Capital One Bowl Review: PSU 19, LSU 17

Let's not kid ourselves. There's only one thing that really matters: Penn State beat the SEC's third-best team.

Other than that, however, here are some observations on the win.

Stat of the game: 38:21

That's how long the Penn State offense held onto the ball. While it was quite painful to see the Nittany Lions fail time and again to punch it into the end zone, keeping the ball away from Jordan Jefferson was critically important. The ball-control objective seemed to become even more critical as the game progressed, when Jefferson and the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points to take the lead. Had Penn State not run off at least five minutes (it ran off 5:57) on its final drive, LSU might not have had to panic the way it did in the final minute.

Offensive player of the game: Daryll Clark

Collin Wagner's performance is so close, but the final drive by Clark sealed the deal for me. Specifically, the five yard pass to Graham Zug on 3rd-and-four was a thing of poised beauty. Clark went out on the highest note next to a national title. He exorcised the comeback demons, while proving to the nation that Penn State was far from overrated in 2009.

Defensive player of the game: Navorro Bowman

The sentimental pick here would have been Sean Lee, who did play a fantastic final game in the Blue and White. I must go with Bowman, however. Not only did he lead the team in tackles (7) and TFL (1.5), Bowman made the single best decision of the game by taking his sweet time getting off the pile, with precious seconds ticking away on LSU's final drive. Propelling Bowman's decision from just a good one to an all-timer, he drew the crucial personal foul which moved LSU back 15 yards.

Play of the game: Moye's 37-yard touchdown catch

Oh, how we all thought the Penn State offense would actually score touchdowns from then on. Tigers cornerback Patrick Peterson was playing press coverage -- as was most of the LSU secondary -- so Derek Moye and the offense took immediate advantage. Moye's double move to break behind Peterson was eerily reminiscent of the one he used to score against Northwestern. The result was the identical, however. Six points. (I'm sure many of you will disagree strongly with me picking this play, but I think it really sent an early message to LSU that Penn State came to play ball)

Final Thoughts

When Penn State played aggressive football, the Nittany Lions roared to a 16-3 lead. Clark was allowed to throw on first down, while multiple receivers ran free, even if they didn't always haul in the pass. The success through the air allowed for some decent runs by Evan Royster and Stephfon Green. Penn State was dominating the LSU defense. All the while, the Nittany Lion defenders were having a field day of their own against a weak Tiger offensive line and thin running back corps.

But just when Penn State extended its lead to 13, old fashioned Paterno-Ball took over. It was way too soon against a way too talented team. Runs on first down, obvious passing situations on third and long. I nearly wanted to puke when the LSU offense woke up just as Penn State was winding itself into its conservative shell. We know what happened next.

I guess it was a good thing that LSU was allowed to come back and take a fourth-quarter lead. If Penn State wasn't forced to stage that comeback, would Clark's legacy ever have been vindicated with a legendary final drive? Probably not. I'll admit that I wanted a great, tough game; but Christ, that was a bit much.

Going into the 2010 preseason (holy crap, it's already preseason!), Penn State is in great shape, even with the loss of Navorro Bowman early to the NFL. Depending on whether or not any other juniors leave (Evan Royster), this team has a very strong core returning for next season. There's every reason to look forward to 2010. Of course, predicting anything in college football is about as simple as a hand of Texas Hold'em against Johnny Chan.

Final Stats - GoPSUsports.com