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PSU Playbook - Indiana Preview
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PSU Playbook
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Nov 14, 2003 16:56 PST
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Dear Lion Faithful,
MH: I can’t believe I am saying this, but I am feeling
a sense of relief that this season is wrapping up. The
seniors deserve a strong send off. These guys will be
missed, so let’s go out and win one for them! On
another note, it will be interesting to see if the
move of Michael Robinson to tailback is out of
necessity or a little misdirection by PSU against the
Hoosiers. I never thought I would see the day where
Indiana football made me nervous.
ND: Well, here we are at Senior Day already. There are
so many guys that may not have been the most
successful from a record perspective, but have still
worked hard for this program. We should not forget
that they played a role in JoePa breaking the Bear’s
record and so many great wins. We’re gonna miss them,
but let’s talk Indiana!
Dirty Details:
Who: Indiana (2-8,1-5) at Penn State (2-8,0-6)
Where: Beaver Stadium (107,282)
When: Saturday November 15 at 12:10pm ET and 9:10am PT
Television: ESPN Game Plan
Series: Penn State leads 8-0
Line: Penn State favored by 19pts (not a misprint)
Other Big Games to Watch:
MH: I think Ohio State’s luck may run out against
Purdue. Purdue has been playing well and Ohio State
continues to win by the skin of their teeth. Purdue’s
swarming defense could wreak some havoc for the
Buckeyes. On the other side of the Big Ten watch the
Minnesota-Iowa clash. These two teams have played some
good football this season and are battling for bowl
position in the conference. It should be a knockdown,
drag-out battle between the Hawkeyes and Gophers.
ND: Mark, the Ohio State and Purdue game is going to
be great. These two defenses are the best in the
conference and it will be really interesting to see
which team is able to move the ball. I think with the
recent addition of a solid, consistent running game
with Lydell Ross will be the reason that the Bucks
pull this one out. Although, I will be hoping
whole-heartedly that the Boilers pull out the upset.
The other game to watch is LSU and Ole Miss. Some
think that USC and Ohio State are both going to
stumble, which will have the Bayou Bengals squaring
off against the Sooners in the Sugar Bowl. But, they
first have to get past the high-octane offense of the
Rebels, who are led by Eli Manning. I think Ole Miss
will score plenty of points, but their defense won’t
be able to get any stops, which will allow LSU move on
towards the SEC championship.
Offense:
MH: The most confusing thing to come out of PSU this
week is the declaration that Michael Robinson will be
the Lions’ featured back against Indiana. There is
confusion around the Nittany Nation regarding this
decision. Even Michael is confused. As he told us, "I
don't think I'm a better tailback than Austin or Tony.
I don't feel I'm a better tailback at all." The reason
why MRob is at running back is because he can handle
those toss sweeps better than the younger guys.
Unfortunately, the Hoosier speed may not allow PSU to
use them much. My instincts tell me this may be a
little misdirection by PSU. Perhaps we may see MRob on
the first drive or two with Austin Scott and/or Tony
Hunt stepping in to take some snaps. Even though we
are talking about Indiana’s defense, we are also
talking Penn State’s offense. I am skeptical that PSU
can run against the Hoosiers. The offensive line is
simply too inept and would seemingly struggle against
Upper Dublin High School’s front four. Due to this I
think Penn State continues their streak of pass, pass,
pass, which may be enough, but still hurts them
because they are one dimensional on O. The thing the
Lions have to deal with is the Hoosier’s speed. PSU
has struggled with size, but now they have to face
some speed. Watch for Coach DiNardo to toss out some
variety in the blitz department to force Zack Mills to
throw on edge. The key in this game it to use the size
advantage in Sean McHugh and Mike Kranchick to stretch
out those drives and wear down the Hoosiers. The
receivers have to be ready, since PSU will make more
passes than a guy on at a singles bar. Maurice
Humphrey will be instrumental, but Penn State has to
use the crossing and curl routes. Don’t focus on the
long ball. Get the short passes and build that
confidence through consistency. The thing I like is
that McHugh could be a huge advantage here since the
Indiana front seven lack size. His rumbling could
really get Penn State some early success on the run
and help to open up the passing game.
ND: I think we all know what’s going on with the Penn
State offense. They are struggling with continuity and
play-to-play execution. MRob is going to get a
majority of the carries at TB, but I think we will see
some of Austin Scott and Tony Hunt. But, if the
offensive line can’t dominate the Hoosiers, it won’t
matter if Fran Ganter is in the backfield. Costlow and
the guys couldn’t open holes against Northwestern, so
it will be interesting to see how they do against IU.
What is cracking me up is how the Hoosiers think they
had some amazing defensive breakthrough last week. The
reason it makes me laugh is that it was against
Illinois; a team that I really wish was on Penn
State’s schedule this year. I think Penn State is
going to struggle with this defensive line though. We
have seen how the Lions struggle with big, powerful
guys, but the Hoosiers possess a different problem.
They are small and super fast. Martin Lapostolle is a
converted LB that has bulked up, but still has LB
speed. But, Jodie Clemons is probably the best of the
front four. He has 5 sacks on the season. The Lions
need to wear out this bunch by running right at that
them. Forget about the option or any sweeps. Let’s
lineup and let McHugh pound it up the gut or pitch the
ball to Robinson and let him find a cut back lane. In
the passing game, watch for the Lions to pick on
Cedric Henry. The Hoosiers have a senior, Duane Stone,
on the other side and Cedric is a true freshman. I
hope that the Lions call a couple of double moves to
try to get Cedric to bite on the short patterns, which
Penn State seems to love. Zack Mills had better be on
and ready to throw the ball. If he struggles, the rest
of the offenses confidence will be shaken and they
will start to think that a loss is in their future.
Defense:
MH: The run defense needs some help. With Gino Capone
out it looks like And Ryland may get the nod at middle
linebacker. He tends to be streaky with his success.
He needs to step up strong in this one and back up the
defensive tackles. I would not even mind to see Penn
State embrace the cover three approach just to make
stopping the run a priority. If Indiana can run with
ease this will be another long day for Penn State. The
Hosiers are going to run like the wind in this game.
Why throw against PSU? Green-Ellis is a strong back
who can find creases to gain yards. I wish the
defensive coaches would show the fortitude to toss out
some consistent blitzes to put opponents on edge. If
you can pressure LoVecchio he will crack and make some
bad choices. I would love to force him to throw on
Zemaitis and company in the Lion secondary. If they
blitz Toles and put LoVechhio under the gun it will be
a big advantage for PSU. LoVecchio has an arm, but he
tends to struggle with his decisions under pressure.
The interesting thing is Indiana is coming off a win
against Illinois, but they are riding a false
confidence because Illinois is that bad!
ND: The Lions defense has continued to struggle
against the run and with the absence of Gino Capone,
it could get worse. Ryland and Tim Johnson will get
the most snaps at MLB, but the front four will need to
close holes and get ready to tackle Benjarvus
Green-Ellis. This kid has been getting consistently
better with each game. At 220lbs, he’s a load to
tackle. The Lions had better get their feet in the
right position and be ready to square up and tackle
this guy. Expect Coach DiNardo to follow the trend
that every opponent has used…. run the ball until the
Lions can actually stop it. Someone up front will have
to have a monster game to force the Hoosiers to throw
the ball. I am convinced that Tamba Hali is the right
guy. When the Hoosiers throw, they rely on Matt
LoVecchio. Mark, here’s a good bit of trivia for you.
Matt is one of four active QBs that have started a BCS
game. That’s right. LoVecchio was the Fighting Irish’s
QB when they got pounded by Oregon State. He’s
struggled a bit with 2 TDs and 7 INTs, but he got some
confidence last week. He also gets Glenn Johnson back
at SE, which will help him out. The receivers on this
team are OK, but it’s the TE and FB that LoVecchio
likes to get the ball too. Halterman and Pannazzo have
combined for 35 receptions and 320 yards. Mark, what
scares me most is that LoVecchio has been running
around a lot more recently. So, even in 3rd and long
situations, the Lions will need to keep Wake or Toles
near the line of scrimmage. I think the key to
stopping the Hoosier offense is to simply not make
mistakes. This offense is not going to be anybody. If
the Lions can control the run, I don’t see how
LoVecchio can hurt the Lions. Wait a sec…that’s a BIG
“If” though.
Special Teams:
MH: They don’t deserve to be called ‘special.’
Mediocre teams need to buckle down on coverage. If
they are going to run the wedge run it wider so cover
guys don’t get smoked on a cut back. As for kicking it
is a toss up between Kimball and Gould at this point.
I have never seen PSU kicking this inconsistent, but
assuming this is a close game kicking will be key.
ND: Ugh…Special Teams stink. So, rather than dwell on
the lack of kicking, punt returns or kick returns,
let’s just talk about Indiana. The Hoosiers are
nothing special either. Their kicker, Robertson, is
9-14 on the season and the punter, Tyson Beattie, is
averaging 40.0 yards per punt. Lance Bennett is a bit
of a threat on kick returns so Kimball better get the
ball out of the endzone.
Matchup to Kick Back and Enjoy:
ND: The Hoosiers have a really good LB in Kyle
Killion. He leads the team with 82 tackles and is a
run stopper. It will be fun to watch Sean McHugh, in
his last home game, matched up against Kyle on running
plays. Should be a real good one!
MH: I want to see Toles rush the pocket and face
LoVecchio. He can scramble, but if we use Deryck’s
speed it would be a big advantage to putting their QB
on edge. Send Mr. Toles out of PSU with a big game and
let him blitz!
Keys to the Game:
ND: Lions have got to come out of the locker room with
fire and determination. The first and third quarters
have been real sketchy for the Lions and it is
critical that the Lions come out to win the game.
MH: Knockout punch. Penn State needs to capitalize on
mistakes, because Indiana will make them. Also, you
can’t let Indiana hang around like Northwestern. Hint,
hint, Penn State doesn’t win close games.
Predictions:
MH: Give me a break – 19 points? No way Penn State
blows out anyone.
Penn State 24 Indiana 17
ND: I am shocked that the Nevada guys think we can win
this game by 19 points. Personally, I don’t buy it. I
think Penn State will win this game, but it’s not
going to be a complete blow out.
Penn State: 27 Indiana: 16
Until next time,
GO STATE, BEAT ANYONE!!!
Mark and Nirav
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