Washington (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) vs. Penn State (7-1, 4-1)
Just like the Gatorade Douse spontaneously invented by the NFL N.Y. Giants’ Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor* to congratulate coach Bill Parcells became an obligatory gesture to be conducted ad nauseam, so the annual White Out, invented by Penn State’s former branding officer Guido D’Elia, has evolved from novelty to routine occurrence. White Out games are chosen before the start of the season, typically involving a key match-up in prime time. Well, this year, the geniuses in Penn State Athletic Marketing decided on the Washington game as the White Out, because after all, the Huskies had competed in the Still Somewhat Mythical National Championship Game (SSMNC) against Michigan last year. The only thing is, they lost their head coach, their star quarterback, and most of their players, so what Penn State will face in the so-called prime match-up of the season will be a mere shadow of last year’s overachievers.
Don’t get me wrong. This is not a game to be taken lightly, particularly in the shadow of the humiliating loss to tOSU. The letdown of that loss will certainly affect the attitudes and energy of the Nittany Lions in this prime-time game, scheduled for 8:00 PM kickoff on Saturday, November 9. So, they’ll need the energy added by the home crowd.
Who We Face
Washington has lost three out of its most recent five games, to Rutgers, Iowa, and Indiana, all road games. But they beat Michigan and USC at home in Washington. Last week’s game against USC was the first where their vaunted pass defense was tested. USC had 293 yards passing versus 166 rushing. I ran across that stat just as I was starting to worry about the Huskies’ #2 ranked pass defense.
Without going into great analytical detail, I will opine that this game will not be a walkover for Penn State. They’ll be fighting that post traumatic haze and their penchant for slow starts. The “white out energy” will add some necessary adrenalin. Very necessary. In fact, I can see this one being a lot closer than it looks on paper, and it is likely that Franklin and the boys will not cover the spread. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Penn State an 87.3% chance to win. We’ll see about that. This year, Penn State has made close games far too interesting.
Da Wedda
It’ll be about the same as last week, with a few extra clouds of gloom hanging over the Nittany Lions. High is forecast at 57 and low at 36. At kickoff time, it will be in the 40s, and no rain or wind will ruin the show. So, advantage, no one.
Da Bottom Line
After last week’s loss took some of the wind out of my sails, I half-heartedly arrive at the section of this article commonly known as the Official Turkey Poop Prognostication, in which this foul old fowl blows some more wind about how he thinks the game will go. Jenny and I will be enjoying steaks from Jackstand’s Big Green Egg, which I predict will be more exciting than the game. I just hope that the game doesn’t give me too much heartburn.
The line on the game is PSU minus thirteen, with an over/under of 46.5. This works out to an expected result of 30-17, Penn State. Those slow starters are liable to give us yet another coronary, going to the locker room with a 10-7 deficit. Then, they’ll snap out of it and win the second half, but not without getting a heap of resistance from the Huskies. They won’t cover the spread, but they’ll score just enough to win by a decent margin. Penn State 27, Washington 17. I’m taking the under again.
I’ll be back on Sunday with a recap and a few de bons mots.
*Although the Gatorade Douse was the brainchild of Carson and Taylor’s teammate Jim Burt, as confirmed in Carson’s book, “Point of Attack: The Defense Strikes Back”, the act is popularly attributed to the better known Carson and Taylor.
