The Lions' Pride

Meyer won at UF because of his defense, not his offense. He has always been a guy who won when he had great defensive units.

Our team right now is better defensively than offensively, and we still have two of the very best front seven coaches in all of CFB, with plenty of good young players (Barnes, Jones, Zettel, Hull, Wartman, Amos) with more coming in.

I don't get your point at all.

Except that it isn't supported at all by facts in this very specific case. He wasn't arguing the principle or the generalized rule, but specific individuals doing specific things.

Meyer has recruited lights out defensively so far and his entire history proves his emphasis on defense. He isn't an offensive coach. That is entirely a myth. His teams succeed or fail based on their defensive performance.

BOB has retained two excellent defensive assistants, our defense is outplaying our offense, and he has even made comments stating that he avoids using NASCAR frequently in order to support the defense.

This idea that we or OSU are going to become WVU or OK-State is absurd. Those teams systematically and ideologically emphasize offensive output above any other consideration. That is clearly not the case with Meyer or BOB.

Then OSU is in trouble. Their defense sucks more under Meyer's staff than it did under Fickell's.

Agreed. I honestly believe USC was the best team in the country that year and Penn State was second. That team was very, very good though and I think if they had played OU or UF, they'd have won it all.

As for OSU...they are more than Miller but if one can stop Miller, they can stop the team. MSU held them to 17 points and I think the PSU defense is better than MSU's as their strength (the front 7) is more suited to match up with Ohio State's. I'd like Penn State's chances a home in a White Out if they can keep em at 17.

Now, Iowa...I'm sure the staff is not overlooking them, but they are a bad team. Not quite Illinois bad, but they should be handled easily with a decent effort from the team. Vandenberg hasn't been able to find his receivers for points this year, they're down the depth chart at RB (though he has looked good) and who knows what will happen with Hyde in the secondary. If he were to be suspended, that'd be a huge loss.

Agree.

Jones, Barnes, Zettle, Hull, Wartman. It sure isn't bad. But, the depth isn't there unfortunately. Can't do much about it.

I just don't agree. 65 hurts, but it should still allow for a three deep of scholarship players at every single position. I have no doubt whatsoever that as long as LJ and Vandy are here we will field strong front sevens.

To be specific, I LOVE the defensive end unit we take into next year, which is young but extremely talented. Barnes, Zettel, Olaniyan (who is starting to do more and more), Bars (who you all have written off, but I think will be a Josh Gaines type of contributor for us), and the two frosh, Sickels and Cothran, who are both studs.

LB will be fine next year, albeit it not very experienced. Hull and Carson are good (and in Hull's case, maybe very good) and I love the look of Wartman. I have high hopes for Bell (undervalued prospect, IMO) and I think Wooten might have been a real steal. Certainly an athlete. Not sure what to make of Kline or Franklin, or whoever else we bring in at LB this year.

Fact is, when you have great position coaches, you rarely see poor play at a position. In our case, we not only have good coaches, but maybe the two most proven and consistently successful DL and LB coaches in all of CFB.

We can survive with 65, at all positions, on both sides of the ball. I just watched our team, with barely more than 65 scholarship players this year (do most of you not realize we are basically playing this year with the scholarship limitations we are going to have moving forward?), physically dominate two Big Ten teams, in only year one of the S&C and offensive/defensive systems.

I think the seriousness of the sanctions is recognized by the entire staff and players. I think this extraordinary, unique situation has cause both the staff and the players to gel and unite. We have challenges over the next decade in dealing with the unprecedented sanctions, but we also have a staff, IMO that is even more committed to success and closer than any other staff in the country. Vandy and Johnson aren't going anywhere soon and I think the rest of the staff is up to the unique challenge. If these guys can have a modicum of success given the huge competitive handicap that the NCAA imposed on PSU, just imagine how successful this #OneTeam will be coming out of the sanction era!

I like the product on the field that we have put together. We just need to continue the quality recruits like Hack and Brenneman. A few studs per year, can carry PSU thru these years.

-Kirk

It didn't seem to give us too many problems last year...

Huh? LOL...I was trying to copy the post that Itz was responding to about gameplanning for Miller. He didn't give us too many problems last year.

osu should have lost to mich state, the refs blew that miller fumble dead when they picked it up, mich state gets the touchdown and takes the lead, instead of getting shut down

our special teams stops trying to blow the game and we have a great shot with a home game and an all around white out

FIFY