Review, Game 6: PSU 20, Purdue 6

Today I'll go over a few of the ups and downs from Penn State's win over Purdue. As I said before, I'm officially worried about Joe Paterno's health. I'm not ready to make rash claims, but it's definitely a concern right now. The Purdue win was a weird episode in the Penn State football season. The offense did look good, yet we're all pissed at them. The defense has been very shaky this year, but showed up big time against Curtis Painter. Good teams win on the road, and Penn State did that. I believe the game was unjustly labeled "ugly" by the fans and media, especially since there were no PSU turnovers. But we'll get into all of this as I review how each unit performed Saturday, and what we could expect for next week's showdown at No. 24 Wisconsin.

OFFENSE :: B+

Line - The only real problem I had with the line this week was its lack of push on the short yardage plays. Penn State was saved when the replay booth took another look at the fourth-and-goal play, as Daryll Clark was clearly not in the end zone. Other than that, the sacks on Clark were mostly due to good coverage and holding the ball too long. Penn State had another balanced attack--200+ rushing and passing--thanks to the offensive line.

Receivers - Deon Butler bailed out Clark on several occasions, making fantastic leaping catches, dragging his toes in-bounds. Graham Zug continues to impress me, as does Bret Brackett. Penn State fans should not worry after this season, these young receivers will fill in just fine. Andrew Quarless has finally turned the corner. He's playing selfless football, and always doing what he can to help the team before himself. Oh yeah, and he's a monster on the field. If it wasn't for the Purdue defender hanging on to Quarless' jersey for dear life, he would have been gone up the sideline. I haven't been this comfortable with Penn State's receiving unit in a very long time.

Quarterbacks - Clark's a leader, hands down. He made a few questionable throwing decisions at Purdue, especially when he could have taken off for the first down, and held on to the ball too much. But I can't complain too much. He doesn't turn the ball over, and completes the important passes with incredible precision. Again, though, I wish he had run a few more times when the receivers weren't open. I'm starting to feel bad for Pat Devlin. He should have gotten into the game this week. The PSU defense was clamping down on Purdue, and the offense had nothing to worry about. Get Devlin in there.

Rushers - What would this game have been like if the field wasn't a slip n' slide? On at least three short-yardage situations, Penn State runners slipped prior to reaching the first down marker. Purdue didn't have this problem, why did PSU? Evan Royster might be a better back right now than [gasp!] Beanie Wells. But we'll find that out in three weeks. Stephfon Green is turning out to be the best back-up rusher in the Big Ten, especially when it's a change-of-pace situation. He also had surprising power to shed tackles up the middle. It would have been nice to see Dan Lawlor make it over the line for the touchdown, but we can't ask for everything.

DEFENSE :: A

Line - The PSU defensive front continues to play above everyone's expectations. Jared Odrick had a fantastic game, highlighted by his sack and the knockdown. Now with Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma rotating regularly, the line's depth is back at what we thought it would be. I'm excited to see how this unit does against the better offensive lines, like Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State. But if there's one thing about this line that stands out the most, its the presence of real leadership from one end to the other. The younger guys like Aaron Maybin--the Big Ten sack leader, I might add--are playing their hearts out, while the older guys are the steadying force up front.

Linebackers - It was a better outing this week for the linebackers. Josh Hull had a great game, leading the team in tackles (11 solo). There were a few missed tackles, but you're bound to get a couple every game. I'd like to see Bani Gbadyu get a bit more physical throughout the game. He had some good hits, as did Navorro Bowman, but sometimes they got a little lax wrapping up the ball carrier. This is still a good unit, just not what we're all used to at Penn State.

Secondary - I don't care who you are, but holding Purdue under 200 passing yards is a good day. Several times, Purdue just couldn't get anyone open, leading to sacks and forced throws. It looks like AJ Wallace is back in the regular fold, which will always help against bigger, faster receivers. But for a unit that made me squirm earlier this season, I feel good about where the PSU secondary is right now. And with the emergence of Drew Astorino as a viable nickel-package safety/CB, the defensive backfield is a little more sound. I'd work on some tackling drills this week, though, getting ready for PJ Hill and then Beanie Wells two weeks later.

SPECIAL TEAMS :: A

Kickers - Kevin Kelly hasn't been asked to do much, and that's fine by me. He nailed his field goals in West Lafayette, and had no problems on kickoffs. Jeremy Boone isn't the bomber he was, but his accuracy is just as good. Penn State's gunners need to help him out by getting to the ball before it rolls into the end zone.

Returners - Sometimes not much happens here. And nothing did happen at Purdue. Derrick Williams could have taken one punt back, but called a fair catch. I think the sun got in his eyes or something, because he had plenty of running room.

Coverage - Penn State's problems in kick coverage never reared its ugly head at Purdue. There were no noticeable breakdowns or run backs.

COACHES :: A

Joe Paterno has to address this leg thing, now. I know, it's his life and his private medical stuff. But he's got to level with people and stop ignoring this problem. He's old. He destroyed his knee two years ago, and has never been the same. Now I hear his hip is bothering him too, but doesn't want anything but pills? Not good. OK, enough of that. I liked Penn State's new formation out there, reminiscent of the old power-I/goal line form. I wonder if this will become a regular thing with PSU--a new formation every week. I can't wait to see what's in line for Wisconsin.

*Ed-Later today, I'll post my top 25.