Statement in Fresno

Over the weekend there were many opportunities for some Big 10 teams to make statements not only about their program, but about the conference as a whole. And, I by no stretch would call it a successful statement weekend, but there was one statement sent loud and clear.

For all the hype surrounding USC-OSU there was a game that was just important and a whole lot better...that game was Fresno State-Wisconsin. I'm a big time Badger fan and I have to admit that heading into this game I was pretty nervous. We are known as a slow starting team and I knew that we couldn't have a start like that.

Fresno State was billing this game as the biggest home game in program history. All week leading up to the game I heard a lot about how this is Fresno State's chance to pretty much claim a spot in a BCS game. The entire week heading into the game whenever this game was talked about I kept wondering if people just entirely forgot about the Wisconsin end of this equation.

From the opening kickoff you could tell we were totally focused on the job at hand...and that we were the team that felt disrespected heading into it. I guess the way I would describe it is we were playing the exact same card that Fresno State normally plays. As I said before not only was this our chance to send a message to the rest of the Big 10...but to the rest of the country.

I first want to talk a little bit about our defense...wow! Except for one big play they did an excellent job of limiting Fresno State's offense. Jonathan Casillas' first game back from injury was pretty impressive. I thought that our defense did a nice job of flying around and making some nice plays...and the Bulldogs run game got absolutely nothing. I thought our corners did a pretty good job..and they passed most of the tests that Fresno State gave them. I was a little bit shocked that Fresno didn't try to go deep a little bit more than what they did. I thought our defensive line did a nice job of getting pressure on their quarterback. Just all in all a nice effort by our defense. Easily their best performance of the year. I thought that our defense was physical out there..and I thought that they sent a message.

While the offense didn't put up a great performance they did do a nice job. Fresno State talked a lot about being a physical football team, I would agree they are physical for a WAC team, but they weren't ready for the kind of physical that Wisconsin brings to the table. I remember at one point in the first half we ran the ball straight up the middle and our offensive line dominated Fresno State's defensive line so badly that play that a Fresno defender didn't touch PJ Hill until at least 4 yards into the play. Getting Travis Beckum back was huge for us...he made some nice catches for us..and Garrett Graham contributed his usual solid game. I thought we were pretty creative in getting the ball to our small quick receivers...a lot of nice quick passes and then just let them create in the field and make guys miss. After watching the game I walked away with the feeling that we may very well be one of the most physical teams in the country..when you hear an opposing coach say that you took his teams "manhood away" you should feel that way, that wasn't a quote from Pat Hill..but Marshall's head coach did say that after our game with them. The only real negative aspect of the game would be the cramping issue that Allen Evridge had.

Before I go I just want to take a bit of time to talk about the officiating. It was brutal for the most part. It was a WAC officiating crew and you could tell that there was a little bit of help for the Bulldogs. I don't mean to imply that anyone was cheating. But, there was one call that still confuses me. A Fresno State receiver catches the ball and Shane Carter knocks the ball away from him and I dont remember who on our defense recovered the ball, but anyways Fresno State decides to challenge the call..now it looked to everyone as though the call wouldn't be over turned because it was quite obviously a catch..and there's no way the refs could possibly over turn that. But, the refs saw something and called that an incomplete pass somehow. So all I have to say to the officiating crew..thank you for almost costing us a game. The officiating was a sham for the most part.

Well that's all I've got..let me know what you thought.

Deja Vu All Over Again, a.k.a.- Why Ohio State Lost

For the first time in aeons, I did not read or watch sports news last night or this morning; the only thing I've looked up were the stats. I've not read or listened to anyone else's accounts of the game because I wanted to make certain I wasn't passing off someone else's ideas as my own. (We take that very seriously in my line of work.)

First let me say this: USC played a great game. The Maualuga interception was a thing of beauty. My explanations are not to undermine or downplay them. But looking at the statistics, USC did not blow OSU out of the water, nor did they wipe the field with them, as (I'm guessing) is the sentiment around the horn right now. USC only gained 150 more yards than OSU, had the same yardage in penalties, had about the same 3rd down completion percentage (50% compared to 40%-- both abysmal in my book), AND had less time of possession. So what made the 32 point difference? The short answer is that OSU repeated errors made in the last NC, almost to the letter. The long answer is:

1) Mistakes, especially penalties: The same thing that happened in New Orleans happened last night, though thankfully there weren't as many 15-yard'ers. The NUMBER of OSU penalties was ridiculous (I include in this figure the number that were declined). USC had their share as well, but they didn't happen at the critical junctures that they did for OSU. In the first half ELEVEN points came off the board as a result of penalties. (I count that we settled for a field goal rather than going for a TD as well as the negated Robiskie snag in the end zone in that.) Without the mistakes, it would have been 21-17 going into the second half (counting Praetorius' missed FG), and that would have made for a very different game.

2) Capitalizing on mistakes: The only turnover OSU took away came with 0:09 left in the half. And then, rather than at least pulling a "Hail Mary," they took a knee. Almost every time USC had an opportunity, they took advantage of it, and that made a big difference.
3) Quarterbacks: Boeckman gets nervous; he makes mistakes. Big, costly ones. (Reference Maualuga.) Of course, it wasn't ALL his fault. He was hurried countless times throughout the course of the game. Pryor was solid on his feet, but didn't impress that much through the air. And neither did well when it came to the long ball...

4) Pressure ON the quarterbacks: USC did it; OSU didn't. Enough said.

5) Field position: Again, due in part to penalties. USC had about a 25 yard advantage in that category. You can't give a team that is THAT good any room; 25 yards is A LOT of room...

6) Momentum: Once USC had it, they never looked back. Once OSU lost it, they never looked up...

It isn't that USC has that much more talent than OSU-- it really doesn't. The game was not the blowout that the score makes it appear. The OSU D held USC to several three-and-outs, even late in the game. The offense was reasonably productive, at least until they hit the red zone. Then they began shooting themselves in the foot (and ankle, and knee, and...)

One of my favorite sayings is "G-d is in the details," which is one of the reasons I love football so much. It's all about the details-- all the little things add up to big ones. And I think my beloved Buckeyes need to be more detail-oriented if they are going to make lemonade out of the lemons that we saw last night.

(Disclosure: I posted the same thing on FN... verbatim. Don't want to plagiarize myself...) :)

#17 Penn State squeezes Syracuse Orange to a pulp, 55-13!

As I sit here watching the Auburn- Miss. St. game which is currently tied late in the second quarter at guess what? Yeah, 0. Welcome to SEC ball!! Where #2 Georgia needed two late turnovers in the red zone by the Gamecocks (who lost to Vandy last week) to win the game by the astounding pounding of 14-7! Wow that's some real speed and offensive power you got there Mr. SEC! Better keep it under tight wraps...because I think PSU took a wrinkle from ya... The speed + the points = Spread HD!!! And Penn State found yet another way to demolish a helpless BCS conference opponent. This week's victim? The Syracuse Orange. The game started out with a PSU fumble, and ended with three PSU QB's having at least 1 TD pass. Yeah it was that kind of day for PSU. Since JoePa doesn't give helmet stickers, I won't. We'll call them the "Hell I thought you played a good game today" bumper sticker that goes on your imaginary Facebook page. Sounds like a good compromise no?

Every PSU QB that played a snap, but especially Daryl Clark- 10-21, 163 yds, 2 TD: This man is the starter...aside from his opening fumble, which a la Morelli reminded us PSU fans how our quarterbacks played on the road recently, his amazing ability to turn the next possession into gold by finding Norwood for a 55 yard beauty, made us forget all about that and put the Morelli road factor in the past. Where it belongs. After all, who could overlook Clark's amazing performance on 3rd down...a down a certain QB we put in the past couldn't convert to save his life...or the drive...

The Wide Receiving Corp, but especially Deon Butler- 7 catches for 110 yards, 2 TD, and Jordan Norwood- 5 catches for 113 yards, 2 TD: Jordan Norwood has already proven to be Clark's favorite target, but I like Butler. Butler was Morelli's favorite target, but none of that mattered. For once, the running game, namely Royster, was pretty much there to rack up yardage and burn time...but these receivers did the scoring today, and the majority of the damage.

That nasty defense, which was a complete team effort as usual: This defense never let up. Don't let those 13 points fool you. This defense was stingy up the middle, over the top, and in the backfield. Completely amazing, although they could have gotten to the quarterback a bit more...although with half of your defensive line missing for one reason or another, who can complain with such a performance?

Next Week's Matchup:

Temple (1-2) @ # TBD Penn State (3-0)
12:00 Noon EST, Sept. 20th, 2008
Beaver Stadium, State College, PA

3-0? What the hell? They're Minnesota!

I told you this would happen.

I gave you fair warning.

But did you believe me? No. You blew off my ideas like they were Paris Hilton's political views.

 Who's laughing now? What's that? Woody Hayes is rolling in his grave laughing? He doesn't count.

But with what I've seen from this team so far this year, it still does not seem unreasonable to predict a winning record from the Golden Gophers this fall. No, they haven't completely destroyed teams like Penn State has, they haven't played a legitimate opponent like Purdue, Ohio State, and Illinois, but they HAVE done things that they haven't been able to do in the last few years.

Take the Northern Illinois game. First example of a game against a team that wasn't exactly a conference champion last year. In the MAC. They come into the Dome and match the Gophers blow for blow. What was different about that game than a usual Gopher game? Minnesota was the team that came back from 3 down in the final minute, shunned the chance at overtime, and made a big play when it counted to pull out a tough victory. Why does this give me hope? It was Northern Illinois. . . . This gives me hope because if Minnesota is playing in a game and a team comes back late for the victory on a gamble play, it's usually NOT the Gophers that are winning the game. If you don't believe me, see Minnesota vs. Northwestern (2000), Minnesota vs. Michigan (2003), and Minnesota vs. Texas Tech (2006 Insight Bowl). These are the types of games that the Gophers are famous for losing (and they almost did, with Northern Illinois having success on a late drive that ended in an Eric Decker pass deflection) but they were able to overcome that and gain their first win of the year. 

Final: 31-27

The next week's game against Bowling Green was a huge, huge game for the Maroon and Gold. Bowling Green was coming off a win over a ranked Pitt team, and the Gophers didn't get the luxury of playing this game in the Metrodome. It was a road test for Tim Brewster, who had never won a road game at Minnesota. (Granted, he'd only won ONE GAME at Minnesota) The defense was what was the bright spot of this game, forcing 5 turnovers and holding to Bowling Green to only 17 points despite 389 yards of total offense. The game was basically the best the Gophers could possibly play on offense, with Weber posting a very good stat line at 21-25 for 233 and 3 TDs. They also got a huge boost in the run game from true freshman Shady Salamon, who in his first collegiate game rushed for 64 yards and a TD on 12 carries. It was another great step in the right direction, surpassing the previous year's win total in only the second game of the year. (Yes, they were THAT bad (record-wise) last year) 

Final: 42-17

Today, they took on Montana State, an FCS team, at the Dome. Everyone remembers how that turned out last year, with North Dakota State running wild over the Gophers on their way to a 27-21 victory. This year would turn out differently, as the Gophers overcame a slow start to down the Bobcats. Weber didn't play particularly well, but once he started hitting Eric Decker, the Minnesota offense started to click and they scored 35 points in the second and third quarters. The Gophers got a very strong performance from Deleon Eskridge replacing Duane Bennett, who tore his ACL against Bowling Green. Eskridge gained 114 yards and had 3 TDs in the game, giving him a strong case to be the starter next week over Salamon. The defense and special teams had some holes that were evident in the early part of this game, giving up a 32 yard TD pass to a wide open Deandre Green, then giving up a 100 yard kickoff return to Demetrius Crawford. They did, however, block two Bobcat kicks, giving them a little redemption and showing this game was not as bad as the score would indicate.

Final: 35-23

I still see hope that the Gophers can win at least three of their final 9 games, boosting them to a record of at least 6-6 and into their first bowl game since Glen Mason was fired. Why is that? Adam Weber has played very well this year, the defense has shown flashes of potential, and Eric Decker is possibly the most underrated wide receiver in the Big Ten, and may possibly be the best receiver in the Big Ten. 

They've got the tools. It's up to Brewster to get them there...

The Badger Is Here...Yeah Exciting

Hey..I'm here and ready to make the Big 10 football group as quality as it possibly can be. So I'll blog a lot about the Badgers and other random Big 10 related things that I feel like blogging about..so yeah don't really have a whole hell of a lot to add after that. Ohhh I just remembered something go cardinal and white!

AE & BigD break down the game! Penn State-45 Oregon St.-14

>Daryl Clark vs. Devlin & Evan Royster vs. Green Pt. 2 wasn't nearly as exciting considering Devlin couldn't really generate much against an actual major conference opponent...but circumstances were different, and play calling was noticeably more conservative for Green and Devlin...but besides that, has Clark's 3 TD, 276 total yard game cemented him as the starter? And has Royster's consistency vs. a big time opponent also cement his solid 4 quarters of playing time in a tight game? Also evaluate their performances.

AE: Well Daryl Clark and Evan Royster are the starters. I preached and praised this before the season opened up. I think Devlin will sit barring a blowout game like this one...I just don't think his arm is that more dangerous than Clarks if you add his legs to the equation. I just don't see Devlin starting or playing any real significant role this season. Green on the other hand, will work hand in hand with Royster, but obviously it will be similar to the Tony Hunt Rodney Kinlaw situation...Tony Hunt (Royster) will get the big carries, and Kinlaw (Green) will come in for a change of pace, or to relieve Hunt (Royster). It will be that kind of thing. And I like that kind of thing...solid starters, solid leadership, solid team. And their performances? Stellar. Right now it is obvious that Penn State and Wisconsin are the cream of the Big Ten. Well that is if OSU doesn't have Beanie Wells available...but OSU minus Wells leaves PSU and Wisc. as the cream of the crop of the Big Ten.

BigD: Obviously, Clark's play yesterday shows that he should be the starter. Devlin didn't really get the same opportunities, rarely throwing the ball. He could run this team very well himself, but Clark's abilities running and throwing the ball guarantees him the starting spot for a while, unless he completely falls apart in the next few weeks. Now you definitely can not write off Stephfon Green. He is the more talented of the two backs. However, Royster does deserve the starting spot, and he looks like he could become a legitimate Heisman candidate by the time he leaves State College. Green was given the ball for runs up the middle every time he touched it, and that isn't the way that he should be utilized. He is possibly the fastest man in college football, and they need to get it to him on sweeps. Royster definitely solidified himself as the starter, but Penn State still needs to find a way to get Green at least ten touches a game against conference opponents, and possibly more.

PSU's defense man handled the Beavers early, but wore down over time, especially at the D-line. How big were those suspensions off the line?

AE: Well obviously they were huge. Depth is a problem...how big of one we found out today. I mean the D-Line wore down quickly, but Josh Gaines definitely made up for whatever short comings the line had, because he was all over the place. But they were only game suspensions I think, and the line shouldn't be a problem after that.

BigD: The only problem that I really saw with the defense was the fact that they gave up a lot of short passes. The problem was clearly that they didn't get as much pressure on the QB as usual. There is plenty of depth to make up for anyone on the line outside of Maurice Evans. He is a top five defensive end, and there was a big enough drop-off between Evans and Aaron Maybin to notice the difference in QB pressure. The good news is that Josh Gaines really stepped up. Even without Evans, opposing offenses still have plenty to worry about in the front seven. As long as Evans and Koroma are back by the Illinois game, it really won't make a huge difference.

Evaluate the defense as a whole.

AE: Great Linebacker play, Josh Gaines=Sick Nasty, corners were very effective in stopping the touted 3 WR set from Oregon St. The points they gave up were given while the game was well in hand, so for me I have to grade it a shutout. A- performance!

BigD: The unit definately deserves an A. The line was good enough, and the linebackers played great. Josh Hull seems like he will pick up enough of Sean Lee's performance to keep this unit one of the strongest in the Big Ten. Davis, Sargeant, and Wallace played the run well, as well as providing very good coverage. The rest of the defense was excellent as well, but I didn't feel like Scirrotto brought the presence that he needs to bring every game.

Any play that stuck out to you?

AE: Daryl Clark's electrifying run for the TD. It definitely sealed what we all knew and wanted to see more of. Clark running the ball.

BigD: Obviously Clark's beautiful touchdown run stuck out, but their were two plays that stood out to me more. First was Hull's interception. It was just a beautiful play, and it was the main play of an excellent game for him, where he showed the world that he can really play. The other play was Mickey Shuler's touchdown, and Penn State's second score of the game. Not only did Clark put the ball in the only part of the field where it could have been caught for the touchdown, but Shuler went up and made a fantastic catch. He looks like he will be the best tight end we have seen at Penn State since Kyle Brady.

Evaluate the team as a whole, and how they look for next week's crucial road matchup at yet another major conference opponent, Syracuse.

AE: The team as a whole gets an A+ performance. I can't stop fawning over the offense, and our tough and underrated defense. They will be ready for anything Syracuse throws at them next week. They are much more disciplined, and take care of the ball much better. This team needs to face adversity, and next week's road game should do it.

BigD: The team as a whole has to be given at least an A. Every thing just seemed to click so well. The defense did its job. Clark and Royster might have shown one of the best backfields that we saw yesterday in all of college football. The line opened up huge holes, and the receivers were getting wide open all day. Jordan Norwood showed that he has a case to be the best wide receiver on this team, outplaying Williams and Butler.

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Big Ten Football Group's Exodus!

Yes this is Anthony E. from FanNation. We don't really like it anymore (the majority of us) and it is time to go. And go we will. So if you want to stick around in this new Big Ten Group, where you can blog, comment, still have our polls and Locker Talk, then this is the place to be. Let's Go Big Ten! Any questions email me at ace61292@gmail.com and we shall do whatever we have to do to accustom you to this new group site!!

-Anthony E.