Bleacher Report - Articles by Benjamin Yost

Penn State's Mid-Season Review and Preview

Benjamin Yost — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:01:41 -0400

Here we are at the halfway point of Penn State's 2009 season, and there are still just as many questions facing the team as when it began.

Penn State could still be destined for a BCS Bowl game, or could stumble their way to a sub-par bowl game.

The offense has shown flashes of brilliance and tons of potential, but has yet to produce a full, solid game of excellence.

In the first four games, there were significant problems in the running game, to say the least. And when the running game finally got on track against Illinois, it took until after halftime for Penn State to pull away from a dismal team.

The main questions still center around the revolving door on the offensive line, and I don't just mean their blocking skills. The O-line has had at least three different starting combinations in games this year, and that adds to difficulties in building continuity.

Luckily for Penn State, Illinois didn't feel like getting hit in the second half of the game, and kindly stayed blocked or stayed down whenever an offensive lineman hit them.

And with relative defensive creampuffs Eastern Illinois and Minnesota on the schedule next, it should build at least some confidence for the stretch run.

The talented running duo of Evan Royster and Stephfon Green finally showed up, with the pair posting their first 100-yard rushing game together. Hopefully, this is a preview of more to come. These two could be the most explosive pair of backs Penn State has had since Ki-Jana Carter and Mike Archie split time in 1993.

Daryll Clark needs to continue to rebuild his confidence that made him a dominant player last year. After starting on a hot streak, he has not thrown for more than 200 yards in the last three games. But as a true blue Penn State guy, I'd rather see the team run for 300 yards than throw for 300 any day.

The young wide receiver corps has stepped up to the plate and delivered big plays week in and week out. The tight ends have become more involved in the passing game, but too often they go down on the first tackler, and have at times been a liability blocking.

Everyone knows that when Joe Pa brings in Joe Suhey as a fullback, he's looking to run the ball.

The defense has been dominant, as always, but there are some leaks starting to show and injuries are starting to pile up. Hopefully, this week's Div I-AA opponent will give the D some down time to allow everyone to get healthy.

The D-Line has been absolutely dominant against everyone but Iowa, and should continue to be the strength of the team until the linebackers are all at full health. Jared Odrick is a beast in the middle, giving tons of opportunities to young ends Jack Crawford and Eric Latimore to mop up the quarterback.

Starting with Navarrow Bowman's lingering groin injury, then Sean Lee's knee injury, the linebacking corps has seen a crop of new faces with major game time.

Nathan Stupar and Bani Gbadyu have stepped up and Josh Hull continues his strong play against the run in the middle, though he has also been a bit of a liability against the pass.

Speaking of the pass defense, the brand new secondary has been significantly helped by the immense pressure applied by the front four. There continues to be too many holes in the zones, allowing big plays when the opposing quarterback has time to look downfield.

With winnable home games against Eastern Illinois and Minnesota in the next two weeks, Penn State should be 6-1 when it visits a much improved Michigan team. That and the Ohio State game will the barometer of this team.

With another scrimmage this week, the offensive line should gel more, giving more room for the deep talent at running back to show. The linebackers needs to get healthy for the rest of the Big Ten schedule, and run defense should be fine. The secondary still worries me, and the team still isn't forcing enough turnovers, so we'll see how they develop.

It should be a fun season, and hopefully a good run at another Big Ten title.

Penn State's Ground Game Struggles in Win

Benjamin Yost — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:59:58 -0400

I am now officially worried about Penn State's chances to win the Big Ten this year. After another uninspiring win against an overmatched opponent, Penn State has demonstrated that it has the physical talent to win the easy games, but little else.

Thank goodness for Darryl Clark. For a second straight game he looked sharp, hitting open receivers in stride, and even the one pick was a good throw and should have been caught. Three touchdowns two weeks in a row to start the season is a great sign. He is clicking with the new batch of receivers, and is finding the tight ends and running backs open underneath as well.

After watching Big Ten preseason offensive player of the year and pre-ordained wunder-kind Terrelle Pryor's play in the second half of the USC game, I am so thankful we have DC. I don't know if I've seen an experienced quarterback like Pryor, in his second year of the system, look as uncomfortable as he did, and at home no less. He took a bad loss on a designed QB run in the third quarter (pushing them out of field goal range), made several bad throws and was called for delay of game and intentional grounding.

It's a good thing the passing game is in midseason form because the running game seems to have regressed. The offensive line played with little fire or intensity, and was uneven throughout the entire ball game. If the running game averages less than three yards per carry against Syracuse, how will it perform versus tougher defensive lines like Iowa and Ohio State?

Penn State's defense played exceptional for a second straight week, but again wasn't really tested. Is the defensive line that good, or are Akron's and Syracuse's offensive lines that porous? I think it may be a little of both.

Welcome back, Sean Lee. It's great to have you back. He played like a stud, blowing up plays in the box and tracking down Greg Paulus for a big sack late in the game. The linebackers were outstanding even without Navorro Bowman, as both

Penn State Sleepwalks Over Akron: A Critical Analysis

Benjamin Yost — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:59:33 -0400

In a weekend with top matchups and BCS busters, Penn State played a warm up game Saturday to prepare for the real regular season, with another blow out win against an over-matched MAC team in Akron. A solid performance in the first half gave way to disinterest and uneven play on both sides of the ball as the team sleepwalked to an easy 31-7 win in Beaver Stadium.

Beyond the one trick play run by safety Andrew Dailey, the offense gained less than 100 yards rushing and averaged less than four yards per carry, low-lighted by Stephfon Green's seven carries for 10 yards, including several key runs for losses in the second half to kill drives.

This is no knock on Green, as he had very little help from the O-line. Throughout the game, the offensive line was unable to create push against Akron's 3-3-5 defense, especially in key 3rd-and-short situations.

Though many commentators have focused on the way Akron's defense sold out to stop the run, I am more worried about Penn State's offensive line play. The three new starting offensive linemen gave up only one sack, but this was assisted by the fact that senior quarterback Daryll Clark boot-legged out on many of his passes.

This too was troubling, as Clark, a player with three previous concussions, was running too many naked bootlegs with unblocked defenders bearing down on him, and was blown up on one run by an Akron linebacker, knocking his helmet off, and causing all Penn State nation to hold their breath.

Run blocking seemed timid and slow, with the guards often being pushed back on block down plays, disrupting pulling linemen and running backs in the backfield.

The running game received no help from the two senior tight ends either. Both Mickey Shuler and Andrew Quarless blocked as if they may break a fingernail, not sealing smaller Akron defenders on key outside runs. And it appears now that both are a little nicked up after the game, which unfortunately is not news to anyone who has been following their careers the last four years.

The wide receivers were a completely new group, and played like it. They had their moments of absolute success, but also made a few key errors that would have cost the team against a better opponent. They looked fantastic on the two long, downfield catches for touchdowns in the first half by Derek Moye and Graham Zug.

But there were also moments of trepidation, such as Chaz Powell failing to come back for the ball and causing an interception, and a bobbled ball by Moye causing him to fail to pick up a first down. Both of these key plays came in the red zone.

The red zone was an area of aggravation that I am sure Joe Paterno will address with his team this week. Penn State failed to convert trips in the red zone into points on two crucial possessions in the first half. An area in which last years Big Ten Champions were so successful became a trouble spot for the Nittany Lions in the first half.

The interception killed one drive, and a badly pulled field goal by new starting kicker Colin Wagner ended another. The two badly missed field goals by Wagner are making us all wish for the days of cardiac Kevin Kelly (see Florida State, Orange Bowl).

The defense played lights out in the first half, with DT Jared Odrick blowing up the interior of Akron's line. Akron was unable to gain any first downs in the entire half, and only netted eight total yards on offense. The entire D-line penetrated Akron's O-line at will in the first half, as Akron was never able to establish any ground game and consistently harrassed Akron's QB, including several sacks.

The linebackers were solid, but Junior Navarro Bowman left the game early in the second quarter after reaggravating a groin injury. Sean Lee looked back in All-American form, with a few solid tackles, and looked quick on pass plays.

The secondary had its moments, but was never really challenged. The unit was solid in the first half with a pick deep in Akron territory, but still showed its weakness to the deep pass, with new safety Nick Sukay being badly beaten on a deep throw. That one pass brought back too many memories of the Rose Bowl, with wide outs running open deep, and safeties too slow to catch up with them.

I hate to sound so pessimistic, but I've seen this play out over and over. Big Ten Player of the Week Daryll Clark put up some great numbers, but so did Anthony Morelli against weaker opponents. Penn State runs over and around several patsies to warm up, but then hits an absolute brick wall in the Big Ten, as it faces actual defensive lines that will challenge the offense.

The Big Ten definitely has questions all over with Ohio State and Iowa struggling mightily, and Illinois being blown out by a rebuilding Missouri team.

Joe Paterno is quoted for saying you're never as good as you think you are when you win and you're never as bad as you think you are when you lose. It's always good to get a solid win, but there are many pieces that need to come together for another run at a championship. Hopefully the O-Line gels, the wideouts mature, and the secondary keeps its mistakes to a minimum, but lets wait and see before we start crowning anyone.

Penn State-Ohio State: Offensive, Defensive Lines Will Carry PSU to the Win

Benjamin Yost — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:48:32 -0400

I've been watching Penn State football games for 15-plus years now and have noticed one constant: When Penn State's O- and D-lines win the battles in the trenches, Penn State almost always wins.

A staple of Joe Pa's teams is they do not beat themselves, usually have very few penalties, and do not turn the ball over. To beat them, you will have to earn it.

When Penn State's lines have been good, it's usually a pretty good season, and when they are mediocre, the season is usually disappointing. This year, both lines are great, and it shows.

For years now, I've seen the lines easily push around non-conference foes but struggle against the bigger, stronger teams, like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State.

Back in 2005 versus OSU, Penn State's O-line versus OSU's D-line was a push, but Penn State's D-line versus OSU's O-line was a distinct advantage for the Lions, and therefore a close win in a defensive struggle.

Last year, both sides got dominated by OSU's lines, and the game was a blowout. This year, I see a bit of a reversal of fortunes.

Penn State's offensive line has been completely dominant against every defense they have played. The lowest scoring output of the season, against Purdue, was not the O-line's fault, but rather due to the inexplicable slipping of the skill players inside the red zone.

Penn State's defensive line has been very good and shown flashes of brilliance, especially dominant against Wisconsin and Oregon State. With the D-line applying pressure and not getting sealed off on runs, it has allowed the relatively inexperienced linebackers to make plays in space.

The only chink in the defense I've seen this season was against the spread option running quarterback of Illinois' Juice Williams. If the spread option is run correctly with an athletic quarterback, the misdirection can neutralize any disadvantage on the O-line. We saw time and again Juice getting past the linebackers to the safeties, gaining good chunks of yardage on his runs.

That brings us to this week. If Penn State's offense can snap out of the first quarter funk it's been in the last few weeks, it should be able to put up some good numbers.

On the defensive side of the ball, the struggles with Illinois' and Michigan's spread attacks, if even for part of the game, give me heartburn. Terrelle Pryor's athleticism can change the game, but he still makes the occasional mistake, and the OSU O-line has already given up more sacks this year than all of last year.

I don't think OSU's D-line can get enough pressure to disrupt Penn State's offense, and if Penn State's D-line can get the same penetration we saw USC get against OSU's O-line, Penn State should be able to get out of Columbus with a definitive win.

Penn State-Ohio State a Great Matchup—But Then What for the Nittany Lions?

Benjamin Yost — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:45:37 -0400

I've always been a big fan of Penn State vs. Ohio State. Both sides always seem to step it up for this game, and there have been some very memorable games. My personal favorite was 1997, when Curtis Enis broke out for a huge game in a fourth quarter comeback.

Win or lose, this is a big game for both teams.

I then look at the rest of the season and yawn.

Beyond playing Ohio State every year, I've never thought Penn State was a good fit in the Big Ten.

Penn State has no real rivalries with any other Big Ten schools. There are trophies for the Michigan State and Minnesota games, but come on, has Penn State ever played either team in a meaningful game for a conference title?

Every year, I look at Penn State's schedule and find very few games that are really must-see. The Big Ten slate is a bunch of games against schools I don't really know or care about: Purdue, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and so on—games with no emotion, no passion.

I long for the days where we played Pitt every year—and man, did we not get along.

I know hindsight is 20-20, but we should have joined the Big East in the early '90s. We would have been playing Pitt, Miami, West Virginia, and Syracuse every year.

With the ability to schedule four non-conference games a year, Penn State vs. Notre Dame could have developed into a great rivalry. Instead, we stopped scheduling them so we could get more home games against Akron, Temple, and Coastal Carolina.

My biggest beef is we stopped playing Pitt. You don't just play a team for 96 years and then decide to call it quits. I don't really buy the excuse that we couldn't get a deal done. It is bigheaded of us to expect a rival team to accept a two away for one home scheduling offer.

Yes we looked down on Pitt and chanted Pitt is S___, but that's what made those games great. You always looked forward to Pitt week.

Now, we can look forward to home games against Indiana and Michigan State. It just doesn't have the same feeling.

This is my first article, so feel free to chime in and give feedback.