Across The Web: Penn State

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Now that we’re all rested and ready for the  stretch run at the Big T1e1n Title, we’re continuing our series of web-terviews with other conference bloggers.

This week, our friend Mike from Linebacker U was kind enough to do a little give and take with us- you can check out our thoughts on his questions here.

Who is Matt McGloin? He’s been incredibly successful in his two starts; what does he bring to the table for Penn State?

He brings a swagger to the quarterback position that I’m not sure Rob Bolden yet possesses. It’s more a product of McGloin’s circumstances–he’s a walk-on, less physically talented, has been in the program for two years–than anything else. Once Bolden matures, he will be (hopefully) one of the best quarterbacks Penn State has ever had. But we like McGloin. He’s done very well, and having two very good quarterbacks is better than none.

It should be noted, however, that McGloin has also been the benefactor of a greatly improved offensive line and running game (Evan Royster and Silas Redd each topped 130 yds vs Northwestern), while facing defenses light years behind those of Alabama, Iowa, and Illinois (despite last week’s debacle vs Michigan). If McGloin had to face the early season teams Bolden went up against, I’m not so sure Mac would have done any better.

Evan Royster is the career rushing record holder, but is he the greatest Penn State running back ever? If not, who would you give that title to?

No, he’s not the greatest. It’s tough to really gauge, since many of them played before I was even born. But watching old games (I’m a big student of history), I would have to agree with common Penn State wisdom that Curt Warner remains the greatest running back to ever wear the blue and white. Royster would rank somewhere in the top four or five, in terms of career success. If he finishes with 1,000 yards (highly unlikely due to slow start/O-line), he would be the first ever to have three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. But the ability to completely dominate multiple games each season is not in his repertoire. I will say this, since I have the Scarlet and Gray floor for a minute, watch out for true freshman Silas Redd. He is already drawing direct comparisons to Warner.

Last weekend against Northwestern, the Nittany Lions went down 21-0 in the 2nd quarter.  After that, the Lions rallied and scored 35 unanswered through the rest of the game to secure the win.  What changed during the second quarter to spark the rally?

Tom Bradley has gotten a bad wrap within the fanbase the past few seasons, stemming from the 2009 Rose Bowl when Mark Sanchez torched PSU for 400 yards. Most fans say his defenses are too simple (cover 3), and aren’t aggressive enough. I find that completely ridiculous. Bradley is the reason Penn State was able to win the game last weekend. His halftime adjustments–blitzing, press, attacking D—were a thing of beauty. Personally, I have never seen a game swing so drastically from one half to the next.

Who is one player on your offense and your defense that we should know about but probably don’t?

I’ll go back to Redd on offense, and Devon Still on defense. Ohio State fans expecting slow-developing, momentum-based running, as seen with most PSU backs the last few seasons, could be in for a surprise with Redd. This isn’t to say he’ll run for 100 yards against the Buckeyes. But Redd isn’t “shifty” or “smooth” like Royster. Redd is 5 feet 10 inches of pure explosiveness. His ability to juke a defender out of his shoes, then reach top speed before clearing the would-be tackler is a thing to behold.

On the defensive line, Still has taken over for Jared Odrick. While Ollie Ogbu is the veteran DT everyone knows (and a captain), Penn State’s defensive line would be completely worthless without the combination of Obgu AND Still. He leads the team in sacks, so it’s not just stuffing the run for Still.

Does playing against former Pennsylvania standouts make a game more important for PSU’s players?  I know that the fans have been interested in seeing Terrelle lose; do you think that carries over to the players who may have played high school ball with/against Dorian Bell, Jordan Hall, Andrew Sweat, and either of the Corey Browns?

Not really. Especially when you consider about half of the players on Penn State’s roster aren’t from Pennsylvania. But the whole Terrelle thing is very overblown. You Buckeyes fans know all to well what a few bad eggs can do to your fanbase’s reputation. Do I like TP’s attitude and demeanor? No comment. But I could care less if he’s on the field when Penn State beats Ohio State. It’s the team I care about beating, not the player.

Joe Paterno was able to secure his 400th career victory with the win over Northwestern.  What does that mean to Penn State fans?  (P.S. I’m glad you didn’t come into the OSU game with 399…we remember who lost to get him the all time record for most wins)

I shouldn’t tell you this, because your fans will just make fun of us. But there were about 3000 empty seats in Beaver Stadium last week. So I don’t imagine it mattered to as many “fans” as we thought. For me, I will never forget being there on the field as Joe was carried off by his players. It was an honor and a privilege that I don’t take for granted.

Although the question of when Paterno should call it quits has been discussed extensively, there will come a time when he will in fact retire.  What will expectations be like for the team in those first couple years after he leaves?

Penn State should be able to keep winning games after Joe leaves. There are a ton of doom-and-gloomers out there, but they’re just trying to stir up chatter and sell newspapers. There is so much raw talent on this team right now, there is no way they could lose consistently for at least the next three or four seasons. Then again, Joe may not be gone at that point either. Oh, and don’t believe the crap about how Joe is hurting recruiting, or that Penn State’s recruiting is ruined. Those saying that seem to forget that Penn State has been right there with Ohio State at the top of the Big Ten recruiting rankings the last four or five seasons. One bad class doesn’t ruin a program.

Penn State is a great football school with a crazy game-day atmosphere.  What is the best part about being a student football fan at Penn State?

I haven’t been a student since 2006. My experience was different because I was in the Penn State Blue Band. Every home game for four years, from 2002 thru 2005, can really turn you from a casual fan to a college football maniac. That’s exactly what happened to me. The single most memorable part of the Penn State football experience was being there for the first “White Out” against Purdue in 2004. Penn State lost that game, but it basically created the monster you see today. The problem in recent years is that no current student experienced the “dark years,” meaning there is little or no perspective among the student (or regular) fan base. My senior season in the band (2005), winning games was like winning the lottery for every student who suffered the previous five years. Now, students can’t even show up for 3:30 kickoffs against a Big Ten opponent when Joe Paterno could win his 400th game.

Last week, Ohio State received a verbal commitment from Conner Crowell- a linebacker from Maryland that many thought was a Penn State lock. At this point, the Nittany Lions only have four commitments, and some of their previous “home runs” have not worked out (Kevin Newsome). Do PSU fans have any concern about the state of recruiting? What do you attribute the low numbers to, or are we misreading this?

Fans are concerned, but that’s because they’re the ones hooked on the dreadful message boards at the premium recruiting sites. But any sane human being understands that this was going to be a down year recruiting. Penn State only has about 14 scholarships to offer in this class, while the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is going through one of the worst years ever in terms of producing in-state talent. It’s a perfect storm creating Penn State’s bad recruiting year, but it’s being overblown by those who lack reason.

What are your thoughts on the new conference alignments? If expansion continues, who would you like to see added?

Take an eastern team. Hands down. If Notre Dame doesn’t budge (those stubborn you-know-whats that they are), the Big Ten should look towards teams like Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse or even Pitt. But it will all depend on how those programs look in the next few seasons. If Syracuse is actually on the upswing, and can win 9-10 games a year in the Big East, I say go with the Orange as a first choice. Same goes for Rutgers or Maryland. They both offer big markets (DC/NYC), but it will depend on how their programs progress the next two or three seasons.

Thanks for having me on at the BBC. Good luck to the Bucks this weekend, but not too much, of course…