As the Penn State football team heads into the bye week, it is an astounding 8-1. It’s astounding because no one expected the Nittany Lions to be 8-1 at this point in the season.
Many, myself included, expected the Lions to stub their toe somewhere along the line. We predicted that it would happen first against Iowa (a 13-3 victory), then against Northwestern (a 34-24 victory). The Lions are 5-0 in the Big Ten and are the lone unbeaten team in the conference.
The Lions are on a bye this week. That will be followed by an unbelievable three-game stretch to finish out the season. Penn State will host Nebraska on Nov. 12 before traveling to Ohio State (Nov. 19) and Wisconsin (Nov. 26).
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at how the Lions got here and where they’re headed. We’ll also take a look back at the Illinois game with our Two –Minute Drill.
Let’s start with the bye.
Bye Has Arrived
There’s not much to be said this week. The Nittany Lions are on a bye, which means there’s limited contact between the media and players. However, during the weekly Big Ten teleconference, Penn State coach Joe Paterno indicated that he’s not done rotating QBs.
“It wouldn’t be fair to Bolden for me to not still consider him as one of the kids that we are going to depend on,” Paterno said. “He’s worked too hard. He’s made too many sacrifices and he’s got too much ability for me to just say in one or two football games … ‘Hey, we’re not counting on you.’”
Paterno gave Bolden limited snaps during Saturday’s 10-7 win over Illinois. But when it was crunch time, he inserted Matt McGloin on what proved to be the game-winning drive.
McGloin said that he feels like the starter, even if the iconic coach says otherwise.
“To be honest with you, it’s always felt like it was my team … whether I was in there or not,” McGloin told reporters on Wednesday.
Make no mistake about it – with Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin looming, this has to be McGloin’s team. Those three are not Indiana, Purdue and Illinois. The Lions will need McGloin in for every offensive series if they want to remain in contention for a BCS bowl game.
There’s a choice to be made. In this writer’s opinion, it’s a pretty simple choice.
Two-Minute Drill: Illinois
Game Ball To … Silas Redd.
The PSU running back continues to impress. Against the Fighting Illini, he racked up 137 yards on 30 carries – an average of 4.6 per crack. He scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on PSU’s final drive of the game. He will need another effort like that against a stingy Nebraska defense.
What Was He Thinking? Illinois coach Ron Zook
Zook continues to confuse us with some of his play-calling, but his gameplan for the Nittany Lions was an absolute mess. We know he’s a masterful recruiter (allegedly), but how he has kept his job in Champaign for so many years remains a mystery.
Numerology … 287
That’s the amount of yards compiled by punter Anthony Fera, who punted eight times during Saturday’s game. While Fera didn’t have the best day in awful weather conditions, he didn’t have any punts blocked and he landed a pair inside the 20-yard line.
The Countdown
5. Matt McGloin – OK, so Mac didn’t have the best day, going 9-of-24 for 98 yards and one interception. But he came up big during crunch time and led the Lions on a pair of scoring drives. Downright horrendous weather conditions made it tough for either side to throw the ball effectively.
4. Derek Moye – Moye entered the game late and immediately made an impact. He finished the day with two catches for 29 yards. The fact that he came off the bench appeared to ignite the Lions in the huddle. That’s what leadership is all about.
3. Nate Stupar – Although he’s flying under the radar right now, he has done an admirable job filling a void that opened when star linebacker Michael Mauti went down several weeks back. Stupar recorded nine tackles and recovered a fumble in the victory. He brings energy to the field that the Lions desperately need between the white lines.
2. Tom Bradley – Once again, Bradley had his defense ready to go. While Illinois isn’t exactly a high-powered offense, the Lions were able to hold the Illini under 300 yards in total offense. Most importantly, they were held to just seven points where it mattered most – on the scoreboard.
1. Gerald Hodges – Hodges had another monster afternoon for Penn State. He racked up 19 tackles, six of which were solo jobs. He also had a tackle for loss and forced a fumble. As the Lions head into the heart of their schedule, Hodges will be a key defensive player if they are going to win these games down the stretch and make a run at a Big Ten title.
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!