If you’re a fan of the Penn State football team, Saturday was pretty ugly.
Despite having a 3-0 lead early in the game, the Nittany Lions fell apart and suffered a 27-11 defeat at the hands of Alabama, the No. 3 team in the nation. The game wasn’t as close as that score would indicate.
Despite a sellout crowd dressed mostly in white, the Lions gave their hometown fans little to cheer about. Their two quarterbacks – Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin – were ineffective in the loss.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look back at the loss and look ahead to this week’s game with 2-0 Temple.
Let’s start with the loss.
Bounced by ‘Bama
Everything set up nicely for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. They had the No. 3 team in the nation coming into their house for a big game in front of national television cameras. Alabama was without some of their stars who helped trounce Penn State, 24-3, last season in Tuscaloosa.
But in the end, it didn’t matter. After falling behind, 3-0, the Crimson Tide scored 27 unanswered points before the Lions got a garbage touchdown late to set the final at 27-11.
What can we learn from the loss? Quite a bit, actually.
First of all, fans need to realize that Penn State is no longer an elite program. It simply cannot compete with these big-time programs on the field anymore. Nick Saban had his squad ready to go and after the early wake-up call, the Tide simply manhandled the Lions.
Another lesson that should have been learned on Saturday is that the Lions cannot win rotating quarterbacks in and out of the game. Sure, it works against a team like Indiana State. Against a quality team like Alabama, it is a recipe for disaster.
At this point, we’re ready to say that neither QB is very good, but for the sake of the team, head coach Joe Paterno needs to pick one – and stick with him.
Two-Minute Drill: Alabama
Game Ball to … Trent Richardson, Alabama RB. Richardson chewed up the Nittany Lion defense, rushing for 116 yards on 26 carries. He scored twice in the game and his running aided the Crimson Tide in controlling the clock and keeping Penn State’s rather inept offense off the field. Much like Mark Ingram, the Tide have another stud in the backfield.
What Was He Thinking? Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.
We’re not sure why JoePa insists on rotating quarterbacks, but it clearly is not working. Neither QB played particularly well, but rotating them in and out doesn’t allow them to get into any type of rhythm. The offense looks out of sync and confused.
Rob Bolden finished the day 11-of-29 for 144 yards while Matt McGloin was 1-of-10 for 0 yards. Bolden threw a pick, McGloin did not. It was a bad day for both QBs, for sure. It would appear that media and fans alike know that Paterno has to make a decision here. However, at his weekly news conference, the iconic coach said that both QBs would play again in Week Three.
So the question is: When will the game of musical quarterbacks end? No one knows for sure.
Numerology … 359
The Crimson Tide rolled up 359 yards in total offense against a vaunted Nittany Lions’ defense which looked very sharp in Week One. Alabama QB A.J. McCarron completed 19-of-31 for 163 yards and touchdown. More importantly, he played mistake-free, not throwing a pick or putting the ball on the ground. In a hostile environment, he was the consummate game manager. On this day, that’s just what the Crimson Tide needed.
The Countdown
5. Evan Lewis – With Anthony Fera still in the doghouse (sort of), Lewis got another crack at kicking duties on Saturday. He made the most of the opportunity, booting a 43-yard field goal on PSU’s opening drive. It gave the home crowd something to cheer about on an otherwise rotten afternoon at Beaver Stadium.
4. Bolden/McGloin – The duo was ineffective against Bama’s underrated defense as they failed to lead any touchdown drives until the end of the game when the contest had already been decided. On this day, it appeared that Bolden is the better option, although he threw a terrible interception and probably could’ve had a few more. Right now, neither QB is playing well and that appears unlikely to change until a firm decision is made.
3. Nick Saban – What can you say about the guy? All he does is win. It doesn’t matter who he has in the backfield, on defense or at quarterback – his teams produce victories. After just a couple of games, it appears that the Tide is on track for another run at a national championship.
2. Silas Redd – On a normal day, it would be hard to justify putting a 66-yard runner in the countdown, but there were so few highlights for the Nittany Lions that this qualifies. The oft-hyped Redd got his share of carries, touching the ball 22 times for 66 yards. That’s an average of just three yards per carry. However, that’s likely to increase with the Owls on the horizon.
1. McCarron/Richardson – The Alabama offense kept the Nittany Lions off-balance for much of the afternoon and it was thanks to this dynamic duo. McCarron used his arm effectively to keep Penn State from stacking the box and Richardson made use of the ample holes that his O-Line opened up for him. They were, in this writer’s opinion, the difference in the game
Gameday: Temple
In year’s past, Temple would have been another cupcake for the Lions to chew on. This season, however, the Owls are 2-0 and would like nothing more than to beat their cross-state rivals. While Penn State won’t play a great game, it will survive the Alabama hangover to go to 2-1. It will be closer than many think, though.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 24, Temple 16.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers Penn State athletics for gantnews.com. He’s also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. Also, be sure to check out Morelli OnLion on Facebook!