Penn State Football: Week 13 Review and Bowl Preview

Week 13 Review

Penn State finished the regular season on a cold and snowy afternoon in Happy Valley last Saturday with a blowout win over Michigan State.  The Nittany Lions defeated the Spartans by a score of 49-18 to secure a share of the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten’s automatic bid to a BCS bowl.

In my season prediction article from the summer, I had predicted that Penn State would win this game by a score of 45-20.  This was probably my most accurate prediction of the season, and it is fitting for their last regular season game.

Penn State came out and played brilliantly from start to finish of this game.  The score was 49-7 in favor of Penn State early in the fourth quarter before Michigan State scored some meaningless points at the end of the game.

For the PSU seniors that played in their last game at Beaver Stadium, this game could have not been any better.

Senior safety Anthony Scirotto had four tackles and an interception.

Senior safety Mark Rubin had eight tackles.

Senior linebacker Tyrell Sales had six tackles.

Senior cornerback Lydell Sargeant had three tackles and an interception.

Senior cornerback Tony Davis had three tackles.

Senior wide receiver Derrick Williams had 51 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Senior wide receiver Jordan Norwood had 127 yards receiving.

Senior wide receiver Deon Butler had 133 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Senior fullback Dan Lawlor had a rushing touchdown.

Senior quarterback Paul Cianciolo completed his only pass of the game.

Senior kicker Kevin Kelly was 7-7 on extra points and recorded a tackle on a kickoff.

But the undisputed player of the game for Penn State was not a senior.  It was junior quarterback Daryll Clark.

Clark finished the game with 341 yards on 16-26 passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions.  The passing yardage and touchdowns were both career highs for Clark.  Clark also had a rushing touchdown to bring his total touchdowns to five for the game.

In last week’s edition, I mentioned that a possible explanation for Clark’s poor play in the last few games could be lingering effects from his concussion suffered in the Ohio State game.  I compared him to NFL quarterback Trent Edwards, who also had struggled since coming off a concussion.  It is interesting to note that Trent Edwards, like Clark, also had a breakout performance on Sunday.

I don’t think there is any reason to worry about Clark’s subpar play in prior weeks.  Expect him to perform at an optimal level in Penn State’s bowl game.

Another thing that cannot go without mentioning in this game was the effort of the Penn State defense.  Michigan State running back Javon Ringer came into the game as the leading rusher in the Big Ten and a potential Heisman candidate.  He left the game with only 42 yards rushing on 17 carries. 

The Nittany Lions forced Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer to beat them in the passing game, and he fell far short of the mark set by Clark on the other side of the ball.

Bowl Preview

With their win against Michigan State, Penn State finished the regular season with a record of 11-1, going 7-1 in the Big Ten.

Their record in the Big Ten was matched by Ohio State, but Penn State will represent the Big Ten in a BCS game by virtue of their head-to-head defeat of the Buckeyes earlier in the season.

It is also nearly certain, as the Big Ten representative, that Penn State will play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Even the most optimistic PSU fans have to accept that Penn State’s national championship aspirations are dead now, as Penn State remained behind both Utah and Texas Tech in the latest BCS rankings.

It is a very interesting topic as to who Penn State will meet in the Rose Bowl.  The Rose Bowl features the Big Ten Champion against the Pac-10 Champion.  The Pac-10 Champion is still undecided at this point. 

Oregon State and USC are both 7-1 in conference games with one conference game remaining.  Oregon State has yet to play Oregon, and USC still has to play against UCLA. 

Should both teams remain tied at the top of the standings, it will be Oregon State that will represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl due to their head-to-head victory over USC earlier in the season.  This is terrible news for PSU fans, as Penn State has already defeated Oregon State this season by a score of 45-14.

As a fan, I want Penn State to have the opportunity to prove themselves against one of the teams to be considered the best in the country.  USC would provide that opportunity, and Oregon State certainly would not.  Having already blown out the Beavers, Penn State will find it nearly impossible to impress in a second game against Oregon State.

The only way for Penn State to find USC as their opponent in the Rose Bowl, then, is for Oregon State to lose to Oregon, and also for USC to defeat UCLA.

It seems likely that USC will defeat UCLA, as UCLA has a record of only 4-6 on the season. 

There is also a reasonable chance that Oregon State could lose to Oregon.  This is a rivalry game, and both teams have the same overall record.  Oregon State also has injuries to their starting quarterback and starting running back that kept them both out of their last game.  The game will be played on Oregon State’s home field, however.

No matter who Penn State ends up facing in the Rose Bowl, I like their chances.  Penn State has won all of their bowl games in the past three seasons.  They have defeated a team from the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 in those three wins.

Penn State’s defense is good enough to shut down the talented offenses it could be facing in Pasadena, and their offense is certainly equipped with enough weapons to put some points up on the board.