The Nittany Lions laid a big, fat, rotten egg at Iowa. I really don't want to do this review, as this is the most painful loss since Michigan 2005. But, I intend to do my best. I’ll go through each unit and the coaching, sizing up how each one performed in Iowa City.
OFFENSE :: D
Line – How many times have we heard the phrase, "It all starts up front," when analysts spoke of Penn State's success this season? Well, it has to stand true in losses, as well. This loss began in the trenches, on the very first drive. The Iowa defensive line, especially the interior linemen, had no problem scorching through Penn State's front wall. There's been a lot of talk about Rich Ohrnberger and Stefen Wisniewski swapping spots, and the disaster which ensued shortly thereafter. The middle of the Penn State offensive line was the force and strong point of attack all year, but in one single outing, it all came crashing down. With it, so did the Penn State offense as a whole. Just to illustrate how poorly the offensive line performed last week, let's look at the "Opponent TFLs." Games 1-9: 3.7 TFL per game; Iowa: 7 TFL! That's nearly double the number off negative-yardage plays made by a Penn State opponent.
Receivers – I'm going to leave Derrick Williams out of this. He was used as a utility player, not a pure receiver. Now, on to the group of Penn State football players who claim to be wide RECEIVERS! It's one thing to struggle to break coverage, or get open, or gain a lot of yards after catch. But it's an entirely different monster when the receivers can't even make the catch. Daryll Clark received a lot of undue heat for his play, when really, no one else helped him out. This was very evident on the perimeter and downfield. Was there a more painful play than the Jordan Norwood drop on third down? I don't think so. Another surprisingly pivotal display of incompetence was Andrew Quarless. It wasn't so much his receiving that sucked–even though it really did last week–but rather his blocking was horrendous, mainly on the goal line.
Quarterbacks - Clark took all the blame, as most leaders do for their team's loss. But I really think Clark played a decent game. He had no protection, ridiculously bad play-calling, and receivers that wouldn't catch the ball. Would I have liked to see Pat Devlin come in for a series, considering Penn State wasn't running the quarterback at all? Of course, but I'm not sure it would have mattered. After the first three plays–all passes, into the wind, with horrible blocking–Clark was never in a rhythm, something he thrived on in the previous nine games. Even during the Ohio State game, Clark played a clean game, even if it wasn't impressive. Iowa got to Clark, and Clark got to himself. I think the critics look too deeply into the interception, as it was he only real mistake Clark made in the passing game. I know, it was at the worst time. But you can't blame this loss on Clark, and neither should he.
Rushers – Give these guys credit, they had less help than did Clark and the passing game. Evan Royster was recently named a Doak Walker Semifinalist, and the Iowa game just reinforced why he's viewed as one of the best. Again, I don't mean to harp on this, but with virtually no blocking help, Royster did a fantastic job Saturday, managing to gain 90 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown. His lost-yardage total was a season-high 17 yards lost. And what's with Stephfon Green? He's averaged 9 yards per carry the last two games (6/54), but the offensive staff hasn't given him more touches (season-low, 7 tot. touches, last two games). With two of the best running backs in the conference, Penn State sure knows how to waste their talent. Now on to Williams. I loved the game-plan the staff installed for him, but I wish it was incorporated into the Spread HD, rather than push it aside. The "Williams Factor" was one we've all been waiting for, but didn't expect it to smother the rest of the regular offense. Combine those two, and these next two games (and bowl game) will look more like the first nine.
DEFENSE :: D
Line – The down linemen couldn't shed run blocks to save their lives at Iowa, and it completely killed any chance at stopping Iowa's Shonn Greene. But it wasn't just the run defense, as the pass pressure never materialized when Penn State needed it most. Aaron Maybin was a non-factor in this game. It was one of only two games (the other being Illinois) in which he didn't record a sack, and it really hurt the defense. I thought things were going to turn around when Jared Odrick blasted his way through the line so fast, Iowa's Ricky Stanzi was sacked before he even completed his drop. This was the first game all season where the defensive line looked really tired in the fourth quarter. Could it be that all those losses up front have finally come crashing down on Penn State? Maybe not, but maybe so.
Linebackers – Penn State wasn't getting any pressure up front with just four rushers. So they rushed five and six, yet still couldn't get pressure. This has quickly become a disturbing pattern for the 'backers. Not only that, but Josh Hull, Navorro Bowman and Tyrell Sales were frequently jammed up by the tackles and tight ends, sealing off the edge for Iowa's Greene. One of the few bright spots was Sales coming up with a pick, but we have to remember that Stanzi threw that ball into about four defenders. If one of our guys didn't pick it off, it would have been truly pathetic. And what the hell happened to Bani Gbadyu? He wasn't a world-beater at linebacker (he did lose his starting spot to Bowman), but he hasn't registered a single stat or played a down in three weeks.
Secondary – Like Clark on offense, the secondary has been taking a lot of unjust heat for the Iowa loss. Three plays stick out, all in the fourth quarter. Lydell Sargeant dropped a sure-interception. One play later, broken coverage allowed an Iowa touchdown. Then, on the final drive, Anthony Scirrotto went up over the receiver's head, trying to intercept the ball, but was flagged for interference, keeping the drive alive. Yes, they were all horrible plays at the worst times. But overall, the Penn State secondary played up to it's own talent level. In the beginning of this year, many worried about the secondary and the linebackers. So we shouldn't be surprised when either of those two groups fail to win games for Penn State. No single unit, or player can be blamed for this loss, especially the secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS :: A
Kickers – Kevin Kelly probably wishes he only had to kid PATs, but he came through on every kick. He could end up as a Groza finalist. Jeremy Boone had a so-so night, averaging 33 net yards per punt. He did his job.
Returners – Boy, Penn State could have used a spark. But there was none to be found in the return game this week. Although this group of Williams and Chaz Powell didn't do anything good, they didn't do anything bad, either.
Coverage – Penn State gave up one big return, a 27-yarder, but overall did a good job. I'll throw the kick-block unit into this part, just because I had to have it somewhere. But looking at the final kick by Iowa, it was eerily similar to the Minnesota 1999 game. It looked like Penn State had the height, the leverage and the speed to block it... but no.
COACHES :: F
I don't even know where to start with the coaching staff. I said after the game that this loss had "Joe Paterno written all over it." I might have been a little off with that angle. This game had Fran Ganter written all over it. I remember hearing Ganter say years ago, "We don't do a lot, but what we do, we do well." You know what that translates into? We don't adjust. That evil reared its head once again Saturday. It brought back horrible memories of the Michigan 2006 game, when Penn State seemingly refused to call screen plays to combat the UM pass rush. Then, when a screen was finally called, Tony Hunt takes it for a touchdown. Where was that at Iowa? If there was ever a need for screens–inside, outside, bubble, whatever kind–it was last week. Royster didn't catch a single pass, and Green grabbed only one, out on the flat. These two guys were built for screens, but none were called. Damn, I'll even take those dreadful bubble screens to the wide receivers. I don't mean to drag on about screen passes, but I really believe it could have made a significant impact on the offensive production last week. On defense, I have nothing to really say. Penn State bent. Penn State broke. That's not Penn State.
*Ed.- Now that this is done (finally), I'll have the full Indiana Preview up later today.
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Larry Johnson, Sr., Penn State's defensive line coach for 14 seasons, is known more for his recruiting than his actual coaching, for some strange reason. I think it's about time that changes. Under LJ Sr.'s guidance, the Nittany Lions defensive line has produced a first-team All-America selection SIX TIMES THIS DECADE! I've said it before. Larry Johnson Sr. is the greatest single-unit coach in football today. Period. Congratulations, Jared and LJ Sr.!
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