View Full Version : Penn State: 4 The Hard Way!
Anthony
10-24-2004, 06:31 AM
On Saturday, Penn State scored two safeties - and nothing else - in a 6-4 loss at home to No. 25 Iowa.
While a team scoring two safeties in the same game is not such an extreme rarity, not even anyone at the wire services seems to know when the last time any football team - college or pro - did this while not scoring otherwise in the game.
This is definitely a question for the Elias Sports Bureau.
I don't think anyone realizes truly how pathetically awful the Penn State offense is. I now need Maalox to watch them play. Joe Paterno and Jay Paterno (only a fool would believe Galen Hall has anything to do with this trainwreck) are perhaps the two worst offensive gameplanners and talent evaluators in the country right now. Put the University of Delaware's offense and coaches out there against Iowa along with Penn State's defense and it's an easy W. Why in the hell is Mills still playing? He is a 5th year senior playing like a freshman in his first ball game. Michael Robinson is wannabe QB who should stick to playing WR. This offense is doomed from the start if Joe continues to call M-Rob the starter for 2005. It must be disheartening to Anthony Morelli to watch two other true freshamn quarterbacks, Ainge and Henne, lead their schools as Top Ten teams while Morelli sits behind the worst senior QB in the country and a wide receiver. Bottom line, Morelli should be playing. The offense hasn't improved a lick and found a way to get worse yesterday. How can Joe not play Morelli? There is no way in hell he can continue to rationalize playing either Mills or Robinson.
I have to give the defense all the credit in the world and showed why next season, with nine of eleven starters returning, it will be one of the best defenses in the country. The defense could be even better this season if Dan Connor started over Derek Wake.
Joepritch2
10-24-2004, 01:07 PM
Has Morelli played a snap this year? If not, they could be redshirting him to have him play for 4 more years. Maybe they figured they weren't gonna win big this year anyway.
KevinBeane
10-24-2004, 05:23 PM
The last safety happened in the 4th quarter with Iowa up 6-2, and it was a tactical decision on Iowa's part, as the punter stepped behind the end line.
It was the most illogical strategy I've ever been privvy to, and I'm saddened Iowa wasn't punished for it.
Did they do it because they were afraid it would get blocked? Way to have faith in your punt team. I would have to estimate that, even from your own 1, no more than 1 in 4 punts gets blocked, so if that was the reason Iowa took the safety, it was what Gregg Easterbrook would call the ultimate fraidy-cat move, especially considering it allowed PSU to just need a FG instead of a TD.
Or, Iowa did it for a better field position situation. If that's the case, than the Iowa coaching staff is really, really dumb, since it turned that 4 point deficit into a 2 point deficit.
Which is easier, starting at your own 40 needing a field goal, or starting at your opponents 35, needing a touchdown? I would think it's either a tie, or the former.
I hope I'm missing something here.
I'd say it was more arrogent than stupid. It was like the Iowa coaching staff was saying, "We'll give you the two points and take our chances with your horrible, horrible offense not moving into field goal position."
Originally posted by Joepritch2
Has Morelli played a snap this year? If not, they could be redshirting him to have him play for 4 more years. Maybe they figured they weren't gonna win big this year anyway.
He played sparingly against Akron and Central Florida. He also threw up a Hail Mary at the end of the Purdue game since he has the strongest arm on the team. Joe burned his redshirt for no reason. The sad thing is that it looks like he'll be sitting next year as well behind "the best player in the country" according to Joe, Michael Robinson. :rolleyes:
HibachiDG
10-24-2004, 10:10 PM
I've said this before Alex, but Paterno did not blow the red shirt because they promised Morelli he would NOT be red shirted and that is what swayed him into going to PSU.
Joepritch2
10-25-2004, 11:39 AM
He'd better start next year, if Penn State has any hopes left.
Originally posted by Doug Graham
I've said this before Alex, but Paterno did not blow the red shirt because they promised Morelli he would NOT be red shirted and that is what swayed him into going to PSU.
Point taken. However, consider this- would Morelli be at PSU right now had he known Joe would have him sitting behind Mills, Robinson and Ganter and Penn State's record 2-5 (0-3)?
HibachiDG
10-25-2004, 03:41 PM
He knew coming in that he was behind those guys, he just didn't want the red shirt and wanted the chance to compete.
Originally posted by Doug Graham
He knew coming in that he was behind those guys, he just didn't want the red shirt and wanted the chance to compete.
Can you honestly say he has been "given the chance to compete"? I don't call mop up duty against Akron, UCF and a Hail Mary "competing".
MountaineerDave
10-25-2004, 07:18 PM
Umm... I don't know Alex's status, but I'm gonna guess that none of those calling for Morelli has seen him at practice.
That's the funny thing about football coaches in general, and JoePa in particular: if a player isn't cutting it in practice, no way he's getting on the field.
Dave
doublee
10-25-2004, 07:43 PM
JoePa is also good for playing upper classmen over Freshmen and Sophs. About the only time the young guys get to play is if there are injuries. That is one of the biggest criticisms JoePa seems to be drawing these days and probably why he is beginning to lose a lot of the big recruits in the East to other programs. JoePa's downfall can only help to buoy Al Groh and the Fridge's recruiting in that area because they are willing to play the young studs while they sit the first two years in Happy Valley.
Somehow, I think they are better than Kentucky's offense, who is 110 out of 117 D-1A schools in terms of yardage. :uhoh:
Originally posted by MountaineerDave
Umm... I don't know Alex's status, but I'm gonna guess that none of those calling for Morelli has seen him at practice.
That's the funny thing about football coaches in general, and JoePa in particular: if a player isn't cutting it in practice, no way he's getting on the field.
Dave, Penn State fans have lost faith in Paterno. Go read the BWI/McAndrew board if you want. There's a lot of "fresh meat" today after Joe's press conference. Obviously you didn't watch the PSU-Iowa game if you're willing to defend Mills and Robinson as the top two quarterbacks. I pose the question to anyone who is delusional enough to believe Mills or Robinson should be starting- Can Morelli do any worse? Mills and Robinson look like horribly unprepared freshman. If Morelli is an unprepared freshman as Joe suggests, at least he fails and gets feature experience? What does Penn State get out of Mills or Robinson starting and failing. Neither will be around after the 2006 season. Morelli will be still be at PSU for two more seasons after that.
HibachiDG
10-26-2004, 09:41 PM
I kinda think that JoePa doesn't want to do with Morelli what he did with Mills. Mills had that great freshman, by great I mean for a freshman. When people see a freshman do great things, they go insane. It's human nature. People just expect a guy that plays good as a freshman to step up his play each year. Mills hasn't advanced at all from that season for whatever reason.
I believe, that Paterno doesn't want to wreck Morelli early and have three more years of debacle. He'll bring Morelli along the way he brings quarterbacks along.
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