PSU will be closer than you think

Submitted by myrtlebeachmai… on

I believe this game will be closer than the Illinois game.  I give us a 25% chance to win, a 50% chance to prove me right, and a 25% chance it turns out that I've unknowingly been smoking one of Mario's old blunts. 

Here's why:

We have owned PSU.  I've had a decade of sheer enjoyment watching the hopes of a PSU family member rekindle each year, only to be extinguished by consistently superior Michigan teams.  What started out as "Wait till next year, we're going to be better and beat you", soon turned to "Look, just don't give me a bunch of crap about it, you're probably going to beat us again b/c we're not very good this year."  It has been wonderful.  Granted, this is probably the year that the dominance ends; but those thoughts, entrenched by the depths of time, will be in the backs of both UM's and PSU's minds.  If it's close for a while, deja vu will play a role. 

Also, despite the opportunity to exact revenge for years worth of beat-downs, I think they'll be looking past us.  They have NC hopes that go through tOSU next week.  We, needless to say, just want to beat whoever's in front of us.

I believe (seem to be fewer of those daily) that our team will improve as this season goes on.  It continues to amaze me that there are so many calls for change already.  It's as though we're wondering why an 80 year old guy who had double knee replacements 3 days ago isn't ready for the Boston Marathon yet.  We ARE NOT EXECUTING the basics with regularity yet offensively.  Personally, I think we have gotten a little better each week, despite continually having multiple O-line adjustments, different WR/slot groups due to injury/suspension/illness, different attempts at finding a "change of pace" back who won't fumble, switching QBs etc.  I completely discount the Toledo game - my diary - my perogative - due to a "perfect storm" of the above reasons (as well as key D personnel being out too). 

Defensively, Illinois lit us up by executing the spread as well as anyone could the week they played us.  I challenge PSU to even match it.  Obviously we need to give up fewer big plays, and play better assignment football.  I think we will see that our coaches CAN actually make adjustments, and that the D (hopefully healthy too) will look much better on this "re-do" against PSU's spread.

It's crazy to think that new coaches, with new players, new systems and "inadequate" (for said systems) personnel can completely adjust over the coarse of a timeout, halftime talk, even one week-long practice.  That's why they call it "rebuilding", not "pre-fabbed homing".  Give it time; and here, in the beginning, while it's roughest, set yourself some resonable expectations.

I still say we have a shot.  I guess you can call me a fan.  Guilty.

On the blue/maize Prozac:  UM wins 27-24;  

Marios's blunt:  UM loses 38-24.

Comments

Anonymous Coward (not verified)

October 13th, 2008 at 11:45 AM ^

I disagree with this being a close game. PSU's offense is peaking right now and can be very explosive! Penn State put a whipping on Wisconsin's at Wisconsin's home field. PSU is at home for this Michigan game. Michigan lost to Toledo and only scored 10 points and couldn't connect on a 24 yard field goal....that's not good! I look for a score similar to the Wisconsin game. Let's call it 45-10 and the 10 I'm giving Michigan is very generous.

IA-Maize

October 13th, 2008 at 11:48 AM ^

Uh-I don't think this will be close. You can bet Penn State has had this game in mind since last year. I think the defense will keep it close for the 1st maybe 2nd quarter, but then the rapid three and outs by the offense will catch up to them.
I haven't heard about Threet. Will he be able to go this Saturday?

alabluema

October 13th, 2008 at 12:06 PM ^

I don't buy it. I would love to see Michigan make it close, but I think Penn State wins by at least three touchdowns -- even with a healthy Odoms and Threet back in there.

Onas

October 13th, 2008 at 12:07 PM ^

...and Minnesota will beat Illinois,

and Toledo will beat Michigan,

and Oregon State will beat USC,

and Michigan will beat Wisconsin...

 

College football is awesome.

Anonymous Coward (not verified)

October 13th, 2008 at 12:14 PM ^

and in the wacky thing that college football has become, certainly anything is possible. Now, to your points.

1. We've owned them. Well, until Saturday, we owned the MAC. I suppose technically we still own non-losing seasons and trips to bowl games, but that ownership is on life support and its fate is all but known.

2. They will look past us. See above asserting regarding our owning them. I can't imagine PSU looking past us even a little bit. To the contrary, I think they are preparing as I write this to give us a beatdown for the ages. If they are going to lose focus, I would expect it to happen after our game, and not before.

3. Penn State is not as good as Illinois offensively. Everyone is entitled to their own view obviously, but I simply disagree on this one. PSU's O has looked far more balanced and potent than Illinois' from where I sit.

4. At any moment, we'll click. I agree with your premise - eventually, this offense will not be new to this team, and they'll start running it properly. Unfortunately, aside from what is beginning to look like flukish success in South Bend, we haven't seen this team get much, if any, better this season. I think that's probably because there are far bigger issues than simply learning a new scheme. Once we figure it out, we still have to block, throw consistently catchable passes (to our own guys) and stop freaking fumbling for it to work. Some of our issues simply can't be corrected by more experience.

Don't stop being a fan. I'm with you - I will be there cheering my ass off, holding onto hope until JoePa pries it from my hands. But there's a reason we are a 24 point underdog. What am I saying? There is a plethora of reasons.

Anonymous Coward (not verified)

October 13th, 2008 at 12:44 PM ^

I attended Sat night's beat down of Wisconsin by PSU - their defense looked very, very good - tremendous front 7 play which does not bode well for our patchwork line.

Mostly PSU drove the blow out with great defense, but on offense, PSU was efficient and exploited quite a bit of poor DB play on Wisconsin's part (sound familiar?) - consistently had the off receiver open deep on the post (and in one case, a well executed out and up) - they simply did not making mistakes on offense - Clark at QB can create time to throw with his feet, and was patient enough to wait for WR's to get open for big plays - they will be hard to beat.

 

els179

October 13th, 2008 at 12:38 PM ^

UM is the next hoe that PSU slaps and says, give me my money b!tch, 9 years worth of payback sasy Joe doesn't pull the starters and lets them run it up... PSU 63-14

ckersh74

October 13th, 2008 at 12:46 PM ^

But I don't see this one being close, either. There's a line around the block full of teams waiting to get a piece of Michigan for the success we've had over the past 40 years. We're just going to have to bleed this year, plain and simple. It's gonna hurt. And I don't think this is the last one that's going to hurt this year, either.

goody

October 13th, 2008 at 12:56 PM ^

Why the hell not? Why can't Michigan beat PSU? Nothing is going according to logic anymore. Why can't Michigan hold PSU to under 20 points and Threet record his first 300 yard game? Why can't Michigan "man up" and win a game they have no reason winning?

.....holy shit....that flying pig about took my damn head off.

The Squid

October 13th, 2008 at 1:00 PM ^

I don't see it either. Penn State is rolling. They're at home in a late game. Their fans are going to be jacked out of the minds at the opportunity to finally put the wood to Michigan. It's the 2nd road game of the season for a completely inexperienced offense, the first being against a pathetic ND team. If the game is any closer than 35-10, I'll claim a moral victory.

Anonymous Coward (not verified)

October 13th, 2008 at 2:24 PM ^

Penn State just beat Wisconsin 48-7. The offense is rolling, all the wide receivers are healthy again, and the defensive line is stacked again.
It's at home. It's homecoming. And there are players on the team, starting, who remember the loss to Michigan in 2005.
If any game in history said "revenge" on it, this one does.

jaysvw

October 13th, 2008 at 4:27 PM ^

It's nice to have some hopelessly optimistic people around. Hang with Penn St? We couldn't hang with their practice team right now. For those of us without our head in the sand, we already know that a 2-10 season is very likely, if not a certainty at this point.  Every team we play knows there is blood in the water and knows this is their shot to smack us around.  You think Toledo would have tried a fake punt in 2007? You can't fix the problems we have with just a week of practice. So I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the season for what it is, a time to learn and rebuild.

mth822

October 13th, 2008 at 4:53 PM ^

 

  1. If Michigan's defense goes into the game not relying on momentum and just plays it heart out down and after down. Does not look at the score board or hear the fans. Just plays good sound Football, they will slow the Penn State Offense. Same goes for Michigans Offense. Down after down just do the best you can. That's how you win. Michigan needs to stop looking at the scoreboard. Odds are you are going to be down. It is going to be close. So why do it. Why boost your ego up and huff and puff around the field. Just play sound football and they will be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

myrtlebeachmai…

October 13th, 2008 at 6:46 PM ^

if it (a win) happens, I envision it like this...   a lot of ugly defensive football wrapped around a few good things like:

Odoms getting loose for a 30-40 yard TD...

Matthews in the corner of the end zone, maybe after a deep turnover...

McGuffie capping of a long drive...

a FG or two...

4+ sacks by the DL...

2 INTs by our D...

M-Dog

October 13th, 2008 at 6:38 PM ^

I grew up in PA, and have lots of PA friends and relatives. Let me tell you, Micihgan has gotten WAY inside their heads. They go into spasms at the sight of the winged helmet.

Where their heads are at right now is that they are looking to lay a beating for the ages on us to make up for a decade-plus of frustation. And it should happen in the first half so that the starters can be rested and get prepared for OSU.

If it starts to not go according to that script, they will become EXTREMELY restless. If the game is anywhere close by the fourth quarter, they will get a massive case of the yips straight out of Greg Norman's anxiety closet.

Don

October 14th, 2008 at 12:17 AM ^

is if PSU doesn't hang 60 on us. They certainly have the ability, and our defense has given absolutely no indication that they have any idea how to stop that kind of attack, and I include the coaching staff. Sure, we had exactly the same sorts of problems stopping the spread last year, and mobile QBs going all the way back to McNabb in '98, but in prior years we had pretty potent offenses that at least offered the possibility of keeping up with them. The only way this game stays remotely competitive is if they turn the ball over multiple times.

If we win it's even more of an upset than Stanford beating USC last year. We're that bad.

Blue Durham

October 14th, 2008 at 7:08 AM ^

when the coin toss is made. After that, not so much.

And in this case, past is not prologue. The games of the past will not influence any aspect of this game, except to serve as a little more motivation for PSU.

Also, this is a young team in only their 2nd road game of the year.
I do hope I am wrong, but I think this game will be ugly.