For several years I've been publishing an HTTV-like thing with the Penn State bloggers. Last year I did a VEQ with PSU blogging capo emeritus Mike Pettigano, and we had BSD managing editor Cari Greene on MGoRadio this week. The third editor of our book is Jared Slanina (@Jared_BSD), whom I saved for this.
Part I(where I answer their questions) is on Black Shoe Diaries.
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1. Your offense is listed as "Pro-Style." Since that hasn't had any meaning for 10 years, what is it really? Under center or shotgun? Passing spread? Dink and dunk and screen? Play-action? Grab bag? A million plays or a few good ones?
I would say "grab bag" is the best description. For most of the season they over-relied on screens and short outs, which isn't really a great fit for Hackenberg and allowed defenses to load up the box and wreak havoc on our struggling offensive line. The offense started rolling during a short stretch once the staff realized the effectiveness of the vertical passing game with a pocket passer with a strong arm and a group of tall and speedy receivers.
However, against Northwestern they reverted back to the conservative style where they basically just ran Barkley and threw short passes to him, and hoped he could beat the Wildcats all by himself. Once again, the offense struggled to find much a rhythm. Using history as a guide, Penn State might again run a conservative offense that plays right into Michigan's strengths. It's almost as if the whole gameplan against a team with a stout defense is hope against hope that Barkley produces a couple big scoring plays and the defense holds the opponent to single digits.
Obviously, it hasn't been terribly effective against the likes of Ohio State, Northwestern and Temple, and certainly won't put the team in a good position to pull off upsets against Michigan or Michigan State in the final two weeks of the regular season.
2. So, how's the OL cleanup going? Are you still starting a recycling bin or has he been passed by a flesh and blood person yet?
No no your blocks are THAT way! [Eric Upchurch]
Let's start with the good news: Penn State now has an experienced offensive line filled with actual human beings! Gone are the days where they relied on stop signs and scarecrows to slow down the pass rush. While the OL has gained valuable experience, they still are the weakest link on the team. It's still a young group, but the lack of progress since the start of 2014 is disturbing. They are not quite the dumpster fire they were a season ago where they allowed the most sacks in the history of the Big Ten, but they have a long way to go before being a serious contender in the East. My feeling is that the Wolverines banged up DL will still be able to dominate Penn State's OL, allowing Michigan to control the game from start to finish.
[After THE JUMP: Dae'sean Hamilton is gonna die]
3. I recall there was some dodgy clock management. Has Franklin hired a 14-year-old who does nothing but play Madden to fix that or is it a recurring issue?
At the end of the 2014 season, I put together "BSD Awards" post that gave a variety of accolades for the year. The "Most Bizarre Moment" went to the closing moments of the Michigan game. As you likely recall, Penn State didn't bother calling timeouts toward the end to give them time for a final drive. When they finally used their first timeout, it was after 20-plus seconds ran off the clock after the play. It was almost like the staff were under the impression there was eight minutes left in the game and then had an "OH SHIT!" moment when they looked up at the scoreboard.
Suffice to say, not much has changed in this regard. Penn State has regularly refused to call timeouts at ends of games when the opponent is clearly in scoring range. Franklin took plenty of heat after the lack of timeouts allowed Northwestern to take the lead with a few seconds remaining, rather than allowing the offense 1-2 minutes to work with at the end of the game.
4. Jordan Lucas was wearing Nyeem Wartman-White's number. Now he's injured too. Is there a curse? If so, who's going to wear it next?
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| Screen merchant Dae'sean Hamilton will be matched against Michigan's #5, in case wearing that number for Penn State isn't a curse. [Bryan Fuller] |
Well, DaeSean Hamilton wears number five as well, so apparently the curse is confined to the defensive side of the ball.
5. How is PSU adjusting without Lucas? Is it a big drop-off to Malik Golden? Is Allen going to take on Jordan's role or is he locked in as the deep guy?
Lucas is an outstanding all-around player, and has always done well in coverage, even against some of the Big Ten's best receivers, and is a vicious hitter with an excellent nose for the ball. However, I'm not expecting a huge drop-off for two reasons: for one, Franklin is very tight-lipped with injury news and I suspect Lucas hasn't been playing near 100 percent for the majority of the season. Secondly, backups Malik Golden and Troy Apke have each done very well in relief duty throughout the year. Golden doesn't jump off the screen, but does well in coverage and is very active and always close to the action. Because of the experience of Golden and Apke, I expect Allen to stay put and Golden to slide into Lucas' role.
6. How's Bell? How is he used?
Brandon Bell is my favorite player on the current team. He's an athletic and punishing linebacker with infectious enthusiasm. He has an obvious love for the game that makes him a joy to watch. Bell flies all over the field, and between his size, style of play and donning the honorary number 11 jersey, looks an awful lot like Lavar Arrington. He excels in blitzing situations and often comes off the edge at the last second. He is definitely someone who can wreak some havoc on Saturday by creating a timely turnover, either by forcing a fumble with a timely hit to Rudock, or forcing him into a poor decision with his arm.
7. Where do you find Carl Nassibs?
Carl Nassib is one of the best stories in college football this season. He entered Penn State as an undersized walk-on and gradually worked his way up the depth chart. As a junior he saw sporadic action and finished with seven tackles on the season. Although the coaches and players spoke very highly of him throughout the summer, most fans assumed he would be usurped as a start by one of the more highly-recruited underclassmen a few weeks into the season. His first career start, on any level, was in week one against Temple. Now he leads the nation in sacks and is on the shortlist for several major awards, including the Lombardi and Nagurski trophies. He's another player who can make things mighty difficult for Rudock on Saturday
8. Okay—don't laugh—but say, just hypothetically, if a Michigan running back was to actually find and decide to run through a hole in the defensive line, how are Cabinda and Reeder at tracking, getting off blocks, tackling?
Cabinda and Reeder are future stars as Linebacker U., but do have their moments when their youth is quite obvious. Both have played tremendous in their first year as starters, but do find themselves out of position from time to time. Penn State's run defense isn't quite as good as last season, when they were ranked number one in the nation for a majority of the season, but is still quite good, especially between the tackles. They have failed to guard the perimeter at times, so Michigan's best bet is to stretch it outside rather than pounding Smith up the middle for the majority of the game.
9. Which of these expected matchups terrifies you the most: Haley vs. Chesson, Darboh vs Williams, Jordan Lucas's replacement v. Butt, or Marcus Allen vs tackling Peppers in space?
I'll take Butt versus a 5'9 corner for 500, Alex. [Bryan Fuller]
All of them scare me in a way because the talent on Michigan's side. Darboh and Butt know how to get open and have excellent hands, and Chesson has really taken it to a new level the past few weeks. On the other hand, while the members of Penn State's secondary might not jump off the screen, they form the number two pass defense in the nation. Each know how to do their job and commit very few mental mistakes. The one thing that will have me holding my breath is any time Peppers has the ball in his hands. I don't care if Ronnie Lott and Rod Woodson in their primes are covering him, Peppers is a very special player who can create major yardage any time he gets his hands on the ball.
10. Flip that: which matchup (Godwin/Lewis, Hamilton/Clark, TEs vs safeties, or Barkley vs our LBs) should Michigan be most worried about?
Godwin has been exceptional all season, but I have a feeling Jourdan Lewis will be glued to him all afternoon. If Lewis focuses solely on Godwin, expect DaeSean Hamilton and Geno Lewis to do some damage. Hamilton does an excellent job of finding soft spots in the defense and catches everything thrown his way. Lewis does not get nearly as many looks as he should, but every time he gets the chance, good things happen. He's a very physical receiver who you can lob the ball to and let him outmaneuver the opposing DB for a big gain.
14. WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE FAT KICKER?!?!? Also how are your special teams? Also also WHAT WERE YOU THINKING--BRING BACK THE FAT KICKER
Is this the end of the Legend of Big Toe?
The special teams units have been pretty atrocious at times. The kick coverage has played well against some very good returners, but have also allowed two kickoff return touchdowns, including one against Northwestern that likely cost them a victory. Punting has been disastrous all season. Penn State has gone back-and-forth between two punters once again this season, and both have often greatly hurt Penn State in the field position battle. The return units have been much better than last season, including several big returns and near touchdowns.
The Joey Julius era might be over, especially with the top placekicker prospect coming to Happy Valley next season. [Ed: um…] Julius has a big leg, but struggled with consistency. Against Illinois, he had two early extra points blocked because of low kicks, and then had a kickoff sail out of bounds near the 20. Freshman Tyler Davis replaced him for the remainder of the game, and hasn't looked back.
15. What's up with the tight ends? Did you have like three really good ones? Who's this Wilkerson guy and why is he ahead of Carter, Breneman and Gesicki?
The tight end position has been a disappointment this season, to say the least. Breneman was expected to emerge as a major contributor, but injuries have sidetracked his career at Penn State. He's only made a couple brief appearances all season. Wilkerson is a utility player who lines up at tight end, fullback and H-back. He is more of a lead blocker and only has two receptions on the season (both coming against Army when Hackenberg actually had time to check down to him).
Gesicki possesses off-the-charts athletic ability but has been more of a liability on the field, having many passes bounce of his hands and committing some costly penalties. He has the tools to create mismatches and get open, but unfortunately can't do much once the ball is thrown his way. Carter is a bit of an enigma. he's battled injuries for most of his career, and doesn't see the field as often as he should. Neither Carter or Gesicki are effective blockers, leaving Penn State without a complete tight end on the roster.