Lasch Marks, Game 9: Ohio State
Quarterback:
It's quite obvious that the staff has no faith at all in Morelli, to the point they've dumbed down the offense so much to try to build up his confidence, that when asked to make a throw more than five yards, it's an utter failure. So goes what we saw vs. Ohio State. Once FightOnState.com updates their passing chart for the game, I'd expect to see Morelli about 8-30 in the past three games in throwing passes more than 15 yards. Sad, sad. Add to that Morelli still insisting on not protecting the ball when he scrambles (another fumble vs. OSU) and not throwing the ball away when pressured. On PSU's FG drive, Morelli missed Butler on a slant (just like he did in ND) and underthrew a fade to Chris Bell (a la the one to Brackett that yielded a pass int call). Those are throws a good QB can make. Morelli isn't that.
Grade: C-
Running backs:
In a surprise to just about everyone, Penn State nearly had its way running the ball, averaging six yards per carry. Royster only got four carries though.
Grade: A
Wide Receivers:
Norwood continues to be the most overachieving WR in the conference. He again manages to make Morelli look somewhat decent. Not much activity from the other WRs today, other than a 21 yard gain on a reverse to DWill.
Grade: B
Tight End: Only a few passes Quarless' way, including a drop by Quarless on a somewhat poor pass. Quarless spent a lot of time as a quasi-fullback.
Grade: B-
Offensive Line:
They really held their own against the OSU DLine and opened up more running lanes than all teams combined vs. OSU so far. Had the defense actually showed up, PSU could have racked up even more yards on the ground.
Grade: A
Defensive Line:
For the first time this year, the DLine was rendered null and void in a game. They got some half-decent pressure on the ends once in a while on pass plays, but never really got to Boeckman. On running plays, they constantly were blown off the ball. Abe Koroma is either still struggling to get back to speed after his broken foot, or we were all fooled by preseason reports of him being the best lineman.
Grade: C-
Linebackers:
I really can't give them a blanket 'A' this week. I gave them a mulligan last week with an 'A'. If you look at the boxscore, you'll see Connor and Lee combined for 31 tackles. The official scorer must have been playing Playstation at the time. Not a chance they were in on that many. Connor played well, but he in no way assisted on 13 tackles. He did have a nice INT, but the unit as a whole had no answer for Rory Nichol. Chris Colasanti got his first game action, and promptly missed a TFL on his first snap.
Grade: B-
Defensive Backs:
Another 'F' this week. Justin King's draft stock continues to plummet. He was totally abused again this week. Then again, so was the entire unit. Poor coverage, slow reaction and sloppy tackling yet again.
Grade: F
Special Teams:
Jeremy Boone struggled today, with only a 38.5 average, but OSU didn't return a punt all game. DWill struggled so much on kick returns that they had to swap Wallace to the right side in order to get anything out of a return. That paid off with two returns for a total of 125 yards and a TD.
Grade: B-
Coaching:
It seemed the PSU coaches were caught so off guard with PSU's running success they didn't know what to do to take advantage of it. More totally dumbfounded playcalling today, too. Punting in OSU territory on 4th and 2. 3rd and 2 and passing long (really a throwaway at that point) instead of letting the run take care of things. Trying to rely on Norwood to get 5 YACs on a ball thrown 3 yards on 3rd and 8.
Grade: C
It's quite obvious that the staff has no faith at all in Morelli, to the point they've dumbed down the offense so much to try to build up his confidence, that when asked to make a throw more than five yards, it's an utter failure. So goes what we saw vs. Ohio State. Once FightOnState.com updates their passing chart for the game, I'd expect to see Morelli about 8-30 in the past three games in throwing passes more than 15 yards. Sad, sad. Add to that Morelli still insisting on not protecting the ball when he scrambles (another fumble vs. OSU) and not throwing the ball away when pressured. On PSU's FG drive, Morelli missed Butler on a slant (just like he did in ND) and underthrew a fade to Chris Bell (a la the one to Brackett that yielded a pass int call). Those are throws a good QB can make. Morelli isn't that.
Grade: C-
Running backs:
In a surprise to just about everyone, Penn State nearly had its way running the ball, averaging six yards per carry. Royster only got four carries though.
Grade: A
Wide Receivers:
Norwood continues to be the most overachieving WR in the conference. He again manages to make Morelli look somewhat decent. Not much activity from the other WRs today, other than a 21 yard gain on a reverse to DWill.
Grade: B
Tight End: Only a few passes Quarless' way, including a drop by Quarless on a somewhat poor pass. Quarless spent a lot of time as a quasi-fullback.
Grade: B-
Offensive Line:
They really held their own against the OSU DLine and opened up more running lanes than all teams combined vs. OSU so far. Had the defense actually showed up, PSU could have racked up even more yards on the ground.
Grade: A
Defensive Line:
For the first time this year, the DLine was rendered null and void in a game. They got some half-decent pressure on the ends once in a while on pass plays, but never really got to Boeckman. On running plays, they constantly were blown off the ball. Abe Koroma is either still struggling to get back to speed after his broken foot, or we were all fooled by preseason reports of him being the best lineman.
Grade: C-
Linebackers:
I really can't give them a blanket 'A' this week. I gave them a mulligan last week with an 'A'. If you look at the boxscore, you'll see Connor and Lee combined for 31 tackles. The official scorer must have been playing Playstation at the time. Not a chance they were in on that many. Connor played well, but he in no way assisted on 13 tackles. He did have a nice INT, but the unit as a whole had no answer for Rory Nichol. Chris Colasanti got his first game action, and promptly missed a TFL on his first snap.
Grade: B-
Defensive Backs:
Another 'F' this week. Justin King's draft stock continues to plummet. He was totally abused again this week. Then again, so was the entire unit. Poor coverage, slow reaction and sloppy tackling yet again.
Grade: F
Special Teams:
Jeremy Boone struggled today, with only a 38.5 average, but OSU didn't return a punt all game. DWill struggled so much on kick returns that they had to swap Wallace to the right side in order to get anything out of a return. That paid off with two returns for a total of 125 yards and a TD.
Grade: B-
Coaching:
It seemed the PSU coaches were caught so off guard with PSU's running success they didn't know what to do to take advantage of it. More totally dumbfounded playcalling today, too. Punting in OSU territory on 4th and 2. 3rd and 2 and passing long (really a throwaway at that point) instead of letting the run take care of things. Trying to rely on Norwood to get 5 YACs on a ball thrown 3 yards on 3rd and 8.
Grade: C
defensive coaching deserved an F. if the base cover 3 doesnt get the job done, you must adjust and bring pressure. bradley didnt do that, and we saw the bucks roll up 450 yards as a result. the defense was on their heels the entire night.
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morelli is not a good QB but PSU played adequate...but this is what playing adequate gets against a top team - and what happened to the secondary??? i thought they would be a strength but king, scirrotto, davis/rubin, and lydell - they are ALL playing TERRIBLE - scirrotto had a pick if he didn't fall.....that is the biggest disappointment - secondary is BAD
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how many games does PSU let Morelli lose? my guess: as many as he can
Although I admit it wasn't all his fault - but he is NOTHING but a liability
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WILL WE EVER BE GOOD AGAIN? What the hell is going on with the defense? I thought PSU had some good talent there.
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For the first time in a long time I must say that the defense lost this game for us. The offensive numbers weren't spectacular, but we did move the ball pretty well. The problem was that the defense couldn't get off the field. Ohio State did not punt the entire game. There is no excuse for that. The past 2 weeks have been the worst consecutive performances I've seen from our secondary in I don't know how long. They better fix things for Purdue next week or we can be in for some problems.
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I thing both the defense and the offense stunk up the joint. The PSU offense caused more points for OSU then The PSU scored themselves. That is not good. The Defense was man handled. Special teams was ok. But Bottom line OSU is at a nother level then us right now. I think we have the talent but we are lacking what use to make thease PSU teams special. HEART, GUTS and the abiltiy to play as a team.
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Morelli scrambles and fumbles the ball...luckily Quarless was nearby to recover. You would've thought that Morelli would have learned his lesson, and tucked the ball when he scrambled...especially since last time (earlier in the season) he fumbled on a scramble.
Then when we were down to what I thought was our last opportunity to really get back into the game and get some momentum going...what does Morelli do? He throws an interception...reminiscent of 2006...AGAINST OSU. I kind've thought that the OSU DB was surprised that Morelli threw the ball to him, seeing as there was nobody else nearby.
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D Line C - is pretty generous. I've been very happy with themagainst much lesser competition this year and the injuries don't help, but that was total domination by OSU.
No pressure even bringing linebackers and safeties all night, couldnt stop anything.
No punts for OSU. Physical domination by the Buckeyes Offensive Line.
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Defense out coached. Please eliminate the soft zone on third and long. How many times will we play 10-12 yards off receivers when it is 3rd and 8. Have we ever played any bump and run to get the receivers off their timing which also allows d-line more time to rush. We have some great athletes lets use their athletic talent and not brain cuff them.
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The soft defense made the Ohio State QB look like superstar. On every pass he only looked at one receiver and they were always open. They should have picked this guy off a few times. He just staired down his receivers. If OSU plays a team with a well coached defense, this QB will be in a a long afternoon.
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Let's face it, this is what we are until Joe and the current staff is completely gone.
We are a 9-3, 8-4 at best team. We will never again be a legit contender for the national title because our coaches continuously hold this team back.
How many more screen passes is Morelli going to have to overthrow by 30 feet before staff realizes he just cannot make that throw. He throws off his back foot time and time and time again. I actually thought up until the terrible screen throw Morelli had played pretty good considering what the coaching staff was asking of him. They were asking him to not lose the game, but not win it either.
As for the defense, i've been saying for 15 years, PSU plays a lousy zone defense, they play it too soft, and their blitzes are too easily pickedup.
Time for new blood folks, because you tell me why this team cannot play for the national title next year with 20 starters returning?
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we dont return 20 starters bro... Morelli,Kinlaw Hahn are all gone from the backfield along with a starter or two from the O-line. The Defense should be stout next year losing only the best linebacker to ever play at penn state Dan Connor and giving are extremely young Dline time to bulk up and get some more experience under their belts. So while we do return around 16 or 17 starters its still not as nice as it looks in your crystal ball
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Even if it is 17 starters, that's still more than enough talent and returning players to make a legit run.
Having said that, i agree, PSU is an 8-4 team at best next year. Coaching just won't let this team progress and play as needed.
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I agree with golfer.Out coached big-time. We seem very predictable with our CB coverages!!! With 2 wideouts to one side the outside corner seems to play way ( about 15 ) off the line. tOSU burned this coverage several times. I was watching tOSU's corners. They moved up or back right before the snap to hide the coverage.
Abe was played poorly on the d-line. Ollie and Baker should get most of the snaps.
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At least Bradley seems like he agrees with most of us..quote from ESPNU
Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Bradley took the blame.
"I think a lot of that may have to do with some of the things that I'm doing with them," Bradley said. "I've got to take a good, hard look at myself."
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Who was Colasnti in for? I saw him on the filed with both Connor & Lee.
When Butler is up against a very good corner (Porter LW & Jenkins) we don't move him around , just concede in the game plan going in.
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Colasanti seemed to be in when PSU used 4 LBs.
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Twix,
Colosanti played MLB when he was in the game. Connor moved over to left OLB and Sales came out.
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WE WILL LOSE UNTIL THIS STAFF IS COMPLETELY GONE. I LOVE JOE BUT HE AND THE ENTIRE STAFF MUST GO. THEY PLAY TO CONSERVATIVE. WHY NOT GO FOR IT ON 4 AND 2 INSIDE THE OPPONENTS 40? ARE YOU KIDDING ME. WE HAD NOTHING TO LOSE IN THIS GAME. TOTAL BS
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On a positive note, I saw Morelli audible in this game. It is hard to figure out what is going on on offense. Are the coaches limiting Morelli because they don't trust him or is it just conservative calls or is Morelli just taking the short route a whole lot? This short passing game with no intention of going down field is ridiculous. Morelli is not accurate enough to run a short passing game. In that systems, misses hurt more because you usually are in 3rd down situations. it showed last night as he missed the few opportunities he had to score or keep drives alive. (See slant, crossing pattern and fade) I just don't know what the issue is on offense other than it is the coaches fault in the end. Time for a change.
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Dudes, this was a supremely scientific beat-down. The Lions finally showed up ready to play, but simply were pounded by a superior squad. I congratulate The Ohio State University. They fucking killed us.
We were handled in every area except the running game. Better coaching would not have won this contest. The D-line was humiliated. In my opinion, the Lions played as well as they could, they were just physically over matched.
We are behind the Buckeyes in every single football program category except fans and stadium. They say that in Pro ball you coach, and in College ball you recruit. After seeing the Buckeye athletes, I believe it.
This program we love was as good as it could be last night under the current management. It needs to be taken outside, thrown over the clothes-line and beaten unmercifully until all the crumbs fall to the ground.
Joe must go. But not too far.
Joe should step up to some as-yet-to -be-created position in the Athletic Department and get the hell away from our team. He deserves nothing less.
It is time to give some serious consideration to our next head coach. I nominate Joe Torre.
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Pappy's program is a joke. Hey Pap, your legacy is becoming nothing but an embarrassment. You will be remembered as a 3rd rate Big 10 program, middle of the pack, not relevant on the CFB landscape. Give it up old man, YOU ARE TOO OLD!!
outrecruited, outcoached, outmatched, outclassed.
Any wonder why Pryor isn't coming to PSU?? Any guesses??
Here's a few more tidbits:
a) Dwon't would be 2nd string for 8 other teams in the Big 10.
b) Dwon't SHOULD NOT BE returning kickoffs!! Hey Dwon't, you should be playing flag football. In D1 CFB, people are supposed to TACKLE you before you decide to fall down!
c) Nice secondary and coverage schemes we have. We make the Buffalo QB look like John Elway.
d) 4th and 2 from the 38, down 10, when your defense has not stopped them all day you PUNT??? PUNT?? PAPPY, you are an embarrassment to the coaching profession.
e) Nice to see we changed things up in the second half, made some adjustments... oops
Curley, I sure hope you are as thoroughly embarrassed by that performance as every PSU fan should be.
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You say JOEPA, I say THETIC
JOEPA-THETIC
The interview he had with Fowler was just another embarrassing moment for you paps. You know damn well how many wins you and Dadgummit have, and you never heard the side of Scotts story??
I got news for you, you are not a god Pappy, you are nothing but Carr's doormat!
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all curley is doin is counting the cash from last night's game
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Some of you qualify your comments on the coaching staff by saying "I love Joe but..."
You know what? I don't love Joe. I think he's incredibly selfish for staying around. Unfortunately he's doing more harm than good for the football team and the university as a whole.
It is time for him to step down. Deep down, he must know this.
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I can't see how the coaching warrants a C. They deserve no better than a D, I'd give them an F. It was just awful.
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another passive effort by the defense against a good team. sure can't wait for bradley to become coach, so we can get past our uber-conservative ways!!!
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Milehi: I too was embarrassed by our team's preformance and it is time for Joe to bow out.
But, I am far more embarrassed by your rant and direspect. It is totally uncalled for and indicates you are a punk. If you are an alum, I am embarrassed both by you and for you. If you are not an alum, then go be a fan of another team, we don't want you!
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The opposite of what many anticipated occurred. Some had said that, with a conservative offense, the defense would have to be perfect. Instead the offense would have had to be perfect to win as the defense only made one stop all night.
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Ohio State basically has their whole team returning. There's no way we will be able to compete with them next year, especially with JoePa running the show. I'm sure Pryor really wants to play for PSU after that performance. JoePa must go!!
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OSU could return everyone but they won't. Jenkins, Laurinaitis, and Gholston are most likely gone after this year. Even then, it wouldn't matter because they recruit extremely well and Tressel actually knows how to coach.
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To set the record straight, its 9 returning on the offensive (Morelli and Kinlaw gone). You could make a case its 8 because Hahn is gone but we started many games with 3 WRs thus no FB. Plus you could also say 10 return on the O because Lawlor will get the remaining starts/snaps at FB this year leading into next year and Royster will get or should get an increased amount of snaps to consider him with enough playing time. As for the offensive line, Shaw is gone but then again Lucian and Wiz played significantly in his place so consider them starters too.
For the Defense, only Connor is gone. I think its safe to assume King is back. So 10 starters should be back, the only exception I could maybe see is Sales leaving this year since he is a redshirt jr and should be graduated (he may not want to stick around if he loses his starting job to Colsanti or Bowman).
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Even with the current cluster**** coaching situation, we could end up being significantly better next year if a few variables play out favorably.
1.) Either Clark or Devlin are better college QBs than Morelli. I think there's a decent enough chance that this will happen.
2.) A couple of the young linebackers continue the trend of Puz, Connor, Lee. Bowman will need to get bigger and smarter but he looks promising. Sales I think is topped out, and is average at best. Dante Brown might be finished. That means Colasanti.
3.) The defensive line improves and doesn't sustain the injuries it has this year. If they markedly improve, the sky is the limit for the defense.
4.) The secondary gets it together. This is a very average Big 10 secondary right now (not very fast, not very big, total lack of playmakers). Troubling that they played better last year... but maybe that is because the defensive line and linebackers aren't as good this year.
5.) I think the RB situation looks OK... but can Royster, who will be the only back with any experience, stay healthy? One of the incoming freshman is going to have to be competant.
6.) Most importantly... the program has to get it together off of the field. The fights, the drunk in publics, the Austin Scott situation, the other stuff that is probably going on that we're just not hearing about... all of this is taking its toll on the team and the coaching staff. You can see it in their collective faces: they are worn out emotionally.
If these variables play out favorably, I think Penn State can be much better next year. Still not at Ohio State's level, but better than they are right now, which is mediocre.
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As for Devlin and Clark, you forget who is the QB Coach. Until we get a competent QB Coach it will be the same thing year after year - mediocrity.
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bbcpsu, you should be embarrassed for Pappy. It is really sad to have this old man the face of this once proud program. He is a complete joke, he's not a God as he thinks he is. He is Carr's doormat.
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ha, who cares who they lose. This was their rebuilding year after losing numerous key players, and oh by the way the Heisman winner. They still came to our house and slapped Paps program right in the face. Pap will finish in the little 9 right where he usually does, middle of the pack, not relevenat to the CFB world.
Guess what, he won't be Mich or OSU next year either... if he's still around.
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