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Call me a Homer.............but

  • kijana said...

    Kent State might be our toughest OOC game next year. Isn't Kent State ranked right now? I know they knocked ff Rutgers. Anyone now if they have a lot of senior starters on their team or if they have a lot of starters coming back next year?

    They're 10-1 and will be tough. They did lose to Kentucky early, but yes, they beat Rutgers.

    Given their success, I'd personally wonder if their coach might get hired away. Personally, I think Syracuse and Virginia are also dangerous, but we should be able to beat them.

    signature image

    psubills62

  • psubills62 said...

    They're 10-1 and will be tough. They did lose to Kentucky early, but yes, they beat Rutgers.

    Given their success, I'd personally wonder if their coach might get hired away. Personally, I think Syracuse and Virginia are also dangerous, but we should be able to beat them.

    Rutgers is the biggest fraud at 9-1. I would bet some cash that they will lose their next two.

    getmyjive11

  • HolyLion said...

    I hate to be Debbie Downer, but that's a pretty optimistic prediction. You're saying we replace a 5th year senior with three years of starting experience with a true freshman, two great linebackers with a bunch of slightly better than average ones, and return our slow safeties, and as long as we don't lose anybody in the offseason (which I still think is a huge assumption) we'll be better than this year.

    Personally, I'm preparing for the worst. I get that some people always expect things to magically work themselves out. At least one of us has no chance of being disappointed.

    SOA is one of the fastest kids on the team

    "A bowl game ain't nothing but a vacation." - Gerald Hodges

    PSUHomer

  • PSUHomer said...

    I think we can be better next year! - Sanction and all.

    I know this year is not over yet, but since we have all(for the most part)seemd to have turned our attention to recruting, and the if's, and's or but's about next season, why not take a look and see why, IMO, we will be a better team next season.

    Most importantly to me is the guys we return on the offensive line - Urschal(stud), Smith(stud), Diff(getting to be a stud), Mangerio, Howel, Shrive, Gress. Yes, the loss of Stank will hurt a bit, but I think we have some competent guys who can step in.

    At the skill positions, we are going to have to account for the loss of MM(never though I'd be saying this). Hack coming in gives us all hope. If BOB and Fisher made MM what he was this year, just imagine what they can do with a kid like Hack! Hopefully we keep all the young WR's and TE's, and if we do, we have a stable of talent returning in Robinson, BMF, Williams, Kenny, Carter, Gilliam, Lehman, and James. Add in youngsters like Lewis, Brenneman, Golden and Warner, and we have pleanty of skill to compete with any team in our conference.

    Belton, ZZ and Lynch should provide us with an excellent combination of power and speed at RB.

    Defense is what worries me a bit. The D-Line will suffer a major hit with the departure of Hill. I'm not sure we have that type of impact player on our current roster to fill his void. Jones, Alosi, Johnson, Baublitz, Dowery and Gaia are going to be counted on to provide a solid rotation. We do however have some young talent at D-end, who I think will really thrive next season. Barnes, Schwan, Zettle, Olaniyan and Bars will be exciting to watch. Add to that list in-coming freshmen Garrett Sickels, and we have a bright future.

    Even though we lose two great linebackers, I think we will be fine with Hull, Carson, Wartman and Kline. The depth does scare me a bit though, but hopefully Bell, and another top LB recruit will help with this.

    The secondary will see Amos, Davis, Willis, and SOA all return. Add in young players like Lucas, Kiley, Robinson, Smith and Gaines, and we could be pretty solid if we can stay healthy

    The schedule we have sets up nicely for a 9-win season!.

    Did you pre dig that hole for me yet? I kid I kid. I respectfully disagree with your view (although I hope we do win 9 games).

    First, I think you sorely underestimate how good MM has been this year and you are not going to just replace him with a true freshman...that is coming in the summer. I hope we see Bench make some good strides in case Waters does not enroll, but I think we are going to be in for a rude awakening at QB. Hack gives you hope in two or three years, once he has spent some time in the system and has a grasp of it. People need to realize how much responsiblility was given to MM and that is not something people pick up in a year or so.

    I think we will see a stronger O-line, which will lend it self well to the running game...it will be amazing to see a consistent and strong O-line year to year and actually developing the players to their potential (not seen under previous O-line coaches).

    We do return a lot of good skill guys especially at TE and WR. We have heard great things about the guys being red shirted, etc. These guys are going to be just as good as the QB throwing to the though.

    RB-- ZZ is a strong runner and we have not seen Belton at all in the last seveal weeks, would not be suprised if we see him look around and potentially leave. Dukes will be gone as he is going to the NFL , per his article. Lynch will get sometime but we do not yet know what he can do at this level. I suspect that he wil be a solid player, but TBD.

    The D-line suffers a lot as we had some very good and strong performers there this year.

    Linebacker we will definitely see a lot of the younger guys show what they can do on a full-time basis, but it is very hard to come close to Hodges and Mauti in terms of production and experience.

    DBs--I think we will see an improvement from this year to next as a lot of the young guys have gotten playing time and experience, but this is a unit that we will continue to see improve as we go along...still not a strength, but may become one as these kids get more experienced.

    The two issues that are wild cards and no one will have the answer too are who leaves between now and next August and injuries. We are bound to have both which will effect depth.

    I think the defense and the quarterback play will be the areas that we will have the biggest drop off. I have confidence in Roof that he will be able to scheme accordingly, same with BOB on the offense.

    If we have a 5 - 6 win season, i would consider it a success. I think looking at the schedule we will lose a game or two you think we will win and we will pull off an upset against a Nebraska, UM, type.

    Lastly, I think you are expecting too much of the young guys (class of 12 and 13) specifically, because most will not be ready to contribute in a meaningful way.

    You prediction of a 9 win season will be noted and reviewed at this time next year.

    Lets go State!

    Goalieman688

  • getmyjive11 said...

    Rutgers is the biggest fraud at 9-1. I would bet some cash that they will lose their next two.

    I agree. Kent State is no pushover was my main point. We should beat them, but they won't be as easy as Eastern Michigan.

    I thought Rutgers would lose to Cincy too. Not a bad win for them, but yeah, I'd be surprised if they won both of these last two games.

    signature image

    psubills62

  • Guys are forgetting about special teams which should be better. Ficken and Butterworth have been getting better as the year has progressed. Get to add guys like Lewis, Lynch and Golden to return teams.

    Assuming we keep everyone, I think our coverage units can be better too.

    Blissios

  • getmyjive11 said...

    Rutgers is the biggest fraud at 9-1. I would bet some cash that they will lose their next two.

    You think Pitt will beat them?

    LBU59

  • HolyLion said...

    I hate to be Debbie Downer, but that's a pretty optimistic prediction. You're saying we replace a 5th year senior with three years of starting experience with a true freshman, two great linebackers with a bunch of slightly better than average ones, and return our slow safeties, and as long as we don't lose anybody in the offseason (which I still think is a huge assumption) we'll be better than this year.

    Personally, I'm preparing for the worst. I get that some people always expect things to magically work themselves out. At least one of us has no chance of being disappointed.

    If we don't get Waters, you're most likely correct. At this point, I'm assuming we get him and I think he can be special for us. But if he doesn't enroll or turns out to be a DOB type transfer, then I'm a lot less optimistic on the year.

    That schedule is still nothing to be scared about though.

    PSU17

  • I agree with OP for the most part. Here are some of my thoughts:

    1. QB: i think you certainly redshirt Hack and roll with either Bench or Waters. Hack could be special, give him the extra championship shots on the back end

    2. DL: Johnson has proved time and time again that he doesn't rebuild, he reloads on the line. Time and time again he fills holes and creates stars. I can't remember him having a rebuild year to be honest. Barnes can be a force on the outside and Jones should become the next horse in the middle.

    3. Mike Hull will be the next star at LBU from what I see. I expect him to raise his level of play significantly with more time.

    4. Love the offensive line, first time in a long time i feel good about our line going into next year. I am a firm believer that games are won in the trenches....you can have all the skill players you want, without a line they will never meet the hype. A good line and solid RB can also take pressure off a young qb.

    I think if everyone stays and things continue to progress we are an 8 win team

    TheBleedingLion

  • It all depends on how many kids decide to transfer. we have a top notch offense coming back, just need a QB to fit in. On defense we lose a lot of leadership and experience. I see a lot of shoot outs, hopefully the offense doesn't take the foot off the pedal like it did in some games this year...

    BaltLions24

  • getmyjive11 said...

    When you break it all down, here is what I see...

    QB - Downgrade due to uncertainty and depth. I really hope we get Waters. RB - Upgrade if Belton stays, even if he leaves (due to depth). It would be nice to get another RB in this class. WR - Upgrade. We return everyone. Robinson is the jewel, but I really liked how Mosbey-Felder has progressed and we have a lot of good, young talent. TE - Upgrade. AB joining (although I hope he redshirts), and more experience. I think James will move to the Y in place of Gilliam. Don't forget about Wilkerson. FB - Virtually Eliminated. We will see a TE or walk-on being used when we (rarely) bring in a TE. OL - Even to slight upgrade. Losing Stank will hurt. He has been very good for us this year. Mac's rotation of OL this year will pay dividends next.

    DE - Upgrade. Young guys getting bigger and stronger. We lose Massaro and Stanley, but we have young guys behind them that can flat out play. DT - Downgrade. Hopefully Jones can stay healthy, because we will really need him next year. He should do fine with Baublitz, but who is behind them??? Zettel on 3rd downs? Then who? We need the freshmen who are RS'ing to step up. LB - Downgrade. Mauti and Hodges were the best OLB tandem in the Big Ten and possibly the nation. It's going to be hard to replace two guys who will combine for well over 200 tackles. Carson is solid. Hull is as well (and could be really good). After that, we have a bunch of unknowns and depth issues. One note, I found it interesting that BOB specifically mentioned Wooten as being a real player for us down the road. That kid was a really good prospect coming out of HS and if he does contribute, you have got to give the staff a ton of credit for finding this kid. DB - Even. We will actually have more numbers at DB next year (thank God!), but we need to find some help from the RS Frosh/Soph class. K - Upgrade. Fick is looking better and we will have someone pushing him. P - Upgrade. See above. Chris G. will hopefully help us solve some of our issues.

    So yeah... if we can get solid QB play, we should be okay. We will see...

    Well done, jive.

    I take it James Terry is a SR? For some reason I thought he was a year behind Hill. Bummer.

    BoulderFish

  • psubills62 said...

    I agree. Kent State is no pushover was my main point. We should beat them, but they won't be as easy as Eastern Michigan.

    I thought Rutgers would lose to Cincy too. Not a bad win for them, but yeah, I'd be surprised if they won both of these last two games.

    I haven't looked at Kent State's roster, but I would imagine if they're that good, they're probably a very senior laden team and will see a significant drop off next year. Don't know that for sure, but speculating.

    BoulderFish

  • BoulderFish said...

    I haven't looked at Kent State's roster, but I would imagine if they're that good, they're probably a very senior laden team and will see a significant drop off next year. Don't know that for sure, but speculating.

    Kent State's depth chart is on Rivals (link attached). Assuming 3V means they are junior eligibility, then they do have a lot of juniors and seniors on the team.

    1 QB, 2 WR (one starter), 3 OL, 2 DL, 2 LB, 1 P, 2 backup DB's.

    Unavailable

    Either this website doesn't exist or is not currently available.

    kentstate.rivals.com
    signature image

    psubills62

  • psubills62 said...

    Kent State's depth chart is on Rivals (link attached). Assuming 3V means they are junior eligibility, then they do have a lot of juniors and seniors on the team.

    1 QB, 2 WR (one starter), 3 OL, 2 DL, 2 LB, 1 P, 2 backup DB's.

    I could see Dri Archer (their runningback that averages 10+ yards per carry) leaving for the draft. Size isn't going to change (he is like 5-8 170) and he has nothing else to prove.

    This post was edited by Lion_in_CBus on 11/21/2012 at 11:06 AM

    Lion_in_CBus

  • LBU59 said...

    You think Pitt will beat them?

    Yeah. I am a quasi Rutgers fan... (I hate their fanbase but have been rooting for them since I was a kid... I like underdogs). I have seen all of their games. They are not well coached. Offensively, they have talent, but their coaches are SO conservative. The defense is very good against the run, but suspect against the pass. Luckily for them, they only played two teams that could pass the ball all year... Syracuse, who actually outgained Rutgers by almost 200 yards, but caughed up the ball in key moments, and Arkansas, who is a dumpster fire put still put up 400 yards in the air. Now they will face Pitt, who actually has the 2nd best passing attack in the Big East and a competent running attack as well. If they can score 3 TDs, the game is over. Nova can't beat you.

    This post was edited by getmyjive11 on 11/21/2012 at 11:05 AM

    getmyjive11

  • Apparently everyone forgot that McGloin absokutely sucked donkey balls until 10 months ago.

    Itzsessil

  • PSUHomer said...

    I think we can be better next year! - Sanction and all.

    I know this year is not over yet, but since we have all(for the most part)seemd to have turned our attention to recruting, and the if's, and's or but's about next season, why not take a look and see why, IMO, we will be a better team next season.

    Most importantly to me is the guys we return on the offensive line - Urschal(stud), Smith(stud), Diff(getting to be a stud), Mangerio, Howel, Shrive, Gress. Yes, the loss of Stank will hurt a bit, but I think we have some competent guys who can step in.

    At the skill positions, we are going to have to account for the loss of MM(never though I'd be saying this). Hack coming in gives us all hope. If BOB and Fisher made MM what he was this year, just imagine what they can do with a kid like Hack! Hopefully we keep all the young WR's and TE's, and if we do, we have a stable of talent returning in Robinson, BMF, Williams, Kenny, Carter, Gilliam, Lehman, and James. Add in youngsters like Lewis, Brenneman, Golden and Warner, and we have pleanty of skill to compete with any team in our conference.

    Belton, ZZ and Lynch should provide us with an excellent combination of power and speed at RB.

    Defense is what worries me a bit. The D-Line will suffer a major hit with the departure of Hill. I'm not sure we have that type of impact player on our current roster to fill his void. Jones, Alosi, Johnson, Baublitz, Dowery and Gaia are going to be counted on to provide a solid rotation. We do however have some young talent at D-end, who I think will really thrive next season. Barnes, Schwan, Zettle, Olaniyan and Bars will be exciting to watch. Add to that list in-coming freshmen Garrett Sickels, and we have a bright future.

    Even though we lose two great linebackers, I think we will be fine with Hull, Carson, Wartman and Kline. The depth does scare me a bit though, but hopefully Bell, and another top LB recruit will help with this.

    The secondary will see Amos, Davis, Willis, and SOA all return. Add in young players like Lucas, Kiley, Robinson, Smith and Gaines, and we could be pretty solid if we can stay healthy

    The schedule we have sets up nicely for a 9-win season!.

    I think I will wait to see who bolts before drawing any pre-conceived notions.

    Hamilton Lion

  • getmyjive11 said...

    Hack needs to clear up some decision making issues before he reaches the Mox level. He has all the tools, great leadership, but he presses a bit at times and makes some ill-advised throws. He needs to take a lesson from the Mox and not try to do too much.

    I can't believe I read what you posted here.

    Someone is praising McGloin for his decision-making? Holy sh*t.

    F the NCAA F the BOT F ESPN F Sandusky

    PSU42Fan

  • Hamilton Lion said...

    I think I will wait to see who bolts before drawing any pre-conceived notions.

    Thanks for letting us know that, I guess. coffee

    This post was edited by BoulderFish on 11/21/2012 at 1:00 PM

    BoulderFish

  • Itzsessil said...

    Apparently everyone forgot that McGloin absokutely sucked donkey balls until 10 months ago.

    Personally, I never thought McGloin was all that bad. I blamed the coaching staff for awful play calling and forcing him to split the snaps with Bolden for two years.

    HolyLion

  • 5 and a half. I'm laughing all the way to the bank on that number. I'm hoping that Las Vegas buys into all the reasons Coach O'Brien CAN'T succeed again next year and puts up a ridiculous number again. (Sky is falling crowd, please make next year's "under" wagers early and often.) I don't own rosé colored glasses. Too expensive. I do see young talent at every position coming back next year, however. Could anyone in their wildest dreams have imagined the season Matt McGloin would have this year? Congratulations Matt! Could anyone in their wildest dreams foreseen the year Allen Robinson is having? Congrats ARob! Next man up is not just a slogan. The point: keep saying Coach O'Brien can't do it and I and I hope many of you will be laughing all the way to the bank again next year!

    Michael995

  • HolyLion said...

    I hate to be Debbie Downer, but that's a pretty optimistic prediction. You're saying we replace a 5th year senior with three years of starting experience with a true freshman, two great linebackers with a bunch of slightly better than average ones, and return our slow safeties, and as long as we don't lose anybody in the offseason (which I still think is a huge assumption) we'll be better than this year.

    Personally, I'm preparing for the worst. I get that some people always expect things to magically work themselves out. At least one of us has no chance of being disappointed.

    Serious question-not just to you, Holy Lion. Why is it always assumed that only we will have growing pains each year? Show me the team that returns 22 starters and they all play better than the year before. Every team we face will be playing kids who never started before. Some will play freshman at critical positions. Some teams will exceed expectations (e.g. ND). Some will fall well short (e.g. USC). That's why we watch because we have NO IDEA. The OP is just as likely as any of the Debbie Downer predictions-barring a mass exodus of players and/or coaches. If I'm guessing just for the fun of it, I'll lean to the optimistic side. It's more fun.

    signature image

    “We need to keep this (expletive) together,” Mauti and Zordich to Hill

    psujmc1992

  • psubills62 said...

    Well, technically we can still get to 8 wins this year. I think 8 wins is possible next year (4-0 OOC, then Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana), though I would not call it likely.

    To me 8 wins would be absolutely amazing this year.. Vegas had us at 5.5, I said 6. So kudos to the coach of the yearclap

    TpaFan