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PSU Playbook - Ohio State Preview
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PSU Playbook
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Oct 31, 2003 10:41 PST
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Dear Lion Faithful,
ND: Mark, so far this season, every week has resulted
in at least 1 non-ranked team knocking off a top 10
ranked team with the exception of one week. If that
trend is going to continue this week, either Penn
State is going to be the Buckeyes or Notre Dame will
have to be those dadgum Seminoles. Outside of those
two games, every top 10 team is playing another ranked
team. Mark, I am going to stop saying that this game
is going to be huge, because quite frankly, the Lions
need a win any way they can get one. The Buckeyes
showed that they can play some offense last week, but
I think even the Lions could play some offense against
the Buckeyes.
MH: Boy, wouldn’t that be a sweet combination to see
PSU win and FSU lose?! Frankly the Nitts have a
self-confidence problem and an identity crisis. They
don’t know who they are, who they should be or who
they could be. They need to use Ohio State as a
motivational factor. This season is about pride and
the Lions have to start showing some. The coaches feel
they are on the brink, but the coaches have to come
with an effective gameplan that uses the talent they
have and puts this team in a position to win. It can
be done!
Dirty Details:
Who: #8 Ohio State (7-1,3-1) at Penn State (2-6, 0-4)
Where: Beaver Stadium (107,282)
Kickoff: Saturday, November 1st at 3:30pm ET and
12:30pm PT
TV: ABC Regional coverage with Tim Brant, Ed
Cunningham, and Samantha Ryan
Series: Penn State leads 10-8
Line: Ohio State favored by 7pts.
Other Big Games to Watch:
ND: Wow, there are a ton of good ones this weekend.
The two that I am watching are both in-state
rivalries. First, Michigan and Michigan State square
off. MSU is playing excellent football, but Michigan
was dominating last week in their destruction of
Purdue. Look for Smoker to struggle in this game
against an aggressive Wolverine defense. The other
game should be real interesting. Coach Stoops has lost
2 consecutive meetings against the Cowboys of Oklahoma
State. Can the Sooners avoid a 3rd time? I think they
will, but it may not be as easy a game as the Sooners
have grown accustomed to this season.
MH: I am very interested to see if Notre Dame has the
drive to knock off Florida State. ND is in dire
straits like PSU and, like the boys in blue, the Irish
have the opportunity to knock off a top ten team. As
for Oklahoma I can’t see them losing to OSU for the
third time in a row, but when it comes to rivalries
records and rankings can be tossed out the window!
Offense:
ND: Mark, the offense has to bring its best
performance of the year, because this will probably be
the best defense they have faced all season. I really
think that MRob needs to get a shot at this thing. If
I were OSU, I would bring a major blitz on every
single down. The PSU QBs have not shown the ability to
beat anybody with the pass and the Oline has not shown
the ability to protect the QBs at all. The Bucks have
a terrific secondary with guys like Chris Gamble, Will
Allen, and Dustin Fox. Because these guys are so good,
the Bucks can afford to blitz and leave those corners
1-on-1 with Smith and Humphries. Since I think the
Bucks will bring plenty of pressure, I think having
MRob in the backfield is important. He needs to be
very decisive back there. If Zack is the QB, he need
to get rid of the football quickly, but still make his
reads. The running game probably will not be much of
factor in this game because of the size and speed of
the Buckeye front seven. Will Smith, and AJ Hawk lead
the Dline and LB corp respectively. They are going to
be able to overpower the Lion Oline and prevent Scott,
Hunt, McHugh and whoever else the Lions try to use to
run the ball. I just hope that the Lions do not
attempt to run the option against the Bucks. They are
way too fast and too disciplined for it to ever work.
The only shot the Lions have to run the ball for more
than 100 yards is to run right up the middle. This
will reduce the amount of time that the RB is behind
the line of scrimmage. Look, the Buckeyes are a
terrific defensive team and the Lions are a pretty
poor offensive team so it is critical the Lions do
things to keep some ball control and not expose
themselves to turnovers. The only way to do that is to
throw the ball often and to use the middle of the
field with Kranchick, the RBs, and McHugh. This will
force the OSU LBs to stay at home and not blitz.
Overall, the Lions must be careful and must take
advantage of any opportunities that they can get. A
performance like last week could lead to an ugly
outcome.
MH: I too would like to see MRob get the early nod to
keep Ohio State guessing. Zack and Michael will both
be playing in this game. We need a balanced attack
that consists of short passing outs marked with curls
and slants across the middle and tough, hard-nosed
runs from Austin Scott and Tony Hunt. McHugh will
likely see the ball his fair share in this game since
the Buckeyes defense focuses on stuffing the run. The
key is quick plays. If the offensive line plays like
they have Zack and MRob will have little time to make
decisions. Hopefully the coaches accounted for this
and have decided to use Maurice Humphrey, Gerald
Smith, Matt Kranchick and company as short, quick
targets. If we go for the deep pass it will be a long
game for PSU. We need long, sustained drives to pick
up first downs, build confidence and help the passing
game supplement the run in a balanced attack. As for
the run, they have to embrace the idea of spreading
things out. No one believes PSU can throw the ball
consistently, so show them we can on the 10, 15, 20
yard routes! Give them just enough to keep them honest
on the wings. That should open up some lanes between
the tackles to help kick-start the ground game.
Balance is the key. Mark my words if the staff
abandons either aspect of this game, especially the
run we are doomed. We have to show enough courage to
throw across the middle. Let it all hang out, take
some risks and put this team in a position to win.
Defense:
ND: Well, I don’t think the situation is as bleak on
defense. The Bucks had a big breakout last week, but
I’m not about to call them the Sooners of the Big 10.
I think there are several keys to stopping OSU on
offense. First off, the Lions must stop the running of
Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall. These guys are average
running backs, but do have the ability to get to the
corner. If the Chisley and Rice can keep the runs in
the middle of the field, I think Hali, Capone, and
Posluzny can stuff the run without letting these guys
get too far downfield. Why is stopping the run so
important, because I think the Lions can actually hang
with these Buckeye receivers now that Carter is
injured. Jenkins is special and I’m sure that Gamble
will get some looks on offense, but I think Zemaitis
and Gardner can stick with them. Krenzel loves to
throw downfield and not to the sidelines. As a result,
the CBs and the LBs must look for slants, crosses,
curls, and skinny posts. The guy that scares me the
most is Ben Hartsock. We all remember how much the TE
has killed the Lions in previous years and if this
pride can stuff the run, I think Hartsock is going to
become a huge part of the Buckeye offense. Krenzel
loves getting Hartsock the ball around the goal line.
The Lions will need to get Harrell or Toles on him
once the Bucks get in the redzone.
MH: It is bleak if Penn State plays run defense like
they have. Ross and Hall are both solid enough to run,
run, run their way to sustained drives. If the staff
insists on keeping Capone in the middle the absolutely
need to give him backup with Paul Posluzny. Paul ‘the
wrecking ball’ has the instincts and ability to help
plug up those holes. I am primarily concerned with the
run. We have to make Krenzel pass if we have a shot at
this game. I have confidence in the secondary with
Zemaitis, Gardner, Harrell and your boy Nirav,
Yisreal, who has seemingly stepped his game up. I full
expect that Hartsock will get the ball early and often
for OSU. PSU for some reason has difficulty covering
power tight ends. It is frustrating seeing the
confusion the front seven has with the tight end. Like
the offense I want to see some risks taken on defense.
We got nothing to lose, so toss out some consistent
blitz packages and shake up the OSU offense. Playing
not to lose doesn’t work!
Special Teams:
ND: OK, who thinks the Lions can prevent a special
teams meltdown this week? I do! I think the Lions will
finally get things figured out, but the question is if
they can make some plays. Gould is probably the most
critical person this week. OSU has the best
punter/kicker duo in the nation with Sander and
Nugent. These guys are great and give the Bucks a big
advantage.
MH: Special teams need to be on. If you let Ohio State
get the edge on field position you might as well pack
it in. The OSU kicking is money, although a carefully
placed block ala Derek Wake may disrupt the confidence
some of the kicking tandem. Robbie Gould is
instrumental in this one.
Matchup to Kick Back and Enjoy:
ND: Mark, I am becoming a HUGE Zemaitis fan. Not only
is he from the town I used to live in, Rochester, NY,
but also he is really playing well. I think the
matchup between Zemaitis and Michael Jenkins is going
to be a real fun one to watch. I think Zemaitis is
going to make some nice plays in this game.
MH: A scary matchup to watch is Will Smith and the
Ohio State defensive line against PSU’s porous
offensive line. I have faith in the OL boys, but they
have to come to play. They have been working on their
speed off the snap recently, which will be key to
getting that much needed leverage, but David Costlow
has to come to play and avoid getting beat up again.
Keys to the Game:
ND: Well, I think the Lions need to stay in this ball
game and not let the Bucks make plays to deflate the
emotions of being at home. So, I think the team that
is able to make the most big plays is going to win
this game. Neither team is going to be able to grind
out against one another, so it’s the big play that
will give that team a leg up.
MH: Long, sustained drives are the key for Penn State.
First, they build confidence, second they give the
defense time to rest, third they all for the balanced
attack to develop and fourth they keep the ball out of
the Buckeye’s hands! You need that balanced attack to
score some touchdowns.
Predictions:
ND: Mark, I don’t see anyway that the Lions can win
this game. I think the Buckeye defense is just too
strong and Krenzel is always going to find a way to
make a couple of plays to get the offense in the
endzone.
OSU: 24 PSU: 10
MH: Nirav, I want so desperately to believe the Lions
have in Paterno fashion turned things around, but
given what they have shown me I too have doubts that
they can pull it together. I hate this!
OSU 27 PSU 13
Until next time,
GO STATE, BEAT BUCKEYES!!!
Mark and Nirav
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