Review, Game 2: PSU 45, OSU 14

Today I'll go over a few of the ups and downs from yesterday's win over Oregon State. I really don't think that Oregon State was that bad; Penn State was just too good for the Beavers. Some are already comparing this offense to the 1994 team. Not me, well, yet. Penn State "jumped on them early" as Joe Paterno said, and there was no better way to put it. After last week felt more like a glorified Blue-White Game, and then the "5204" incident, doubts began swirling around this team. Penn State answered with a complete domination over the Pac-10 visitors. Fans and the team need to stay grounded, even with a 4-0 start almost a lock. But we'll get into all of this as I review how each unit performed Saturday, and what we could expect for next week at Syracuse.

OFFENSE :: A+

Line - Another week, and still no sacks. The Oregon State D-line wasn't very good, but Penn State's O-line was even better. Daryll Clark just sat back in the pocket, had a snack, then threw when he was ready. I'll throw in the lead blockers with this, as guys like Dan Lawlor and Brett Brackett were laying out critical blocks all day. So far, the offensive line is the best unit on the team.

Receivers - There were too many receivers, and not enough passes to throw. It's a great problem to have. I was really pleased with the play from Jordan Norwood (116 yds, 1 TD) and Mickey Shuler (48 yds, 1 TD), especially coming up huge on third-down conversions in the 1st Quarter. Butler and Williams didn't get too many big plays this week, but weren't really even needed.

Quarterbacks - Daryll Clark really grew up this week. Any quarterback could have beaten Coastal Carolina, but Clark showed great poise and, at some points amazing, accuracy. We all automatically thought of Michael Robinson, but Clark doesn't throw like Robinson. Clark's better. The scariest part about Clark: He still has two more easy games to improve!

Rushers - If Evan Royster maintains this pace he'd finish with 1332 yards and 36 touchdowns! Yeah, so he won't score that many times, but the yardage is completely possible. While Stefphon Green and others didn't do much, like the wide receivers, they didn't really have to. Royster is the most fluid, smooth runner we've seen in a long time. Larry Johnson, Ki-Jana Carter, not sure yet. But so far, Royster's just as good.

DEFENSE :: B

Line - Missing three of the best linemen from 2007? No problem, we'll just make new ones. Josh Gaines is a defensive captain, and earned every part of it Saturday. He became a one-man show early, and set the tone for the rest of the defense. It's the kind of leadership Penn State needs right now. Unfortunately, the line got tired, and now with Jerome Hayes out for the season, there can be no more slip ups.

Linebackers - This group played much better this week, especially in pass coverage. Navorro Bowman seems to be out of the Paterno dog house (team-leading 10 tackles), and Josh Hull picked off a pass over the middle. Considering that OSU has much better athletes than CCU, the back seven played great. This will be an underrated unit throughout the season.

Secondary - Anthony Scirrotto had some monster hits, Drew Astorino nearly picked off a pass, and Mark Rubin came up big with his own interception. And those were just the safeties. While the corners were limited to underneath zone most of the day, the tackling was fantastic in the secondary. The only blemish was the OSU touchdown run, when half the defense couldn't bring the runner down. But overall it was a good outing by the defensive backs.

SPECIAL TEAMS :: A

Kickers - Jeremy Boone had a net punting average of 34 yards per boot, and Kevin Kelly only missed on a 60-yarder. The kicking game hasn't been a huge factor for PSU so far.

Returners - The return game didn't break anything real big, but didn't make any mistakes.

Coverage - I wasn't sure if last week's good kick/punt coverage was the result of a bad opponent. Well, Penn State has made good progress on this front. On five kick returns, OSU averaged only 25 yards. On three punt returns, OSU got only eight-per. On the season, PSU is allowing 18 yards per kick return, and six yards per punt return.

COACHES

Maybe this whole Spread HD thing will work. And after week two, PSU coaches said they still haven't let it all out? The playcalling was perfect for the personnel. We were treated to some Power-I, Shotgun, One-Back, Empty-Set and everything in between. Give Galen Hall and Jay Paterno their due, they called a great game. Let's hope they don't let Joe start calling plays next week on the road. The Syracuse trip should give us a real indicator how this team wants to play on the road. If things tighten up, it will be the same old. If we see the same as this week, look out Big Ten.