It wasn’t the easy romp all of you (except Drozz) thought it would be. I have to go to a kid party, which I’ll escape in time for the Steelers game, but I’ll throw out some bullets.
- Barkley’s 358 total yards, a school record, was an amazingly blatant attempt to increase his Heisman visibility in prime time. Still, if you got it, flaunt it.
- Penalties’ll kill ya.
- Turnovers’ll kill ya.
- Defensive line exceeded expectations, especially without Torrance.
- Offensive line reverted to traffic conism. WTF is up with Andrew Nelson, who was seen either standing around or getting pushed around on several occasions?
- McSorley, uncomfortable in a shaky, collapsing pocket, did indeed channel Hack at times. (Kudos to Big Al for admitting this possibility.)
- Iowa is always a danger in Kinnick Stadium, and they’ve knocked off many superior opponents there. Why wasn’t Penn State ready?
- Hey, I won’t harp on TOP anymore. Penn State had a huge edge — about 40 to 20, while running 99 plays — but, Barkley aside, they lost their quick-strike capability in the face of an effective Iowa defensive game plan.
- Still, the final drive showed more moxie than I thought would be possible. They looked weary, concerned, and defeated after Iowa’s score. The drive was impressive. It changed my mind about these guys. They had to believe in themselves to get the job done.
I’m interested in your comments after this cardiac event.
