Run down of JoePa's presser

In his press conference, Joe Paterno sounded like, well, Joe Paterno. He addressed everything from this week's road trip to Purdue to Jordan Norwood's injury, and more. Here's some highlights.

On the Illinois win...

"You get a crowd such as we had Saturday with all the excitement and the enthusiasm and everything like that, you'd prefer to be home... I think if you're good and you're prepared and your kids have their heads on straight, if you're good enough, you win. If you're not good enough, you don't win."

Joe always says he prefers those old 1:30 p.m. kickoffs, but come on, everyone loves a Penn State night game.
On Daryll Clark (original question about Evan Royster's play)...

"Clark adds another dimension where they have to be careful. They can't jump in there and go all over him if Clark pulls the ball out and runs with it."

Yup, Joe really likes this whole spread offense thingy. What was that Jay?

On Purdue's defense...

"I think we've got to go in there and be ready to have a balanced attack, because they might put eight guys in the box against us..."

They might? Try, they will. Purdue may not be great this year, but they're not stupid. This will be a classic trap game, and PSU has to be ready.

On the criticism surrounding the linebackers...

"I think both Hull and Sales have played well. Of course, we take Sales out when we go to the nickel package because we want to get another pass defender in there. But I think they both have played well. And I think (Navorro) Bowman -- you didn't mention Bowman -- Bowman's played very well."

Obviously, Bowman is out of the dog house, but geeze, he's gone from sleeping out on the driveway, right to the foot of the bed. He deserves it though. After all, Bowman's turning into the next LaVar Arrington. (Yeah, he's that good at making big plays)

More on night games...

"There is the television; the crowd seems to be a little more enthusiastic when you play later in the day. All those kinds of things."

"All those kinds of things." = a belligerently drunken crowd.

On Josh Gaines and his lack of publicity...

"I think he's probably not gotten the kind of credit the other kids get, because they're free-lancing most of the time on the outside."

Can't argue much there. Gaines has been a constant on this sketchy defensive front. He's a great leader, and has taken that role right onto the field. Gaines has 3nd Team All-Big Ten written all over him.

How does Penn State handle the hype, now at No. 6?

"I just say we've got Purdue this week. If we don't pay attention to what's right in front of you, then all that stuff down the road isn't going to happen."

Classic JoePa.

...and about his leg?

"I tell the guys on the team there is a difference between being hurt and being injured. If you're injured we don't want you to play. But if you're hurt, you better get out there. Right now I'm hurt."

How can anyone complain about being banged up, when this guy is out there?

Later today: Guest blogger Boiled Sports talks about Penn State's visit to Purdue, and more!

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Review, Game 4: PSU 45, TU 3

Today I'll go over a few of the ups and downs from Penn State's win over Temple. There was the drama surrounding Joe Paterno's leg, and the offenses lackluster performance in the first quarter. Although many are pissed off at the Penn State offense right now, I think it was a good thing this kind of game happened against a team like Temple, instead of one like Illinois or Michigan. This will give the team a chance to look at themselves with a critical eye during film review, and maybe come out with more intensity versus the Illini than they would have if the Temple win was easier. 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 with No. 21 Illinois.

OFFENSE :: B

Line - It was only a matter of time before Penn State gave up its first real sack--the one at Syracuse was more Daryll Clark's fault than the line's. Temple came out with a fantastic blitz package that overloaded Clark's blind side, and was the perfect call for PSU's play. The run blocking was great again, and there was still plenty of time for the quarterbacks to throw the ball. Two sacks in one game might seem like a lot, but three over four games is great.

Receivers - Penn State's game plan looked like it was designed specifically to get the younger wide receivers involved, and with the injury to Mickey Shuler, Andrew Quarless came up with a great game (50 yds). Next to the offensive line, the receivers on this Penn State team have been the best of all the units.

Quarterbacks - Clark threw an interception, but he's still having one of the best starts for any first-year Penn State quarterback. Penn State is currently leading the conference in passing yards per game (and total yards, rushing and points per game), and is second in the league in team pass efficiency, behind Minnesota, but Clark is the individual pass efficiency leader. Penn State's quarterbacks have thrown for a combined 10 touchdowns and only one interception.

Rushers - As if in competition with the quarterbacks, the Penn State running backs have made every attempt to steal the show this season. Against Temple, they might have succeeded. Evan Royster injected his usual spark, rumbling for a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter. But it was Stephfon Green who made the biggest splash, on his 69-yard TD jaunt through traffic. After the instability at RB last year, this unit is one Penn State can lean on in 2008.

DEFENSE :: A

Line - Aaron Maybin's two first quarter sacks set the tone for the D-line this week, as Penn State clamped down on the Owls' run game, and sacking Temple's quarterbacks seven times. Josh Gaines continued to lead the defense, proving he's a great team captain this year. Penn State's defensive line is quickly tamping down any concern I might have had about productivity after Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma left. When/if they return, watch out.

Linebackers - I've already chosen my Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Navorro Bowman came up with one of the best days for a Penn State linebacker in years. Some have compared his effort against Temple to that of LaVar Arrington's all-star play in the late 1990s. Bowman looked the part Saturday, logging 11 tackles, five TFLs, three sacks, a forced fumble and a 29-yard interception return to the one-yard line. Although the rest of the PSU linebackers were relatively quiet, Bowman's performance more than made up for it.

Secondary - There were a few Temple passes that should have been complete with a better quarterback, and more than a few times TU wide receivers got behind the PSU defensive backs. Tom Bradley will have some words for these guys, especially since many of their mistakes were saved by the PSU pass rush. On the positive side, it was another good day for interceptions, as Tony Davis and Knowledge Timmons came up with nice picks. I thought I was being too hard on this unit, but no one gets a free pass next week.

SPECIAL TEAMS :: B-

Kickers - Kevin Kelly didn't have to do much, but did nail a beautiful 44-yarder. He looks to be completely healthy after some hip problems the last two season. Jeremy Boone had one shank early on, but dropped one inside the ten-yard line. Not a bad day overall.

Returners - It was another unimpressive day for Penn State's return men. Derrick Williams' fumble was saved by Anthony Scirrotto, and there were no real good returns by either Williams or AJ Wallace. I guess you can't get long runbacks every week, but the fumbles can't happen.

Coverage - Terrible. This was worse than Clark's interceptions and the fumbles on offense and returns. Although there were some great individual efforts (thumbs up to Timmons) to run down the Temple returners, the coverage units--especially on kickoffs--gave up way too many yards. It was like 2007 all over again.

COACHES :: A

The playcalling was as to be expected. The players didn't execute. Everyone's concerned about Joe Paterno's leg issue, myself included. But we have to just calm down. Team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli knows what he's doing, and wouldn't let Joe do anything stupid. I'm very interested to see how this develops throughout this week. If there's one thing anyone can agree with, Mike McQueary had a nice quiet game on the sidelines. There's no sign of this Spread HD slowing down.

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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.

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