Month: October 2018

Well, after the devastating loss to Ohio State, PSU fans had an extra week to mend our broken hearts and get ready to put our hearts and souls out there to support Penn State football again… boy, are we glad we had that extra week of rest and healing before we take on our next opponent Michigan State for Homecoming in State College.

Even though Penn State had a bye-week, because of other teams’ losses, we still move up in the college football polls this week to number 8 in the nation.  Go Lions!  Michigan State is ranked lower in the polls, so winning against a lesser-ranked team after a week’s rest shouldn’t be a problem, right?  Wrong.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions are not able to find that winning combination this week against Michigan State.  To be honest, our play throughout the entire game is less than stellar.  It’s not that we play badly, but we just can’t make an impact when we have the ball and we don’t accomplish much defensively either.  But all of that wouldn’t matter if the last few minutes of the game had turned out differently.

Michigan State plays with a few tricks up their sleeve that Penn State isn’t expecting.  For example, they convert a fake punt a couple times against our Nittany Lions, who fail to see the play developing or recover the ball effectively.  Michigan State makes several mistakes, giving us a chance to get the ball and try to score again, but we are unable to convert those mistakes into scoring opportunities.  And even when we get the ball, none of our usual star Nittany Lion players seem able to make the impact on the field that they normally do.  Michigan State also uses a fake field goal to try and tie the game up late fourth quarter.  When Michigan State gets the ball back again with less than three minutes left, there is little that our Nittany Lions can do other than hold them back, and unfortunately, the defense is unable to do that.  Michigan State keeps moving those chains all the way to the end zone.  When they score with less than a minute left in the game, all we can do is try the impossible: move the ball far enough down the field to try a field goal, just to send the game into overtime.

Well, unfortunately, it doesn’t happen that way and we lose another home game, and to a team ranked way lower by pundits and experts.  To be honest, I still don’t understand how it happened.  With a week of rest after the devastating loss to Ohio State, I expect every Penn State player to be playing with a raging fire-in-the-belly, eager to win this next game.  But, sadly, we just never find that winning combination in the Michigan State game.  To lose at home to a lesser team is hard to take; and to lose our Homecoming game just adds insult to injury.

One interesting fun fact is that with this loss, PSU repeats the exact performance from last season:  we lost to the same two teams (Ohio State and Michigan State) consecutively, by the same difference in the number of points.  What a coincidence!  Last year, even with these devastating losses, we were still eligible to receive a bid to one of the post-season Bowl games.  Penn State played in one of the top six college Bowl games, known as the “New Year’s Six” because they are played on or around New Year’s Day.  The Nittany Lions beat the Washington Huskies in the Fiesta Bowl.  Go Lions!  Maybe we can make it back to a Bowl game again this year?  If we do, we definitely need to step up our game.  We played well against Ohio State, and even though we lost, it was not as devastating as losing back-to-back to Michigan State at Homecoming.  Every PSU fan knows that our team is capable.  But whether we are capable of realizing our full potential this season is the test we must face.

Here is an article talking about both losses two years in a row that I found interesting!

There’s nothing like some Tuesday night gloominess, reminiscing about this year’s Ohio State White Out game and what might have been…

Actually, the game itself – minus the last five minutes – was truly amazing.  For most of the game, the Nittany Lions looked good:  the Penn State defense played tough and was able to stop Ohio State’s defense, while the Penn State offense was connecting and scoring points.  Like everyone else in the record-setting PSU-fan-packed stadium, I really thought our Nittany Lions were going to beat those Buckeyes, the third-ranked football team in the nation.  And how exciting to be in the middle of the PSU student section in the end zone to witness it!  Well, unfortunately, my dream didn’t come true – we didn’t win.  And all because of that terrible call to run the ball on 4th down and 5 in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.  My dream turned into a nightmare!

Fig. 1. “2018 White Out Opponent Announced.” Happy Valley, 17 Apr. 2018, happyvalley.com/psu/2018-white-out-opponent-announced.

There are a number of things that Penn State did not do well in this game that we really need to do better next time.

Fig. 2. Bauer, Alex. “On This Day: Trace McSorley Named Penn State’s Starting Quarterback.” Onward State, Onward State, 24 Aug. 2018, onwardstate.com/2018/08/24/on-this-day-trace-mcsorley-named-penn-states-starting-quarterback/.

For one, I think Trace should have stayed in for the entire game.  Every time we get some momentum going and some gains in yardage, we switch out quarterbacks and then go negative in yardage.  This is not intended as a knock on any quarterback.  Obviously, these are all talented athletes who have incredible skills and perform way better than most in pressure situations like these.  But, Trace, the ultimate fully-experienced quarterback, who has led teams to countless championships and come-from-behind victories, knows this environment.  He isn’t flustered by the high-stakes pressure, and he knows exactly how his Lions offensive line, receivers, and back field can perform in those situations.

The one play that may have cost us the game is going for a two-point conversion, rather than just kicking the extra point after scoring a touchdown.  Since we end up losing the game by one point, you have to wonder what might have happened if we hadn’t gotten greedy and tried for the two points.  We might have at least tied, giving us a chance to play in overtime.

Fig. 3. Thamel, Pete, et al. “Penn State Stuns Ohio State, Shakes up CFP Race.” SI.com, www.si.com/college-football/2016/10/22/penn-state-beats-ohio-state-blocked-field-goal.

The final play that ultimately cost us the game is a decision by Penn State to go for it on fourth down, with five yards to go.  The play that the team has used all night, giving the ball to Miles Sanders, ends in failure.  With no first down, Ohio State gets the ball back, and Penn State loses the game.  Is this is a bad play?  Not at all.  If we tried it against any other defense, it probably would have worked.  But against an elite defense like Ohio State, it is a high risk play.  I would have preferred a different play in that situation.  Of course, it’s always easy to second-guess those decisions in hindsight.

Fig. 4. Leap, Marty. “Penn State vs. Ohio State: Players of the Game.” Victory Bell Rings, FanSided, 23 Oct. 2016, victorybellrings.com/2016/10/23/penn-state-vs-ohio-state-players-game/.

Generally speaking, Penn State plays beautifully throughout most of the game.  The defense looks great, the offense plays well, and Trace at quarterback is incredible as always.  Playing an elite team, as Franklin put it, and almost beating an elite team shows Penn State’s potential to be a national contender.  Win or lose, I love supporting my Nittany Lions!  Attending every game as a Penn State student is an incredible experience and the Ohio State White Out game this year is one that I will never forget.  I am proud to be a Nittany Lion and will continue to “roar” just as loud as ever!  WE ARE!

Here is Coach Franklin’s post game press conference.  A hard loss, and a hard press conference.

To start, the experience in State College in advance of a Penn State Football GameDay includes so much more than just a football game on a Saturday afternoon.  We have hype for the game throughout the entire week prior, from signs outside the East Hall dorms to pep rallies, spirit events and paraphernalia all over the campus, with everyone showing their loyalty to the team.  There are the miles of tailgaters with Penn State-decorated RV’s and blue & white tents all over State College.  But spirits are especially high for this week’s game against conference-archrival Ohio State, who comes into this week’s contest with a higher ranking in the college football polls than Penn State.  And this week’s game is a particularly special occasion: ESPN’s nationally-televised “College GameDay” show is in State College to preview the game and show the world the excitement of the Penn State-Ohio State matchup.

Fig. 1. Corrigan, Mikayla. “ESPN’s College GameDay Setup to Cause Pollock Road Closure, Parking Changes.” The Daily Collegian, 26 Sept. 2018, www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_7bcdbdd2-c1c0-11e8-a204-376e9dfd0aef.html.

ESPN College GameDay is a nationally-televised weekly college football talk show that broadcasts on Saturday mornings.  The panel of football experts discuss the important games going on that week and offer insights and predictions on each team’s performance.  Every Saturday, College GameDay travels to a different college town to be a part of the biggest college game that week.  And of course, this week, there is no bigger matchup than the Penn State-Ohio State rivalry.  There is no love lost between these teams.  The fans know it and so does ESPN College GameDay.

The College GameDay show allows a limited number of  students at the school they are visiting to enter into certain areas of the production set, which then serve as the backdrop to the televised show.  The students get a chance to be seen on TV and show off their school spirit to the world.  It’s always fun to watch the students whooping it up, waving their signs and poms, and showing their support for the team.  But if you want to do this at a school with as much spirit as Penn State, you have to get there VERY EARLY to get a good spot for the show’s 9:00 am start.  So, my friends and I plan to go at 2:00 am to save a spot in the queue to get into the best TV set locations.  We eventually come to our senses, realizing that a little more sleep in our warm beds is a better idea.  We scope out the venue the night before and leave our signs near the site so they can be easily retrieved when we return to the queue at 6:00 am (still pretty early, if you ask me).

Fig. 2. Wogenrich, Mark. “So How Did Actor Keegan-Michael Key Become Such a Penn State Football Fan?” Themorningcall.com, 22 Apr. 2018, www.mcall.com/sports/college/psu/mc-spt-penn-state-football-blue-white-follow-20180422-story.html.

But, boy did that little bit of extra sleep pay off.  And as it turns out, the later arrival works out even better than had we arrived at 2 am as originally planned.  My friends and I get into the Coke Zone, which, if you’re familiar with the GameDay show, is the viewing stand on the corner right behind the main TV set.  Not only do we get a great spot for constant TV coverage, but during the entire show and the commercial breaks, we get free Coke products, prizes, food, and more.  College GameDay is such an exciting experience.  We even have the chance to interact directly with some of my favorite hosts from the show when they come to chat with us one-on-one during the breaks and before and after the show.  One of the funniest people is actor/comedian Keegan Michael Key, who is a Penn State alum and this week’s celebrity guest “game-picker”.  He is hilarious, keeping all of the hosts in check and talking to the crowd to get us pumped up for the game.

The best thing about College GameDay is the final game pick with Lee Corso, a long-time ESPN sportcaster and a former coach.  Each week, after the other panelists share their picks for which team will win each of the major games, Lee Corso shares his pick for the winner of the Game of the Week.  After explaining the reasons for his pick, he ceremoniously dons the head of the mascot of the team that he picks to win the game.  Of course, after the long morning of cheering and excitement on national TV, the Penn State fans are spirited, anxious to see which team Lee Corso predicts to win.  As he begins his pick, he lifts up a Nittany Lion head, talking the whole time about his “first love” for Brutus Buckeye, the Ohio State mascot.  Then, as he finishes his pick, he throws the head on the ground, only to pick up and put on another Nittany Lion head!  The crowd goes crazy, screaming and chanting “WE ARE! PENN STATE!”.

Fig. 3. Schlarp, Thomas, et al. “College GameDay Cast: Who Is the Most Accurate Picker of Penn State Football Games?” The Daily Collegian, 27 Sept. 2018, www.collegian.psu.edu/football/article_fae73d6c-c1f9-11e8-9c63-477fe31d0b13.html.

Being a part of ESPN College GameDay is one of the best mornings I have ever had in my life (unfortunately, the night does not turn out so great for the Lions… stay tuned for more about that).  It is so fun to be on the TV production set with my friends, laughing and hanging out and cheering for our school.  After starting before 6 am and screaming, cheering and waving for almost 7 hours, we are deliriously tired, but still excited and spirited more than we can imagine.  It is one of the most unique experiences I could have in my freshman year at Penn State, and I can’t wait for College GameDay to come back to State College next time!

Here is the link to an article about Lee Corso’s fake-out with the Nittany Lion head.  WE ARE!