The Nittany Turkey

Primarily about Penn State football, this is a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Home 2010 Archives for November 2010

Archives for November 2010

McGloin on Broadway

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They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway.

They say there’s always magic in the air…

I guess if I don’t sing more than eight bars of On Broadway by the Drifters, I don’t owe the songwriter any royalties. That’s good, because the minuscule money generated by this blog’s advertisements wouldn’t pay a single performance fee, although I clearly save a lot of money by not following my own betting advice on the Nittany Lions. But I digress.

The Nittany Lions (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) travel to the big, noisy Horseshoe, sometimes known as Ohio Stadium, to clash with the #9 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten), whose only loss was a surprising 31-18 drubbing by the Badgers of Wisconsin. (The Lions don’t play Wisconsin this year, so I sneakily inserted a link to your favorite badger animation.) After that, the Bucks royally kicked the sorry asses of Purdue and Minnesota, both in “transition years” (meaning that for one reason or another, they suck), and then took a week off before tackling the mighty Nittany Lions of Penn State.

“It’s kind of insulting. I think we’ve proven we can put points on the board, that we can win games. I think a lot of people take offense to it and it will just make our team work harder.” —Evan Royster, about the gambling line for this game

Obviously, these two teams don’t like each other, which has led to some great games. The all-time series stands at 13-12 in favor of OSU, but the visiting team has won the past three instances of this game. That should give us some hope if it’s truly a jinx and not a coincidence. Aw, let’s face it: the Lions have a major uphill fight ahead of them just to stay in this one. Penn State has won only once in Columbus since joining the Big Ten and has not scored more than one touchdown per game during that period. This year’s edition of the Nittany Lions is arguably the least talented since the dreaded “Dark Years”, and injuries have conspired with inexperience to produce mediocre results.

Redshirt sophomore Matt McGloin is the center of attention for several reasons. He seems to have been handling his newfound celebrity quite well up to now. However, this is his first step up into the big leagues, the center court, the corner office, the big stage on Broadway. First, ESPN College Gameday’s Kirk Herbstreit, a former Buckeye quarterback publicly criticized McGloin, which got him fired up. That he was not quivering in his boots when Herbstreit flew in to PSU this week to interview him is a good sign. To increase the pressure on McGloin, Gameday will originate from Columbus this week and the Herbstreit-McGloin interview will air during the show. Additional pressure not heretofore experienced by McGloin will be the 105,000+ bloodthirsty fans in one of the noisiest stadiums in the Big Ten cheering each sack, incompletion, and interception. Behind an inexperienced and often yielding offensive line, McGloin is bound to feel some heat. Finally, during the week’s build-up to the game, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor stated that he had never heard of McGloin. We’ll soon see whether that casual statement serves to pump up the Penn Stater. One way or another, all this unexpected notoriety has been pretty tiring for McGloin, who just wants to play some football.

Our coaches have chosen the right guy, whom I call The Answer, to lead the Nittany Lions into this game. His past performance suggests that he will be much more unflappable than prior starter Rob Bolden, and won’t try to force things when the situation doesn’t call for it. Furthermore, his energy and enthusiasm rubs off on the rest of the team, including the defense. This Turkey thinks McGloin is a leader on the field and off. On Saturday, he’ll be put to the test against his counterpart, Terrelle Pryor, who craves publicity and happily sucks up rays from the spotlight.

The Buckeyes’ rushing offense ranks 19th nationally. Dan Herron carries most of the load on the ground game, with significant help from Pryor, whose long legs make him appear to be loping while he is outrunning the defense. Senior Brandon Saine is another running back who also has good hands. Talented senior Dane Sanzenbacher and junior DeVier Posey handle most of the receiving duties, and have eaten up zone defenses like Penn State’s. Pryor ranks second to only Ricky Stanzi of Iowa in the Big Ten for pass efficiency. Ohio State’s stout offensive line excels at both run support and pass protection.

But it is defense that will put the clamps on Penn State. The Bucks rank third nationally in overall defense, and first nationally in turnover margin. The Nittany Lions’ running game, which has shown a brief resurgence of late, will not be able to move the ball on the ground against the Buckeyes. The only hope is that McGloin will be able to pass often and deep at times. (Whether that can happen is a coaching prerogative.) Senior all-everything defensive end Cameron Heyward will put significant pressure on McGloin, putting him to another hefty pressure test.

If the Buckeyes are vulnerable anywhere it is in their special teams, particularly on punt and kickoff coverage. They’ve had two run back for six this year. Are you listening, Chaz?

The keys to the game? Forget it. Send your keys to Jenn Sterger and have a party in your room instead.

The coaching duel is tilted toward Columbus, because PSU has a habit of tightening up the cheeks when in big road games. Playing “not to lose” is not going to win this game for Penn State, which has nothing to lose. (They’re bowl eligible, they can’t win the Big Ten with three losses, and they won’t finish the season ranked any higher than the bottom of the top 25. So, theoretically, they should just turn the offense loose and take some gambles on defense. That’s what they should do. What they will do is going to be interesting.) Can they play a road game without invoking sphincter mode?

The weather won’t be a factor. It is forecast to be mostly sunny with a high of 65 in Columbus. Great fall football weather. Indian summer.

As for those of you who must watch on TV, which is most of us, we get the “A” Team from ESPN/ABC, which is (for what it’s worth) Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Erin Andrews in the familiar role of Sideline Blonde.

Let’s make a prediction. Yes, this is the feature you’ve all been waiting for, the Official Turkey Poop Prediction, which is typically worth turkey poop but I’ll give it to you anyway. The gamblers have been dissing Penn State all week by widening the gap, which opened at OSU favored by 16 points and is now 18. This is the biggest spread I’ve ever seen favoring a Penn State opponent. I’d love to see a lot of bettors lose their money on this game. The over/under is 49. This suggests a massacre with the Buckeyes winning by the approximate score of 32-15. I think that State is going to have a difficult time moving the ball, but I think that Tressel will show respect for Joe Paterno, who won’t be winning his 401th here. I’m going with OSU 34, PSU 13 and I’m taking the under.

The Answer?

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There have always been memorable twists and turns to the Penn State – Northwestern series. Heretofore, the most unforgettable moment was in 2005 when Michael Robinson completed a 4th-and-15 pass to Isaac Smolko, which provided the spark that would eventually take the Nittany Lions to the Orange Bowl.

“We actually felt like we were winning the game going in at halftime. We were pumped up, we were ready to go.” —Matt McGloin

Few thought that that magical moment would be eclipsed an another Northwestern game, particularly this season with this team, a hobbled and underachieving bunch that had already lost three games. Doubtless, many switched off this game when Northwestern jumped off to a big lead. But persistence paid off on this November 6th in Beaver Stadium. Penn State fans will remember this game for the rest of their lives.

It was a win, of course. Penn State (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) beat Northwestern (6-3, 2-3) 35-21 to become bowl eligible. It was Joe Paterno’s 400th career victory and one of the greatest comebacks in Penn State history. This is the story of how it unfolded at The Cave.

On Saturday morning, Artificially Sweetened read my preview of the game. Suddenly, I heard her shriek, “Bolden’s going to start? Why?”

I could only offer that he had won the starting job at the beginning of the season and he had apparently recovered from the concussion suffered two weeks ago. Plus, the coaches seem to regard him as the guy to lead the Nittany Lions for the next four years.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” said AS. “McGloin won the Michigan game. He should be starting.”

I couldn’t argue with that. In fact, I had wished that the PSU brain trust would have seen it that way, too.

“They don’t want to destroy Bolden’s self-confidence,” I responded feebly. “He needs to get back up on that horse and get some game reps.”

AS seemed disgusted. She likes McGloin’s style. So do I.

“By the way,” she said, “I disagree with you. We’re going to win.”

With that, this Turkey offered a “Harrumph!”, asserting that I knew best and that the Lions would be returning to pre-Michigan form for oh, so many reasons. I was convinced that NWU would get an early lead and that the uninspired play of Bolden, the O-Line, Royster, and the no-nothing defense would all conspire against the possibility of a Penn State win. No way could AS ever be wise enough to outanalyze the Supreme Turkey.

We prepared The Cave for the arrival of our guests without another word about the game. Qué sería sería. (What would be would be.)

It was a low-energy day in The Cave. Two of the guests would be arriving late and I forgot to put out all my Penn State tchotchkes. (I have a ball autographed by Joe Paterno, a lucky cardboard cut-out of a much younger Paterno, some pennants and stuffed Nittany Lions, etc.) I have been fighting a cold and a cough, so I’m dragging anyhow. As such, the 3:30 kickoff felt like a nooner. El Pavo Grande de Nittany settled into his LaZboy Mark McGwire model recliner and hoped it wouldn’t be too embarrassing.

You all know what happened. The Lions came out flat and the defense came out porous. Northwestern quickly drove down the field for its first TD before we had even switched from the ridiculous Illinois-Michigan game. It appeared that it would be a banner day for Wildcat quarterback Dan Persa, who would be a one-man wrecking crew running all over the PSU no-nothing defense.

The Lions lost momentum when on the next series they tried for a fourth down conversion at the Wildcats’ 33, where Evan Royster ran into a brick wall. After a three-and-out by Northwestern, the Lions tried again. Thanks to a couple of long runs by Stephfon Green and Silas Redd, they managed to drive to the NWU 30. On third-and-eleven, Rob Bolden dropped back to pass and was pursued by Hunter Bates. He tried to scramble, but Bates had radar lock on him. Instead of eating the ball and taking the sack, which would have lost 18 yards, Bolden thought about getting rid of the ball, and in doing so, coughed it up and lost it to Bates at the NWU 48.

Post concussion syndrome or just sloppy play? Let’s split the difference and call it a rookie mistake.

The ‘Cats drove down to the PSU 10 and then missed the field goal attempt. Still 7-0 as the first quarter wound down.

Zbeard opined that Bolden should be replaced by McGloin. I said something about that destroying his confidence, but I wanted McGloin in there, too. AS sure as hell did, too, I know that.

We all got our wish at :28 of the first quarter. McGloin’s first drive was unsuccessful. A putrid Anthony Fera punt gave the Wildcats great field position, on which Persa capitalized with another touchdown. 14-0.

The teams traded punts and then Collin Wagner tried a long field goal, which failed, giving the ball to Northwestern at their own 34. Persa completed a 41 yard pass to Jeremy Ebert, the Big Ten’s leading pass receiver, and marched it into the end zone yet again. 21-0.

Could anyone see what was coming? All ye of no faith believe ye in miracles when ye see them! Could Penn State—this Penn State team—come back from 21 points down with a shaky offense and no defense? Hell, no! You were thinking the same thing, too, weren’t you?

Yet, with 50 seconds left in the first half, McGloin suddenly started looking like John Elway back there, taking charge and leading the Lions on a 91 yard drive for the first Penn State touchdown. I had to pause the DVR just before the TD when Jackstand and his brother finally arrived. They had family business to attend to but they managed to reach the Cave at just the right time. The Nittany Lions went into the locker room with momentum on their side and this Turkey and AS went into the kitchen to cook for the Cave denizens. Still, no one believed there was any hope for the Lions. Good food would provide some comfort.

You need to know that the menu was grilled coho salmon with lemon/butter/caper sauce; spinach salad with orange mustard vinaigrette dressing, mandarin oranges, and warm goat cheese; and finally, my Jewish Italian baked zucchini. Jackstand brought an apple pie and some ice cream for dessert. Zbeard, of course, was in charge of alcohol. No turkey was on the menu. Praise the Lord.

Back to the game, the momentum was on Penn State’s side coming out of the locker room. McGloin directed yet another masterful drive, this one 84 yards, using all his weapons, both aerial and terrestrial. When I say all his weapons, I mean all, including a capstone touchdown pass to converted lineman Nate Cadogan, brother of former Nittany Lion tackle Gerald Cadogan, playing tight end. The game was now within reach at 21-14. This one propelled the Beaver Stadium crowd of over 104,000 back into the fray.

Now it was Northwestern playing sphincterball in the face of the sudden advantage for the home team. Pat Fitzgerald’s countenance was contorted as he completed his Kegels, and the Wildcats went three-and-out. A Brandon Williams punt gave PSU decent field position at their own 37. Two passes from McGloin to Derek Moye were all that were required to score from there. Game tied at 21!

Another Wildcat three-and-out. Was this the no-nothing PSU defense out there? Suddenly, Persa couldn’t move the ball. It seemed likely to this Turkey that the energy of the offense created by the enthusiasm of Matt McGloin’s field generalship and the noise of the Beaver Stadium crowd had rubbed off on the defense. That was the only explanation for it. We hadn’t seen anything like this all year. Michael Mauti was all over the field and would wind up with 11 tackles.

This was followed by another Penn State score. Silas Redd did the honors from four yards out. The Nittany Lions had a lead they would never relinquish. 28-21.

After yet another three-and-out by the hapless ‘Cats, Penn State scored again for the final time, this one on a 13 yard swing pass to Evan Royster. Thirty-five unanswered points coming back from 21 points in the hole. Good show, guys!

Northwestern threatened once after that, but couldn’t score from the PSU 9. Final score, PSU 35, Northwestern 21.

McGloin threw four touchdown passes in the course of completing 18 out of 29 passes for 225 yards. He was not intercepted.

Well, the Turkey was wrong and Artificially Sweetened was right. I have a new nickname for Matt McGloin: The Answer. (Sorry, Allen Iverson. You might have been The Answer at one time in the NBA, but you ain’t nobody’s answer now!) McGloin adds energy and enthusiasm to the Penn State huddle. His self-confidence shows in his play and it rubs off on teammates. Hell, it even rubbed off on the defense. You know how all year long I’ve been saying that this team lacks leadership? Well, mateys, we’ve found it. McGloin is The Answer. He is a natural leader.

This isn’t just my opinion. Senior running back Evan Royster, Penn State’s all-time leading rusher, feels the same.

“He really brings a calmness to the huddle,” said Royster. “He can kind of come in there and tell a joke or something like that and kind of relax people. That helps. There’s people being tense, and it really helps loosen up and kind of gets ’em in a flow.”

He is The Answer.

Not since Kerry Collins in 1994 in the fabled Illinois game that included “The Drive” has Penn State come back from a 21 point deficit. And not since the Franco Harris/Lydell Mitchell days 40-some years ago have two Penn State players run for over 130 yards each in a game. Royster had 134 and freshman sensation Silas Redd had 131. The amazing effort juiced all in Beaver Stadium with energy, but the coup de grace was that head coach Joe Paterno notched his 400th career win when it seemed in the first half that it wouldn’t happen at least for another couple of weeks—or perhaps at all this season.

Paterno was carried off the field and was uncharacteristically moved in more than just that sense. With regard to why he’s stayed around so long, he gave a sweeping wave to Beaver Stadium, whose crowd had stayed put after the game to celebrate his milestone, one which will never be equaled. “Look around!” he said. “Just look around!” A fitting end to a celebration of an achievement earned in a fitting manner. “Now that the celebration is over,” Joe added, “let’s go beat Ohio State!”

Even my fellow hippie friend (that’s hip replacement, not communes, peace signs, and bongs) from Ottawa watched this game, eh? Lizard, a professor of nursing, offered the following.

So why didn’t they throw cold H2O over Paterno’s head after the 400th win. Would it have stopped his heart?

I must say watching these college games takes me back to my youth which as we know is wasted on the young!

Well, Lizard, the tradition started by Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants calls for Gatorade, not water, but I think that the players might have thought twice about dousing an 84 year-old guy with iced electrolyte juice on a 35 degree day. But great minds think alike. Toward the end of the game I wondered aloud whether the dousing would be attempted. In my semi-inebriated state I was thinking that if someone was stupid enough to do it, I’d personally go up there and shoot the bastard(s).

So this morning I asked AS if she thought the Nittany Lions would beat the Buckeyes next week.

“No! Not without a defense,” she replied, “even if they have the sense to play McGloin.”

I’ll be back later in the week with a preview of the big Ohio State game, and I might even take AS’s sentiments into account this time.

Two in a Row at the Beave?

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Two wins in a row  at Beaver Stadium would be candy for the Penn State homeys and would add another career milestone for venerable head coach Joe Paterno, who seeks his 400th career victory. Can your Nittany Lions get the job done?

The “almost ranked” and bowl eligible Northwestern Wildcats (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) saunter into Beaver Stadium to square off with a larger species of cat, the mighty Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3, 2-2), who as you know are coming off a hard fought and emotional victory over Michigan last week. The Wildcats squeaked by Indiana 20-17.

Northwestern’s offense is led by senior quarterback Dan Persa, who is a steady and careful Big Ten quarterback. He dinks and dunks his way down the field, which is pretty much required of him in the absence of a reliable running game. His completion rate is still over 74%, but it has been steadily declining since the ‘cats entered the meat of the Big Ten schedule. Persa has been intercepted only three times all year, while throwing 12 touchdown passes. Whether he’ll be fully capable of playing this game has been in question since he suffered a concussion against Indiana. He participated in about half of Wednesday’s practice.

Persa’s favorite target is junior wide receiver Jeremy Ebert (no relation to movie critic Roger Ebert), who leads the Big Ten in receiving yards per game. Senior Sidney Stewart is Persa’s second choice.

The Wildcats’ passing offense is ranked 25th nationally, but they are 68th in rushing.

On the defensive side of the ball, Northwestern has two decent senior linebackers, Quentin Davie and Nate Williams, the latter of whom is from Pittsburgh. Williams is averaging over six tackles per game, and Davie is tied for third in the conference in interceptions. On the whole, the Wildcats’ defense is better than middle-of-the-pack, ranking in the high 30s in rushing and pass efficiency defense.

Coaching is solid, with Pat Fitzgerald in his fifth season at Northwestern. Himself a linebacker and former linebacker coach, the 35 year-old Fitzgerald is a risen young star among NCAA Division I-A head coaches. He is so well regarded that his name is frequently mentioned as a possible successor to Joe Paterno at Penn State. Recent rumors suggest that either he or the rumor mongers have posited that he would leave NWU for the job at PSU, if it were offered. However, with a name like Pat Fitzgerald, don’t be surprised if he eventually winds up at Notre Dame someday and don’t be surprised if Jenn Sterger’s old breast implants show up on eBay someday. (That’s just Turkey poop, so please don’t start any rumors.)

This Turkey supposes that there are two ways to view last Saturday’s victory over Michigan. One is that it represented a turning point that potentially will transform a dull, uninspired season to a spirited one. The other is that it was a temporary aberration, a lucky encounter with a defense that was just plain bad—bad enough to allow an underperforming Penn State offense to outscore Michigan. My thoughts are that it was some of both. (What a cop out, eh?) Alas, I think there was a little of the former and a whole lot of the latter.

The return of the running game was a joy to watch, but will it continue? The Wildcats, ranked 6th in the Big Ten in rushing defense, have allowed an average of 126 ypg, as opposed to the Wolverines, who rank 8th in the conference at 150. Not a huge difference there. Will the offensive line’s maintain its steady progress? Establishing the running game and dominating time of possession will be key in this contest. Matt McGloin brought a fresh look to the offense and a lot of gritty spirit to the huddle; however, Rob Bolden is likely to start this week (according to Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror). Whichever of the two starts, the much maligned offensive line has done a decent job of protecting its quarterback this season, ranking third in the conference in sacks allowed. For all the heat they’ve taken from me about being inferior on their best day to the mighty McCabe sisters, they certainly deserve a little love from El Pavo Grande for their pass protection.

The biggest worry is the Nittany Lion defense, or lack of same. Against the pass—and Northwestern is a passing team—PSU ranks 72nd in pass efficiency defense and 107th in sacks. If the Wildcats should choose to run the ball, they’ll be up against a rushing defense worse than Michigan’s, allowing 155 yards per game. Injuries to key players and poorer than expected performances by others cast this as a mediocre defense at best. We cannot kid ourselves about that. Is Khari Fortt ever going to get playing time at defensive end? Regardless of the individual tweaks here and there, which come an an unfortunately late juncture in the season, the defensive suckage cannot be expected to be ameliorated this year. There are just too many weaknesses at too many positions. The one bright spot is that Penn State’s Nick Sukay leads the conference in interceptions but it is just our luck that Sukay tore a pec muscle and is out for the year.

Special teams: advantage Penn State. Thank God for small miracles. Collin Wagner leads the conference in field goals. I have maintained that Wagner is Penn States offensive MVP this season, and I see no reason to abandon that position at this point. He has become a reliable scorer, a potent weapon for a team that has struggled to score touchdowns. Anthony Fera is a fairly reliable punter and can kick the ball deep on kickoffs. And we’re all waiting for Chaz Powell to break another long kickoff return for a touchdown, damnit!

I suppose that one big factor in this home game will be the quest for Paterno’s 400th. Will the players be motivated to play beyond themselves for the glory of dear old State and for Joe? The 3:30 pm start should give them plenty of time to wake up and ready themselves. It remains to be seen whether they will come out with guns a-blazin’ in the first quarter. We know that this bunch doesn’t do well coming from behind.

The weather should be a factor. Variable cloudiness with a high of 42 and possible rain or snow showers is the forecast from State College’s own AccuWeather.com. This, of course, favors the running game. Theoretically, if you forget the first six games of the season, it should in turn favor Penn State. Can you forget the first six games of the season just because the last two were decent? No, you cannot. I think if anything, the weather favors the Wildcats because the two sucky running games will cancel themselves out and it will be up to the passing game. Persa’s plodding style tips the scales toward Northwestern, and if Bolden starts, it exacerbates that situation. On the other hand, one never knows how two concussion boys will handle their first outing after getting their bells rung. Maybe the cool weather will clear their heads.

Well, Turkey aficionados, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for, the Official Turkey Poop Inflailable [sic] Forecast, the fearless, flagellative, fablungeta, Phillistine, faggoty forecast (I can’t think of any more alliterative f-words, can you?), forsooth! But first, have you heard that the Nittany Lion mascot, who was ticketed for public intoxication in August, has finally been fired? Yep, happened during the week. We at the Turkey wish him well in his forthcoming endeavors and hope that he can curtail that nasty drinking habit. It can ruin your life, lad! But I digress. Back to the game, the gambling line favors the Nittany Lions by six points, with an over/under of 48.5. At the beginning of the season, this Turkey’s predictions for the season called for PSU to lose to either Michigan or Northwestern, and I have no reason to change my mind at this point. The Lions beat Michigan because of their crappy defense; nevertheless, they allowed 31 points while doing so. While NWU doesn’t have a Denard Robinson, they don’t make many mistakes (+.63 turnover margin, as opposed to State’s -.13). Is this beginning to sound a bit ominous to you? It should. The gamblers seem to be suggesting a Penn State win with a score of like 27-21, but the Turkey doesn’t see it that way. Joe will have to wait for November 20, the Turkey’s birthday, to get his 400th win. On a chilly day, take Northwestern plus six, and take the under. We’re looking at NWU 23, PSU 16.