Review, Game 1: PSU 66, CCU 10

Today I'll go over a few of the ups and downs from yesterday's win over Coastal Carolina. Granted (as everyone else has been saying) it's against Coastal Carolina, but I think Penn State established exactly what it wanted to do on offense, and somewhat on defense. The two-quarterback system did the job well, with both Clark, Devlin, and even Paul Cianciolo to some extent. But we'll get into all of this as I review how each unit performed Saturday, and what we could expect for next week against Oregon State.

OFFENSE :: A+

Line - No sacks. What more could one ask of what's becoming the best O-line in the conference. The running room wasn't quite as vast as it could have been, but I guess you can't part the Red Sea on every play.

Receivers - There were a few noticeable drops, but they only stuck out because the rest of the receivers did so well as a unit. The biggest drop was Mickey Shuler's potential TD catch. But that's just being picky. It was good to see so many players touch the ball.

Quarterbacks - Considering Penn State didn't even have to throw against CCU, the passers looked crisp and confident. The latter was the most important, though, as Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin took control of the offense on every play. I was more impressed with Devlin's touch, but Clark looks like the clear starter right now. However, we can't gauge too much form this game, as Clark didn't even have to run the ball. Wait until next week to figure out this position.

Rushers - The running backs stole the show. I haven't seen too many backs at PSU hit the holes so quickly. Evan Royster looked like the down-hill, Tony Hunt-esque force PSU needs in fourth quarters, yet he's slightly quicker than Hunt. Stephfon Green is just electric, and has superior top-end speed. This is a fantastic one-two punch for PSU this year.

DEFENSE :: B+

Line - After a while, I forgot Phil Taylor and Chris Baker were kicked off the team. Jared Odrick, Aaron Maybin and Jerome Hayes had the flashy plays, but the rest of the PSU D-line dominated CCU all day. The four sacks didn't tell the whole story, as there were three times as many pressures.

Linebackers - Not too much to go by here, since the CCU spread-style kept the LBs in coverage most of the game. Bani Gbadyu came up with the game's only interception, on what looked like the perfect tip drill. PSU tried to keep the defense vanilla this week, especially after getting burned up the middle on CCU's only TD.

Secondary - I would have liked to see more interceptions. Actually, ANY interceptions by this group. But again, it goes back to the plain-Jane defense Tom Bradley moved to after a while. Keeping CCU from the big play was more important than forcing those game-changers.

SPECIAL TEAMS :: A+

Kickers - Kevin Kelly looked great on kickoffs, while Jeremy Boone didn't get much work. Not much news here after week one.

Returners - Penn State needed a big play after CCU closed the score to 14-7, and got just that from Derrick Williams' 89-yard kickoff TD return. On AJ Wallace's only return, he brought it out past the 40-yard line. The blocking looked very good on both kickoffs and punt returns.

Coverage - I know, it was only Coastal Carolina, but kickoff coverage was a huge problem last year. It looked great against CCU. Hopefully this is a sign PSU has made the effort to sure up the kick coverages.

COACHES

Penn State's staff knew this was a win, but still kept the players interested from the first kickoff. I hate to admit it, but Jay Paterno and Galen Hall called a great game from the booth. The coaches really did a good job this week preparing Penn State, although that whole red zone problem poked its nasty head again when PSU couldn't score from inside the five. Overall, a great job this week by the coaching staff.