So after a three week vacation from Nittany Lions Go, I am back. I know all a lot of you are itching to know where I have been, to sum it up, the past three weeks have included a new job, moving, getting married, and honeymooning! As for now, back to the real world, adjusting to the speed of the game, and blogging for all of you.
I'm sure all of you have kept up with the team and the college football world, so under that assumption, I am not going to recap the past couple of weeks. I will, however, remind all of you that Penn State beat Michigan in Ann Arbor on my wedding day, so thank you Lions for a great wedding present!
As for this weekend, we got a lot on the docket for Penn State Football. Not only is this weekend a big matchup with Ohio State, but its our biggest weekend for hosting recruits. So when you are at the game, be on the lookout for big time recruits in Marcus Lattimore, Nick Jones, and Mike Thornton. There will also be a familiar face in sight in Maika Polamalu, the younger cousin of the Steeler's safety Troy Polamalu. Maika Polamalu will be visiting along with teammate Terrell Chestnut, both of which are two of the top junior recruits in the state of Pennsylvania for next year.
As for the game, it's a classic. It's a game that is scheduled every year in the Big Ten, what reporters have referred to as the "New Border War" since Michigan has not been Michigan as of late. The game will be your classic defensive battle as Penn State and Ohio State possess the Number 5 and 6 best defenses in the country respectively. The difference however, sticks out on the offensive side of the ball, as Penn State posts the number one offense in the conference, while Ohio State ranks 94th in the country. So what does this tell us for the game this weekend.
The truth is that Ohio State has a great defense, but they have not face a great offense yet this season. They have posted losses against USC and Purdue, and USC is not the USC of old, and Purdue is in a rebuilding year with a brand new coach. The reasoning behind their wins is their defense. Also, their offense has not face a defense of equal or greater caliber just yet as well. I believe that this is the year that the conservative, grindout theme of this rivalry will be broken.
This is the year that Penn State will post a double digit win over Ohio State. Ohio State has yet to play a team with an offense as balanced as these Nittany Lions. Scouts want to go ahead and talk about their defensive front seven and how tough it is to run on the Buckeyes, but the two teams that beat them picked them apart with great rushing efforts and underscreen pass plays from their running backs. Even if Ohio State does have the defense to hang in there with the Lions, they are no where close in having the offense that can put many points up against this Penn State defense.
I would look for Pryor facing a lot of pressure in a contain style rush, with Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee taking turns spying him in the pocket. Expect a lot of frustration on his behalf, a few scrambles, and a couple on interceptions throughout the game. Ohio State will also have a tough time getting their running game going, but look for them to get a few breaks with underneath passes to Dane Sanzenbacher. As for the defensive side of the ball, look for the Buckeyes to hang in there at the beginning of the game, but for Clark and Royster to gradually begin to get rolling. I actually wouldn't even be suprised if our offensive line came out and punched Ohio State in the mouth and set the tempo early. In other words, look for one way or another, for this offense to get rolling.
As for the Lions, I would look for Clark to have a trademark game. He is going to have a career game, he might start off a little shaky trying to establish the tempo early, but once the adrenaline settles down a bit and he gets zoned in, look for a career type performance from him. Look for the Lions to set up the running game, whether its through spreading the ball out with their depth at receiver and those big tight ends or an early mean streak established by the offensive line. Look for a few more designed draws from Clark as well, but expect a 100 yard + performance from Royster and at least a couple passing throws from Clark.
This is it, this is the game that finally dethrones Ohio State as the lone horse of the Big Ten. With the win, it keeps the Lions in contention for a possible share of the Big Ten crown, which would only be possible if Iowa drops a game by the end of the year. As for the battle of Big Ten supremacy, this win could also be a shift in power from Ohio State to Penn State for years to come. So keep your fingers crossed and enjoy the game this weekend.
WE ARE..........................
No comments:
Post a Comment