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PSU Playbook - Purdue Preview
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PSU Playbook
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Oct 10, 2003 15:36 PDT
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Dear Lion Faithful,
ND: First off, yes, PSUPlaybook.org, our online home,
has been experiencing technical difficulties beyond
our immediate control. We are working to resolve the
issues in the near future and apologize for this! As
for football, Mark, as I said, this game means
everything to me. In fact, my wife dropped a bomb on
me at dinner. “Honey, there have been years where I
wanted Penn State to beat Purdue for the benefit of
your happiness. But, I want Purdue to win this year.
They deserve to get this win.” The pressure is on.
Lions…you gotta win one for me. Please!!!!
MH: Purdue has not been able to knock off PSU since we
joined the Big Ten. Purdue is hungry and wants to beat
PSU badly. It should be an interesting match-up
though. Hopefully the defense for the Nittany Lions
has learned to tackle and can stop the run with a tad
more consistency.
Dirty Details:
Who: Penn State (2-4, 0-2) at #18 Purdue (4-1, 0-1)
Where: Ross Ade Stadium (62,500) at West Lafayette,
Indiana
When: October 11, 2003 at 3:30 ET and 12:30 PT
Television: ABC Regional Coverage with Tim Brant, Ed
Cunningham, and Sam Ryan
Series: Ninth meeting with PSU leading the series
6-1-1
Line: Purdue favored by 12.5 points
Other Big Games:
ND: Wow, where to start? Ohio State has to travel for
the first time this season when they face off against
Wisconsin. We will see if Ohio State is a lucky team
or a team that has perfected the art of winning the
close games. Of course, the other big game is the Red
River Shootout. Oklahoma will square off against
Texas. I think this game will really come down to if
Texas can get TDs and not FGs against that great
Sooner defense. If there is a weekend to hope for rain
so you can watch football all day, this is that
weekend!
MH: The big game for me is Miami vs. FSU. Miami has
had near misses too and FSU comes in ready to knock
off the Canes. OSU too has been toying with losses all
season. Wisconsin is coming off a mighty win in Happy
Valley and is anxious to clash with the Buckeyes.
Offense:
ND: Mark, the Lions are on the road and I think they
hit a nice rhythm in the passing game last week. It’s
good thing they did…because they will need it. MRob,
TJ, Smith, Humphries, and the whole crew better be
ready to throw the ball, because I do not see how Penn
State is going to get anywhere near 100 yards rushing
in this game. Purdue is amazing on rush defense. They
are holding the opposition to only 51.8 yards per
game, which equates to only 1.8 yards per carry.
Leading the charge is Craig Terrill. This guy is big
and strong up the middle. He reminds of another great
DT that Purdue had, Matt Mittrione. The other guy that
is very good against the run is Niko Koutouvides. This
guy is a relatively small, but very aggressive MLB. He
has a real knack for always being around the ball. He
is second on the team with 30 tackles. Based on what I
have seen from this Purdue team, I really don’t think
Austin Scott is going to have any sort of real impact.
That just means that the Lions are going to have to
throw the ball early and often. When MRob drops back,
he had better figure out where Stuart Schweigert is.
This kid is my type of safety. He can cover a ton of
ground and is a big-time hitter. He has 20 tackles,
has 3.5 TFL, 3 INTs, and 1 pass break up. I’m telling
you, Stuart will make at least 1 big play in this
game; it’s inevitable. Look for Penn State to force
him to cover Kranchick or Lukac, which should open up
patterns for the other receivers. The passing game is
going to be how Penn State wins this game.
MH: Michael Robinson has stated the team is anxious to
get on the road and get out of State College for a
bit. Sometimes a road game can be good for a team and
I think this is the case for the Lions. Robinson looks
to be starting although Mills will dress. He had a
stellar outing last week, but PSU has to approach the
Purdue defense with a balanced attack, since, like you
said, their Defense is shutting down opposing
offenses. Koutouvides is strong enough to lead a surge
into the pocket, so MRob better be set to react if the
pocket collapses. They need to use Matt Kranchick more
and more. Toss to him at least ten times a game and
let the opposition try to figure him out. He is enough
of a distraction that it may open up things in the
defensive backfield for Humphrey or Johnson, assuming
the wideouts can hold onto the ball. The big thing is
don’t give up on Austin Scott. The kid is special, so
the staff has to use him to keep the running game
intact. The point of fear I have is with Costlow. He
has been a weak point in the line, so if this happens
MRob has to be alert enough to get the ball out to the
wings or flat. Keep the pressure off and PSU has a
legitimate shot at keeping and maybe even setting the
pace in this game. If PSU abandons the run or ignores
Scott we could have another disappointing day.
Defense:
ND: Defensively, this is really going to be a tough,
tough ball game. Most people think of Purdue as a team
that should play in the SEC – they throw the ball
first and then throw the ball second. But, that’s not
the case. They have been running quite a bit out of
the spread formation. This year, with Harris out due
to academic problems, they have turned to Jerod Void.
This guy is anything but a void in the offense. He has
88 attempts for 387 yards and 5 TDs. He is a pretty
speedy, but very physical back. They will also use
Jerome Brooks, who is a 5-11, 175lbs rocket. I expect
Purdue to lineup 4 WRs and then run. They want to get
Penn State in a nickel defense and then run straight
at us. Purdue’s offensive line is good, but their not
big. They only have 1 guy that tips the scales over
300lbs., so I think Hali, Johnson, and the LBs must
get pressure right up the middle. Tiller has no reason
to even attempt to run wide since PSU has not shown
any sort of success in stopping the run up the gut.
When Purdue does throw, they will get the ball to
whole host of WRs. They have John Standeford, who is
probably going to finish as the best Boiler receiver
ever to play. He is a possession type of receiver who
runs real smart, crisp routes. The real deep threats
are Taylor Stubblefield and Anthony Chambers.
Stubblefield 16 receptions for 139 yards and a TD
against Bowling Green. These guys are good and it is
going to be key that Zemaitis, Gardner, and Philips
stick on these guys big time. Keith Orton, the Boiler
QB is a very accurate passer. It is going to be very
important to blitz this guy. Orton can run, but he
really likes to sit in the pocket and find openings in
the zone. Bradley has to find a way to get pressure on
him without letting those receivers run wild.
MH: Purdue may throw the ball first in most games, but
watch for them to run, run, run in this one. PSU
struggles with running between the tackles so that is
where the Boilers are likely to attack early. Wouldn’t
you? Penn State has to get the middle firmed up.
Unfortunately, I am skeptical that they can do this
with Gino Capone. He has a team high 63 tackles, yet
only 1.5 of them are for a loss. That is pitiful. The
defensive tackles set up plays for the linebackers,
but if the linebacker can’t make the plays it is a
moot point. Purdue will not abandon the pass, since
they love it. Watch for Tiller to bring Standeford
across the middle to shed his coverage and break one
open. The PSU secondary has to play high and tight on
these guys. If the coverage slips, so does this game.
The key, like you said Nirav, is blitz. Strap on the
helmets and go at them head on. There is nothing to
lose and nothing to be scared of. The staff has to
start playing with some risks to put ths team in a
position to win. If we play not to lose we will.
Special Teams:
ND: Purdue is solid on special teams. Jerome Brooks is
a great kickoff returner, so it will be important that
Kimball get the ball in the endzone. The Lions must
not make any mental mistakes on Special Teams. They
need to make plays to help their offense and defense.
MH: Special teams were HORRID last week. The worst I
have ever seen them at PSU. PSU needs to play sound,
solid special teams. You give Purdue the gimmies with
field position and they will capitalize. Robbie Gould
has to shake it off and get back into his form. We
need him badly in this one.
Matchup to Kickback and Enjoy:
ND: Boy, there’s going to be a ton of interesting
matchups in this game. I think you have to look at
Taylor Stubblefield and Rich Gardner or Alan Zemaitis
as the matchup that should be real interesting. Though
Standeford is breaking all the records, Stubblefield
is the better receiver, so this matchup should be
great.
MH: I think the most intriguing will be Tiller vs.
Paterno. Tiller is a risk taker and frankly, Joe
isn’t, or at least he hasn’t been lately. Joe has got
to get this team prepared mentally and come with a
game plan to knock Purdue back and put them against
the ropes early.
Keys to the Game:
ND: Yikes, I’m going to go with 2 keys. Penn State
must play mistake-free football. They will not beat
Purdue if they fumble, throw picks, and the like.
Purdue will take advantage of every opportunity they
have. So, watch the turnover situation. Secondly, Penn
State had better be ready for everything in the 1st
quarter. Purdue is outscoring their opponents 47-3 in
the first quarter. The Lions better come out of the
locker room ready to play.
MH: Protect the ball. It is a simple concept, yet with
14 fumbles we don’t seem to understand it. If we are
sloppy with the ball we lose, bottom line. On defense,
tackle! Go for the legs. Forget the shoulders and
arms, and tackle the legs. You can’t run without your
legs. If we can’t tackle we can’t win.
Predictions:
ND: Ya know, I think Penn State is just one game away.
Ok, I’ve been saying that for weeks now, but I think
it’s true. I keep thinking that this game is like the
Northwestern game in 2001. But, I think Purdue is just
too well-rounded to let the Lions get the best of them
this weekend.
PU: 31 PSU: 17
MH: I am off my rocker, I know, but I think PSU has a
shot in this one. MRob and Scott pave the way with
Kranchick confusing the heck out of the Boiler D.
Purdue couldn’t beat us with Brees against our worst
team in 30 years in 2000, so I think PSU comes out
ready, wakes up and pulls out a W. Yes, I know I am
insane!
PSU: 33 PU: 26
Until next time,
GO STATE…FOR THE LOVE OF THE LIONS BEAT PURDUE!!
Nirav and Mark
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