ILLINOIS

Here we go......

We finally got a glimpse of what the Lions are capable of doing. We can sit here and say that they played Illinois, but Illinois held their own quite well, until the Lions decided to go to their undiscovered strength of the running game. Last week, in the Iowa write up, I said that we would probably get off to a slow start, but that the running game would get going in that game. The hunch was not based on a feeling, but based on the truth.

The offensive linemen were great all throughout the Illinois game. So what was the difference this week from the previous games this year. There were two things that stood out to me that opened up the run game last week. One of the two was the consistency of the offensive line, they were on the same page. By that I mean that when they blocked well, they blocked well together, and that when someone would blow their assignment, they would pick up for each other as well. It seems as if there was a change in communication up front and whatever it was, look for that unit to grow on that basis.

The second thing that stood out, was relieving some of that pressure off of the offensive line. The play calling from the second half on not only lifted some pressure off the offensive line, but also set the tempo and allowed them to establish a nasty streak. They did this by calling some quick screen passes, underneath routes to the tight ends, and designed runs by Clark. By doing so, they allowed the offensive line to get into a rhythm and gain some confidence. Look for more of this style of play as the season progresses and Penn State finally gets ready to open up that Spread HD again.

All in all, the entire team played a full football game, but there are still areas that need attention. The secondary played a great game, especially well considering that they had to deal with one of the most talented receiving units in the Big Ten with Benn and Fayson. But they need to learn to keep the pressure on and safety play needs to improve at the Hero position. Penn State fans, continue to get excited with the play of Stephon Morris and watch for him to become more and more of a playmaker as the season progresses. Look for him to keep his head up a little more and if he does, he will end up with more interceptions as opposing quarterbacks are looking to throw his way.

As for the rest of the defense, the defensive line is currently leading the Big Ten in sacks with 15, but if they increase the pressure and learn to create for each other, it could lead to an increase in turnovers for our defense. I know the linebacker play has been all over the place this season with injuries and different trios on the field every other drive, but you have to give credit where it is due. That credit is going to go to Josh Hull. It seems like no matter what this guy does, that people will always overlook it, or find a way to voice their dissatisfaction. Well here is the truth about this guy, not only does he fuel our defense emotionally, but he has been the only constant on our defense all year. Here's a fun stat for all of you that have not noticed yet, but Josh Hull has been our leading individual tackler for the past three games and look for him to continue this sort of play all year long.

As for Eastern Illinois, do not be surprised if this game isn't as easy it looks on paper. Eastern Illinois is an FCS school that is sporting FBS talent. Look for Eastern Illinois to give our unit everything they've got, however the Nittany Lions will prove to be too much in the end. What to expect when we play them this weekend:

-Penn State to set the tempo early and get off an running with Royster and Green building on last weeks performance.
-Look for Clark to move the pocket a little more after last week.
-Expect the tight ends to get more touches this week as well as some more screen plays to the running backs this week.
-This is the week that Penn State scores a touchdown on a special teams play.
-Look for the defense to rack up 5+ sacks and look for the secondary to get two more interceptions in this game.

WE ARE...............