With the bye week over, I thought it was time for an oldie but a goodie.
Since there was no game last week, we take a different approach in this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion.
We dust off a classic called Cheers n’ Jeers, look ahead to the Iowa game and finish strong with a non-rev roundup: No worries, though, for fans of 10 Questions. It will return next week.
Off we go.
Cheers n’ Jeers
Back when I was at a small newspaper in western Pennsylvania, I borrowed (OK, stole) an idea from TV Guide. It’s called Cheers n’ Jeers. But instead of telling you why “Desperate Housewives” jumped the shark or why MSNBC is better than FOX News, we’re going to give you a “fair and balanced” look at Penn State and the state of college football in general.
Thumbs up to PSU running back Evan Royster.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Cheers: To Penn State RB Evan Royster
If there is a better running back in the Big Ten, I haven’t seen him.
Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie” Wells is supposed to be the cream of the conference’s crop, but after watching the backs slug it out in Columbus, I’m giving the nod to Royster.
The numbers tell the story. In the showdown at the Horseshoe, Royster carried the ball 19 times for 77 yards — 4.1 per crack. Wells, on the other hand, rushed 22 times for 55 yards — 2.5 per carry.
And while that stat may say something about the team’s defenses, it says a little more about the backs themselves. When it came down to brass tax, Penn State was comfortable putting the ball in the hands of Royster, who chewed up clock and yards down the stretch with the Nittany Lions leading 10-6. Ohio State, on the other hand, couldn’t rely on Wells, which forced true freshman Terrelle Pryor to carry the workload. We all know how that one ended up.
Jeers: To The Big Ten
Has the conference ever had such a mediocre year? We think not.
Heading into the year, no one expected Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Michigan to be as awful as they have been. But here we are. Heading into Penn State’s bye week, only two of those teams (Wisconsin and
Illinois) were at the .500 mark.
The Boilermakers are in the process of sending out coach Joe Tiller with one of his worst seasons ever. As for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez? Who would have expected his first year at the helm to be such a disaster? While it’s fun to sit and poke fun at the cellar dwellars, having so many bad teams in the conference is not helping Penn State in the BCS rankings, which is why the Nittany Lions remain at No. 3, despite Texas’ loss to Texas Tech.
Cheers: To Penn State QB Daryll Clark.
I’ve been impressed with the way the signal caller has handled himself this season. He’s one of those players — like Paul Posluszny, like Michael Robinson — that you can’t help but like.
While it would be easy for him to take credit for the success that the team is having, he refuses. He also refuses to throw the former quarterback under the bus. Since he won’t, I will. Look at this team across the board — there’s not a whole lot different from 2007.
Well, except at quarterback. And in the win column, of course.
Jeers: To the BCS
If there is a system in sports worse than the BCS, I haven’t seen it.
Tell me another sport that lets computer rankings decide who plays for the championship. You can’t.
The current system is a joke, plain and simple. But there’s too much money being made and there’s so much greed and corruption in collegiate athletics that it’s not going to change anytime soon. Well, perhaps it will change when there’s an undefeated team that doesn’t get a fair shot at the title.
That could be this year, unfortunately. And the team on the outside looking in could be the Nittany Lions.
Cheers: To coach Joe Paterno
By sitting in the coaches’ box in recent weeks, the coach has taken the spotlight off himself and put it directly on his team, where it should be. Can you imagine the circus that would ensue if Paterno were on the sidelines, limping around?
I’m sure it’s not easy for the coach to be up there, but let’s face facts — it’s the safest place for him. And the bottom line is that the team is winning. Stay in the box, Joe.
Jeers: To ABC
Shame on the network for the intro to “Saturday Night Football’ on Oct. 25. The network put together a nice photo/video montage in tribute to the iconic coach, but then ruined it by using the screeching song “The Story” by Brandi Carlisle.
Don’t get me wrong, I thought the photos and video were extraordinary.
There were some clips that I’d never seen before, and it was obvious that the people who put it together put a lot of time and effort into it. But the song — who in the world picked that disaster?
I can think of at least a dozen songs that would have sounded better and would have been more familiar to viewers.
Jeers: To ABC, Part II
Shame on the network for not giving us one dose of Erin Andrews this season.
There have been three night games — Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio State — and Andrews has yet to appear at a PSU game. I also found it ironic that a Penn State grad (Lisa Salters) and an Ohio State grad (Kirk
Herbstreit) were assigned the Penn State-Ohio State tilt.
Didn’t ABC learn anything from having Bob Griese being the color commentator for his son’s games at Michigan? By sitting in the coaches’ box in recent weeks, the coach has taken the spotlight off himself and put it directly on his team, where it should be. Can you imagine the circus that would follow if Paterno were on the sidelines?
Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is on the hot seat.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Looking Ahead: Iowa
If there’s one name the Nittany Lion defense has to learn this week, it’s Shonn Greene. The Iowa running back is extremely talented. The defense will have to be stout, as it was against Ohio State.
This has all the makings of a trap game, but have no fear Lion fans.
All coach Paterno will have to do to motivate his squad is play the FOX BCS Rankings show on a loop before and after practice. Did you hear what Barry Switzer said about this team?
Yes, the game is at Iowa, where Penn State hasn’t won since 1999. But this is the season to exorcise demons.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 35, Iowa 14.
Non-rev roundup: Women’s Volleyball
Behind a season-high-tying 17 kills on .424 hitting from senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett, the top-ranked Penn State women’s volleyball team continued its march toward perfection, sweeping No. 21 Wisconsin in Madison last Friday in front of 6,296.
The Lions followed up the win with another sweep at Northwestern the following day, moving their record to 22-0 and extending their streak of consecutive sets won to 36 this season and 37 dating back to last year’s campaign. Penn State has been nothing short of dominant this year.
The Lions lead the Big Ten in every offensive category, save for aces (where they rank second) and top the nation in blocks per set and hitting percentage. They also rank third in the country in assists and kills per set.
Fawcett, meanwhile, ranks 13th in the nation in hitting percentage, behind teammate Christa Harmotto, who tops the country in that category.
The Lions are in town on Nov. 5 to face Indiana and close out the home conference season Nov. 21 and 22 versus Northwestern and Wisconsin.
Chris Morelli is the award-winning editor of Blue White Illustrated, a weekly publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.