he's capable of. He's going through his reads, calling plays at the line, deciphering defenses, commanding the huddle and playing some of the best football in the entire conference.
I don't know where the Matt McGloin of the past two seasons has gone, but I couldn't be happier that the Matt McGloin of 2012 is here. If just a few months of Bill O'Brien can transform a player like McGloin and an offense like the one he inherited — minus its biggest playmakers — into one of the most productive units in all of college football, there may be more to look forward to for Penn State football than anyone could have imagined when Bill O'Brien was named head coach just a few short months ago.
This past weekend, I traveled some 500-plus miles from the moment I left my house Friday to the moment I returned to my Philadelphia residence, heading to my first Penn State game with Bill O'Brien as coach, enjoying a birthday celebration and doing a little dog-sitting for my parents in the process.
My venture began by heading back to my parents' house to spend the night as the Phillies were taking the series opener with the Atlanta Braves behind yet another sterling effort from Kyle Kendrick, who has somehow miraculously transformed into a really good pitcher.
My old Penn State season-ticket partner Arkansas Fred lives close to my parents, so I figured I'd head up north and rest my head in my old bedroom before meeting up with AF to head out to the game. When I got to his house at 8 a.m. sharp, I was greeted at the door by a new addition to the AF household: a tiny bulldog-puggle puppy. Naturally, I spent the next half hour playing with the dog, which is about a tenth of the size if it's lucky of my nearly 80-pound black lab, as AF got ready for the road trip.
So at around 8:30, AF and I began our journey, and shortly after we hit the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we encountered this:
Just a wall of fog encompassing the landscape as far as the eye could see. I sure am glad AF was driving instead of me, because it certainly wasn't the best visibility out there. However, we made it to State College in relatively good time, thanks to the scheduled 3:30 p.m. kickoff helping spread the traffic out. And shortly after we reached I-80, the fog began to dissipate and the sun started to shine through. Perhaps it wouldn't be the dreary, rainy day projected by the weathermen.
When we arrived in the place we called home for four — well four and half for AF — glorious years, we did the usual taking in of the scenery, found a place to park and searched out The Charles and his wife-to-be. We then proceeded to walk through downtown and our old campus, hitting up Canyon Pizza for some slices, strolling through the Old Main walkway, past the library and back to the car for a little light tailgating.
As the clock struck 2:30, we made our way toward the stadium, stopping by my buddy's dad's tailgate and quickly saying hello before entering the stadium. Now, I have been going to Penn State for literally more than 20 years to watch games, more times than not securing tickets from my uncle. The past few seasons, he's had 10 tickets to every game, with six seats near the 10-yard line and four seats around the 40-, 45-yard line. Minus the four years I was a student and the two years I had season tickets with AF, I've pretty much always sat in one of those two locations. But my uncle recently upgraded his pair of six, to right on the 50-yard line. Thus, we had basically perfect seats at midfield … seats that just so happen to be right next to my friend's dad's section — the same guy who we stopped to say hello to at his tailgate.
It was quite the pleasant surprise, both because of the view and because I got to see my buddy's father in action. Let's just say he gets incredibly into the game.
I can't say the same for the rest of the crowd Saturday afternoon. I don't know if it was the dreary weather — it rained lightly on and off all game — the opponent or the slow start and difficult circumstances surrounding the season, but there were a whole hell of a lot of empty seats at this Temple game. It was certainly the most lightly attended game I've been at in Beaver Stadium in a long while.
As for the game itself, it was frustrating for a while until Penn State finally came through with a touchdown late in the first quarter. All quarter long, we watched as Temple played Allen Robinson, the third leading receiver in the nation coming in, in one-on-one man coverage. Naturally, you would think Matt McGloin would be tossing him the ball every chance he could against man coverage, yet that wasn't the case the first few drives. Robinson was targeted so little that AF began to get incredibly irritated, asking why they weren't throwing Robinson the ball and demanding they do so.
Finally, on a 4th and 5 from the Temple 41-yard line in a scoreless game, Bill O'Brien decided to go for it and called Robinson's number. I didn't think the Nittany Lions should have gone for it, and if I was the coach I certainly would have punted given the way the defense was playing, but O'Brien's gamble paid off. McGloin hit Robinson on a quick slant, and the breakout wide receiver took it to the house for the opening score.
The rest of the game was fairly uneventful. A slew of penalties slowed down the game. The rains made for a light nuisance, and the competition was not up for the challenge. Penn State controlled the lines on both sides of the ball, with the Penn State offensive line creating huge holes that allowed Michael Zordich and Zach Swinak to both average five yards a carry, and the defensive line led by Jordan Hill put constant pressure on Chris Coyer, even if they did give up a few big runs. It was just another example of Penn State simply being better across the board than the Owls.
Matt McGloin had another impressive day, throwing for a career-high 318 yards, tossing the aforementioned touchdown pass to Robinson and adding two rushing touchdowns of his own in the 24-13 victory. Despite not looking to Robinson enough, he was effective all game, really relying on his tight ends, particularly impressive freshman Kyle Carter. Even the interception was not McGloin's fault, as it went right off the hands of Brandon Moseby-Felder.
The redhead isn't going to win any awards or play football beyond this year, but he has been much more impressive through four games in 2012 than he was in 2011, and this is coming from someone who is not exactly a Matt McGloin fan.
However, while I had no problems with McGloin on Saturday, I had a big problem with whoever the hell is in charge of the music at Penn State. Truthfully, this has been an issue since forever, something that irritates me to no end. Many times on Saturday, Penn State went to the no huddle with Temple on its heels. That means McGloin was making the calls at the line and trying to communicate with his teammates. In your home stadium, that means you want the place to be quiet until the ball is snapped. Yet time and time again, as has been the case for years at Penn State, there is pumped in music and crowd noise between plays, even with the Nittany Lions on offense and even with the home team trying to run the no huddle. It's so god damn counterproductive and flat-out stupid that I can't even handle it. I want the person in charge of that fired. I know wishing someone to lose his or her job is not a nice thing, but this has been going on for years. Whoever is the person who makes that decision is an incompetent fool who knows nothing about football.
But hey, at least Penn State won and there was a cool rainbow that appeared.
Oh, and the 1982 national championship team was honored at halftime, which is always nice.
Once the game was over, we said our goodbyes and then decided to head back east, seeing as both AF and I are old and tire easily, and because he had to get back to the family and help take care of this brand-new puppy.
The ride back was fairly torturous, as we both struggled to keep our eyes open. If it wasn't for a desperately needed McDonald's stop to nab a few double cheeseburgers — a tradition we started while college students — we may not have made it at all. The weariness was taking over, and as you know, the drive back is always worse than the drive there. All the anticipation and excitement are gone, and all you want to do is be out of the car and in your bed.
However, bed was not my next destination. On our way home, two of my friends said I should come out to a bar that was more than a half hour away from AF's house. For some reason, I decided, what the hell, and took them up on the offer.
Despite being ridiculously tired, it turned out to be one of the better recent decisions in my life. Not only did I meet up with my friends to celebrate the birthday of my one friend's girlfriend, but I wound up getting plenty drunk, meeting a very nice, interesting young woman, finding a nice place to rest my head and getting a ride back to my car the next morning. That's what you call a pretty full Saturday.
So full, in fact, that I barely had anything left in the tank for Sunday. When I reached my parents' house, I collapsed, slept until just before the 1 o'clock kickoffs and spent most of the day taking care of the dog and going in and out of consciousness until it was time for the Eagles-Cardinals game.
It would have been just as prudent to stay in my slumber, it turns out, given how awful the Eagles looked yesterday.
There's not much I can add to the game beyond everything I've been reading. It was a brutal game, with the Eagles simply getting beat by a very good Arizona Cardinals team that has an absolutely dominant defense through three weeks.
I will say that it makes absolutely no sense for Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg to come out and throw the ball 25 times and run it just 5 times to open the game despite: 1. having two ineffective backups starting for an injured offensive line; 2. playing against a ferocious defense with a dominant line; 3. having one of the best running backs in the NFL; and 4. having a quarterback who has struggled against pressure and cannot stop turning the ball over. It was a flawed game plan from the start, and shockingly, it exposed the team's flaws.
Daryl Washington and Kerry Rhodes were absolute beasts for Arizona defensively, with Washington flying all over the field and Rhodes destroying people and coming up with arguably the biggest play of the game. No, not the sack, fumble returned for a touchdown to close out the half, which obviously was huge, but the play before that sequence of plays at the 1 — the tackle by Rhodes to stop DeSean Jackson at the 1 and prevent a touchdown. It was huge, and wound up setting up that fumble return that sealed the game.
On the other side of the ball, Larry Fitzgerald did what Larry Fitzgerald does, giving the Eagles fits. That guy is good.
Of course, the game was defined by terrible clock management, wasted timeouts and turnovers … par of the course with the Eagles. It's maddening and inexplicable, yet it continues year after year after year. Reid and Marty are infuriating to watch call a game, and MIchael Vick is infuriating to watch play quarterback. Yes, Vick was poorly protected and running his for life per usual and got no help from his coaches, but he was also staring down receivers, holding on to the ball too long and taking unnecessary hits due his lack of awareness for the position. The man is an electrifying talent and still better than a large portion of quarterbacks in the NFL, but he just is not a very smart signal caller. When you compound that with poor play-calling, poor protection, neglecting the running the game and turnovers galore, you have a debacle like yesterday.
The Eagles are 2-1, which is a good thing, and the Cardinals are a lot better than anyone anticipated heading into the season. But the Eagles also have an offensive line relying on unreliable players and are averaging four turnovers a game through three games, with teams like the Giants, Steelers, Lions and Falcons on the way.
Yesterday's loss provided reason to worry, particularly if the line cannot improve against the pass rush of those teams coming up.
It was not a good Sunday for the Eagles … and the Phillies lost their second in row to the Braves, all but wiping away their postseason hopes, now a full five games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for that second wild card spot.
But hey, at least Penn State won, the scenery was great and I had fun while I could. Because god knows watching that game yesterday was anything was but.
This was one hell of an eventful weekend here in Philadelphia. Saturday was jam-packed with action, as the Flyers hosted the Bruins, Temple took on Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl in football while the basketball team headed to Austin to take on Texas, and Villanova traveled down Lancaster Avenue to St. Joe's for this year's rendition of the Holy War.
Then, the Eagles took on the Jets yesterday to try and keep their playoff hopes alive, and in between, Jimmy Rollins re-signed with the Phillies and Matt McGloin got punched out by teammate Curtis Drake and suffered a seizure.
After a relatively sports-free Friday night, I awoke on Saturday to a text message from my buddy at 10 a.m. that simply read, "Flyers/Bruins at 1. You in?" That might as well have been a rhetorical question, because of course I was in.
As I was waiting for my friend to get out of work and pick me up, I nabbed a couple hoagies from Slack's and got ready for a busy day of sports. Running a bit behind, we got to our seats just as the puck was being dropped … and literally as I plopped my ass into my seat, the Bruins scored the first of many goals in a 6-0 route.
Nothing was going right for the Flyers at all. They couldn't make a simple pass, couldn't defend whatsoever, couldn't really do anything. The only guy on the ice that looked remotely alive was Max Talbot.
Ilya Bryzgalov got hung out to dry on most of the four first-period goals he let in, though he also let in a huge softy by Zdeno Chara.
Chara, by the way, was an absolute force on the ice in his first game back in about a week. While the Flyers were missing their big defenseman, Chara showed up and dominated. He had a goal and an assist, both power play points, completely shut down any and all Flyers' chances, and also rabbit-punched Jody Shelley to death in a fight.
Now, even though Shelley clearly was bested by the enormous Chara, I'll take that trade 100 times out of 100. It's way more detrimental to the Bruins to lose Chara for five minutes than it is for the Flyers to lose Shelley for five minutes. Although that really wasn't the case here, as the Bruins scored almost immediately following that and forced the Flyers into perhaps the worst period of hockey they've played all season.
To make matters even worse, Sean Couturier took a Kimmo Timonen slap shot right off the head, dropped to the ice and laid motionless for a while. It was a frightening scene that added to the already worrisome head injuries sustained to Chris Pronger, Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn.
Thankfully Couturier did get up and skate off under his own power, but he clearly didn't look right. He was taken to the hospital and stayed overnight, and he's currently listed as day to day. Hopefully he's OK. As I've said before, Couturier has become one of my favorite players on the team. In fact, I was just telling my friend on the way down to the arena that Couturier sort of reminds me of a young Rod Brind'Amour, minus the face-off dominance. He's incredibly responsible defensively, a tremendous penalty-killer, and while he doesn't have incredible speed or awe-inspiring puck-handling skills, you can see he has the scoring touch to development into a pretty decent goal scorer. Plus, he's only 19, so he's only going to get better.
Beyond wishing him a quick recovery, his injury also brings more concern over the PK. Without Giroux and Couturier, the Flyers are without two of their top four PK forwards — not exactly good for the team that leads the NHL in minor penalties.
We knew it was only a matter of time before the injuries would harm the Flyers at least for one game. Saturday, that was the case, and that first period was about as disastrous as it gets. With a few minutes left in the 2nd, as it became clear the Flyers really had nothing to generate a comeback and fell behind 5-0, we departed so we could watch the Temple action.
I checked in on Temple's bowl game and saw the Owls were trouncing Wyoming behind a big game by Bernard Pierce. Thus, I focused my attention on the basketball team's game in Texas. Early on, things were going well with Temple leading virtually the entire first half against a young Texas team. But then they let the Longhorns go on a run and tie it before Khaliff Wyatt hit a tough three at the buzzer to put Temple up 3 at half.
Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. The Owls couldn't buy a buck and Texas got out in transition rather easily to pull away. To make matters worse, Juan Fernandez limped off the court after getting tangled up. Ugly all around, though not as ugly as the what I was seeing on Twitter — that Penn State wide receiver Curtis Drake punched out his quarterback Matt McGloin in the locker room after practice and that McGloin suffered a seizure.
Not good. At all. The football program clearly could have done without this as the Nittany Lions prepare for their Jan. 2 bowl match-up with Houston given all the turmoil this season. Damn.
That was a pretty bad start to Saturday, but good news was sprinkled in. Beyond Temple winning its bowl game, news also circulated the Jimmy Rollins re-signed with the Phillies, keeping him in the only professional uniform he's ever worn for at least three more years.
Then, we were all given a tightly contested first half between Villanova and St. Joe's before the Hawks trounced Nova in the second half behind the shooting of Langston Galloway and Carl Jones, and especially the shot-blocking of C.J. Aiken.
Aiken, who had four blocks Saturday night, leads the nation in blocks, averaging an insane 4.7 blocks per game. This is fascinating to me. I had the opportunity to watch Aiken play a few times in high school for Plymouth Whitemarsh. He was clearly a very good player and used his size and length to block shots, but I never thought he'd turn into the premier shot-blocker in the nation in college. Yet that's exactly what he's become this year, absolutely owning the paint and altering shots.
On Saturday, you could see the Wildcats were hesitant to challenge Aiken inside. The sophomore, who set a St. Joe's freshman record for blocks last year, was in Nova's head all night long, and he was a big reason the Hawks blew away the Cats in the second half.
It's clear that St. Joe's is the real deal and will be among the A-10's best teams, on par with Temple and St. Louis behind Xavier. And this game showed that right now, Villanova is at best the third best team in the city.
Yesterday was a little less crazy, though plenty exciting. The Redskins went out and upset the Giants pretty easily, giving the Eagles' slim playoff hopes a boost. Then the Eagles went out and trounced the Jets at the Linc despite their best efforts to allow New York back in the game.
After going up 28-0 behind a defensive touchdown and an interception by Asante Samuel, the Eagles started their own turnover brigade to put the Jets back in it. But it didn't matter. LeSean McCoy continued his MVP-type season, scoring three touchdowns and gaining 102 yards to break the franchise record for single-season touchdowns and rushing touchdowns, passing Steven Van Buren for both.
McCoy has 20 touchdowns on the season, 17 on the ground, setting new franchise marks. The man is incredible.
Brent Celek also had a huge game, hauling in five catches for 156 yards and a score.
But even more impressive than the offense in this 45-19 win was again the defense. Suddenly, the Birds don't look as horrid on that side of the ball as they have for most of the year.
The Eagles held the Jets to just 241 yards of offense, forced four turnovers and got the off field on third down time and time again. Jason Babin had three sacks. The secondary looked really good. And Casey Matthews even had a nice game, flying all over the field and making plays. It was crazy, almost like these guys care about playing defense all the sudden.
Even more crazy, the Eagles really are alive for the playoffs despite this whirlwind of a season, though they still need help. First and foremost, the Birds have to win their remaining two games, next week at Dallas and home against the Skins on New Year's Day. Then the Jets have to beat the Giants next week, followed by the Giants beating the Cowboys in week 17. Still a lot that has to happen, and probably still unlikely, but certainly not impossible. Unreal.
Watch this be the dumb year where the Eagles back in and then win the whole damn thing. Wouldn't that piss off everyone after a steady chorus of "Fire Andy!"?
I can't even believe this team has even a remote chance at the postseason, yet here were are. Crazy.
Throughout my 27-plus years on earth, there has been one common theme to being a Philadelphia sports fan: disappointment. It is something I grew up experiencing as a sports fan in this city. The Phillies being perennial losers. Two blown saves in the World Series. Buddy Ryan. Rich Kotite. Ray Rhodes. Four NFC Championship losses. One Super Bowl loss. The Flyers bowing out spectacularly, whether way too early or painfully too late. John Lucas and everything else the Sixers have done. It's been a city full of sports teams destined to disappoint.
The 2008 Phillies changed all that for a time.
And what the Phillies have done since, becoming a National League powerhouse and bringing in big-name pitcher after big-name pitcher, has spoiled us. But in the back of all our minds, that old familiar feeling began to creep up. When the Phillies couldn't repeat despite Cliff Lee's brilliance, the thought started to resurface. When Michael Leighton let in the softest Stanley Cup winning goal of all time, you could really feel it coming. When the bats went silent last year against the Giants, the first real tinge of disappointment reappeared. And now this. That old, familiar feeling is back in full force.
This was supposed to be the year of Philadelphia. The Phillies pulled off the biggest offseason coup in recent memory, reacquiring Cliff Lee to join Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt to all but ensure another parade down Broad Street. The Eagles nearly matched them, bringing in high-priced free agent after high-priced free agent, headlined by Nnamdi Asomugha and the trade of Kevin Kolb for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. In August, there was no better place to be as a sports fan than Philadelphia.
Now here we are, two months later, with the Phillies sent home after just five games in October and the "Dream Team" sitting at a disgusting 1-4. If that's not disappointment, I don't know what disappointment is.
The real shame of it all is that Roy Halladay has to get lumped into this disappointing team that the Phillies ultimately became. That man deserved way better. Yes, his first-inning troubles were incredibly annoying this series, spotting the Cardinals three runs in game 1 and another in game 5, but all he did is retire 21 in row to win game 1 and go 8 innings of 6-hit, 1-run ball in the final game. That man pitched his balls off for this team, and his teammates let him down.
I honestly don't know how his teammates can look him in the eyes after Friday night. I really don't. Sure, Roy is the one who gave up consecutive extra-base hits to start the game and spot the Cards a run, but the Phils were left with nine god damn innings to just put one or two on the board to stay alive and they couldn't do it. Without a doubt, give Chris Carpenter credit. He deserves all the credit in the world. The guy showed exactly why he is an ace, pitching an incredible game, finishing off the complete-game shutout. But it's inexcusable for this team to do so little at the plate, and compound that with boneheaded plays in the field, on the base paths and at the dish.
Three hits with the season on the line, with two of them coming off of Shane Victorino's bat. Chase Utley getting thrown out on the base paths yet again. No production from the high-priced slugger, a guy who ended the season as terribly as you can, making the final out for the second straight season and then seriously injuring his achilles. God knows what effect that will have on Ryan Howard. Placido Polanco became a dinosaur overnight. Carlos Ruiz seems to have used up all his October magic. Cliff Lee let us all down with his game 2 performance. The only guys you can really say didn't disappoint are Doc and Hamels. Maybe Jimmy, who had a great series, but ultimately even he failed to get a hit in game 5 as the Phils went out with a whimper.
A franchise record in wins, four supposed aces and a lineup full of accomplished players turned into one giant ball of disappointment. The Phillies have reached the point that those Andy Reid teams with Donovan McNabb did all those years. Making the playoffs and having a good record no longer matter, it's what you do in the postseason. And just like the Eagles always found a way to come up short, so have these Phillies since that surprising 2008 title. Every year, this team got better in the standings and added more talent on paper, yet ultimately they came up short, seeing diminishing returns in playoffs year after year.
It would be foolish to say that the Phillies are done. Roy and Cliff and Cole are all coming back, and some youth will be infused with the veterans in the lineup. But Chase and Ryan and Polanco aren't getting any younger. Shortstop is a question mark if Rollins walks. No one knows what to expect from John Mayberry and Dom Brown. Oswalt may be gone. There are question marks where this team had so few. This was supposed to be the year, just like it was supposed to be the year for so many years for McNabb and Reid. Then it wasn't.
Sadly, that theme is back with the Eagles as well, and with them, it's not even possible to get worked up anymore. No one on the planet thought they should run a play with 8 seconds left in the half and no timeouts except for the morons on that sideline, so of course Michael Vick held on to the ball too long, then tossed it out of the end zone as time expired, leaving three points on the field.
Of course this defense gave up 24 points and couldn't stop the run. Jarrad Page keeps exposing himself as a terrible football player. Killer penalties from rookie Danny Watkins, making his first start, and King Dunlap derailed a touchdown drive. Vick got pounded all day, and made things worse by throwing four horrendous interceptions. Fred Jackson had a field day running all over this team. Jason Avant, who had an otherwise outstanding game — 9 catches for 139 yards — had a killer a fumble and another ball that got ripped from him for another turnover. That's become another habit for this team, a wide receiver having a huge game only to make a crippling mistake at an inopportune time.
LeSean McCoy, clearly this team's best player period, got too few touches yet again, as Reid and Mornhinweg abandoned run for the thousandth time in their tenure. And then all hope ends when Juqua Thomas Parker jumps offsides on a 4th and 1 when all the Bills were trying to do was get the Eagles to jump offsides.
He should be cut today for something so stupid. He really should. It's not like Parker is any good anyway. Cut him now. Send these players a message, because it's clear they need a wake-up call. Or maybe a new head coach.
Plain and simple, this is beyond a bad football team, it's an absolutely terrible one. They can't tackle, they can't protect the quarterback, they can't even cover despite having three of the best cover corners in the league. It is the softest football team in the NFL, one that looks defeated. One that looks like it has lost respect or at least stopped listening to its coaches, especially the fat one with the mustache.
Before the season started, everyone expected the Super Bowl to at least be in the equation. Now it's looking more like Andrew Luck could be the best prize this franchise could win. Pathetic. Disgusting. And disappointing. A familiar feeling that has resurfaced here in Philadelphia.
The only saving grace is that the Flyers have done things in two games that they failed to do in 82 last year. In the opener, they scored two goals in the final minute of the first period, after not scoring a single goal in the final minute of any period in any game the entire 2010-11 season. Then on Saturday night, Ilya Bryzgalov shut out the Devils in a dominant 3-0 victory, stopping all 20 shots he faced. As we all know, the 2010-11 Flyers, with their goalie carousel, didn't record a single shutout all year. Through two games, Bryzgalov has surrendered a grand total of 1 goal, earning a shutout in just his second game in the Orange and Black.
It's impossible not to be impressed with the Flyers in their first two outings. Claude Giroux has scored in both games, Matt Read got his first NHL goal and newcomer Wayne Simmonds scored his first as a Flyers Saturday night. Sean Couturier is quickly becoming my new favorite Flyer, doing an excellent job on the penalty kill. And there is no lack of toughness, evident by Simmonds absolutely destroyed David Clarkson.
Very good start for the Flyers.
Plus, Penn State actually came out and physically dominated a BCS conference team for the first time in a long time, besting Iowa 13-3 by completely controlling the line of scrimmage. Exercising some of the demons, the Nittany Lions were able to run all over the Hawkeyes, racking up 231 yards on the ground led by Silas Redd and his 142 yards.
It was without a doubt the most impressive performance by Penn State all season. The defense continued to dominate, with everyone making plays. I was particularly impressed with Devon Still and Jordan Hill yet again, the two guys who continue to be the best players on the team, along with Malcolm Willis, who finally saw a lot of playing time. Willis played really well last year when Nick Sukay went down, to the point where I thought he was Penn State's best safety, and he impressed me again. He looked like the best safety out there again Saturday to me.
True freshman Adrian Amos also did an outstanding job at corner filling in for the injured D'Anton Lynn and Stephon Morris. It's easy to see why the coaches are so high on him. Amos did an outstanding job on McNutt all game.
Offensively, things started to look a little better as well. The offensive line for the first time really all season got consistent push, clearing the path for Redd and Curtis Dukes to gash the Iowa defense. And once and for all, a Penn State quarterback clearly set himself apart. I don't see any possible way Rob Bolden should see the field again unless Matt McGloin gets hurt.
I was openly pulling for Bolden to take the job, but McGloin simply has been and is better than Bolden. Honestly, Bolden couldn't even make the simplest of throws on Saturday, while McGloin was making plays and controlling the huddle. He still made some mind-blowingly stupid throws, namely his inexcusable interception in the red zone and another jump ball tossed into triple coverage, but he is clearly the guy. Even with how ugly and terrible this team has looked this season, Penn State sits at 5-1 and 2-0 in the conference following this win. If Penn State sticks with McGloin and lets him grow, hopefully the offense can build on Saturday's performance against Purdue and Northwestern in preparation for the tough games to close out the season.
A surprising run by the Nittany Lions and continued success from the Flyers would go a long way to distracting us from the disappointment of the Phillies and Eagles. Though we all know that feeling is back, so disappointment for those teams could be right around the corner.
That familiar feeling of disappointment has returned, and really it probably never left. Now it's back out there for everyone to see, and I have to admit, it feels like Philadelphia again.
I thought Friday was supposed to mark the official start of fall. That's what it says on the calendar, anyway. But the weather over the weekend was full-on hot, humid summer, and I suffered as a result of it.
On Saturday, I headed out to Penn State with three of my college roommates to take in the sights and sounds of our alma mater and go to the game against Eastern Michigan. Having looked at the forecast earlier in the week, I expected clouds and possibly rain, and anticipated slightly cooler weather in State College. No such luck. Because when we arrived, the sun was shining bright, it was in the mid-70s and I got burnt to a crisp watching what can only be described as a boring decimation with a few highlights and some devastating lowlights.
First the good. Devon Smith, who I proclaimed nothing more than a track star posing as a football player, actually had a really nice game, 3 balls for a game-high 104 yards, including the longest play of the game, a 71-yard explosion of a touchdown. Derek Moye, who made an excellent block on Smith's TD, had a very nice game too, hauling in 6 passes for 65 yards and two scores.
Furthermore, Matt McGloin had a field day out there, going 14-17 for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns en route to being named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week with Michigan's Denard Robinson while again splitting time with Rob Bolden.
Now listen, I have made no bones about it that I am not a Matt McGloin fan. In my opinion, he doesn't have the arm to go out there and try to routinely throw the types of passes he likes to try to throw. But as much as I want Rob Bolden to clearly establish himself ahead of McGloin, McGloin really does seem to be more in command out there. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to facing top competition, like SEC teams, Bolden has certainly been better than McGloin the past two seasons. Just look at the numbers against Florida and Alabama. But it's not as though Bolden has been good against those teams either. He hasn't. He just hasn't sucked as bad as McGloin has.
But when the Nittany Lions play inferior competition, McGloin clearly stands out. He did last year, and he has so far this season. And if I'm looking at it from a coaching perspective, I'd rather have the guy who I know will play well against inferior teams under center than the guy who will play OK against bad teams and slightly less shitty against good teams than McGloin. At least McGloin does what he's supposed to against the teams Penn State should beat. Bolden is still a work in progress in that regard, evident by his pedestrian statline of 7-13 for 115 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception Saturday.
The difference between these guys is so marginal at this point that you might as well just go with the guy who instills the most confidence in teammates. That guy seems to be McGloin. Though I honestly don't think either one is really any good at all at this point. Hopefully Paul Jones can get himself eligible next year and be something these guys are not, or maybe even Skyler Mornhinweg.
More good: Devon Still continued to be an unblockable monster. That guy is easily the best player on this team, and he looks like he may be working his way into the first round come April. Also good news, Evan Lewis did not touch the field, and uncoincidentally, Penn State did not miss any field goals or extra points, as Anthony Fera hit a 29-yarder and freshman Sam Ficken hit a 43-yarder.
As for the bad, and I mean really bad, Mike Mauti again tore his ACL, an absolutely devastating blow to the Nittany Lions but more importantly to Mauti. This was supposed to be the year that Mauti established himself in the same breath as the greats of Linebacker U, and he was on his way. Sadly, his season is ended again, just as it was two years ago.
To add injury to injury, the team's best corner, D'Anton Lynn, suffered a head and neck injury, laying motionless on the field in a scary moment. Honestly, I thought the worst, picturing Lynn paralyzed in an Adam Taliaferro vein. Thankfully, that is not the case and Lynn has been released from the hospital. But it was certainly sobering to see him carried off in the stretcher after a long time motionless on the turf.
Those injuries dampened the good vibes around a pretty well-played game by Penn State. You never want to see anyone go down to injury, especially when it is two of your best players in a game that wasn't even competitive. It just seems to be one of those seasons for the Nittany Lions.
After returning from Penn State, I took it easy from a long day and then prepared to watch the Eagles-Giants prior to taking in the Battle of I-95. When I woke up yesterday, it was even hotter and more humid than it was the day before. What the hell? Where did all that fall weather that we had two weeks ago disappear to?
And where did this dream team everyone keeps talking about go? Because right now, the Eagles are anything but. Besides LeSean McCoy, who has absolutely been incredible this year, this team is underachieving all over the place. That's why they sit at 1-2, dead last in the NFC East after three weeks.
The offensive line is only OK. Mike Vick cannot stay healthy. Steve Smith dropped a perfectly thrown ball right in his hands in the red zone, which turned into an interception off his deflection. Then later Smith stopped his route short on a key third down, then turned the wrong way after the catch, failing to pick up a first. What a waste of a signing.
Nnamdi Asomugha has struggled to adjust to this Cover 2 scheme that clueless Juan Castillo has employed, and he has given up more big plays in three games as an Eagle than he did in 8 years in Oakland. The linebackers are atrocious, even worse than the low expectation set out before them. The safeties may be even worse than the linebackers, which seems unfathomable. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who everyone keeps calling the best athlete on the team, doesn't see the field enough despite being way better at his position than any of the linebackers or safeties are at theirs. And guys like Ronnie Brown and Vince Young, players who were thought to be key signings, don't even see the field really at all.
The there is the usual poor clock management and field awareness, evidenced by Jason Avant trying to juke someone instead of getting out of bounds, the team having to scramble to get off a field goal before half, and Andy Reid deciding to go for it at the New York 43 with a two-point lead and failing to convert instead of punting it and pinning New York deep. As a result, the Giants had their best starting field position of the game, and went in to take the lead for good.
A lot of people are saying that for not a few mistakes and some red zone failures, the Eagles would have won yesterday and probably would have won in Atlanta. That's true. But it's also true that they did make those mistakes, they do have terribly glaring weaknesses, they do commit mindless penalties, and they do have flaws that never get addressed. All the seemingly great signings blinded us to these facts in the offseason, but now the blinders are off. This team has major holes that must be corrected.
Undoubtedly, they can be addressed and corrected. We've seen the Eagles go on late-season runs before after stumbling early on. But any talk of a Super Bowl appearance is incredibly premature, and right now would be downright foolish. Other than LeSean's brilliance, this team has been underachieving week in and week out. The good news is at least someone is expressing their frustration.
I'm just thankful I didn't bake out in the sun to see it. I was watching in disgust at my house.
Afterward, silver fox and I headed to the Palestra to take in the Battle for I-95, and right away we knew we were in for a long night. Now, it's always pretty warm in the Palestra, but with the temperatures in Philadelphia in the high 70s and the humidity casting an unbearable mugginess in the region, not to mention a completely packed out, the heat was paralyzing in there. I mean, it was deadly hot. Before long, everyone was sweating so profusely that the entire arena smelled like a locker room.
By the time the game actually tipped off, I was covered in sweat. That was unpleasant. And to make matters worse, a few of the guys I was really looking forward to seeing didn't show up. The Morris twins were no-shows, and Kevin Durant did not attend. Also, Lynn Greer was there but did not dress, which I assume was due to injury.
Contrary to the rumors, no big surprise guests made an appearance either. No Iverson. No Sheed. No Kobe. No Jameer. The only guys who showed up that I didn't know would be there were a trio of Temple alums, Dionte Christmas, Mardy Collins and Mark Tyndale.
That's not say the game wasn't fun, because it was. Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James were in the building, as were Hakim Warrick, Kyle Lowry, Lou Williams and Tyreke Evans. Watching throughout, Melo and Hakim, the former Syracuse teammates who a national title for the Orange, looked to be having the most fun from the opening tip to the final whistle. It was cool to see them laughing it up and competing.
Chris Paul was getting love from the crowd and made some great passes, but LeBron, despite scoring a game-high 43 points, was a let-down. He spent nearly the entire game taking fadeaway jumpers, which is not exactly what the crowd wanted to see.
On the other hand, the Team Philly guys really impressed in the 132-122 victory. Kyle Lowry was awesome, scoring 34 points, and Lou Will was draining threes for 31 points. But Hakim Warrick and Tyreke Evans had the most impressive plays of the night. Warrick threw down a few awesome alley-oops and dunks while also getting some great blocks, while Tyreke looked like the best athlete on the court, getting to the rim often and flat out embarrassing defenders at times.
It was a fun time, but honestly not as much fun as I expected. The refs called way too many fouls for a game like this, and I was let down that there was no Durant and no real surprise guest. Plus, it was hot as hell in there.
However, it was still pretty sweet to see Paul, Melo, LeBron and company in town to take on some of Philadelphia's best ballers. Certainly a lot more sweet that getting sun burnt to death on Saturday and witnessing that debacle by the Eagles yesterday.
Last season when Penn State got rolled by the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, the Nittany Lions were overpowered and outmatched. The loss was ugly, but the outcome was expected. After all, Alabama was the defending national champions and returned a ton of players while Penn State was transitioning to a true freshman under center and a green team full of inexperience.
There was no question that in 2010, Alabama had more talent — the returning Heisman Trophy winner, a senior quarterback who had never lost a game and lots of returning starters.
What made Penn State's 27-11 loss in Beaver Stadium Saturday so damn frustrating is that even though Bama showcased one of the most impressive defenses I've ever seen, Penn State had just about as much talent on the field as the Crimson Tide. The biggest difference was in the coaching, plain and simple.
Don't get me wrong, Alabama is, as expected, a better football team than Penn State right now. But the talent disparity is not that great, certainly nowhere near as far as it was a year ago. Yet the result was practically the same despite Penn State playing at home this year, having more experience across the board and putting the same type of athletes for the most part on the field. That's because Nick Saban and his staff outcoached Galen Hall, Jay Paterno and the rest of Joe Paterno's coaching crew to a laughable degree.
And it began at the very start of the game. On the opening drive, Penn State did a fantastic job moving the ball and keeping Alabama off-balance. Rob Bolden looked confident and competent and, frankly, good on the opening drive, making the right reads, being decisive and taking control of the team. But at the same time, the Nittany Lions were forced to take all three of their first-half timeouts on the opening drive of the game because on three separate occasions, the combination of Hall/Jay Paterno took entirely too long to get the play in, resulting in the play clock nearly running out. And they used all three timeouts on the opening possession without even getting a touchdown, having to settle for a field goal after the Bama defense tightened up as Penn State approached the red zone.
That is just inexcusably bad. It shows a total lack of preparation on the offensive coaches' part, having to burn three timeouts on the opening possession, especially against the third-ranked team in the nation. Timeouts are valuable commodities in a game like this, yet Paterno and Hall treated them like disposable Monopoly money income. It was atrocious. It also doesn't help that Hall calls the running plays while Paterno calls the passing plays, meaning those two have to convene on each play call, then relay the call down to the field to Mike McQuery, who then has to relay the play to the quarterback. No wonder it takes so long to get the plays in. It's a flawed system to begin with. That's why most teams have one guy who calls the plays.
And frankly, that was just the beginning the incredibly terrible coaching on Saturday.
Number 1, the decision to have Devon Smith on the field at all is a horrible coaching decision. Smith is a 5'7, 155-lb. speedster who has no discernible football skills besides being able to run fast. He's too small to break any tackles or pose even a threat as a blocker. He cannot actually catch a pass, evident by the first play of the game, where he dropped an absolutely perfect pass from Rob Bolden that would have went for a big game and given Penn State huge momentum early on at home. The only thing he can do is run fast. Great. Awesome. But that doesn't mean anything if you have no other football skills. Devon Smith does not possess those. He hasn't shown anything really since stepping foot on campus other than that speed that he can't actually use.
The guy would probably make an excellent addition to Penn State's track team, but honestly, he does not add anything to the football team. Time to give up on the Devon Smith experiment. This team has too many other talented wide receivers and running backs on the roster to waste time with Smith on the field. I hate to say it because I actually like the guy, but the facts are the facts. Problem is, once again, the coaches seem to be the only ones who don't notice that since they keep insisting on giving Smith playing time that would be better served for other guys.
Just like the coaching staff doesn't seem to see that Rob Bolden is simply a better quarterback than Matt McGloin, and that was glaringly obvious on Saturday. Now by looking at the stats, you can argue that Bolden certainly didn't blow anyone away. I mean, 11-29 for 144 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 crippling interception aren't exactly numbers to write home about. Still, they were far better than McGloin's absolutely disgusting 1-10 for 0 yards, and about 5 or 6 passes that almost were or could have been intercepted, though he did somehow manage to escape without tossing a pick.
But more important than any set of horrific numbers was the way the offense moved with Bolden in there as opposed to McGloin. Penn State actually moved the ball against the vaunted Alabama defense when Bolden was on the field. The opening drive was the most impressive drive of the game for Penn State until the outcome was already decided on the lone touchdown drive, led by Bolden's decision-making and some nice play-calling.
Then, he was marching the Nittany Lions out of their own end and into Bama territory on his 3rd possession before Anthony Szczerba fumble in what turned out to be the nail in the coffin for the Nittany Lions, with Alabama turning that fumble into a 10-play drive that resulted in a touchdown to put the Tide up 17-3 with 51 seconds remaining in the half. In the first half alone, it was clear Bolden was the guy who had the best chance of getting it done. In McGloin's two first-half possessions, the Lions went 3-and-out on both of them.
Yet there was McGloin, back out there on the second drive of the second half after Bolden picked up one first down on his first drive of the half before Penn State had to punt. The result? Three incomplete passes for McGloin and a punt. If you're counting, that's three possessions for McGloin, three 3-and-outs, and several potential interceptions.
Bolden came in again and started to move Penn State down the field once more, connecting with Derek Moye for 26 yards and Justin Brown for 12. Then Bolden made his worst pass of the game, tossing a horrendous interception that ended any slim hopes of a comeback. Without question, it was a brutally awful pass. But still, Penn State was moving the ball, Bolden was decisive and he at least got something going, which was more than McGloin could say.
Still, McGloin went out for the next possession, and for the first time all game Penn State picked up a first down with McGloin on the field … on a personal foul by Alabama. After that, three and out. That personal foul first down impressed the Penn State coaches so much that McGloin was sent out for the next possession too, where he threw two incomplete passes, though Penn State did pick up two first downs, one on another Alabama personal foul, and another on 11 yards on two carries by Brandon Beachum, before Devon Smith fumbled (see what I mean about Smith?).
Meanwhile Bolden led Penn State on its lone touchdown drive as time was winding down, using his legs and arms effectively to go 71 yards, capped off by a Silas Redd touchdown.
I don't know how the Penn State coaches could possibly keep rotating the quarterbacks all game when it was clear Bolden was the better player who was doing far more than McGloin on the afternoon. It was even more baffling when after halftime ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe said she talked to several Penn State players who said they hope one of the quarterbacks gets a chance to get in a rhythm the way Alabama's A.J. McCarron did. Well, it's impossible for a quarterback to get into a rhythm when he's getting pulled every other possession, yet there the Penn State coaches were, playing yo-yo with the most important position on the field.
Speaking of A.J. McCarron, hats off to him. Bama had a quarterback controversy of its own after their opener, in which both McCarron and Phillip Sims were unimpressive, each throwing two interceptions. Well, McCarron got his number called for the whole game, and he played like a veteran quarterback, limiting mistakes and making the right reads and right throws. He was really impressive against a Penn State defense that was up for the challenge.
And honestly, the Penn State defense did not play badly at all. In fact, they were rather impressive early on, limiting Trent Richardson in the first half and playing a physical, bruising style that they lacked down in Tuscaloosa last year. Truth be told, Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still was perhaps the best player on the field for either team, routinely blowing up Alabama's offensive line, stuffing the run and putting pressure on McCarron. Minus a few big plays here and there, the defense did an admirable job.
Problem is, they were on the field all day long, eventually getting worn down due to the inept offense and offensive coaching. You can't ask your defense to shut out a physical team like Alabama when they're on the field nearly the entire game.
I would like to point out as well that Alabama caught a huge break that really turned the tide of the game on their fake punt in the first quarter. I watched the play live and thought Penn State stuffed Bama for a loss, watched the replay about 8 times and still thought Alabama didn't reach the line of scrimmage, and yet the refs gave Bama the first down. Seven plays later, Alabama was waltzing into the end zone to go up 7-3 and never looked back. Had Penn State actually stopped Alabama there, which it certainly looked like they did to me, the Nittany Lions would have had the ball at Bama's 39 or 40, up 3-0 already at home in front a crowd going absolutely wild.
Ideally, it would have been the perfect time for Penn State to challenge the call … except that they used all three of their timeouts on that opening drive because they are idiots. And the officials didn't review it because, well, I don't know. They did have to review two interceptions by Alabama that clearly hit the ground because they are blind and couldn't see they both hit the ground in real time even though both were obvious. I still don't think Bama picked up that first down, which was a huge momentum shift.
Still, with how badly Penn State was outcoached on Saturday, it most likely wouldn't have mattered. And that's why the loss was so much more difficult to take this time around.
Don't get me wrong, Alabama was and is the better team. They are ranked in the top 5 for a reason, and that defense is nothing short of outstanding. But this game should have been closer and should have been more competitive. Unfortunately, Penn State's coaches wouldn't let that happen. This one is on them because they did not put the team in a position to succeed. That's not on the players one bit. That's on the coaches.
For a lot of people on this planet, their favorite time of year is summertime.
The end of summer is often met with trepidation: kids not ready to go back to school, adults dreading the winter months ahead, and vacation days getting all used up. But not me. No. I don't dread the end of summer days, because summer is not my favorite time of the year, as awesome as it is.
This, the ushering in of fall, this is my favorite time of the year. I know we're still several weeks away from the official start of fall, but in reality, once Labor Day comes and goes, summer is over for all intents and purposes. And frankly, I cannot wait.
The reason is simple: The end of summer means the start of football season. The weather is fantastic, with cool, comfortable nights and sunny days. Baseball heads into the home stretch, with the playoffs right around the corner. Hell, in a few short weeks the Flyers will begin lacing them up, and if there was no lockout, we'd even be talking about how underwhelming the Sixers look yet again. Fall is the culmination of sports fandom, with literally every major sport under the sun taking place.
But most important of all, football starts, meaning my weekends are no longer free. Honestly, there are few things in this world if anything at all that I enjoy more than laying on my couch from the moment I wake up until nightfall watching college football on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday. And tonight, it all begins, as 28 teams kick off the college football season tonight, highlighted here in Philadelphia with the annual Temple-Villanova battle at the Linc.
So with college football just a mere few hours away, now seems like the perfect time to preview my alma mater.
Coming off a disappointing 2010 that saw them finish 7-6, the Nittany Lions are looking to rebound in the new-look Big 10 (12). But honestly, this season brings on more questions than answers. Just looking at the depth chart Penn State released for the opener against Indiana State, you can see a roster filled with potential … and mystery.
The glaring and most obvious question comes under center. Will it be sophomore Rob Bolden or the former walk-on, junior Matt McGloin?
The depth chart does us no favors, as both are expected to play Saturday in what looks to be an audition. What we know about the two quarterbacks is that Bolden showed enough promise and poise last summer to be named as the first true freshman starting quarterback in game 1 under Joe Paterno, only to be supplanted by the fiery Matt McGloin after being injured. In his first few games, Bolden justified the confidence the coaching staff had in him. Even as Penn State got rolled down in Alabama, Bolden didn't look rattled or out of place in Tuscaloosa. But as the season wore on, Bolden's numbers got worse and the offense became stagnant.
And when Bolden went down, enter McGloin to ignite the offense. There is no disputing that with McGloin under center, the Nittany Lions seemed more alive on offense. The red-head clearly took command of the huddle and was a leader. And in the first few outings, he played really well. Then, he didn't. At all.
Without question, McGloin had better command of the team when he played last season, but the more he started, the more evident it became that he simply does not have the talent and physical tools of Bolden. Worse yet, he brought a gunslinger attitude that resulted in a flurry of horrendous interceptions. Honestly, in the bowl game, McGloin was the worst player on the field.
Yet where McGloin was allowed to fail, the coaching staff seemed to punish Bolden for those same mistakes. After he returned from injury, he was given only one chance to reclaim his spot, and it was only a half at that. From there, Penn State sunk or swam with McGloin, drowning miserably against Florida due to god-awful quarterback play. The most disappointing part to me was that as McGloin was literally giving that game away, Bolden just sat and watched from the sidelines, never having his number called.
That resulted in Bolden seeking yet ultimately being denied a transfer, and to be perfectly honest, I didn't blame him. Don't get me wrong, I wanted Bolden to stay and compete for the starting job this year, but I could hardly blame the kid. Here he was, the supposed starter in his developmental year, banished to the sideline as his backup struggled as much or more than he ever did last season.
Thankfully, Bolden did stay and recommit himself to the program. Now I'm hoping he gets the reigns as the starter in 2011. Bolden walked into a lion's den in Alabama and did reasonably well against one of the best teams in the nation. And while he struggled with the rest of the team before being supplanted, he showed that something is there. As well as McGloin played at first, he ended the season showing why he was a walk-on in the first place, tossing 8 interceptions in the last four games, including a comically bad 5 picks in the bowl game against Florida.
McGloin may be the better leader right now and the more confident guy, but he simply isn't as good. People tend to forget Bolden was a true freshman last year. He made true freshman mistakes. McGloin was a red-shirt sophomore who simply took too many chances, especially for a guy without a great arm. If I had my way, Bolden would be the starter from start to finish this year barring injury, because I think he's the better football player. The problem is I don't know that, and neither do the coaches right now, which is why both are listed as the No. 1 and 1A on the depth chart.
Saturday, we'll begin to find out, but with the most important position on the field unsettled, we have no idea how the Nittany Lions will fare in 2011.
Of course, the questions don't stop there.
Sure, we know Penn State has weapons all over the place on offense that will be at the disposal of whatever quarterback is under center. Derek Moye has established himself as one of the better wide receivers in the conference. Justin Brown put up excellent numbers when the ball was actually thrown his way last year, and I think he has a chance to be the best Penn State receiver since Bobby Engram if things shake out.
But Brown now has to go out and prove it. Then there is Shawney Kersey, a surprise starter in the a three-wideout set. Kersey is a burner who also has size, and his rise to the top of the depth chart means the coaches expect him to learn from Moye and take over as his replacement in 2012. But the red-shirt sophomore has not seen much playing time, so we don't know exactly what we're going to get.
The receiving corps also has the speedy Devon Smith, who will be used everywhere, and another versatile burner in Curtis Drake. Of course, we have no idea what to expect from the West Catholic grad coming off injuries the past two seasons and again this offseason. Chalk him up as another question mark.
Of course, the guy getting the most hype on the offense is sophomore running back Silas Redd, now the clear starter, especially with Stephfon Green's troubles.
Redd wowed and electrified Penn State fans every time he touched the ball last season, giving hope that he's the next great Penn State running back. He certainly has the tools and the talent. But now he's got to prove it. Last season, he was behind Penn State's all-time leading rusher Evan Royster, and split the backup duties with Green. He played more as the year wore on, often looking like the best back on the team. But now as the No. 1, we have to see what he can do to carry the load. I expect him to have a tremendous year, but again, you never quite know.
Then of course there is the much-maligned offensive line. The good news is there is not too much turnover on the line, meaning another season of cohesion should make for a better unit. The bad news is that a line that struggled to block the better defensive fronts it saw and that couldn't really get much push in the run game lost its best player, Stefen Wisniewski, who is currently on the Oakland Raiders.
No matter how much talent the offense has, and no matter who is under center, this team will only go as far as the line takes it. And frankly, we have no idea how this offensive line will fare.
The defense poses its own questions. The only thing we know for sure is that the secondary is the best unit on the entire team and perhaps the best unit in the Big 10. D'Anton Lynn can flat-out play. Stephon Morris has shown a ton of promise. And the depth is tremendous.
But even there, there are questions. Can Drew Astorino regain his form? The guy looked excellent two years ago, but last season he struggled, often getting run over by bigger, more physical players. Is Nick Sukay fully recovered and ready to go? Sukay is an excellent tackler, but if he's even a step slow, it could hurt the Lions. The good news is they have Malcolm Willis to back up either guy, a player who did a very nice job when Sukay went down last year.
Honestly, I expect Willis to get on the field a lot, maybe even finish as a starter.
Also, there is the question of Chaz Powell starting opposite Lynn. Powell had an up-and-down season after moving from receiver to DB. But he has the size and the tools to be a good corner, and by all accounts he's looked great this summer. That's a good thing, but even if Powell struggles, Morris is there to step in, and I expect him to rebound as well from a sophomore slump last season. Also, the immensely talented Derrick Thomas is waiting in the wings so long as he can stay out of the doghouse.
That may sound like a lot of questions for what's supposedly the best unit on the team, but even with that, damn near everyone expects Penn State's secondary to be as good as any in the conference. The real questions lie in the front 7.
Is Mike Mauti the next in line to carry on the tradition of Linebacker U? He certainly has shown the promise when healthy, but now he has to stay healthy. With the inexperienced Glenn Carson and Gerald Hodges also slated to start, Mauti must be the leader. The good news is, as always, the talent level at linebacker is insane. Carson has been so good that he's pushed Khairi Fortt, who saw plenty of playing time last year, to the backup role. That's good news because Fortt is a very good player, so Carson must have really shown the coaches something. Hodges is fast and strong and has good instincts. He's nowhere near as good as Navorro Bowman yet, but one day he may be. And waiting their turns are Mike Hull, one of the most recruited linebackers in the country, Fortt and Nate Stupar, an experienced player who has had his fair share of good games.
So linebacker is a question to a degree, but Penn State has too many good players there for it to be a weakness.
The defensive line may be another story. Jack Crawford came on like gangbusters as a freshman but has done nothing but regress since. He has to put it together for the defensive line to get pressure. Devon Still needs to become a force the way Jared Odrick was, or at least a leader like the departed Ollie Ogbu. Eric Latimore must show he has something else besides a speed rush. Without him and Crawford getting some pressure on opposing QBs and keeping contain against the run, not even the talented secondary can be expected to thrive.
Beyond that, Jordan Hill, James Terry, DaQuan Jones and Sean Stanley will all rotate to keep players fresh, and Larry Johnson Sr. always has his guys ready to play. But if everyone doesn't make significant strides from last season, this defense won't reach its full potential. Last year, Penn State really struggled to get consistent push and pressure from the front four, and playing a zone defense, that allowed opposing quarterbacks to pick them apart. That can't happen in 2011. If it does, the talented secondary will be wasted.
Honestly, I'd love to see Tom Bradley move more toward man coverage given the talent he has in the defensive backfiled, but I don't expect it. Lynn, Powell, Morris and Thomas are all guys who should be able to lock up receivers. Unfortunately, that's not how Penn State rolls. But if the defensive line can't get pressure, Bradley may have to go man so those soft spots in the zone aren't there and learn to live with the results.
When you put it all together, it's really hard to gauge where Penn State stands in big scheme of things, and that's without even mentioning the work-in-progress that is the special teams.
In all honesty, I can see this team losing as few as one game if things pan out for them or as many as five games if not. They have enough potential and talent in a down Big 10 to have a shot at making the inaugural Big 10 championship game, but there are enough question marks that could go the wrong way for them to finish in the middle of the pack.
Looking at the schedule, they absolutely should start the season 4-1 at worst. There's no way this team should lose to Indiana State, Temple, Eastern Michigan or Indiana, though I fully expect them to fall to Alabama at home in the second game of the season. The true measuring stick to me will be the Oct. 8 game against Iowa, Penn State's biggest thorn in their side the past decade. If they lose to Iowa, things could spiral out of control, especially with the murderer's row of Nebraska, at Ohio State and at Wisconsin to close out the season. Lose to Iowa and this team very well could finish 7-5 in the regular season, another spectacularly mediocre and disappointing season.
But if they beat Iowa and gain confidence, then roll through Purdue, Northwestern and Illinois before hosting Nebraska, they could be a dangerous team, perhaps finding a way to win two of those last three games or even all three.
Obviously, I have no idea how this all going to play out. Personally, if I had to guess, I'd say this team finishes the regular season at 9-3, losing to Alabama and then dropping two of those final three games. But you never know given the turmoil surrounding Ohio State, Nebraska's first foray into the Big 10 and Wisconsin never quite being the cream of the crop even when expected to be.
Still, I expect, as do the pollsters, that Nebraska and Wisconsin will be the best two teams in the conference, and unfortunately Penn State plays both of them. But hey, you never know what can happen once the players take the field.
What I do know is I can't wait for tonight and especially for Saturday.
