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PSU Playbook: Ohio State Review Newsletter
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PSU Playbook
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Nov 03, 2003 23:10 PST
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Dear Lion Faithful,
MH: I am still emotionally drained from attending this
game. It is a tough, heartfelt loss, but I for one
see a lot of positives coming out of this contest.
Refs aside, this team finally dug in deep and showed
emotion, pride and passion! They can win and have the
talent and desire to do so. Now in terms of the refs,
if you haven’t see it you have to check this out:
http://www.psuplaybook.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=45&mode=&order=0&thold=0
Another horrid call by a ref that coincidentally lives
outside of Columbus, OH. Boy, if you didn’t know
better you could think there is a conspiracy surfacing
here. All the blame can’t go on the refs for this
loss, but boy did they make it a TALL order for PSU to
walk away with a win.
ND: The Lions really played well. I know that the refs
had a hand in this loss, but I think the fact that the
Back Judge lives in Columbus really doesn’t mean much.
Heck…I live just outside of Eugene, OR and there is no
way that I would give them any breaks if I was an
official for their games. But, you can’t deny that the
refs blew the call on Hartsock’s catch. I thought the
Lions showed a ton of heart, ton of effort, and I
thought the play calling was much better, but it could
be that Zack Mills was just executing the plays much
better.
Game Results:
Score: Ohio State 21 Penn State 20
First Downs: Ohio State 17 Penn State 18
Yards per Play: Ohio State 4.43 yds. Penn State 4.14
yds.
Punts: Ohio State 6 Penn State 5
Punt Returns/Yards: Iowa 3/19 Penn State 3/19
Stat Star:
MH: There were a lot of stat stars for PSU in this
game, but I have to go with Zack Mills who was 27 for
42 (64.3%) and threw for a touchdown. He was the
heart of this offense and was key on some big third
down plays. He showed flashes of the Zack of old. It
was great to see him step up and find success! His
teammates also credited him for keeping them focused
and their emotions in check on the field. As Sean
McHugh said, “He ran the ball well and was taking a
lot of hits out there. It just showed how much
character and poise he had. His leadership in the
huddle was very positive, as well.”
ND: Well, I can’t get out of one of these newsletters
without a little sarcasm. My Stat Star is the entire
special teams of Penn State. No blocked punts, no punt
or kick returns, a solid job in punting and kicking,
and no dumb plays. I still think that Lowry is the
wrong guy to be returning kicks and punts, but that’s
a different subject. Overall, the work on special
teams has finally paid off. Nice job guys!
What Went Right?:
MH: A lot of things went right! First, let’s look to
the defense. They actually contained the run,
effectively enough to make Ohio State decided to pass
on a number of key third downs. I was baffled to see
OSU go to the air on so many key plays. The secondary
remains the strength of this defense. Alan Zemaitis
is smart and aggressive. He is developing into a
great leader on D. The front four did a solid job on
the run, but they still need to improve off the blocks
and getting leverage and surge off the snap. I was
particularly impressed with Scott Paxson’s play. As
for the offense, the passing game was impressive.
Maurice Humphrey has stepped up into the go-to player.
Mike Lukac and Sean McHugh are also solid all around
and came up with some big plays. Zack Mills really
stepped up and carried the load. It was great to see
him closer to his old form. These guys played with
such emotion and intensity I really felt horrible to
see them walk away with a loss in this one. Ohio
State should be thanking the football gods for letting
them walk away with another close one.
ND: Mark, you are absolutely right. There were many
things did happen right in this game. Both the offense
and the defense seemed to play with desire, which is
something that has seemed to be lacking in previous
weeks. Zack really played well and did a nice job
getting the ball to Humphries and Phillips. I think
his runs were important to creating some balance and
to keep the pass rush off key. Defensively, I thought
putting Ruhe in the lineup was real smart. Hali had a
solid game as well. My man, Zemaitis, is playing
awesome. He is making plays in every game. He wasn’t
in very good position against Jenkins in the end, but
overall he played a nice game.
What Went Wrong?:
MH: Incompetence is obviously not a concern with the
Big Ten when it comes to their officials. I was
dumbfounded by the calls, or lack there of. Sure
these guys are human, but to miss at least three game
impacting calls – the missed pass interference where
Gamble was riding Humphrey like a pony, the OSU
‘non-catch’ and Kranchick’s out of bounds run, but
apparently you have to hop the fince into the stands
to actually get out of bounds. The officiating in the
Big Ten is the joke of college football already and
this didn’t help any. The offense has to establish
the running game and that goes back to the offensive
line opening holes up. They need to get lanes open
for Austin Scott and Tony Hunt to get running room.
This one-dimensional attack is too predictable and
dangerous to play. As for the defense, run stopping
has to be a priority. They have to get the initial
surge off the snap and plug up holes early and often.
ND: I think the lack of a real running game hurt the
Lions. If they had been able to run the ball more
effectively, I think it could have given us a real
edge in the time of possession and could have opened
up the play action pass nicely. When Zack had time, he
was able to get some zip on the ball and make some
great throws. If Zack had more time consistently, I
think the Lions would have taken a couple of shots
deep. But, since they didn’t have that type of
consistency, they had to stick to medium to short
routes, which ended up working out just fine. The key
to this team moving forward and dominating opponents
is going to be the ability to run the ball and provide
a good, secure pocket for Mills.
Play that Changed the Game:
MH: I think the ‘imaginary catch’ by OSU’s tight end
was a back breaker in this one. PSU had OSU back, but
the call allowed for OSU to get into PSU territory and
gave them the momentum to grab the lead. What a
crime!
ND: Yeah, that play really did shift things. But, we
can pretty much guarantee that the Bucks would have
gone for it on 4th down. This will sound absolutely
crazy, but I think the Lions would have won the game
if Krenzel had finished the game. There is no way that
Tressel would have pulled him and it was clear that
Craig was not playing his best game. He had completed
less than 50% of his passes for only 36 yards in an
entire half, not to mention throwing an interception
to Zemaitis. So, I think the play that changed the
game was when Toles took Krenzel out of the game in
the 2nd quarter.
Game Ball:
MH: Last week I didn’t hand out a game ball, since I
wanted this team to show me something. Well, they
did! For that, Maurice Humphrey gets my game ball for
stepping up and playing a pivotal role in the passing
offense. Fantastic job Mo!
ND: I gotta give my game ball to Alan Zemaitis. The
kid grew up in the town that I lived in for several
years, Rochester, and made a huge play that got the
crowd fired up and the team believing that they could
win this game. It was a huge play that may be the play
we look back at as the one that gave the Lions the
confidence that they could matchup and beat anyone
that lines up against them. Zemaitis is going to make
plays for the rest of his time in the blue and white
and I look forward to it BIG TIME!
Looking Ahead:
MH: The Lions are off to Northwestern to face a
deceiving Wildcat squad. The Lions need to take the
momentum from their inspired play and turn it into a
win. They need to look at this as a turning point for
the program and start getting things back on track.
You can’t underestimate NW though. They have the
ability to shock – just ask Wisconsin.
ND: Northwestern has the oddest, most unpredictable
offense in the Big 10. The Lions need to get over this
loss quickly, because the Wildcats prey on teams that
take them lightly. They have a couple of kids that can
make big plays if their opposition isn’t focused.
Soapbox Moment:
MH: Nirav, I found myself saying we should join the
Big East after this game. I am just frustrated with
the apparent lack of accountability within the Big Ten
regarding officiating. Sure, calls are missed all of
the time, but how on Earth do so many game-impacting
calls, that are so obvious go against PSU time and
again. If the Big Ten cares at all about their image
they will address this issue, or start facing the
questions that there may be something more to all of
these incidents. The conference and Penn State
deserves better than this.
ND: Once the BCS and, specifically, many of the
computerized rankings were modified to eliminate the
bias created by teams that run-up the score, we really
didn’t see as many of the shenanigans that plagued the
90s. But, it seems that Coach Stoops has no problems
running the score. Oklahoma makes my skin crawl
because they seem to exemplify all that is wrong in
this world. Not only do they clearly not focus on
academics, but also it seems that Coach Stoops needs a
lesson in class. The score was 38-9 with ½ of the 4th
quarter gone. The Sooners are still throwing the ball
and score on a 66-yard pass. Some may not look at this
as running up the score, but when he brought in the
backup QB and the Sooners scored another TD by
throwing the ball with only 5 minutes in the game,
that’s when I was disgusted. Oklahoma may be the best
team in the nation, but it sure doesn’t mean that I
respect them.
Until next time,
Go State, Beat Wildcats!
Mark and Nirav
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