Set this guy straight!

[72bull]

The Harrisburg Patriot-News

Hey, O-line, where's the fun?

Sunday, September 04, 2005

STATE COLLEGE It's a fact of big-time college football that when Dear Ol' State U. wheels out four or five hundred Gs to buy a game against little Directional Tech, it's buying more than a win. It's buying a party for its fans. That's the plan, anyway. Fans, especially those shelling out thousands a year for tickets, don't think like coaches. They aren't apt to sit through a three-hour-30-minute endurance test such as Penn State's 23-13 decision yesterday over the University of South Florida and then chirp, "Oh, well, it's a W. This time of year, that's all that's important."

Because that isn't all that's important to them. They want to be entertained.

In this case, that means fireworks. On a gorgeous late-summer day against a three-touchdown underdog, they are not paying to see a game that looks like November. They are paying to see broad strokes. Spectacular swooshes you can't often get room to make against the big boys.

You're a fan driving up to the South Florida game, it's the equivalent of a quickie relationship. You're not looking for meaning. Only some cheap, empty fun. You know a rout will mean nothing in the grand scheme. That doesn't make it less fun if you get it.

Well, in a September that was promising such vaccuous diversion against the ultimate bubble-gum schedule, Joe Paterno and his boys managed to make even this into a study hall.

"Let's go out and have some fun!" has been the mantra of the Penn State coach. On his Thursday radio show. At pep rallies.

But Paterno has a couple problems lately he's had trouble surmounting:

A. He doesn't and never has played "fun" football. He's a meat-n-taters strategist who wants to punch you in the mouth and hates having to try to "trick" you. He's never seen a sophisticated passing attack as anything more than that -- deception -- and he isn't changing now.

B. His senior-dominated offensive line still can't punch anybody in the mouth.

This meant yesterday Penn State had to depend heavily on its powerful defense, just get by and get the W, against a USF defense that got lit up for 40 points and 500-plus yards by every half-decent attack it faced last season.

Hey, O-line, where's the fun?

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There were a couple of long plays that accounted for 10 of State's 23 points. A double-reverse by rookie wideout Justin King that went for 61 and a Tony Hunt dive that popped open for 70.

But the fans should expect more from an offense with all upperclass parts except for the wideouts. They have a right to.

Never was there any evidence that Penn State could gain yards on the ground with any consistency with straight running plays. The 264 net yards rushing could not have been more deceptive in that respect. And the passing game, which understandably will need time, never looked like it was even attempting to develop a scheme.

You can make excuses for a lot of guys.

Mike Robinson held the ball too long at times and got whacked. But this is his first season with full-time, No. 1 reps at quarterback.

The wideouts are just kids and will feel their way for a while.

But the offensive line? The excuses really have run out for these guys, you would think.

"I'd have to look at the tapes, to be honest with you," said Paterno. "It might've been the scheme. Maybe Mike checked out of something he shouldn't have a time or two.

"I think [the line] did all right. Most of these kids from South Florida played a lot of football."

Yeah, the USF defense is pretty much the same guys who gave up 328 yards on the ground to DeAngelo Williams and Memphis; 422 air yards to Tyler Palko and Pittsburgh; 377 air yards to Gino Guidugli and Cincinnati; 242 yards and 6.5 ypc to Army.

The USF defensive line is undersized. The secondary is inexperienced and the safeties play honest and can't help much against the run. This is not a very good defense and Penn State's OL couldn't find a way to move it.

The only consistent gains were by Robinson on scissors options and isos. And if Robinson must run 12 times on planned keepers as he did yesterday, this season is doomed. He'll get banged up or flat out hurt.

So ineffective was the PSU offensive line that the State defense got worn down from being on the field so long. Through the meat of the game, the Lions offense ran three, three, three, four, seven and three plays on six possessions -- against South Florida? -- before Hunt's break-away finally put the game out of its misery.

And the fans. Heading down the elevator a few minutes before the end, there was an older woman who boarded with her husband from one of the VIP sections. These are usually the most supportive of Penn State fans, nearly always willing to view the sunny side of the picture.

This woman was, indeed, smiling. Then she said, "Boy, that was some game."

I asked her, how so?

"Not too much fun."

Nope. Not so much.

DAVID JONES: 255-8187 or djones8681@aol.com  

(My emphasis)

http://www.pennlive.com/columns/patriotnews/jones/index.ssf?/base/columnists/1125825733139070.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

[WoolyBully]

I think his underlying complaint rests with Penn State's inability to "light it up" against - what is in their eyes - a tune up team. Recall that the talk leading up to the 'Cocks x Knights game was that Coach Superior would use this as an exhibition ... show some razzle dazzle ... against a team they could hold at arms length.

Well..the down side is that Penn State should enjoy the next two games, because - just being honest - unless they were holding back the ultra-secret weapons, they're going to get more of the same (of what they got last year).  

As for the knocks against USF...that's to be expected. It's called whistling past the graveyard. A better first quarter from the Bulls and instead of statue of Jo Pa, there would be calls for his head to be mounted on a pike in front of the stadium.

[South_Tampa_Knight]

What did he say wrong, he is dead on.  Basically, PSU never tried anything spectacular to move the ball.  

[___ Eats It]

What did he say wrong, he is dead on.  Basically, PSU never tried anything spectacular to move the ball.  

Or couldn't...

[smazza]

the reality is our offense is so inept i doubt we could beat  any team ranked above 85

we are so boring

i hear we have athletic players on offense andthat they are fast

psu runs the reverse properly and first

[Metro_Retro_Bull]

That is exactly, to the T, a perfect recap of how PSU fans viewed that game. The only difference is, he's a writer and not a fan and therefore will be short on giving USF slight credit.

[BullDoug]

Mr David Jones writes from a knowledge of college football that is quite imcomplete.  If he looked further back in the statistics than 365 days he may have found a USF D that is extremely stingy vs. the run for the exception of a handful of games.  However, I'd have to agree with fan expectations for the "pay 'em and they will come" games, razzle-dazzle is most definitely expected.