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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Archives for September 2022

Explosions Heard

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Penn State 46, Ohio 10

The explosive plays of James Franklin’s wet dreams were abundant on Saturday, as the Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten) summarily dispatched the Ohio U Bobcats (1-1, 0-0 MAC) by the score of 46-10 before an announced home crowd of 107,306 (which is always a lie). Two freshmen, running back Nick Singleton and quarterback Drew Allar, impressed us with their big play ability. As always, I’ll caution my readers that this was Ohio U, so don’t get your hopes up too much, but enjoy the victory, anyway.

These young dudes are the future of the Nittany Lions, if they don’t decide to show their shit and then ditch Penn State for a playoff contender via the transfer portal. I should note here that Will Levis, our last hot QB prospect who did not get the playing time he wanted, bolted for Kentucky, where he has thrived. Yesterday, the Wildcats kicked some Gator ass. The moral of the story is play ’em or lose ’em, a sad fact in today’s pecuniary world of college football.

Quotable Quote

The ESPN power rankings put Penn State at number twenty-four this week. In the blurb, staff writer and former Penn State football beat reporter for the Centre Daily Times, Heather Dinich, asked the question, “Have the Nittany Lions found their running game?” Good question, Heather! A question for which we hope the answer is “yes”; however, a few standout plays by a fine freshman running back breaking loose at this early juncture against a MAC opponent tells us little. Most of Singletons yards were gained without much help from the suspect offensive line.

Dinich went on to spout the facts. “Freshman Nick Singleton had 10 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns, but it was his big-play capability that was most encouraging. Singleton had three carries over 40 yards apiece — more than all Penn State players had combined (two) in the previous two seasons. Yes, it was against Ohio, but the Lions’ defense also was smothering, as the Bobcats only crossed midfield three times. Penn State needed the complete effort before heading to Auburn.”

Offensive Line Tracking

The boys gave up five sacks, plus eight TFLs and a QB hurry. Obviously, the O-line is still a work in process.

No QB Controversy

Clearly, 14th-year super-senior Sean Clifford, who was 19-27 for 213 yards and a TD, is the starting quarterback. However, much like Steelers fans are clamoring for Kenny Pickett over Mitch Trubisky, Nittany Lions fans will be inundating social media with their plaintive cries for more playing time for freshman Drew Allar, who got his feet wet with a 6-8 performance for 88 yards and two TDs. For my money, this year should be a seasoning year for Allar, who represents the future for PSU at QB, notwithstanding the omnipresent prospect of transfer portal desertion. Christian Veilleux also got into the mix, going 6-7 for 37 yards. It is clear to me that, absent injuries to Clifford and Allar, Veilleux will get clean-up duty in the fourth quarter in garbage time situations.

Heather Seen It

The running game was a refreshing presence, not seen by Penn State fans for a shitload long time. With feature back Nick Singleton earning the Lion’s share of the yards, we still must note that the rest of the backfield added 57 yards, which would have been greater were it not for the five QB sacks applied by the Bobcat D. Freshman Kaytron Allen shows additional promise, with 7-45.

Butbutbut Third Down Woes Continue

Some would argue that “explosive plays” obviate the need for third-down conversions. I might be old school, but I still want these clowns to be able to convert on third down. The Nittany Lions were a putrid 3-12 in this game. Improvement is necessary to be competitive. They can’t ALL be explosive plays, so they need some bread-and-butter grinding to move down the field against the better opposition.

Defense

The mighty Penn State front seven were just a-ight, recording but a single sack but holding the mighty Bobcats to one-hundred yards on the ground.

Kicking — WTF?

WTF? You would think Jake Pinegar was a raw rookie playing his first game in Beaver Stadium. Missing one easy field goal and one extra point (which high school girls have no trouble making) I must repeat. WTF?

On the other hand, Barney Amor’s punting looked solid, and the downfield coverage was excellent. Keep up the good work, boys!

Wrapping It Up

Well, PSU covered the spread, just like I didn’t tell you they would. The game was never really close, but I told you it would be uncomfortably close for a while. So, the moral of that story is: I’m full of shit, as usual.

Auburn (2-0) next week. They’re coming off a 24-16 home victory over San José State, in which they trailed 10-7 in the first half. They previously beat Mercer 42-16, so we don’t yet know whether they are any good. Penn State represents their first major test of the year, and you can be sure that if PSU prevails, the Sanguinarians will instantly put Penn State in the playoffs.

I’ll be back mid-week for a look at Auburn and some out-of-the-ass predictions.

Where Have You Gone, Frank Solich?

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Ohio U (1-0, 0-0 MAC) vs. Penn State (1-0, 1-0 B10)

When Penn State hosts the Ohio U Bobcats at noon on Saturday, a perennial presence will be missing from the visitors’ sideline. Long-time head coach Frank Solich retired last year after a distinguished coaching career at Ohio U and formerly, Nebraska.

Those who are my age (and his) might remember him as a fullback and captain of the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the 1965 season. Eventually, he was named as Tom Osborne’s successor as head coach of the ‘Huskers, where he coached the beefy, corn-fed Redmen (that’s their jersey color, not their skin, so we can still say it) to six consecutive bowl games. When he left Nebraska in 2003, having been fired by new AD Steve Pederson, he had more wins in his first six seasons than did his predecessors, Hall of Famers Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.

Solich, after taking 2004 off, joined the Bobcats in 2005. To say that he rebuilt the program would be an understatement. His successes at Ohio U are reflected by the Bobcats’ appearance in eleven post-season bowl games. Until 2021, the season after which he retired, his coaching record was 115-82 at Ohio, and 173-101 career. While he is no longer the field general, he maintains his relationship with the program as special assistant to the Athletic Director.

Reduced Expectations

Solich’s sudden retirement put longtime offensive coordinator Tim Albin on the spot, thrown headlong into the head coaching job. Last year, the Bobcats struggled, going 3-9, which was their first losing season since 2008. Albin brings back lots of starters from that dog of a season. He better put up or he’ll be on the coaching hot seat. His four-year contract, signed last summer, provides no compensation if he is fired after December 31. A losing season would guarantee the heave-ho. And it doesn’t look good, because pundits are putting Miami and Kent ahead of Ohio in the MAC East. (What the hell do THEY know, anyway?).

A Wild Opener

Last week, the Bobcats held off a late rally by their owlish C-USA opponent, FAU, to prevail 41-38. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was 27-34 for 345 yards, with four touchdowns and no INTs. The Ohio U. rushing attack gained 131 yards, with the standout performer being Sieh Bangura, with a 114-yard day. All this despite four sacks, seven quarterback hurries, and seven tackles-for-loss by the Owl defense.

On defense, Ohio was only able to record two sacks. That number should improve this week against the highly suspect Penn State offensive (truly) line.

PSU’s Home Opener

You can expect a crowd (at least three, by definition) to savor this game to be played Saturday at noon on Beaver Field at St. Joe Memorial Stadium (for those of you who are new to The Nittany Turkey, this is my sarcastic lament over the absence of a physical presence for Joe Paterno’s legacy). On just how large the crowd will be, I will not speculate. Given that Penn State’s first two home games are with MAC opponents (the other one is the mighty Central Michigan Chippewas1) with a trip to Auburn sandwiched in-between, I’m thinking that the stands will more closely resemble last week’s Ross-Ade turnout than the announced attendance of 175,000 will suggest. We have a new AD. Gotta make him look good.

Franklin Sez…

Well, James G. Franklin was full of his usual platitudes, including “tough opponent” and “we have our work cut out for us”. He gave his team’s performance in the Purdue game an “F” for “explosive plays”. Yeah, right. There were none unless you count the Boilermakers’ 74-yard pick six interception return.

Dropped passes on both sides of the ball are another area for improvement, says Franklin. Yea, verily, Joey Porter had a slam-bang opportunity for a pick-six, which turned into a stat-padding breakup instead. Further, he said the offensive line needs work, giving up a sack and three tackles-for-loss against Purdue.

Franklin said the defensive front seven (two sacks and three TFLs) needs work but called out Joey Porter, Jr., who had received national recognition, and lauded the secondary. He was also quick to mention that 12th-year senior starting quarterback Sean Clifford had been named co-Big Ten player of the week.

What I Think

Well, like the rest of you, I’m enthusiastically anticipating observing how Penn State’s defensive backs compete against quality passing attacks, given the refreshing new defensive play calling by Manny Diaz. Let us blow taps for the Sandusky/Bradley/Pry soft zone and hope that it remains dead and buried. Yeah, yeah, I know, zone has its place — just not on EVERY DAMN PLAY! Ohio U has a balanced offense, but Rourke threw 34 times in the FAU game, so the secondary will get a workout on Saturday.

I’m also looking forward to some improvements by the ground game’s law firm of Allen, Lee, and Singleton, although the much-maligned offensive line gave them little help in the opener. And

Back in 2012, the last time these two teams squared off, the Bobcats won 24-14, to spoil Bill O’Brien’s coaching debut. The series stands at 5-1 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

So, yeah, I expect a win, but the interesting part for me will be looking for improvement between last week and this. I might even venture a prediction, just for the hell of it.

Da Wedda

Da Weddaman be looking for a foggy early fall morning in State College Town, with a 15% chance of the wet stuff. By halftime, the temp should reach 79, which makes it a pretty nice, partly cloudy late summer day.

Da Bottom Line

This is the inaugural Official Turkey Poop Prognostication and Painful Prediction of the fledgling 2022 season. For those of you who don’t yet know it, I’m completely full of shit. So, don’t be looking here for any advice on how to risk your gambling capital. The Nittany Turkey takes no responsibility for your failures, but if given the chance, will take full credit for your successes. And some of you might get pissed off at me for being brutally honest about the fact that your best successes with Penn State typically involve taking the points and betting against them.

This is a “nooner”, albeit fortunately, at home, and it matches PSU up with an opponent from a lesser stratum of semi-pro college football, so “that dullard look”2 of an unmotivated team is always a danger. It will be up to Franklin and staff to motivate the troops to get out there and take care of business.

And so, my flock, this foul old fowl flies forlornly forth, venturing into the vagaries and vicissitudes of the world of semi-pro college football. (After that crappy alliteration, I’ll literally spare you my rant over the tragic, albeit ubiquitous, abuse of the adverb literally). Looking west to Vegas and its pecuniary crystal ball, we have the Lions favored by 24.5, with an over/under of 54. A little algebra (which, as a kid, I pronounced al-BER-ja, when I first encountered the word in print) will tellya that break-even done be at Penn State 39, Ohio U. 15. I am thinking that it is reasonable, but Penn State will keep this one uncomfortably close for a while and won’t cover, so make it PSU 35, Ohio U 17, but take the under.

1Will the Chippewas be the Chippewas much longer? Last I heard, they still were. We’re in an era of de-Indianization, or should I call it “contranativeamericanindigenousperceiveddissingization”? What do you think will be a good mascot for the former Chippewas? The Commanders is already taken. How about the Chippies? In England, that’s a nickname for a carpenter, but here, it means a loose woman. And so, I ramble on about nothing.

2“That dullard look” copyright © 2017, Urban Meyer.

The almighty Nittany Turkey writes this awful offal twice per game week or whenever the hell he feels like it. Being old and retired has its rewards, you know.

Franklin Discovers Lightning

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Penn State 35, Purdue 31

I don’t have any idea what that title means. Last night’s host for watching the game, Jackstand of Mike’s Garage — or is it Mikestand of Jack’s Garage? — suggested it. Much more thunder than lightning characterized last night as both sides made lots of booboos. In the end they were evenly matched.

Yeah, yeah, I know, Penn State homies would never put their vaunted Nittany Lions on a middle stratum with the lowly Boilermakers. But like big crocodiles, they’re in de Nile. I don’t see how this Penn State team will compete favorably against the likes of tOSU and Michigan, which guarantees middle-of-the-pack for them. But it’s early.

Room for Improvement

As Joe Paterno once said, the biggest improvement in a season will be between the first and second games. I never heard him say that, but longtime friend and Penn State athletic supporter, Toejam, did. Well, they better improve, because they’re facing the mighty Bobcats of Ohio U. next week, and they’re likely to be favored by four touchdowns or more. Better not screw up!

Sean Clifford, our 45-year-old signal caller completed over half of his passes behind a still dubious offensive line. What do you think of the line play you saw last night?

The overall stats were about even. Both sides gained over 400 yards, more than three-quarters of which were via the pass. Both took “three yards and a cloud of dust” literally, as their rushing averages if counted on fingers would yield the Boy Scout salute. The Boilermakers tried to sink their own ship with nine penalties and a fumble that led to a Penn State touchdown, while the Nittany Lions 12th year senior citizen quarterback committed an equally egregious error of throwing a pick six that could have lost the game for PSU. The offense-turned-defense should have contained that interception return in Purdue’s own territory, but poor pursuit and tackling resulted in a 74-yard play. Oy vey!

In Defense of The Defense (or not)

We were also annoyed by a veritable plethora of missed tackles by the Penn State defense, but the redemption for that unit was familiar standout, Joey Porter, who had eight solo tackles and showed us some damn fine pass coverage. He should have made his old man proud with that effort.

I really don’t have much to say about this game, but its outcome was satisfying. It’s been a long week and I’m still not cranked up enough to write something meaningful here, but I wanted to let y’all know I was still alive. I hope we don’t have any more damn Thursday night games!

The Nittany Turkey writes pure BS and makes no bones about it. You’ll find me here before and after Penn State football games on my own schedule, which varies from week to week. Hope to see you back here soon.