PSU Line
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and their university did commit SEC like transgressions then try to brush them under the rug....
If you told me NU would score 24 points on Wisconsin at Camp Randall, I would have taken that in a heartbeat... Wisconsin has made a lot of even good and balanced offenses look terrible the last few years. Penn State (38 points in 2016 B1G Championship), Ohio State (30 points in 2016) and Alabama (35 points in 2015) are the only 3 teams in Wisconsin's last 31 games (dating back to the start of 2015) to score more than 24 points*.
Thorson's pick 6 plus UW's successful play action deep balls on 3rd and 3 (deep in their own territory) were really the two biggest plays in the game. While Wisky got to Thorson way too much (and Thorson held the ball way too long), mounting 4 scores against Bucky isn't bad when you consider the success of their defense the last few years. I don't think many appreciate how good Wisconsin has been on defense in recent years. It's really an elite unit.
Penn State has a good defense, but nothing nearly as dominant as Bucky. On the other hand, Penn State has an inferior offensive line to UW, but more big play capability. The blue print to beating Penn State is to prevent the home run explosion plays even if you let them gain 500+ total yards. Easier said than done of course. Inconsistent OL play is the leading cause of promising drives that sputter out.
*Maryland also put 24 on them in 2015, but that's it.
Wisky D has never matched up well w PSU.. it was comical once PSU got rolling in title gameast year.. the vaunted Wisky pass D falls apart when they have to cover a 5 star TE and 3 4 star WR'S.. Maryland has more team speed than Wisconsin. BTW.. PSU, tOSU n UM are loaded for bear.. within 2 years the BIG East will have 3 of top 10 rosters in football.
Will do and I'll make sure I bring with me enough reindeer sausage and smoked salmon for both locations.
PSU is 9-9 against Wisconsin all-time, and Wisconsin has won more league championships than Penn State since PSU joined the league. They seem to have matched up well enough.
Yeah, I mean totally agree, think I was saying similar things. 24 points vs Wiscy was a good outcome, though it was aided a bit by their turnovers and then them backing off a bit on D late. Really it should have been enough to win, if not for our own turnovers, most obviously the pick 6. Against PSU I think we need to score at least 24, maybe more.
And on the give up yards to PSU but not points... absolutely would expect that to be Hank's approach against a team like this. Try to contain Barkley and not get beat over the top, and force them to sustain drives without making mistakes (turnovers, penalties, sacks).
Sure, Wisconsin beat up on PSU when Paterno was 10-15 years past his prime but since then it has been all PSU. PSU has won 6 out of the last 8 versus Wisconsin including beating them the 2 years we were on probation.
My favorites are the ones where opposing fans come over and talk about how great their team is, talk about all the recruiting stars their players have, throw out a backhanded compliment to our team and then tell us exactly how many things will have to happen for our squad to have any kind of chance to beat them.
Those are the greatest posts.
I see. So because you've been hot more recently Wisconsin has never been able to match up with you. I suppose Paterno was 10-15 years past his prime when Wisconsin beat him in 1970 after he'd just had two unbeaten seasons or again in 1995 after his last unbeaten season. He must have been way past his prime when Michigan beat him nine in a row from 1997 to 2007 as well. As far as probation, too bad. PSU brought that on itself, and there were other schools that took the victories Wisconsin left on the table. Wisconsin still has won more championships since PSU joined the league.
Paterno was indeed past his prime when Michigan beat PSU nine times in a row from 1997 to 2007. As for Wisconsin, bringing up their victories over PSU in 1970, 1995, or even 2003-04 is meaningless in the here in now. PSU has a different coach now than they did back then. PSU has beaten Wisconsin 3 straight times since Paterno last coached PSU and that is more meaningful than bringing up Wisconsin wins from 10+ years ago. Wisconsin has not won a real B10 title since before 2012 and, in fact, PSU has scored wins over Wisconsin even when they were on probation playing with 60-65 scholarship kids.
I see. So he was unbeaten in 1994, ranked the next couple of years, and then all of a sudden past his prime in 1997. How convenient for you. And the fact that Michigan and OSU have beaten you like a drum since you joined the league is meaningless because that's in past, just as Penn State's several hundred wins mean nothing because most of them in the past, right? Beat Michigan and OSU back to back this year, and I'll be slightly impressed. Otherwise, don't bore me with how you're finally pulling even with Wisconsin.
Paterno turned 70 years old in 1996. There haven't been too many 70+ year old coaches that won at a high level in the history of college football. Paterno started to really fall off around 2000 when he was pushing 75 years old. Name me the coaches that won 10+ games in a season past the age of 75? Using an analogy, Michael Jordan wasn't the same basketball player at age 38 as he was when he was 28.
I don't think it's a stretch to say that Paterno passed his prime after the 1998 season at 72 years old; and, I don't think you can argue the fact that the Penn State teams of the last few years have had a very different personality than those in the Paterno years. I have to give credit where credit is due, Fitz has certainly had our number. You also cannot deny that, regardless of the reason, those teams of the last few years have operated with fewer scholarships than each of their opponents.
I don't care if that new coach wins 30 games in a row, I want him nowhere near anything I would want to support.
Give us your advantages such as five times our enrollment with the attendant increased revenue stream plus lower academic admission standards and, yes, my expectations would be commensurate for NU (not NW, by the way). As it is, most of us on this board are not satisfied with the Wildcats' play so far this season as we were expecting better.
But, given their built-in advantages, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State should have a significant edge on most B1G schools.
As it is, given all the PSU history of good teams, you have four B1G titles since you've joined the league, and we have three in the same period.
going forward NU should have a much easier shot at least winning the west, a conf title is much tougher with the champ. game thrown in.
Do you think the BIG needs to rebalance the divisions?
Too early to tell. Eastern Division was top-heavy last year, so the overall won-lost record between the two divisions was basically even. This year the West is sucking it up so far. Part of the problem has been that most people probably thought Nebraska would be a lot stronger when the alignment was made. Iowa has slipped a little from a few years back, and Northwestern has been up and down. Also, while Illinois and Purdue have not often been the powerhouses of the conference, they've been as bad as they've ever been the last couple of years. Purdue went to a Rose Bowl under Tiller at the turn of the century, and Illinois wasn't bad a few years ago, either. Brohm, the new guy at Purdue, already has them playing fairly respectably with the last guy's low-ranked recruiting classes. There is plenty of room for improvement.
That said, I'd favor a rebalance of things got severely out of line, but I don't know what could be done to drastically change things. Ohio State and Michigan certainly will stay in the same division. If you take Penn State out, it might be better for them, but to have Penn State playing the western schools of the conference kind of defeats the purpose of bringing Maryland and Rutgers in. Probably the most logical change if you want to keep a relatively geographic alignment would be to swap Michigan State for Purdue. That could even things up a bit assuming MSU stays relatively strong. I think a couple more years of seeing whether some of the western schools can up their game is needed before a realignment. With the nine-game conference schedule, there are more crossovers anyway, so the chances of a schedule without running into strong teams has decreased.
I forgot how nauseating a fan base like this is. Let me explain. You have a school with a great football history (only on the field of course in this case) was down for several years, and now has good teams again for the first time in awhile.
Fan bases of programs that are at this exact point in that scenario are just the worst. It's like they can finally go back to being cocky, smug, obnoxious, etc. after so many years of not having that in their lives. Really brings out the best in them...
Fan bases of programs that are at this exact point in that scenario are just the worst. It's like they can finally go back to being cocky, smug, obnoxious, etc. after so many years of not having that in their lives. Really brings out the best in them...
Yes, we've noticed that some of the PSU fans on this thread seem to be easily confused.
As a PSU alum, I can only speak for myself, but I agree that these people are nauseating. Many keyboard warriors that type away in this fashion are not graduates of the school. With that in mind, please don't judge the whole on the behavior of the few.
I've always enjoyed the positive and friendly conversations I've had with NU fans in State College and hope to make it to Evanston in the future.
Good luck on Saturday. I'm sure it'll be a spirited battle.
if Paterno was such a bum, then why did the administration keep him on board? Could it have been because he was helping them cover up the child rapes happening in the football program? Penn. St. shouldn't have had any scholarships to offer and should have received the "death penalty" for at least 4 years.
To be clear, my post was a little standoffish (admittedly), but it's more just how fandom is. Not something I can relate to since Northwestern has never been a dominant program with that rich on field history. But the overall point is how people work and how I've noticed this in other program examples well. Doesn't take long for that off-putting smugness to return to a fanbase. Kind of fascinating really.
I watched the last PSU/NU game in pure agony so cocky I definitely won't be. I don't know what to expect on Saturday. With that said, your post is completely unnecessary and immature though it's always the "go to" for posters who don't really have much to contribute to the conversation. Well, pat yourself on the back for being creative. To all of the other NU fans here, I've always admired your coach and your school. I'm hoping for a PSU win Saturday, but wish you luck going forward.
I'd like to add, in spite of some of the stuff posted here about PSU.....that I admire the way PF goes about his business and runs the program. While I will root for PSU on Sat. I always root for Northwestern every other game.
Oh yea, I love those too. Even more so when they come from a board where their moderators will ban you for returning the favor. Like with this case, for example.
I’m not sure we should be flattered by a PSU fan saying what a nice program Fitz runs.
I hope Fitz coaches at NU forever.. good guy.. solid coach.. but not much of an innovator or headache if PSU Is rolling.. he was tough during sanctions.. think he would be a cool coach to play for.. esp for scrappy guys with a chip on their shoulder.. as a HS football player I way more NU than PSU.. PSU would tell me to pound sand after 1 rep of 1 drill..
You mean "got rid of him in terms of coaching defense for the football team", not "got rid of him in terms of letting him use the football facilities to prey upon young and vulnerable children", right?
Penn State's defense might be the strength of their team. They are particularly good at forcing turnovers and even against the dip and dunk passing game, they are likely to get a pick or two, or a fumble off a sack. I believe they are a +9 on turnovers through 5 games. All the attention goes to Barkley and McSorley's long passing game, but they are a pretty complete team which also features excellent special teams (except for their field goals).