Penn State?

I don't want to hear one thing about "statue QBs" this week w out talking about their running game.

Everyone thought, on this board, we'd won cuz their QB was a statue, without mentioning their running game. Le'veon Bell had a hell of a game.

What does PSUs running game look like? How good is their Oline? Do they have depth at TE and Oline? Who are their backs, and do they run the O or are they complementary?

Nothing is safe, nothing is sound. But I think we're moving into a place where we get a good 3-5 yr foot grip on the B1G, if we can win out.

 
Based on their very good quarterback and the lack of Joe Paterno to muck things up by swapping someone absurd and wandering around the box, I'd say they are very strong. Only B1G loss to Ohio State, but haven't beaten any of the top programs. I think our defense will be able to bottle them up enough for the offense to outscore them by a touchdown or so.

I'd say the fact we're getting them at home is critical. Would not want this matchup to be in Beaver stadium.

 
Fast Jimmy, they have a better offense than MSU. Their defense is right up there with MSU's as well. We need to play sound defense, otherwise, we will have another shaky game till the 4th. This time, we may not be able to pull back.

 
HuskerNationNick said:
Fast Jimmy, they have a better offense than MSU.
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They're both pretty bad. We allowed way too many yards against a pedestrian Sparty offense today. But being "better than" Sparty's offense isn't difficult. 80% of D1A football is better than Sparty's offense.

Their defense is right up there with MSU's as well.
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Not so much. Before today's Nebraska Wrecking Crew took hold of them, Sparty's defense was in the top 15 in the nation in every major statistical category. Penn State is not in the top 15 in any of those categories - although they're 18th in the nation in scoring defense, so that's kinda close.

However, Penn State hasn't played a single good offensive team this year, with the exception of Braxton Miller and the Buckeyes.

They've only played two opponents in the top 50 in Scoring Offense: Ohio (The Fightin' Franks) and Ohio State. They lost to both by double digits. Nebraska will be the highest-ranked offense the Nittany Lions have played all year. We lead the Big Ten in every major offensive stat.

Penn State's SOS is also pretty weak. They've played (pre-Purdue) the 73rd-ranked schedule in the country. So they haven't exactly been challenged much

Before today's game everyone was talking about Sparty's vaunted defense. Except that Sparty hadn't played any decent offenses all year, and we would be their first real test. 500 yards later, Sparty kinda failed that test. I'm guessing Penn State isn't going to fare that well, either. And while I never discount the idea of us bumbling a game away, if we simply play smart football, we should win this game.

 
knapplc said:
Before today's game everyone was talking about Sparty's vaunted defense. Except that Sparty hadn't played any decent offenses all year, and we would be their first real test. 500 yards later, Sparty kinda failed that test. I'm guessing Penn State isn't going to fare that well, either. And while I never discount the idea of us bumbling a game away, if we simply play smart football, we should win this game.
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That is all we have had to do all year. We are getting better at limiting our mistakes. That is for sure. The 3 INT's didn't help our case, but we were going against a smart secondary, which like you said, were ranked Top 15 in the nation. I think we did VERY well against MSU. Left too many points on the field, and IMO, didn't have the right personnel on defense. Defense needs to play more sound.

 
I think they are pretty sound in the trenches. Their QB has settled down and played solid football compared to last year but I think can be rattled. With the adversity they faced in the off-season they have circled the wagons and became a close tight knit team instead of hanging it up. They have a good coach. They are a very solid team especially on D. We need to make some hay against their offense. Get them to make mistakes. I am glad it's at home.

 
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I haven't watched too many of their games but I know they love their tight ends. That worries me since I don't think we do a good job covering TEs. McGloin has improved quite a bit as have their wide receivers. O'Brien has done a good job coaching them up. Not sure about their run game. They lack depth on defense so our up tempo offense will be a problem for them later in the game.

 
Fuzzy said:
Ohio State showed everyone that when you get pressure on McGloin, he isn't the coveted "Tom Brady" that ESPN makes him out to be. I expect Bo and JP to bring a lot blitzes against Penn St. to rattle McGloin. Plus with it being a home game, its gonna be even more difficult for Penn St. to win.
You might think, well Penn St. is 3 - 1 on the road. Yes, but look who they played against on the road. Virgina, Illinois, Iowa, and Purdue. Nebraska is gonna be the toughest road game this year for Penn St. Nebraska hasn't lost a home game since Northwestern last year. I like out odds to come out on top against Penn St. It may be ugly, but i see win.
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I hoping we can get a little more pressure on him than we did with Maxwell. I thought MSU did a nice job of picking up our blitz attempts.

 
HuskerNationNick said:
Fast Jimmy, they have a better offense than MSU. Their defense is right up there with MSU's as well. We need to play sound defense, otherwise, we will have another shaky game till the 4th. This time, we may not be able to pull back.
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I expect that we will play sound defense. Their QB isn't terribly mobile so our pass defense will be tested. I expect they'll be up to the task of limiting damage to something our offense can top.

 
I want Nebraska to win and to win right, but all year I have dealt with seeing Penn State Fans wearing T-shirts that read, "I'd rather shower at Penn State then play for Nebraska". Totally shows how classless some fans can be, If they want a rivalry with Nebraska, that is fine. But Nebraska's players and fans gave respect last year when PSU was on a downward spiral. They were in our prayers.. When I saw the shirts, I would simply think, "This is why I am proud to be a Cornhusker Fan".

That being said, We have the Nittany Lions at home. I hope we showcase our talents in this game, and don't let up. Not saying its gonna be a cakewalk, but this is a game we should win, Nebraska players need to understand there are never any gimmies. Smashmouth football all day, and nothing overly fancy.

 
McGloin will be a challenge. I think our secondary is up for that challenge. He has very similar numbers to Taylor, but turns the ball over less and is not a threat on the ground.

Since Ohio State, we have held QBs to: 34/91, 37%, 112 yards per game, 3 TD, 3 INT.

They don't have Laveon Bell.

 
Turnovers.

History shows that NU continues to play with fire with all of the turnovers. Eventually it will burn you (OSU/UCLA).

If NU limits turnovers they are very hard to beat.

The pressure is entirely on NU. So far they have played reasonably well with the self-placed "win out" pressure, so I hope they remain focused and fighting on Saturday.

 
I don't like this game at all. PSU ball control offense, opportunistic defense.

If we dig a hole with bonehead mistakes they won't return the favor and let us out.

Home field will help but won't necessarily save us. Smells to me like Northwestern last year.

 
Guys on BTN are expecting McGloin to pass over 240 yards. I think we shut them down. It won't be easy but, I think they will put it together back home and gain momentum on their way to Indy.
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