The Lion's Den
September 30, 2005
North by Northwestern
By Todd Sponsler
It didn’t follow the script. There were no Hollywood stars. It was not directed by Alfred Hitchcock. But it was a thriller nonetheless, with enough plot twists and sub plots to keep even the passing fan gripping the edge of his seat. Or maybe some sharp objects.But preferably gripping a seat. Normally I would be upset with an ugly win like this. Normally I would focus on the myriad of mistakes. But I am not normal. I may also have had a little too much to drink. Either way, I am happy to add win #4 to this season.
Penn State has defined ugly wins in its storied history.Be it a two-point win in 1986 over Maryland, who failed in a two- point conversion, to preserve an undefeatedand National Championship season, or a defensive battle against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. Even in 1994, amidst the glamour of Heisman hopefuls, we almost lost to Illinois, after trailing 21-0 on the road.
Earlier this season, I lamented about a win not seeming like a win. Well, this was a loss that didn’t come out as a loss.
Penn State did everything possible to lose this game.L et’s review:
1. Five Turnovers.Officially, there were three interceptions and one lost fumble, but I consider the NW recovery on the kick-off to be a turnover.We fumbled three other times without losing possession—and one was just lucky enough to be recovered for a first down on a fourth and inches play.
2. Our sixth ranked rush defense allowed 198 yards and 29 points.
3. We lost the time of possession by a factor of 2: NW held the ball for 40 minutes!
4. We shot ourselves in the foot with a personal foul on Northwestern’s go-ahead FG drive.(Now for the record, I think the ref was full of himself.I didn’t tape the
game, but it looked to me like the QB still had one foot in bounds—or on the line at the very least—and he was not speared or hit unduly hard.Unfortunately, the refs have found a way to screw PSU despite the replays, since that call is not reviewable.)
5. After getting the ball deep in NW territory, we promptly threw an INT. We killed momentum and dug ourselves deeper.In fact, two drives in a row started with an
INT.
6. This same purple team gave up over 700 yards the week before.This was only freaking Northwestern, named for a compass direction.
For three quarters, we looked like we needed a compass.We seemed completely lost.Michael Robinson continued his penchant for dribbling the ball and finding receivers from the other team. He was helped by some tipped passes—so it wasn’t all his fault.But he still threw into some coverage—not what you want from a senior leader.
Yet—when the chips were down, and the seconds were melting off the clock—he took his team and led them to the Promised Land, with the help of freshman sensation, Derrick Williams, and the least likely of saviors, Isaac Smolko. I didn’t think Robinson had it in him.Let me eat crow—it tastes like chicken anyway.
Compare and contrast him to a well-known—perhaps infamous—quarterback for a team in Ann Arbor. Said QB, after having a brilliant first season, has now managed to fumble at the goal line against Notre Dame, and tackle himself for a loss to end the game against Wisconsin. In the microcosm of this early season, Robinson has demonstrated that he is capable of losing any game. But he has also shown that he is capable of winning any game.
The same can be said for Penn State as a team. I don’t see another team on this schedule that we can’t beat.I also don’t see many teams that we couldn’t lose to either.
What about the coaching?Much beleaguered coming into this season, I have been impressed with what I have seen so far.Let me again review some salient points:
1. Playing the freshmen.This cannot be stressed enough.
2. While sticking with Robinson may be a weakness, this tenacity has paid off so far.
3. Fourth and inches early in the game? And we went for it?Never mind that we fumbled the snap and were fortunate enough to make the first down by millimeters.The coaching fortitude and confidence in this team are evident.
4. Last week, the Central Michigan coach praised our staff—saying that we went against our historical tendencies—we were not predictable. See next . . .
5. Fourth and fifteen?One time out left. Maybe two and a half minutes on the clock.Even with a deep punt and a stop, there might not be enough time left to get back into field goal range.The staff made the call they had to make. And what a call!Last week, our tightends (Smolko and Lyons) both dropped wide-open passes to them. Smolko became the hero this week. I’m sure Coach Walker wasn’t thinking a pass over the middle to the tight end.I wasn’t.But they made the call and the kids executed
the play to perfection, keeping the winning drive alive. And credit the line for giving Robinson the time he needed to make these passes.(It helps that they were in a prevent mode, but its all greasepaint under the eye now.)
If the goal line stand at Indiana last season signaled the turn-around in Penn State football, could this last drive, and the fourth and fifteen conversion signal the turn-around for Robinson?We can only hope.
I am also glad this game didn’t come down to a field goal—even short-range or mid-range.Nothing against Kelly, but I’d like to see him get some more experience
before the game comes down to his foot.Maybe next season, for instance.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Beer: $ 1.50
Cable Television:$60.00
A Holding Call against Michigan:Priceless
Was it me, or was there genuine shock on the face of Lloyd Carr that his team was called for a hold?
The numbers for this game are unfathomable.I mentioned the time of possession atrocity above.I also noted the 198 yards for NW, but that was on 57 carries, for about 3.5 per carry.Sutton is ranked 5th in the nation right now, and Andre Hall of USF is 13th. With Minny and Maroney ahead, we will have faced 3 of the top 13 running backs in the nation so far.
I’m still not overwhelmed by our secondary—I truly thought they would be a lot better this year.I guess it makes a difference when you have to pass, unlike last year when teams could run at will.But that was a sweet INT at the end, even if the receiver did fall down.
By the way, did you see the Michigan Quarterback slide into second on the last play of their game?
More evidence that statistics can be deceiving:Penn State had more total yards and only three fewer first downs in the game.(480 to 427 yards, and 21 to 24 first downs.)Do you realize that we gained 209 yards on the ground?For 27 carries, that’s 7.8 per running play.
Penn State is 4-0 (1-0) on the season and rides a SIX game winning streak.
INTANGIBLES:
The game was played before 24,395. Penn State fans controlled the one endzone, and maybe 10-15% of the crowd.
PSU won the toss and deferred.
THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:
Did you notice that South Florida took highly ranked Louisville out behind the woodshed? 45-14??? In retrospect, maybe our opener wasn’t as bad as I thought.It will be very interesting to run with the Bulls through their Big East schedule.
In the conference, Indiana had the day off.Michigan, NW, Iowa, Purdue and Illinois were all losers.Michigan State is looking tough.It will be fun to watch them at home against their cross-state rival this week. Purdue played their choke card early this season, so that means they’ll be tough against us. Minnesota is chewing up yards on the ground—their first real test might be this coming week.
What’s up with Iowa? I thought Wisconsin would be down after losing so many players to the NFL. Boy was I wrong.They are playing traditional, smash-mouth Badger Ball, and they are playing it well.Note to PSU D: Don’t knock the running back out of the game this year.
SHEDDING TEARS:
1. Louisville—thanks for playing. Sorry, no parting gifts.
2. Iowa—the Ferentz magic is gone
3. Georgia Tech—Beamer Ball is racking up the defensive and ST TDs
4. The Ducks—had USC down 13-0—then USC started to play ball
5. Boilermakers—at least you don’t have to wait until the end of the season to be disappointed
LOOKING AHEAD:
Minnesota is a monster running the ball.Maroney Baloney is leading the country with 174 yards per game.The Goophers are ranked first in rushing offense, and eighth in total offense.The good news:even despite our lethargic outing in Evanston, our rushing D is still ranked sixteenth in the nation.I expect to see a full stadium, and I think the atmosphere will be loud.That doesn’t always affect running teams that much, but I think our D will play better at home.
Concerns: Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.We rank 116 out of 117 teams in turnovers. We’re 104 in turnover margin. Compare that to Minnesota:66 turnovers lost, and 27 in the nation in TO margin.
My prediction: PSU over Minnesota, by less than a TD.
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