All’s well that ends well.
The Penn State football team handled Michigan State, 42-14, on Saturday in East Lansing. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion,
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we will look back at the win over MSU, but first we’ll have a popular feature.
Cheers and Jeers
Every year around this time, we take a look back at the football season and review it. We look at what’s been good, what’s been bad. In 2009, there has been a mix of both.
We call it cheers and jeers.
Cheers: Daryll Clark and Sean Lee.
Coach Joe Paterno couldn’t have picked better co-captains. These two were easily the best captains since 2005, when Paul Posluszny, Michael Robinson and Alan Zemaitis were tri-captains.
While Lee was limited due to a knee injury, Clark started every game at quarterback. Some will point to the failures against Iowa and Ohio State, but those losses weren’t necessarily his fault. What is more important, though, is the fact that Clark never pointed fingers when the Nittany Lions lost. Instead, he shouldered the blame. That, quite frankly, was refreshing.
Jeers: The non-conference schedule.
Penn State played Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois during its non-conference slate. While Penn State opened the season 3-0, those first three wins had a somewhat hollow feeling. None of those first three victories were pretty and it was clear that the Nittany Lions weren’t ready for their primetime showdown with Iowa. The Hawkeyes made all the big plays on Sept. 26 as they stunned the Lions, 21-10.
Cheers: The wideouts.
When the Nittany Lions lost Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams to graduation, many questioned whether or not the Lions would be able to replace them.
Those questions were answered early.
Derek Moye, Graham Zug and Chaz Powell have more than adequately replaced the trio of Butler, Norwood and Williams. Through 11 games, Moye had 41 receptions for 676 yards — an average of 16.5 yards per catch. He’s also hauled in five touchdowns. Zug had 38 receptions for 450 yards — that’s 11.8 per catch. Zug also has five touchdowns. Finally, there’s Chaz Powell. He had 27 receptions for 355 yards — 13.1 yards per catch. Powell found the end zone three times.
Not only could the Lions replace Butler, Norwood and Williams, they did.
Jeers: Minnesota Parking.
A surprising mid-October snowstorm sent Penn State into a panic. A combination of snow, sleet and rain forced the university to change the way it parks cars. In effect, if you had a numbered spot, it would be held until 11 a.m. Then, it was a free for all.
Fans who pay thousands and thousands of dollars for the right to park near Beaver Stadium were told that their spot was not guaranteed. According to a source at the university, Penn State received “several thousand” calls that following Monday. Most were upset that their spots were not held. Guess what? They had a right to be upset.
Snow, rain, sleet. We’ve seen it all before. What we’ve never seen is a parking mess like the one on Oct. 17.
Hopefully, we never see it again.
Cheers: Winning at the Big House.
After years of frustration, Penn State finally exorcised its demons by winning at the Big House, 35-10, on Oct. 24. In the game, the Nittany Lions fell behind 7-0, but they would outscore the Wolverines, 35-3, the rest of the afternoon.
For the record, Penn State’s last win at the Big House came in 1995.
Jeers: Special Teams.
It’s been well-documented that the Penn State special teams have been an absolute disaster in 2009. Kickoff and punt returns have been especially bad. Through 11 games, the Nittany Lions were 113th in kickoff returns and 107th in punt returns. Kicker Collin Wagner has also struggled, connecting on 11-of-16 field goals.
The Nittany Lions have to get the special teams ship righted or the bowl game could be an unpleasant experience.
Cheers: Tom Bradley
The Penn State defensive coordinator is always a welcome breath of fresh air during the postgame press conferences. After a win (or loss), he faces the music and calls it like he sees it.
If the offense had a bad day, he’ll say so. If his defense had a bad day, he’ll say so. But most importantly, he never blames the weather or the officials. Now that is refreshing. 
Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions had a rough night against the Hawkeyes.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Jeers: Losing at home.
Heading into the season, Penn State’s schedule appeared built for a run at the national championship. Its two biggest games of the year (Iowa and Ohio State) were at home, after all.
In the end, it didn’t matter. In those two contests, Penn State was outplayed and outcoached. They lost to the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes by a combined score of 45-17.
They were exposed against the Hawkeyes, and the Buckeyes used that game as a blueprint for how to beat the Lions.
The loss to the Hawkeyes effectively ended Penn State’s chances for a national championship, and the loss to the Buckeyes ended any thoughts of a return trip to the Rose Bowl.
But hey, at least you had your parking spot for those games.
Looking Back: Michigan State
Penn State needed to make a statement, and it did just that on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions were tied with the Spartans at halftime, but poured it on in the second half to rout the hosts.
Daryll Clark played one of his best games of the year, passing for 310 yards and four touchdowns. The defense also stepped up in the rout, holding the Spartans to a pair of TDs.
Now, the Nittany Lions play the waiting game. There is a possibility they could still land a BCS bowl (Fiesta or Orange). If they don’t land in a BCS bowl, the likely destination is Orlando for the Capital One Bowl.
Stay tuned.
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 “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. This column does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BWI’s writers or publisher.