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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We Gonna Beat Big Red, Maybe?

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So, here we are, with three games left for Penn State (6-3, 4-1 Big Ten), who would be bowl-eligible, if only they were eligible for bowls. The only bowl they’ll be seeing this year is the white porcelain one on New Year’s morning, as they purge the rest of New Year’s Eve.

University of NebraskaThe #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten), who still harbor realistic hopes for a B1G championship, host the Nittany Lions on Saturday in the last road game of the year.

The ‘Huskers could indeed be B1G champs in a year complicated by the post-season ineligibility of Penn State and Ohio State. They hold the tie-breaker over Michigan, so if they win out, they’ll wind up in the title game. Wisconsin would seem to be their most likely opponent.

Their two losses this year were at the behest of UCLA and Ohio State, both road games. In both cases, Nebraska cooked its own goose with turnovers, two in the see-saw UCLA game, which ended up 36-30, and four in the 63-38 Ohio State blowout. Big Red ranks last in the Big Ten Conference in turnover margin.

Notwithstanding the omnipresent dark cloud of turnovers being a big, sloppy aspect of their game, they’re no slouches. Nebrasky leads the conference in five different categories: rushing offense, total offense, pass efficiency defense, passing efficiency, and sacks. They’re second in four other categories: scoring offense, punt returns, pass defense, and tackles for loss. Oy, vey! Penn State will have its hands full playing in Nebraska!

Looking at the game from a statistical viewpoint is ridiculous, but I’ll do it anyway. PSU leads the conference in turnover margin, while Nebraska is twelfth, so doesn’t that mean that Penn State will make them cough up the ball a few damn times. Yeah, we hope so.

Even our vaunted front seven, who allow on the average 123 rushing yards, will find the going rough as they try to stop an offense that rushes for an average of almost 270 yards per game. At the center of the offense is junior quarterback Taylor Martinez who is a dual-threat kind of guy. When a defense has to keep an eye on a mobile quarterback who is a constant threat to run the ball, things get complicated fast. Hey, could this be Braxton Miller déjà vu? Martinez averages 74 yards per game rushing, and in his last outing, against the heralded Moo U. defense, he rushed for 205 net yards in a comeback victory. His passer rating is 147.12, good for 34th in the country, and he ranks 24th as a player in total offense, with an average of 289.67, just a gnat’s eyelash less than Miller’s 291.90.

Sophomore running back Ameer Abdullah is the rushing mainstay, and he leads the Big Ten in punt returns, too. Averaging 92 yards per game rushing, this guy is only going to get better. He has run for over 100 yards in his last three games, against Northwestern, Michigan, and Moo U. Double oy vey!

While Matt McGloin seems to be regaining the confidence he lost in the Ohio State debacle, linebacker Eric Martin might have something to whisper in Matt’s ear a few times as this game progresses. The defensive line is big, mean, and experienced. If McGloin can’t get his passes away quickly, this could get ugly pretty fast (as “they” say). We’ve already said that the Nebraska pass defense is not going to let PSU get away with much, so we’ll say it again.

I’m not expecting much rushing output, but will Belton play? What’s up with dat? Bill O’Brien famously said last week that players have to earn their jobs in practice, implying that Belton hadn’t done so. That leaves the Killer Z’s, Zwinach and Zordich, who are serviceable, but no great shakes. Penn State’s running game is pretty shabby, ranking 10th in the conference with a 140 yard average. But they’re going to have to run the ball in this game, because as we mentioned, Nebraska will shut down the pass.

Special teams: oy, vey #3. With a world-class punt returner, and Penn State’s suckage on coverage, it would be better for you that a millstone be hung around your neck and you be cast into the sea. I don’t really know what the hell that means, but my high school physics teacher, Mr. Brock, used to say it all the time and I appreciated it, I think. Thinking back to him, he reminds me of Robin Williams. What’s this have to do with punt returns? Damned if I know.

Injuries have plagued Penn State. The most serious is Jordan Hill, whom we just cannot afford to lose with Taylor Martinez being the threat that he is. Alas, although O’Brien hasn’t said anything for sure, it doesn’t look good for Hill to play in this game. It’s a knee, ferchrissakes! You can’t just tape it up and expect it to work. However, Kyle Carter has been practicing, so there is hope that he’ll play. Finally, Curtis Dukes wasn’t playing much, basically just special teams, and he appears to be out indefinitely.

The weather is very iffy. It looks like one of those warm Great Plains fall days on which all hell can break loose weatherwise. With a forecast high of 76 and a cold air mass barreling across the plains, thunderstorms, some severe, are a distinct possibility.

Who’s the man?

John J Pershing
General of the Armies John J. “Black Jack” Pershing

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to showcase a distinguished Nebraska alumnus. It was a tough choice this week, what with Nebraska alumni including Johnny Carson, Warren Buffet, and Karlis Ulmanis, the first prime minister and fourth president of Latvia. However, with Veterans’ Day coming, it was an easy choice, especially since Veterans’ Day was originally Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I. Today’s distinguished alumnus is General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, who was the only U.S. army general ever to hold the rank of General of the Armies, the highest rank ever given, during his lifetime. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Pershing was allowed to choose his own rank insignia, which he decided would be four gold stars to differentiate him from the four star generals of his time. During World War II, even though he had fewer stars, he outranked the five-star generals of the time (Eisenhower, MacArthur, Bradley, Arnold, and Marshall). Pershing died in 1948 at the age of 87 at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.

And now…

It is time for that for which you have been waiting for which. Which? What? Who? Oh, yeah, it’s time for the mighty, infallible (I lie) Official Turkey Poop Prediction! Our friends at BWI are once again split and calling for close games one way or the other. I just don’t see it that way. The dirty, nasty gamblers have bet on Nebraska, by and large, making them an eight-point favorite to kick some Lion butt. The over/under sits at a juicy 51, down from the opening 53. Maybe the thunderstorms will be smiting the goal posts to knock off a damn extra point or two. Anyhow, I’m not seeing this one being very close. I kind of see another Ohio State game in the making. In a Taylor Martinez Whodat déjà vu special, Nebraska 35, Penn State 17. Take the over, but barely.

A Class Showing

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While the #12 Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) were beaten on the field by #19 Nebraska (8-2, 4-2) 17-14, they had chances to win. After perhaps the worst week in the history of Penn State, that the team was able to perform at all with a new head coach and hasty changes to the coaching staff is a testament to their focus.

State this out loud in stentorian tones: It was the first game of the post-Paterno era at Penn State, as the winningest coach ever in NCAA Division I was fired on Wednesday.

“I think today it just made the healing process start to begin,” said interim head coach Tom Bradley. Solidarity among players and fans, chants of “We are… Penn State!”, blue ribbons for victims of child abuse, and Nebraska’s classy empathy were all part of an emotion laden day. For some players, it spurred them on; for others, it dragged them down. “I used the emotions to fuel the fire,” said linebacker Nate Stupar.

Announced attendance was an amazing 107,903. This Turkey had expected that a significant number of those planning to attend the game would back out in the aftermath of the scandalous revelations of the preceding week. I was pleasantly surprised with this strong showing.

Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, let’s proceed with some football chatter.

With the victory, Nebraska moves up to #16 in the BCS standings while Penn State drops to #21 with the loss. 1xbet ???? Interestingly enough, of all the 8-2 teams ranked by the BCS, Penn State is the lowest ranked. South Carolina, Kansas State, Georgia, Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, and TCU all are ranked above the Nittany Lions. As usual, the rankings don’t make a lot of sense. Nebraska lost to Wisconsin, but are ranked one position higher; they beat Michigan State, but are ranked one position lower. I suppose when we’re looking at #12 through #21, we shouldn’t get too picky. Those teams are not likely going to BCS bowls, anyway.

Penn State was shut out in the first half and Nebraska had built a 17-0 lead before Penn State was able to score.

At that point, senior running back Stephfon Green came alive, scoring touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. As it was Senior Day, Green got more playing time than he has been getting from Paterno, having been in the infamous Paterno doghouse due to an off-field incident during the summer. The Paterno doghouse is now up for sale and perhaps might be shipped to the Smithsonian. ????? ??? ??????? ?????? Green wound up with 71 yards on 17 carries and the aforementioned two touchdowns.

But it was Silas Redd to whom the coaches turned when the crucial, make-or-break fourth down came up with 1:49 left in the game. Redd was stopped for no gain. By the time Penn State got the ball back on its own 28, all of its timeouts had been used and there were only 49 seconds on the clock. Three points down, a tie to take the game into overtime or even a win was still possible, but the Lions managed to move the ball only to their own 46 when time expired. Redd finished the day with 53 yards on 15 carries. ??? ???? ????

Interestingly enough, Matt McGloin played the entire game at quarterback. His performance wasn’t great, but I’m still convinced that he did better than either the two-headed scheme or Bolden would have done. He was 16-34 for 193 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns. The Nebraska secondary did a reasonably good job, but could have intercepted a few passes that they wound up dropping. McGloin was not particularly accurate.

Moye was the leading receiver with 78 yards on four catches, the longest being 40 yards.

For Nebraska, Taylor Martinez was 13-26 for 143 yards, but added 56 yards on 19 carries in the Cornhuskers’ option oriented offense. By far their offensive star, junior Rex Burkhead ran the ball 25 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Penn State’s special teams were, to use the hackneyed sports writer’s irony, nothing special. In fact, they especially sucked. Anthony Fera badly missed a field goal that represented the three point differential between the scores.

By and large, the two teams played even, as the game statistics show. It just wasn’t Penn State’s day.  We’ve been saying that a lot lately.

 

Welcome, Nebraska

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Amid all the turmoil that has defined the Penn State experience for the past week, the #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) in their debut season with the Big Ten come to the Big Beave to take on our beleaguered #12 Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-0).  Nebraska is coming off a 28-25 loss to Northwestern last week, while Penn State had a bye.

It is Senior Day, but the Lions’ seniors will not be accorded the opportunity to shake hands with their deposed head coach, making it a sad day for players and fans alike.

“I take this job with very mixed emotions, due to the situation.” —Acting Head Coach Tom Bradley

First of all, the coaching staff will be headed up by acting head coach Tom “Scrap” Bradley, who has appointed Ron Vanderlinden and Larry Johnson as co-defensive coordinators. Wide receiver coach, recruiting coordinator, and former head coach Joe Paterno’s sideline whipping boy,  Mike McQueary, will not attend the game. He was placed on administrative leave this afternoon by Acting President Rod Erickson. He talked with the players, telling them unofficially that Terrell Golden would be their wide receivers coach. Otherwise, all other coaches, including Jay Paterno, who is expected to coach from the press box, are expected to perform their usual functions.

Bradley has been acting head coach before on a couple of occasions when Paterno could not be there. However, it is a completely different situation when all of the responsibility rests on his shoulders. This is his first experience as a head coach in all its glory and potential tragedy. This Turkey joins all of you in wishing Scrap a most auspicious start.

It will be exciting to see how Bradley coaches a game when it’s all his to win or lose. We’ve all gotten used to the Paterno system. What will Scrap keep and what will he toss out the window? Will he defer on the opening kickoff if Penn State wins the coin toss? Will he settle on a single quarterback? (More on this later). Will he tighten up the anal sphincter in the second half if he has a lead? Will he leave the offense to Galen, Jay, and Dick, or will he take an active part in making coaching decisions affecting that part of the game? We’ll all be paying more attention than usual this week, looking for signs of what we can expect for the remainder of the season.

If we can look past the scandal, the first thing we’ll note is that we’re looking at another accursed noon start! ESPN/ABC wanted to wait until last Saturday’s results were known before committing a game time. Unfortunately, for those of you who, like this Turkey, believe that the boys do not perform up to par for noon starts, Nebraska lost to Northwestern last weekend, taking much of the edge off this game. ESPN/ABC translated that to lessened interest in watching the televised coverage, which meant forget about the 3:30 or prime time slots. ????? ?????? But the TV boys might have shot themselves in the foot. With all the scandal news they’ve been pumping out this week, they would have had increased national exposure for their propaganda had they given Penn State the benefit of the doubt. But, as the old sports writer’s trite platitude goes, it is what it is. What it is: Another stinking noon start! ????? ???? ????? ??????

We’ve been there and done that before. Now, add in the Sandusky scandal and Nebraska’s fall from grace and we have lots more empty seats. Students are probably tired from all their marching down Beaver Canyon and up to Old Main. They’ll be partying late tonight. This all translates to empty seats in the student section. After all, they have to do their homework sometime. Furthermore, the pep rally scheduled for tonight was cancelled by the university administration. So, instead of a positive lingering spirit, negative thoughts from the past week will linger on.

However, there will be no lack of team spirit this time in spite of their not receiving the public farewell handshake from Paterno. Former Nittany Lion RB Rich Mauti sent out over 800 invitations to former players, urging them to come in support of the team. By mid-week, 75 had responded positively. “It’s for the kids that have to go out there on Saturday,” said Mauti, who played under Paterno from 1974 to 1976 and went on to play in the NFL. “It’s a show of support for that. It’s not going to be banners and flags and bands. It’s going to be the Penn State Way. It’s going to be our presence. Hopefully, we get enough guys there that will mean something.”

Regardless of how many more former players come to the game, it is bound to be an emotional experience for the players. This is uncharted territory. This is the first time a Penn State football game has been played without Joe Paterno serving as head coach for 46 years. Everything that was solid as bedrock about the Penn State program two weeks ago when these players last took the field has crumbled. Even those who advise them can not have been through an experience in any way similar to theirs. Let us hope that Tom Bradley rallies them together with his patience, wisdom, and Penn State pride, as we all know he can.

In honor of Sandusky’s alleged victims and others in their position, Penn State students have called for a “Blue Out”. Fans are advised to wear blue. Blue lapel ribbons will be handed out to fans entering the stadium, as well, and Nebraska’s order valium in the uk alumni associations have shown considerable class in pledging their help in doing so.

Given the violence of student demonstrations on Wednesday night, extra security measures and personnel will be implemented. Student leaders have deplored the violence, a message we hope sinks in.

But I digress (I hope, understandably).

Nebraska and Penn State both have been labeled as having “suspect” offenses, ranking 53 and 88, respectively, in total offense. However, Nebraska has put a lot more points on the scoreboard, ranking 27th in scoring offense versus a lowly 100th for Penn State, an average of 21. ??? ???? ??? ???? 78 ppg. I wouldn’t call Penn State’s offense “suspect”, as any and all suspicions are borne out in their poor Red Zone performance and their anemic point totals. At least Nebraska can run the football, ranking 13th nationally. Their versatile quarterback Taylor Martinez adds significant yardage on the ground. Penn State will hope to get Silas Redd in gear to boost their 55th ranked rushing offense. He himself ranks 18th nationally with an average of 111.78 ypg.

How the two-headed Penn State quarterback will split duties is still a mystery to this Turkey. I feel for Tom Bradley, unwittingly inheriting that situation, but I’m certain that he’ll have the fortitude to create a plan and run with it, no matter what his distinguished predecessor might have done. Of course, you know by now if you’ve been reading my drivel that this Turkey’s preference would be for Matt McGloin to start and play the entire game. Rob Bolden just hasn’t yet shown the leadership, situational awareness, and pocket presence to be handed the reins. Every fan despises the two-headed system. I hope Scrap does, too.  Be that as it may, Penn State’s passing offense, perhaps a result, ranks 88th nationally. Nebraska is worse, ranking 101st and averaging only 174.56 ypg. With Derek Moye back from his injury, this Turkey is optimistic that Penn State will be able to move the ball through the air against a Nebraska defense that is not half bad, ranking 20th against the pass and 65th in pass efficiency defense. In the 28-25 loss to Northwestern, Nebraska was uncharacteristically 28-37 for 289 passing, with no interceptions and two touchdowns, and only 122 yards net rushing. They will probably return to a more balanced offense against Penn State, having learned their lesson against NWU.

The Nittany Lions have a significant edge over the ‘Huskers in total defense, ranking 8th nationally, against 41st for Nebraska. The strong, 24th ranked rushing defense will have to corral junior RB Rex Burkhead, who is averaging over 100 ypg, plus keep an eye on Taylor Martinez, a constant run threat averaging over 79 ypg. If Penn State can put the clamps on Nebraska’s ground game, they will have to throw against State’s 3rd ranked pass efficiency defense.

Penn State typically sleeps through the first half in games that kick off at noon. However, in this case, all bets are off with respect to the emotional engagement of the players. While the game is not quite as big as it was before Nebraska lost to Northwestern, which ordinarily might cause some players to look past them to Ohio State next week, it is this Turkey’s opinion that the fact that it is Senior Day, the presence of former players, the calming influence of universally respected Tom Bradley, and the support of the earnest fans who do show up for the game will impel most to play beyond their usual noon start slackage.

Special teams-wise, Penn State is not very wise at all. Nebraska has the edge there.

As for intangibles, I think I would be a complete fool to even touch on that subject here at this time.

The weather should not be a factor, as it is expected to be mostly sunny and breezy with a high of 55.

That brings us to the all important, always inaccurate Official Turkey Poop Prediction. But first, don’t you all feel like you need a vacation after what we’ve been through for the past week? I sure as hell do! My emotions have run the gamut, and I’m not even sure what an emotional gamut is. Nevertheless, we have business to do. The team is going to be there and be strong; you and I are going to be loud and be proud. The gambling line on this game favors Nebraska by 3.5 points, with an over/under of 42.5. I’m really going to have to pull this prediction out of a place similar to that into which I told several of my nastier commenters to shove their ad hominem attacks on this Thanksgiving fowl this past week. (I’ve got enough to worry about with what is sadistically called “Turkey Day” approaching rapidly.) While Nebraska has far fewer distractions, I see our Nittany Lions rallying together and giving an all out effort. Some will do so for their deposed coach; some will do so for the seniors, and some will do so out of pure Penn State pride and the desire to find a silver lining to the gray clouds that have dominated the campus for the past week, with the potential for a Big Ten championship and a BCS berth still entirely within the realm of possibility. With the qualification that McGloin has to start with the intent being for him to play a complete game (try and get the Vegas boys to accept that contingency — oy!), take Penn State and the points. And take the “over” by the slimmest of margins. Lions 27, Huskers 17.