Both missing - who would have guessed it a year ago?
Dave Thurman (3:06 pm)
Penn State is coming to town in what may go down as the strangest Senior Day in history. Only someone holed up on a deserted island is unaware of the drama in Happy Valley, which has taken the focus of the sports world off of Ohio State and Tatgate. A year ago, the Buckeyes triumphed 38-14 in a game that was a whole lot closer than that, but was broken open in the second half by two pick sixes. At the time who would have guessed the following:
-Jim Tressel would resign under pressure and be replaced by Luke Fickell
-Terrelle Pryor would not take a snap in 2011, heading to the Oakland Raiders
-Joe Paterno would be fired right after becoming the winningest coach in college football history
-DeVier Posey would be playing his first game of the year after a 10 game suspension
So, what should we expect on Saturday? Nobody is really sure. The Nittany Lion program is in disarray, but PSU played an emotional game last Saturday and nearly knocked off Nebraska. They might be charged up and play with a chip on their shoulder or they might completely fold. And, who knows what to expect from this young Buckeye team that played with passion against Wisconsin, but did a lot of sleepwalking the last two weeks. So even if the game is missing Joe and Jim, there is plenty of reason to tune in.
When Penn State has the ball:
All year long Penn State has rotated two quarterbacks and although they have won eight games, the offense has not been overly strong, averaging a mere 21 points per game. However, last week interim coach Tom Bradley stuck with junior Matt "Moxie" McGloin, who played a great first half at Ohio Stadium last year before falling apart in the second stanza. If he falters, they could go to sophomore Rob Bolden, who was a highly ranked recruit but has yet to reach his potential. McGloin has hit on 54% of his passes with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions, while Bolden has only completed 43% of his throws with one touchdown and four picks. Of the two, Bolden is the better athlete, and is a threat to run the ball, although he doesn't have sterling rushing numbers. Look for McGloin to be the man Saturday, and while he won't wow anyone, he is steady and effective.
Penn State is coming to town in what may go down as the strangest Senior Day in history. Only someone holed up on a deserted island is unaware of the drama in Happy Valley, which has taken the focus of the sports world off of Ohio State and Tatgate. A year ago, the Buckeyes triumphed 38-14 in a game that was a whole lot closer than that, but was broken open in the second half by two pick sixes. At the time who would have guessed the following:
-Jim Tressel would resign under pressure and be replaced by Luke Fickell
-Terrelle Pryor would not take a snap in 2011, heading to the Oakland Raiders
-Joe Paterno would be fired right after becoming the winningest coach in college football history
-DeVier Posey would be playing his first game of the year after a 10 game suspension
So, what should we expect on Saturday? Nobody is really sure. The Nittany Lion program is in disarray, but PSU played an emotional game last Saturday and nearly knocked off Nebraska. They might be charged up and play with a chip on their shoulder or they might completely fold. And, who knows what to expect from this young Buckeye team that played with passion against Wisconsin, but did a lot of sleepwalking the last two weeks. So even if the game is missing Joe and Jim, there is plenty of reason to tune in.
When Penn State has the ball:
All year long Penn State has rotated two quarterbacks and although they have won eight games, the offense has not been overly strong, averaging a mere 21 points per game. However, last week interim coach Tom Bradley stuck with junior Matt "Moxie" McGloin, who played a great first half at Ohio Stadium last year before falling apart in the second stanza. If he falters, they could go to sophomore Rob Bolden, who was a highly ranked recruit but has yet to reach his potential. McGloin has hit on 54% of his passes with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions, while Bolden has only completed 43% of his throws with one touchdown and four picks. Of the two, Bolden is the better athlete, and is a threat to run the ball, although he doesn't have sterling rushing numbers. Look for McGloin to be the man Saturday, and while he won't wow anyone, he is steady and effective.
The strength of Penn State's offense is their running game featuring sophomore Silas Redd. He is fast and physical and has rushed for 1059 yards at five yards per carry. Although there is depth behind Redd he has not come out of the game very often, and is the key to the PSU offense. Fullback Joe Suhey is a good blocker and a threat to catch a pass or two out of the backfield.
At receiver it always seems the Lions have speed and this year is no exception. The star is Derek Moye who also has great size (6'5" 210) and despite missing two games leads the team in every category (34, 592, 3). The Buckeye secondary will also contend with Justin Brown (32, 493, 1), and tiny speedster Devin Smith (21, 333, 2). Tight end Andrew Szczerba is rarely used as more than a blocker. Although this isn't a great unit, it is pretty good, and has suffered from less than stellar quarterback play.
PSU's offensive line is big and experienced (four seniors and a junior) but lacks a big name player. While the offensive numbers aren't strong much of the blame falls on the quarterbacks, and overall this is a pretty decent line, which has done a good job in the running game, and only allowed 12 sacks. No doubt, the Nittany Lions want to establish the run as badly as the Buckeyes, and the team that succeeds in that department should be victorious.
When Ohio State has the ball:
A struggling Ohio State offense meets a very tough Penn State defense, which has been extremely stingy in 2011. The Lions surrender only 287.2 yards and 12.9 points per game, and will make it difficult on Braxton Miller and company. The defensive line sets the tone, led by a pair of huge defensive tackles in Jordan Hill (56 tackles, 8 for loss), and Devon Still (53 tackles, and 16.5 for loss). Running up the middle is certainly going to be a challenge, not that it will keep Jim Bollman from trying! The defensive ends are okay, but it is the big tackles that have garnered the accolades this year.
You always expect good linebackers at Penn State, and that is true once again this season, although none of the three starters is a bona fide superstar. The best of the bunch is OLB Gerald Hodges who leads the team with 86 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Possibly the strength of a very good defense is the secondary which has limited opponents to 167.7 yards per game. Even more impressive is the fact that they have only surrendered six touchdowns while intercepting 14 passes. Senior free safety Nick Sukay leads the team with three picks, and he and fellow safety Drew Astorino are hard hitters who are good at separating the ball from opposing players. Overall the defense has forced 23 turnovers, and so it is imperative that Ohio State hold onto the ball.
While the return of DeVier Posey is huge, it will still be difficult to move the ball consistently on the PSU defense, and it is hard to imagine Miller putting up good numbers through the air against a talented secondary. It could be a long day for the Scarlet and Gray offense, which will try and grind things out on the ground, and play field position football.
Dave's Wildcards:
This game should be low scoring, and is all about intangibles including the following:
-Attitude - Nobody knows what the team psyche will be for either squad. Although Penn State was detemined at home last Saturday you have to think the cloud hanging over State College is going to have a negative effect this week. As for the Buckeyes, they should be buoyed by the fact that it is Senior Day, as 24 players run into the Shoe for the final time. Getting Posey back in the mix can't hurt, either.
-Special Teams - Penn State has a fine player in Anthony Fera, who does the punting and kicking. While solid in both departments, he does not have tremendous range on field goals. Kick returner Chaz Powell has taken one to the house and must be hemmed in. Overall, there isn't much difference between the teams in this department, but the Buckeyes might have a slight edge.
-Coaching - Ohio State's coaching was pretty awful last week, and hasn't been overly strong all year. Penn State is missing Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary, so they aren't at full strength, so to speak. It might be interesting to see which staff makes the better decisions and adjustments in this contest.
Score Prediction:
Dave: OSU 16, PSU 13
Drew: OSU 14, PSU 13
At receiver it always seems the Lions have speed and this year is no exception. The star is Derek Moye who also has great size (6'5" 210) and despite missing two games leads the team in every category (34, 592, 3). The Buckeye secondary will also contend with Justin Brown (32, 493, 1), and tiny speedster Devin Smith (21, 333, 2). Tight end Andrew Szczerba is rarely used as more than a blocker. Although this isn't a great unit, it is pretty good, and has suffered from less than stellar quarterback play.
PSU's offensive line is big and experienced (four seniors and a junior) but lacks a big name player. While the offensive numbers aren't strong much of the blame falls on the quarterbacks, and overall this is a pretty decent line, which has done a good job in the running game, and only allowed 12 sacks. No doubt, the Nittany Lions want to establish the run as badly as the Buckeyes, and the team that succeeds in that department should be victorious.
When Ohio State has the ball:
A struggling Ohio State offense meets a very tough Penn State defense, which has been extremely stingy in 2011. The Lions surrender only 287.2 yards and 12.9 points per game, and will make it difficult on Braxton Miller and company. The defensive line sets the tone, led by a pair of huge defensive tackles in Jordan Hill (56 tackles, 8 for loss), and Devon Still (53 tackles, and 16.5 for loss). Running up the middle is certainly going to be a challenge, not that it will keep Jim Bollman from trying! The defensive ends are okay, but it is the big tackles that have garnered the accolades this year.
You always expect good linebackers at Penn State, and that is true once again this season, although none of the three starters is a bona fide superstar. The best of the bunch is OLB Gerald Hodges who leads the team with 86 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Possibly the strength of a very good defense is the secondary which has limited opponents to 167.7 yards per game. Even more impressive is the fact that they have only surrendered six touchdowns while intercepting 14 passes. Senior free safety Nick Sukay leads the team with three picks, and he and fellow safety Drew Astorino are hard hitters who are good at separating the ball from opposing players. Overall the defense has forced 23 turnovers, and so it is imperative that Ohio State hold onto the ball.
While the return of DeVier Posey is huge, it will still be difficult to move the ball consistently on the PSU defense, and it is hard to imagine Miller putting up good numbers through the air against a talented secondary. It could be a long day for the Scarlet and Gray offense, which will try and grind things out on the ground, and play field position football.
Dave's Wildcards:
This game should be low scoring, and is all about intangibles including the following:
-Attitude - Nobody knows what the team psyche will be for either squad. Although Penn State was detemined at home last Saturday you have to think the cloud hanging over State College is going to have a negative effect this week. As for the Buckeyes, they should be buoyed by the fact that it is Senior Day, as 24 players run into the Shoe for the final time. Getting Posey back in the mix can't hurt, either.
-Special Teams - Penn State has a fine player in Anthony Fera, who does the punting and kicking. While solid in both departments, he does not have tremendous range on field goals. Kick returner Chaz Powell has taken one to the house and must be hemmed in. Overall, there isn't much difference between the teams in this department, but the Buckeyes might have a slight edge.
-Coaching - Ohio State's coaching was pretty awful last week, and hasn't been overly strong all year. Penn State is missing Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary, so they aren't at full strength, so to speak. It might be interesting to see which staff makes the better decisions and adjustments in this contest.
Score Prediction:
Dave: OSU 16, PSU 13
Drew: OSU 14, PSU 13
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