Lasch Marks, Game 5: Illinois
Quarterbacks:
When given a more open gameplan, Morelli looked solid passing the ball in the first half. He had a great touch pass to Quarless that was only broken up due to a great defensive play. Then all hell broke loose. The next pass, basically the same play, he threw it short for an INT. Later, PSU driving again, he threw another INT to the sideline. On a 4th and 8 late in the game...he scrambled for the first down...then...FUMBLED! Even with 47 seconds left from the ILL 47...pass to the line of scrimmage, sack, interception. I'm sure he'll start again next week.
Grade: C-
Running backs: Both backs ran well, but today was Kinlaw's turn to fumble. And, as a result, Illinois scored a TD.
Grade: B+
Tight Ends:
PSU didn't look Quarless' way but once in the first half. Illinois did a good job keeping him out of the game. PSU went to him more in the 2nd half.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers: One of the better games from the WRs, however, the oft-maligned Chris Bell seemed to completely mess up two routes that would have been wide open balls.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line:
The line actually played pretty well, but PSU turnovers killed several drives. They settled in nicely in the second half.
Grade: B
Defensive Line:
This was the first game the DL looked poor. They just got no push at all. With a QB like Juice Williams, you're not going to get too many sacks anyway, but the Illini OL handled them with ease.
Grade: C-
Linebackers: The LBs were pretty quiet today. Tyrell Sales really struggled with the run option scheme Illinois uses.
Grade: B-
Defensive Backs:
They really didn't show up in the first half. They played soft and gave Juice several wide open slant passes. Poor tackling from Scirrotto and Davis on Benn allowed a TD, as well. I really hope Justin King hasn't settled on the NFL yet. He's not ready. He missed a rather easy INT that he would have returned for a TD and forced a 10-point swing on the scoreboard.
Grade: C
Special Teams:
Kevin Kelly missed a 51 yard FG with the wind that would have brought the score to 21-20 at the half. Jeremy Boone continues to kick the ball a mile (long and high). He had a 70 yard punt (60 in the air) with a whopping 5.8 hangtime. Little activity on returns for PSU. In fact, AJ Wallace looked like he was running with a 25lb weight on his shoulder all game. He just looked really slow.
Grade: Boone A+/rest of special teams, C-.
Coaching:
PSU today used the gameplan that Paterno scrapped last week at Michigan. Against a defense better than Michigan's, PSU moved the ball with ease. But all of a sudden they'd tone it down, and do their normal run, run, bad pass. A toss sweep on 3rd and goal from the 1 caused many heads to be scratched. However, poor execution and turnovers lost this game today.
Defensively, it took the entire first half for PSU to settle in.
Grade: B+ for using an appropriate gameplan, but C+ because they didn't use it the entire game and didn't use it last week. In fact, I'll still give them that B+ if they promise me Morelli doesn't start ever again.
When given a more open gameplan, Morelli looked solid passing the ball in the first half. He had a great touch pass to Quarless that was only broken up due to a great defensive play. Then all hell broke loose. The next pass, basically the same play, he threw it short for an INT. Later, PSU driving again, he threw another INT to the sideline. On a 4th and 8 late in the game...he scrambled for the first down...then...FUMBLED! Even with 47 seconds left from the ILL 47...pass to the line of scrimmage, sack, interception. I'm sure he'll start again next week.
Grade: C-
Running backs: Both backs ran well, but today was Kinlaw's turn to fumble. And, as a result, Illinois scored a TD.
Grade: B+
Tight Ends:
PSU didn't look Quarless' way but once in the first half. Illinois did a good job keeping him out of the game. PSU went to him more in the 2nd half.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers: One of the better games from the WRs, however, the oft-maligned Chris Bell seemed to completely mess up two routes that would have been wide open balls.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line:
The line actually played pretty well, but PSU turnovers killed several drives. They settled in nicely in the second half.
Grade: B
Defensive Line:
This was the first game the DL looked poor. They just got no push at all. With a QB like Juice Williams, you're not going to get too many sacks anyway, but the Illini OL handled them with ease.
Grade: C-
Linebackers: The LBs were pretty quiet today. Tyrell Sales really struggled with the run option scheme Illinois uses.
Grade: B-
Defensive Backs:
They really didn't show up in the first half. They played soft and gave Juice several wide open slant passes. Poor tackling from Scirrotto and Davis on Benn allowed a TD, as well. I really hope Justin King hasn't settled on the NFL yet. He's not ready. He missed a rather easy INT that he would have returned for a TD and forced a 10-point swing on the scoreboard.
Grade: C
Special Teams:
Kevin Kelly missed a 51 yard FG with the wind that would have brought the score to 21-20 at the half. Jeremy Boone continues to kick the ball a mile (long and high). He had a 70 yard punt (60 in the air) with a whopping 5.8 hangtime. Little activity on returns for PSU. In fact, AJ Wallace looked like he was running with a 25lb weight on his shoulder all game. He just looked really slow.
Grade: Boone A+/rest of special teams, C-.
Coaching:
PSU today used the gameplan that Paterno scrapped last week at Michigan. Against a defense better than Michigan's, PSU moved the ball with ease. But all of a sudden they'd tone it down, and do their normal run, run, bad pass. A toss sweep on 3rd and goal from the 1 caused many heads to be scratched. However, poor execution and turnovers lost this game today.
Defensively, it took the entire first half for PSU to settle in.
Grade: B+ for using an appropriate gameplan, but C+ because they didn't use it the entire game and didn't use it last week. In fact, I'll still give them that B+ if they promise me Morelli doesn't start ever again.
Gee, What a surprise! /so Morelli and Scott add to more fumbles, turnovers, and Paterno loses again! Who would have thought? What a fing mess at State College. Thank God for Girls Fencing!!!
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People will say that you can't pin this one on the coaches. Sure the players shoulder some of the blame, but the coaches need to be held accountable as well. A) this Qb has been in the system for 4 years and looks like a freshman out there (Qb development anyone?).
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I don't know how/why that smiley face is in my post by the way. I'm certainly not smiling.
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FYI - When you have a capital "B" followed by a parenthesis ")", it gets converted to the smiley face with sunglasses.
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How can you give Morelli a C-? That's way to generous. I gave him a pass last week b/c the offensive playcalling was awful. This week is on him, the 2 INTS in the redzone and the fumble killed us. Even Scott played decent today. Only bright part of the game today... Boone and DWill.
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Even I gotta agree. Give 'em an F.
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Morelli actually played well in the first half. Then something happened, who knows, and he collapsed in the second half.
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Too bad there are 2 halves in football, and the outcome is usually decided in the 2nd half. Morelli had his chances and the D gave him great field position unlike last week. He just went out there and stunk it up. I would like to say something positive about his day, but even the one time when he made a play to pick up the 1st by running, he ends up fumbling the ball away.
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Well well well...another PSU road loss, poor coaching, and bad plays by our seniors.
I am sure SC and other PSU homers think it was a fluke we lost, it's not. PSU is not a good team, poor coaching, and bad leadership. The only way to fix this problem is to blow up the staff and start getting our young guys experience.
They also must realize Dwill is not a WR, he is a Reggie Bush type player (not as good), play C Bell every down and maybe let AJ take some snaps on O. Get our PLAYMAKERS on the field and give them the ball where they can do something not on swing passes/screens. Oh yeah, get a QB in the game who will not kill us with turnovers.
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Bell did see the field quite a bit today. Too bad he ran the wrong routes on several plays. If we got him more time earlier in the season, he wouldn't be having these problems now.
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Several plays? I saw one instance where he may or may not have run the wrong route. To say he ran the wrong route is to say that Morelli knew where he should have been.... and I'm not sure Morelli knows that.
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Players don't learn their routes in games.....maybe he isn't seeing the field because he can't remember routes from practice..........
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Guys, I don't even know what to say anymore.
I was a Junior at PSU in '04 so I had great seats to watch the Zach attack and all I could say was ; Morelli will bail us out.
Then in '05 Oh man I can't wait to see a real QB with this .
Then last year; man once he gets the kinks worked out watch out.
Will we ever have a good QB????
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Two words: Jay Paterno. Need I say more?
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Two more. Joe Paterno.
Isn't he responsible for the entire program including hiring assistants?
It isnt Jay's fault - he was born a Paterno and scored the job despite his lack of qualifications and incompetence. Joe hired him and should be held accountable for it, but he's not.
Name another coach in the country who can do exactly what HE wants no matter what. There are no football standards at PSU. If Joe wants it Joe gets it.
The current state of this football program is ABYSSMAL, but he's St. Joe, an icon, an untouchable bigger than the program itself who answers to no man.
Certainly not to anyone in the Athletic Department.
HE doesnt have to hire a QB coach who knows what they're doing. So what? Joe has earned the right to be as bad as he wants - the hell with the loyal alumni and football fans - it's HIS program.
If that makes everyone happy, so be it. There's nothing we can do anyway.
110,000 Kool Aid drinkers still pony up the dough to watch us beat FIU (ranked 119 out of 119), Notre Dame (100) and we have Temple (118) coming in. Win 3 or 4 boring Big 10 "slugfests" against mediocre opponents, get a bowl game, keep cashing the checks. Get your tickets ladies and gentlemen. Pack the stadium, pay big bucks for corporate box seats and the Big 10 Network. We are the brainwashed drones who reach into our pockets when we see old Joe out there. Who needs wins We have an octogeneran coach who used to be great before the game passed him by.
Thats entertainment.
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You are correct sir. I would add that with the "leadership" on this team there are no more gimmies on the schedule (except Temple). A bowl is certainly not a given.
*Now for my rant:
Who's going to rally the troops? Joe's simply too old, Galen isn't going to inspire anyone, I'd laugh at Jay if I'm a player, Morelli has proven he's no leader. Who else is there? This team is on the edge of an implosion. It's time to announce that this is the last season Joe. Maybe that would rally the troops...win one for the gipper or something like that.
Joe's gotta announce this is it, or it's really going to impact recruiting. Next thing you know, we have a complete talent void (see 2003-2004) and we have to sit through rebuilding with a new coach. Joe, by hanging on and continuing to employ the talent blackhole of offensive coaching staffs, you are really doing a disservice to the University, its fans, and the players on this team.
End rant*
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A C- for Morelli?? 300+ yards and four turnovers, including a laughably predictable game-killer after the improbable 4th down run??
I'll take 90 yards passing and no turnovers any day of the week, thanks.
Now that all hope for the BTC is essentially lost, it's time to close the book on A-Mo's career. Clark should get the call against Iowa (fat chance).
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At what point will Morelli figure out that taking a sack during a last minute drive is not beneficial? Why does he never throw the ball away? I guess the topic has never come up in meetings with JayPa. Did he ever even play football? He might not have known to ever tell his quarterbacks this.
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YES! Why DOES he never throw the ball away?? On the play where he fumbled in the Michigan game he should have been throwing the ball away -- he would not have lost possession and would not even have lost any yards on the play. THAT's the kind of thing that a for-real QB coach would burn into the kid's brain during the first week of practice during QB's freshman year. Here we are five years later and Morelli's still eating the ball when receiver's are covered -- at best he loses yards and too often he gives up the ball.
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AJ Wallace looks like he is running in cement.
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Wallace looked to be ill or something...at least I hope there was a good reason
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I don't know how Paterno cannot bench Morelli. He benched Scott when he fumbles. Morelli is a turnover machine. Are the other QBs that bad? Zook chnages out his QB when he is winning, because he was having a lousy 2nd half. I don't get it... it is so frustrating to watch. What are the coaches watching.
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This program has been hopeless for a decade, maybe longer. Maybe we could pay a few more players to nail Joe on the sideline. I can't stand the useless old fart - I'm just hoping he ends up so frustrated he slugs a player or a ref and the administration is forced to can him.
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How the hell can you give AM a C-?! The alphabet doesn't go low enough to grade him; give him a "N/A". What game were you watching?
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I see the kool aid brigade is out in full force on BWI and FOS. Carol is out spewing her propaganda fresh from the Gulags. I don't care what Paterno has done in the past, the simple fact is that he is a complete, and I mean complete embarrassment to the University he once represented so proudly.
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I figured as much. Yesterday's loss gives a sense of vindication to the coaching staff. The kool aid sippers say "See, the coaches did a great job they lost because of some turnovers. They can't control that." I call bs. We've been killing ourselves ALL year with costly turnovers. When was the last time you saw a well-coached team turning the ball over as much as we have this year? Clearly the coaches are not getting it done.
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See Auburn--oh, recently beat Florida, I think -- for a "well-coached team" that was killing itself with turnovers prior to their upset.
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Not sure I'd point to Auburn as my example of a well coached team. They lost to Miss State and USF. USF I'll give them, but Mississippi State? Tubberville's Auburn teams do a great job of getting up for big games (giant killers) but I have a hard time calling their coaching staff great when they tend to lose to teams that they should clearly beat. Last year they were whipped by Arkansas (27-10), and a so-so Georgia team (37-15). There were other games against clearly inferior talent opponents (for example their bowl against Nebraska - 17-14 and their game against Ole Miss - 23-17) where Auburn played down to the level of the opponent. They seem to have the talent (as seen when they beat FL - especially during the 1st half) but don't seem to do a great job of getting the troops up for all opponents. I have a feeling if you talked to an Auburn fan before Saturday they would have been highly disappointed in their season thusfar. Had they lost on Saturday they'd be calling for Tuberville's head.
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Nothing will make me happier than seeing Devlin or Clark starting on Saturday.
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I agree. I would love to see anyone else start.
Does Spannier see what is going on? Is he trying to get JoePa and his idiotic son away from the program?
Spannier...we are looking in your general direction...
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Spanier farts in your general direction. ( and your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries )
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Clark isn't going to be the answer.
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Agreed. Clark is going to suck and Devlin will most likely suck. Hmmm... I see a pattern developing. I haven't seen a great qb at PSU since Collins in 94.
Robinson was incredible - but his talent was natural as a runner and couldn't be messed up by the qb coach.
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Don't forget about Mills. He started out his career in such a promising way. Did he really injure his shoulder or did the black hole get ahold of his talent and eat it up?
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How bad is Anthony Morelli? Anthony Morelli's play makes me long for the days of Tony Sacca. I feel like cueing up some Wally Richardson highlights to make myself feel better.
Maybe Jay Paterno can cue them up for Morelli on his playstation 3 and regale him with stories on how he held the clipboard back in the day.
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Is it possible for us to win ANY Big 10 games this year? Since Time Warner doesn't offer the B 10 Network, I luckily didn't have to watch this debacle, but I told my wife we would lose today. I had such high hopes before the season started after the bowl game last year. As a fan since 1971, these few years (minus 2005 and watching Poz play for 4 years) have been pretty hard to stomach. I guess we're back to early part of this century. Oh well, at least the Red Sox won.
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ugh...thats all i have to say
i have reserved my judgment on morelli for a year and a third, until now. i felt the gameplans were so awful that it wasnt fair to judge him. but after today, i dont think he deserves to get the call in the future. its a shame because it seems like the light occasionally goes on and he turns into a legit QB, and then the light goes off and he turns into a TO machine with no composure or presence. the fumble after the first down was the worst and most inexcusable...his method of carrying the ball like a loaf had to come back and bite him eventually. if he had just tucked it psu may have been able to get into OT.
its a shame because i felt that the gameplan was good, and the rest of the squad came to play today. it easily should have been a 20 point victory today.
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The PSU Football Program is DEAD.
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Don't you think thats a bit harsh?
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You say joepa I say THETIC! JOEPATHETIC!
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Fish rot from the head down....Not that we would immediately become USC of the East Coast in a year, too much damage has been done over the past 10 years for a quick turnaround like that. But at least we could start re-building the program to what it should be. Is it too much to ask to win a game on the road to a team with a pulse? There is just no accountability for this program now. You have a Senior QB that gets in the faces of coaches, argues with opposing fans, and throws temper tantrums on and off the field. I know it is hard to define that "it" factor. How about starting with accountability, character, poise, leadership, resiliency, etc....Morelli has none of the above and that's just a start.
ALL IS WELL!!!!
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we suck! no excuses this week. the only positive was Derrick Williams made a couple plays (finally). other than that, nothing.
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Finally stepping away from the kool aid, eh? To watch this team you're going to need something a bit stronger. I suggest a bottle of tequilla.
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im not a kool aid drinker...im a realist and judge each season independent of each other. yesterday was ridiculous. im on the wagon - joe needs to go
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Does anyone else think the defense came out uninspired the first quarter?
Thought Wallace ran very tentatively.
Said it before, but next year we'll start over with Clark having no experience and in '09 it will be Devlin doing the same.
We need more possession routes to sustain drives. You've got to set up the deep routes. And Golden did miss some assignments. Did outs on out and up routes.
Probably nothing will change until the gate receipts drop. We need a coaching change but most of this loss goes to players mistakes.
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Smokeybandit;
Do you think the coaches gameplan should take into account the players capabilities? There is no question the wideopen passing attack PSU tried with UI would have been successful with some QBs but AM has not demonstrated he can execute such a plan for a whole game against any talented opponent.
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