Month: October 2022
Week 8 in College Football!
We are now in the homestretch of the college football season. Seasons are being defined, players are rising to the occasion, and fans are getting anxious to see how their team finishes off the season like never before. Let’s dive into what Week 8 in this college football season had in store for us.
The PSU Review
Image Source: https://www.centredaily.com/sports/college/penn-state-university/psu-football/article267687447.html
What a beautiful sight, isn’t it? The White Out returned to Happy Valley this weekend in front of a thundering Beaver Stadium crowd. Following the horrific loss to Michigan the week prior, there was nothing better for the Nittany Lions this weekend than returning to this environment. Fans, and more importantly the players, seemed to completely forget what happened in Ann Arbor the week before. That is exactly what this team needed as they reach the most crucial portion of their schedule.
Hunter’s Takeaways:
The 12th man on the field was a major factor in this team’s performance this week. The fans were electric and I’m not sure that Minnesota freshman QB Athan Kaliakmanis could ever say something that anyone on the offense could hear. A multitude of false start penalties by the Golden Gophers were abundant early in the game, just proving how difficult it is to play as a road team in a Penn State White Out.
This was undoubtedly Penn State’s best game of the year to this point. The Nittany Lions fired on all cylinders and never looked back. Other than a slow start in the first quarter, this team dominated Minnesota on Saturday. Sean Clifford won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. Despite a poor interception and a few other throws that should have been picks, this was one of Clifford’s best performances at Penn State. The Minnesota defense ranked in the top-15 in the country coming into the game, but the Penn State offense was able to expose their loopholes consistently throughout the game. Beautiful play by Penn State WR’s and TE’s like Parker Washington who made a sensational grab in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. Mitchell Tinsley who pulled in a one-handed grab on a free play along the sideline. Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren who both reached the end zone. Clifford ran an extremely efficient offense once they started to get going in the second quarter. Every drive seemed to be producing points, especially in the second half. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen complemented each other perfectly, with the former scoring 2 TD’s and both almost matching one another in rushing yards.
The real MVP of this weekend was an exceptional performance by Manny Diaz’s defense. One of the top running backs in the country, Minnesota senior RB Mohamed Ibrahim, was largely shutdown on Saturday. Ibrahim extended his consecutive 100-yard performance streak to 13 games, but it took him 30 carries against Penn State to muster 102 yards. Holding him 3.4 yards per carry was exactly what this defense had to do following an historically bad defense against the run against Michigan the week before. Kaliakmanis’s first start following the injury to senior QB Tanner Morgan did not go as planned, completing only 9 of 22 passes. Every individual on the defense played exceptional on Saturday and are a major factor in why this Penn State team pulled out its best performance of the season.
A Wild Whiteout Win!
The next attraction coming to Happy Valley… the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Stripe Out game. This Buckeye offense average nearly 50 points per game and is one of the most loaded rosters of talent in college football. This team has barely blinked an eye all season and will be the ultimate test for the Nittany Lions. This team came out with a fight last week that we all needed to see. Happy Valley will be thundering once again Saturday. Ohio State opens as a -15.5 favorite on FOX’s Big Noon Saturday.
Around CFB
Image Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2022/10/photos-bo-nix-no-10-oregon-ducks-stomp-out-chip-kelly-no-9-ucla-bruins.html
#10 Oregon handled #9 UCLA in Eugene. Oregon QB Bo Nix performed stellar with a 5-TD performance. Oregon looks to be the new strongest team in the PAC-12 with their only hiccup being the disastrous 55-3 loss against Georgia in Week 1.
#5 Clemson overcame a grueling test at home by the hands of #14 Syracuse. Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei was benched in favor of 5-star freshman QB Cade Klubnik. It will be interesting to monitor how this potential quarterback battle plays out for a top-5 team in the nation.
#8 TCU continued their perfect season with a defeat of #17 Kansas State. TCU QB Max Duggan has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country to this point and has put this team in prime position to win the Big 12.
#11 Oklahoma State upset a 7-point favorite in #20 Texas at home in Stillwater. The Cowboys proved why they shouldn’t have been home underdogs against an inconsistent Longhorn team, with senior QB Spencer Sanders throwing for 391 yards and 2 TD’s in the victory.
LSU rolled over #7 Ole Miss in Death Valley. A 45-20 win for the Tigers is Brian Kelly’s marquee victory since he took the reigns at LSU. LSU QB Jayden Daniels performed exceptionally with his arm and his feet, logging 121 yards and 3 TD’s on the ground. Look for a resurgence of this LSU team behind strong QB play from Daniels.
Week 9 AP Top 25 Poll
What’s Ahead in Week 9?
Hunter’s Game of the Week: #13 Penn State vs. #2 Ohio State (-15.5) – The undoubtable best game of the weekend, the Stripe Out crowd will be electric in Happy Valley. Coming off their best performance of the season, how do the Nittany Lions rekindle that energy to unleash upon one of the perennial best teams in the nation? Hopefully some of that 2016 magic finds its way back in Beaver Stadium.
#3 Tennessee (-12.5) vs. #19 Kentucky – The ‘ol Border Battle returns this year while both teams are ranked in the AP Poll. Tennessee has proven each week why they should be in the CFP and Hendon Hooker is making his strongest efforts challenge to C.J. Stroud for the Heisman trophy. Let’s see how Kentucky responds to the adversity at home led by former Penn State backup and future NFL Draftee QB Will Levis.
#9 Oklahoma State vs. #22 Kansas State (-1.5) – Both teams are some of the best of what the Big 12 has to offer. Kansas State has had a strong season led by Nebraska transfer QB Adrian Martinez. See how OK State responds as an underdog on the road in Manhattan, KS.
Florida vs. #1 Georgia (-22.5) – Georgia-Florida is a spectacle any given year, even when the one team is ranked #1 in the country and a 3-TD favorite to win. See how strong this Georgia team can perform against a decent opponent at a neutral site in Jacksonville.
#7 TCU (-7.5) vs. West Virginia – West Virginia has to be one of the best teams in the country with a losing record. Always playing opponents tough, this will be the ultimate challenge against the strongest team in the Big 12 to this point. How do the Horned Frogs perform on the road and can they prove they are a legit CFP contender?
TED Talk Review/Unit Two Preview
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwwanld4T1w
Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwwanld4T1w
One of my favorite TED talks and one that I viewed a few weeks ago in a Public Policy course, this presentation of how to spot bad statistics in polling/survey data was remarkable to me. Not only was the speaker Mona Chalabi, a British data analyst for FiveThirtyEight and The Guardian, phenomenal with her delivery skills, but she presented her material in such an informative manner. Just from this roughly 12-minute video, I learned so much about how to decipher between inaccurate and accurate methods of conducting polling/surveys. I suggest that you take a look at it if this a subject area that interests you! As a political science major who spends a lot of time looking at polling results, her presentation does a great job of summarizing the industry and how to know what to look for. There is much to takeaway from her presentation skills as well, as her delivery not only creates an informative and engaging tone, but establishes validity in her statements due to her experience/knowledge.
For my paradigm shift/evolving ideas projects, I think the topic I am going to choose is looking at American public support for Ukraine before, during, and the future in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Many Americans don’t know that Ukraine had a revolution in 2014 and that this conflict has been going on since then. With the official invasion by Russia earlier this year, this is when many Americans began to take notice of what was happening overseas and begin a massive support campaign for the Ukrainians. People on social media began putting the Ukrainian flag in their bio’s, neighbors of mine started flying Ukraine flags, and many in the U.S. seemed to drop their ideological differences to support this European friend of ours. I think this topic will lend me to conduct some very interesting research and examine intriguing polling/survey data regarding support of the conflict. If I were to have to choose a second topic, it would probably be analyzing the shift in ideologies between the Republican and Democratic parties over time. If you were to read a history book, you might find it shocking to see what kinds of things each party supported centuries ago and how they both have flip-flopped on many issues. I would examine the historical context behind this ideological shift and how it’s change influences society today.
Week 7 in College Football!
What a week of college football! If you followed along this weekend, you’ll know that I have A LOT to say. Each Power 5 conference had a top-20 matchup. Whether the results were good or bad (foreshadowing unfortunately), let’s get into my analysis of the best week in college football yet this season.
The PSU Review
Image Source: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/penn-state-michigan-live-score-highlights/ei2q5yhfpjatwalcvtvljgqp
Well… that happened. The picture above is a perfect symbolic representation of Penn State’s trip to the Big House this weekend. The #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines totaled 418 yards on the ground. Safe to say the rush defense didn’t show up on Saturday. Let’s get straight into my not so positive takeaways:
Hunter’s Takeaways:
As alluded to above, the #10 ranked Nittany Lions got absolutely throttled on the ground this weekend. Michigan RB’s Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards looked like they were playing a high school team, with the former totaling 166 yards with 2 TD’s and the latter 173 yards with 2 TD’s. I don’t know if I remember Penn State ever looking so dominated on the ground. There was absolutely no counter to the strong Michigan backfield completed with sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy was not required to do too much through the air, although he completed 17 of 24 passes. He himself totaled 57 rushing yards, just adding to the grand total.
It was disappointing to witness such a defensive collapse on a national stage. It seemed as those no adjustments were made and that simply, Penn State had no answer for how they were getting dominated at the line of scrimmage. Shoutout to Michigan’s offensive line for really being the catalysts for the record game on the ground for the Wolverines. One of the best in the country, their blockers were pushing our D-Line off the line of scrimmage almost every snap and creating massive holes for their rushers. A truly dominant performance, that group is the MVP of the game this weekend.
While the defense was not getting exposed, the offense did very little to compensate for the defensive collapse. Before being pulled in the 4th quarter due to injury, Sean Clifford completed 7 of 19 passes for 120 yards… not great. Besides a 62-yard rush by Clifford to the 5-yard line where even the camera man was faked out on the read option, the offense did very little good on Saturday. Our leading running back on the day was Nick Singleton who totaled a whopping 19 yards on 6 carries. As I stated last week, to win against a strong Michigan defense led by their D-Line, Penn State had to run the ball with the effectiveness they did like against Auburn earlier in the season. This week, there was never a chance. The offense really had no momentum all game and struggled to muster any sort of positive gains.
There were only three positive plays from my view on Saturday:
1.) Curtis Jacobs’s pick-six in the 2nd quarter as he took a ball to the house that popped up in the air after deflecting off of P.J. Mustipher’s helmet.
2.) Sean Clifford’s 62-yard read option run that fooled the entire Michigan defense.
3.) A 48-yard pass to Harrison Wallace III coming out of halftime that eventually led to a Nittany Lion FG.
Other than these three plays, it is really hard for me to sit here and detail any positives from this Penn State team this weekend. Coming off of a bye week, this team should not have come out so soft and lacking intensity as they did. Franklin teams are now 3-7 coming off bye weeks and a staggering 2-14 against AP Top 10 teams. The continual failure in these situations is very disappointing for Nittany Lion fans and the coach is ultimately first to blame. I’m not going to sit here and tear James Franklin to shreds like others will, but his record shows for itself in these scenarios. Let’s just hope that Penn State can learn from what failed in Ann Arbor and use it as fuel to their fire for the rest of the season as they continue to march through the toughest section of their schedule.
This weekend, Penn State is back in Beaver Stadium for the annual White Out game against a losing-momentum Minnesota Golden Gophers team led by coach P.J. Fleck. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM on ABC. Penn State opens as a -4.0 favorite and needs to contain Minnesota star RB Mohamed Ibrahim who could have a monstrous game on the ground if the defense plays as they did against Michigan. Minnesota’s senior QB Tanner Morgan was carted off the field last week after a blow to the head and is questionable for this matchup. No matter the starting QB, look for hopefully a convincing bounce back for the Nittany Lion defense this weekend against a sneaky Golden Gophers team. Offensively, this team needs to recapture the momentum they had through the first three weeks of the season.
Around CFB:
Image Source: What a weekend to be a Tennessee Volunteer. For the first time in 16 years, the Volunteer faithful can say they toppled the #3 Alabama Crimson Tide. This was undoubtedly the best game of the college football season to this point in the season and personally one of the best I have ever seen. A grueling 52-49 victory in Neyland Stadium ended off the foot of K Chase McGrath. Volunteer fans decked out in orange stormed the field, tore down the goalposts, and partied through the night. Neyland’s goalposts then made the journey up through the stands, outside of the stadium, and into the streets of Knoxville before it was eventually celebratory thrown into the Tennessee River. A scene unlike I’ve ever seen before, this win was monumental for this Tennessee team. Now 6-0, this team has everything they want right ahead of them. QB Hendon Hooker is the 2nd best Heisman candidate behind Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud at this point in the season. WR Jalin Hyatt, a junior from Irmo, SC, totaled 207 yards and 5 TD’s against the Crimson Tide defense. Not many guys can say they racked up 5 receiving touchdowns against a Nick Saban, in fact, he is the only one. Hyatt’s performance was also a Tennessee record. I could sit and talk about this marvel of a game all day long but at this point, I’d recommend just watching the highlights below to truly understand the chaos that ensued this weekend in Knoxville:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehxfl9K9Jgg
Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehxfl9K9Jgg
The #20 Utah Utes had their fans also storm the field on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium after taking down the #7 USC Trojans 43-42 in a tribute game for fallen teammates Aaron Lowe and Ty Jordan. Led by QB Cameron Rising and a record performance by TE Dalton Kincaid, the Utes are without a doubt the best 2-loss team in the country at this crucial turning point in the season.
#13 TCU took down #8 OK State in Fort Worth, toppling the Cowboys 43-40 in double OT. Another battle that went down the stretch the entire game before a game-winning FG, TCU may have just proved this weekend why they are the team to beat in the Big 12.
#18 Syracuse defeated the #13 NC State Wolfpack 24-9 in Syracuse, moving their record to 6-0 and setting up a pivotal road matchup against Clemson this week.
#22 Kentucky bounced back after a few struggling weeks to defeat the #16 Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 27-17. Led by senior RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.’s phenomenal showing on the ground, the Wildcats look to rekindle their lost magic from their strong start to the season.
Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll
Image Source: https://twitter.com/on3sports/status/1581703249807413249
What’s Ahead in Week 8?
Hunter’s Game of the Week: #9 UCLA vs. #10 Oregon (-6.0) – A defining matchup for two of what the PAC-12 has to offer, can Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins take down a rebounded Oregon Ducks team in Eugene?
#14 Syracuse vs. #5 Clemson (-13.5) – Syracuse is a very capable team of pulling off the upset here. Going into Death Valley will be tough, given Clemson’s 37 home-game win streak. I’m personally very interested to see how this Syracuse team stacks up to Clemson and understand how legit they are.
#20 Texas (-6.5) vs. #11 OK State – A fantastic Big 12 matchup, Texas is favored on the road after rallying to beat the Iowa State Cyclones at home led by a 3 TD performance by QB Quinn Ewers.
#17 Kansas State vs. #8 TCU (-3.5) – Can TCU continue to bolster their already impressive resumé with a win over a strong fellow Biq 12 team in Kansas State at home?
#24 Mississippi State vs. #6 Alabama (-21.0) – Following the gutting loss to Tennessee last week, how well does Alabama recover against a ranked Mississippi State who also suffered a tough loss last week at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats. If the tradition continues, look for a big game for Alabama as a team coming off a loss under hall of fame coach Nick Saban.
Speech Review
For my civic artifact speech, I thought I definitely did a solid job as I evaluated my performance. I really tried to emphasize on consistently fluctuating the tone of voice to match the significance of what I was presenting about. Using hand gestures was another thing I believe I did well, and I’ve always been the type of person to articulate well through complementary hand movements. I also heavily focused on trying to slow down my pace and instill some pauses in my speech. While I was crunched on meeting the 5-minute threshold, I do believe I did a better job of not having my brain work faster than my mouth which is something I have commonly done in speeches in the past. I think the speech had an overall engaging tone/delivery which is exactly what I was shooting for.
In terms of areas of improvement, I think quieting my head/eye movement can be beneficial to me in the future. Unlike others who may have had their notes on a split-screen, I had printed notes on a piece of paper and could visibly be seen referring down to them a few times. I know the speech did not have to be fully memorized, but I wish I maybe found a little less apparent of a way to make sure I hit every point that I wanted to. Although I focused on taking some pauses during my presentation, I do think adding a few more would not hurt at all. I was in a bit of a time crunch to fit everything in so that was not ideal to maximize the amount of times I implemented pauses into my delivery. Some of my peers do a really great job with their vocal tone fluctuation and while I think I did a serviceable job with this, I picked up some things from other individuals that I think I can implement in future public speaking opportunities.
For a peer I wanted to shout out, I really loved James’s delivery on his speech. He creates a particularly engaging tone that keeps the audience locked in on the entire presentation. He makes it feel more like a conversation, and that is exactly a perspective I want to think about when focusing on my speech delivery in the future. I noticed apparently how much stronger his speech was based on how well he delivered it – really emphasizing the major rhetorical points he analyzed through the forcefulness of his delivery.
Week 6 in College Football!
The college football season is already halfway over! These six weeks have flown by, but much remains to be established this year. I will break down how Week 6 significantly influenced where we find ourselves today as we prepare to enter Week 7!
The PSU (P)review
Image Source: https://twitter.com/PennStateFball/status/1579490387508756480/photo/1
Yes, you that P in parenthesis up in the heading of this section. No Nittany Lion football in Week 6, but a much needed break for what has been an optimal start to the season for Penn State. The bye week could not come in a better spot, as the Nittany Lions will travel to Ann Arbor, MI for a top-10 matchup in the Big House. Players should be rested, healed, and raring to get to Michigan.
The #4 Wolverines took on Indiana this past weekend in Bloomington. Michigan had a bit of a hiccup on the road, as they entered the half tied 10-10 against the 3-2 Hoosiers and only held a 17-10 lead until they began to blow it open with 9:43 left in the 4th quarter. Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy played yet another stellar game, but did throw his first interception of the season (his play has been that good that I am commenting on a single interception). His backfield buddy, RB Blake Corum, had his 3rd consecutive 100+ rushing yard performance. He currently resides as 3rd in the country in rushing yards (735) and 2nd in rushing TD’s (11).
For Penn State to be successful against the Wolverines this weekend, it starts up front on both sides of the ball. The defensive line must apply pressure to McCarthy and Corum, one of the elite QB-RB duos in the country. Neither have faced that type of defensive line pressure all season, thus being able to continuously amount ridiculous statistics. If Penn State’s defensive line, led by senior P.J. Mustipher, can wreak havoc on the very talented Michigan offensive line — the Nittany Lions will be in for a good day on the defensive side of the ball.
On the other front, the offensive line must have a stellar performance this weekend. Michigan always seems to bring a relentless pass rush, whether it was Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo last year or Mike Morris and Eyabi Okie this year. From my vantage point, Penn State’s offensive line did not have great performances in their last two games versus Central Michigan and Northwestern. The pass blocking has been fine (although not much passing against Northwestern), but the run blocking has seemed a little subpar to me lately. Kaytron Allen had a huge game versus Central Michigan, but our offensive line really struggled to create holes for Nick Singleton in the back field. I saw this issue much more prevalent against Northwestern two weeks ago for all three of our RB’s. Considering the elements of the Northwestern game, that team prepared for the run almost every snap as we ran 58 times. So, there might be more to the Wildcats’s ability to hold the team to 3.8 yards per carry. Against such a tough defensive line on the other side of the ball, the offensive line must perform in a big way for Penn State to be successful offensively this weekend. For the Nittany Lions this weekend: it’s less of how many mistakes you can minimize, but more how you can minimize specific, recurring mistakes.
Running the football efficiently is a necessity this weekend and complementing a strong game through the air against the Michigan secondary with that is obviously also paramount. This will have to be a gritty win, but the team has shown strengths across the board this year to prove they can get it done in a hostile road environment. Penn State enters as a 7.0-point underdog against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Kickoff is at Noon on FOX as a part of the network’s marquee game: Big Noon Kickoff.
Around CFB
Image Source: Just because the Nittany Lions were off did not mean the rest of college football was! Here are my highlights from a jam-packed Week 6:
First, shoutout to Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda. Israel totaled 320 yards on the ground and 6 TD’s on Saturday in a 45-29 win over Virginia Tech. Video game numbers!
The highlight of what I watched Saturday was a dog fight between #1 Alabama and Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa. With defending Heisman winning QB Bryce Young out prior to the game with a shoulder injury suffered the week before, RS Freshman Jalen Milroe stepped into size infinity shoes this weekend. Texas A&M is not a team to be taken lightly. Obviously after falling out of the rankings following a preseason ranking of #6 the season has not been ideal, but this team gave Alabama their sole loss in the regular season last year (with Young playing). Milroe ran all over A&M, but really struggled passing the ball. Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs followed up his incredible performance at Arkansas with a 154-yard performance on the ground. With the nation’s #1 recruiting class, A&M’s young stars shone in the spotlight. #1 national recruit Walter Nolen III posted a sack against Milroe and 5-star WR Evan Stewart accumulated 108 yards on 8 receptions against a talented Alabama secondary. A&M held the ball on the 1-yard line with :03 left, but QB Haynes King rocketed the bay ll over Stewart’s head and out of bounds. Alabama dodged a bullet in what would have been only the 3rd time Nick Saban were to have lost to the same team in consecutive season in Young’s absence.
#3 Ohio State rolled Michigan State in East Lansing. CJ Stroud continued to bolster his Heisman front-running resume with 361 yards and 6 TD’s in 3 quarters of action. This Ohio State offense is without a doubt the best right now in the country even without their #1 WR in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Sophomore WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (son of Colts Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison) has emerged as a top-5 receiver in the country. He leads the country in receiving TD’s with 9.
#18 UCLA, led by 5th-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, rolled over #11 Utah in Rose Bowl Stadium. A monumental win for Chip Kelly and the Bruins, UCLA moves to 6-0 on the year and a potential challenger to USC for the PAC-12 Championship this year.
Notre Dame toppled #18 BYU in Las Vegas to continue the recovery since their 0-2 start under new head coach Marcus Freeman.
My game of the week last week, the Big 12 matchup of two unlikely ranked teams in #17 TCU visiting #19 in Lawrence proved to be exactly the blockbuster I thought it had the chance of being. Both teams scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter, and a late TD drive by TCU led them to take down the Jayhawks who lost their star QB Jayden Daniels early in the game with a shoulder injury.
Texas and Oklahoma played in the Red River Showdown last weekend, in what was probably one of the least hyped editions of this matchup due to each team faltering multiple times already to start the season. With Oklahoma’s non-existent momentum the past several weeks after a string of terrible losses, they could not muster anything against the Longhorns. Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel did not start for the Sooners, but in his replacement the offense scored a whopping 0 points. The Longhorns overwhelmingly blanked the Sooners, leaving Cotton Bowl Stadium with a resounding 49-0 victory led by RS Freshman QB Quinn Ewers’s stellar performance in his return from injury.
Week 7 AP Top 25 Poll
*Shoutout to James Madison for being ranked after only their first 5 games in the FBS!
What’s Next in Week 7?
Hunter’s Game of the Week: #10 Penn State vs. #5 Michigan (-7.0) – We talked about it enough. A top-10 Big Ten East matchup between rivals is always something you need your popcorn for. Expect a physical and gritty game in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
#3 Alabama (-7.0) vs. #6 Tennessee – This is a very close contender for my game of the week, but I’m just a little biased. Alabama is coming off of an upset scare versus Texas A&M last week while Tennessee has looked like a CFP contender led by Heisman-contending QB Hendon Hooker. Does Bryce Young play and if so, will he be limited by the shoulder injury? Expect another dogfight in Knoxville in a pivotal matchup to determine the makeup of the SEC the rest of the season.
#8 OK State vs. #13 TCU (-4.0) – TCU looks great after starting 5-0 and taking down Kansas on the road last week. Oklahoma State hasn’t blinked much at all this year, playing stellar all-around ball. TCU is the favorite at home, and I think I’ll like what the Horned Frogs can do in a massively significant Big 12 matchup versus a familiar foe.
#7 USC vs. #20 Utah (-3.5) – Despite a pretty flawless start to the season under new head coach Lincoln Riley, USC enters this weekend as a 3.5-point underdog on the road. This talented Utah team is coming off of a tough loss to UCLA on the road, but this matchup will carry dividends for later in the year when the PAC-12 championship is ultimately decided.
#15 NC State vs. #18 Syracuse (-3.5) – Look at Syracuse go! Led by sophomore RB Sean Tucker, the Orange have a great opportunity in the JMA Wireless Dome to take down a strong ACC-opponent in the NC State Wolfpack who took down Florida State in a highly contested 19-17 win a week ago.
Rhetorical Analysis Essay Draft and Speech Outline
Rhetorical Analysis Essay Draft (Intro + Body Outline):
How patriotic are we? Well, this is a very broad question open to many different interpretations from varying ideologies. Do we measure how patriotic we are by how much we vote? Patriotism in itself can mean inherently different things to different people. One way patriotism finds itself sandwiched in our society is through the display of “I Voted” stickers on Election Days. These subtle emblems carry much more than a simple two-word message, they represent the underlying commonplaces behind voting and opportunity for the civic to engage with their communities. However, in analyzing the visual rhetoric of these stickers, it is thought-provoking to wonder if they need to reflect a patriotic nature. One may imagine patriotism in America as being the classic “red, white, and blue” and largely displaying the American flag. While many “I Voted” stickers follow this classic format, there has also been a trend as of late to shy away from these more traditional designs. Hudson Rowan, a 14-year old from Ulster County, New York, recently won an “I Voted” sticker in his county by drawing a multi-colored spider humanoid with “I Voted” being drawn almost cryptically in big red letters next to it. Compare the stark differences between each sticker. One seems to follow the more traditionally patriotic route, while the other is extremely abstract and eye-opening. Do abstract designs hinder the possible coercion of the stickers to get others out to vote? This analysis will examine not only the visual rhetoric differences behind each sticker design, but how the rhetorical situation, commonplaces, representation, and pathos are affected by these starkly different iterations of the same overarching message.
Body:
*Each of these lenses can be combined in some sense; outline is to examine which are being identified before they are related or blended together in essay.
Visual Rhetoric Differences – Examine and clearly identified the differences in design between the more traditional design and Hudson’s. How might the design affect the rhetoric behind getting out the vote?
Rhetorical Situation – Although the designs are so different, do they both contribute to achieving the same goals in getting out the vote?
Commonplaces – Is the commonplace behind voting and getting out the vote different because of either design? What does it say about voting if we were to pass out abstract variations of the “I Voted” stickers. Do the abstract designs create a less serious tone toward voting?
Representation – Analyze the groups targeted by each design. The traditional design looks more tailored to the “traditional, lifelong American voter.” The abstract design looks like something that could be worn by kids since, after all, it was designed by a kid. Do the different designs frame the civic as a whole differently?
Pathos – How do the different designs apply to emotions in different ways. Would one sticker more likely coerce citizens to get out and vote? If you were to see both in public, how might your perspective on voting be different? Look at the potentially different appeals made by each design.
Conclusion:
Restate comparative thesis and quickly re-examine each point made in the body paragraph. Generalize the comparisons made between each design and how they might affect the commonplace of voting as a whole.
Speech Outline:
Intro –
Every November, you see it. You know exactly what it is because you see it everywhere. Proud photos are plastered across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram displaying it. Heck, you even walk past someone at the grocery store wearing it. I go to my grandma’s house and she has it brightly displayed on the top of her shirt. Everyone that showcases this artifact seems to do it with undeniable pride, and that artifact is simply the “I Voted” sticker. Now you might be asking, why is it necessary to analyze the rhetoric underlying what is nothing more than a sticker? The “I Voted” stickers are much more than a sticker and represent an individual’s ability to put themselves out there through an engagement with their community. Voting can be a scary thing for many people; so many candidates cluttering the ballot can make it inherently overwhelming. Statistics in the United States show that American participation in elections dwindles in comparison to other developed countries. When voting is the best way in our representative democracy to let your voice be heard, why do many not want to participate? This question might never have an answer. But, this analysis will look deeper on the effects of voting in our culture through the most apparent indicator of one’s level of civic engagement, the “I Voted” sticker.
Body –
Analyzing the commonplace behind voting and the association of the stickers to voting itself. Do the stickers coerce other people into voting? Does displaying the sticker make most people feel proud about performing this civic duty? Why do we even need stickers to confirm we voted at all?
Applying analysis of the visual rhetoric of “I Voted” stickers. Should every sticker have an American flag on it or be red, white, and blue? Does the fact that the stickers use the identifier “I” make it an ethos argument? Why not just say “vote” or something similar? Do we inherently believe these stickers are “patriotic” in their display? Should the designs be abstract or traditional?
Establishing the Rhetorical Situation. Why are “I Voted” stickers found at every polling place? Why do celebrities and other notable figures proudly display their stickers on social media on Election Days? What rhetoric is seemingly established when many put great emphasis on displaying these emblems in public?
Conclusion –
Make connections back to the lenses I analyzed “I Voted” stickers through and how they have a subtle impact on society. Restate general thesis and briefly cover each point emphasized in the body paragraph.
Week 5 in College Football!
Another week, another review of this highly fluctuating college football season. After the week off from the blog last week, we pick right back up with all of what’s hot in this ever-changing world of college football!
The PSU Review
In what would have been reviewed in the blog last week, Penn State defeated Central Michigan 33-14 two weekends ago. Now, that win wasn’t pretty by any means due to a multitude of offensive and defensive mishaps in the first half. But, if we want to talk about ugly wins, look no further than this weekend’s 17-7 defeat of the Northwestern Wildcats. This game can be summarized by one single very descriptive and telling word: sloppy.
Hunter’s Takeaways:
Big. Ten. Football.
Not only was the play on the field sloppy, but Happy Valley itself was very sloppy last Saturday as well. Persistent downpours and rain plagued State College all day, creating a treacherous playing environment in Beaver Stadium. Fans and students were warriors as they weathered the storm with ponchos, rain jackets, and umbrellas galore. But, none of that stopped the #11 ranked Nittany Lions.
If you look at the stat sheet, a layperson would immediately notice the seemingly massive number 5 in the turnover category for Penn State. Now what this person doesn’t know is the conditions on the field of play Saturday. However, no matter how wet the ball or field may be, 4 fumbles by your running backs can’t happen if you want to win football games. Luckily, Penn State’s defense offered a historical performance on plays following turnovers – only surrendering a total of 8 yards in possessions following their 5 turnovers. Coach Franklin was understandably a burning tea kettle on the sideline over the consistent fumbling. Any inkling of momentum captured by the Nittany Lions on Saturday was squandered by offensive turnovers. Obviously the weather was a major factor as to why so many turnovers occurred. However, the players knew the environment they were playing in and needed to place more emphasis on ball security throughout the game.
Penn State ran the ball a total of 58 times on Saturday, an astonishingly high number with adequate distribution across the board from our 3 RB rotation led by Allen and Singleton. But, considering the tricky terrain, this result was predictable. The ground game accumulated 220 yards, but to a disappointingly low 3.8 yards per carry. It was apparent that this offense looked like nothing it had the first four weeks of the season. Then again, none of the prior 4 games involved playing in a persistent downpour. QB Sean Clifford only attempted 20 passes as a result of mother nature.
Obviously, you have to take this game with a grain of salt. This was Big Ten football at its finest and an exhaustive victory for the Nittany Lions. Defense played superior and the offense should be fine heading into a much needed bye week.
This has to be one of the more important bye weeks in Penn State history. Over the next three games, Penn State will have to face the: #4 Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Whiteout Game, and #3 Ohio State Buckeyes. A monumental couple of games stare the Nittany Lions right in the face, and there is no better way to prepare for this grueling slate than a week of rest. See you in Ann Arbor folks.
Around CFB
One of the more notable storylines of this past weekend came in the form of the Kansas Jayhawks and TCU Horned Frogs? Yes, you read that correctly. Kansas, a team that finished 2-10 a season ago, has opened the season 5-0 and finds themselves in the AP Top 25 after a narrow defeat of Iowa State at home. TCU clobbered #18 Oklahoma, handing the Sooners a shocking 31-point loss in Fort Worth. Not only do these two Big 12 teams find themselves undefeated this far into the season, but they will face off against each other this week in Lawrence. College Gameday is even making the trip for these two surprisingly ranked foes!
#1 Georgia travelled to Columbia, MO on Saturday night on what many expected to be a walk over against the Missouri Tigers. What many didn’t expect was that Missouri led Georgia the entire game until late in the 4th quarter and almost played spoiler to the #1 ranked team in the country. The Bulldogs recovered from a disastrous first half to salvage their position among the top of the totem pole.
#5 Clemson looked strong in Death Valley against the #10 NC State, defeating the Wolfpack 30-20. This team looks much stronger than it did when struggling at the beginning of the season and looks again like a legit CFP contender.
#9 Oklahoma State took down #16 Baylor in a revenge game after Baylor’s comeback win in last year’s Big 12 Championship Game. Spencer Sanders looks like a top QB in the country and someone that could lead Oklahoma State to their first CFP appearance and 2nd Big 12 championship.
#4 Michigan rolled Iowa this Saturday on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. Despite only giving up a maximum of 10 points in any game all season, Iowa’s defense couldn’t stop the dual threat attack of Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Blake Corum.
The UCLA Bruins triumphed against the #15 Washington Huskies on an early game Friday night. UCLA moves to 5-0 on the season and becomes a serious threat to #6 USC for the PAC-12 championship.
#2 Alabama handles #20 Arkansas on the road, with defending Heisman winning QB Bryce Young going down early in the 2nd quarter. His injury situation is ongoing and must be monitored before an important hosting of Texas A&M this weekend in Tuscaloosa.
The Purdue Boilermakers took down the #21 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota entered the game outscoring their opponents 183-27, but an ankle injury to star RB Mohamed Ibrahim stunted what looked to be a phenomenal start to the season for the Gophers.
Week 6 AP Top 25 Poll
What’s Ahead in Week 6?
Hunter’s Game of the Week: #17 TCU (-6.5) vs. #19 Kansas – Why not? This matchup pits together two unlikely ranked Big 12 opponents. America wins in this game no matter what, two underdogs rising to the top of the CFB ladder. I’m in! I expect Kansas to cover the spread and potentially pull off the upset here.
#11 Utah (-3.5) vs. #18 UCLA – Two strong teams in what could be a preview of who can challenge #6 USC for the PAC-12 championship. I love this matchup and think it can provide for a fantastic game in the Rose Bowl Stadium.
#8 Tennessee (-3.0) vs. #25 LSU – Can Tennessee continue their great season by going into Death Valley and taking down a surging Tigers team?
#20 Kansas State (-2.0) vs. Iowa State – This is a great matchup. Iowa State always plays team tough, especially at home. However, QB Adrian Martinez leads a strong Kansas State team into Ames. If he can do what he did against Oklahoma two weeks ago, expect a meaningful win on the road for the Wildcats.
#3 Ohio State (27.0) vs. Michigan State – Don’t expect a close game here folks, but I’m just curious to see how good Ohio State is and maybe how bad Michigan State is among their recent slide.
Texas A&M vs. #1 Alabama (-24.0) – Does QB Bryce Young play? How does Alabama fair if he doesn’t? Can Texas A&M rekindle the magic they found in their upset of Alabama at home last year?
Auburn vs. #2 Georgia (-30.0) – Does Georgia bounce back from a shaky past two weeks to cover a massive spread at home versus the struggling Tigers?