The Blue White Round Table is back for week two and what a game we have to look forward to this week. Alabama makes their first trip to State College since before The Simpsons was on the air as a sitcom. Adam over at Black Shoe Diaries has once again submitted these questions. Oh, and don’t forget to vote for us in the CBS Philly Most Valuable Blogger Awards. The deadline is creeping up in a couple of days! (Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter too).
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Did either QB show you enough to make you confident in our offense for the year? Who’s your guy for this week?
Nope.
I honestly felt that both quarterbacks played pretty evenly when you compare the two. Matt McGloin had the better numbers but if Derek Moye and Justin Brown can hang on to a couple decent passes then Rob Bolden’s numbers look a little different. While I feel Bolden played well enough to get another start (even if splitting time), there was no question that the offense was more consistent with McGloin under center. It helped that his receivers were more open than when Bolden was playing. Were receivers making adjustments as the game progressed, which would have benefited McGloin? Perhaps.
I would put the offense in Bolden’s hands, and see what he does against a tougher defense. He says he has grown a lot since last year’s game, and I tend to believe it. We just need to see it on the field.
As I said yesterday, it would not shock me to see this quarterback competition go on for another week or two, and it will be settled before Big Ten conference play opens up in October against Indiana.
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What’s your preferred offensive game plan headed into this Saturday?
I think the running game needs to take charge early. It is the strength of the team at this point, but running agianst Alabama is going to be very tough. I think this is a good situation for Penn State to mix in a couple of plays to open up the offense though and it will be important to pull them off flawlessly. Nick Saban’s defense may be fooled once, but they will not be fooled twice, or three times.
I would look for a trick play, perhaps a wide receiver pass, in the first quarter. Whoever is under center, look for a deep pass early on, but as the game progresses I don’t think we’ll see anything too fancy. Penn State will rely on that running game.
Who’s the most important player on our defense this weekend?
Tough one, because I want to say the entire defensive line, but I’ll narrow it down and say Devon Still.
The defensive line needs to bring pressure on the quarterbacks Alabama will be trotting out to the field. Do that and they will be more likely to make a mistake under pressure, just as they did last week against Kent State. Still is the emerging player on the defensive line so he will liekly receive some more attention from Alabama’s offensive line, but if Jack Crawford can perform well on the end then it coudl relieve some of the pressure on Still.
How big of an upset is it if Penn State beats the Crimson Tide?
I honestly don’t know if it would be considered a major upset, because Penn State is ranked and they are playing at home. Penn State’s defense is pretty good and the running game will be respected soon enough. The biggest question is the passing game, and fortunately for Penn State (perhaps), Alabama also has a quarterback battle going on. But this is a very good Alabama team coming in to town this weekend. The defense is stacked and Trent Richardson is one of my favorite players to watch. I remember very well how much Richardson abused the defense last year but I expect Penn State to remember it as well and learn from their mistakes.
Think about this. It is not very often that Penn State is abused two years in a row. Even against teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa I believe Penn State has generally has avoided being blown away in consecutive seasons on a regular basis. I would expect Penn State to play a much better game against Alabama this year than they did last year. Will they win? Probably not, but they’ll be in the game in to the fourth quarter.
Upset? Absolutely. Shocker? Not at all.
Prediction?
I think Alabama goes home with a win, but they’ll have to fight for it. I’m not sure what to make of their quarterback situation but I do think it is potentially better off than Penn State’s. I think Alabama has the edge in the trenches (both sides of the ball), and I think they have a slightly better running game than Penn State. Alabama has a better defense, but Penn State’s defense is going to be in good shape with their secondary and linebackers against young quarterbacks playing on the road.
but when the game matters the most, Nick Saban will depend on his running game, and it will eventually wear down Penn State a bit. I think Alabama holds a lead for most of the game and tacks on some late points to lock it up.
Alabama 20, Penn State 17
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Sorry, I couldn’t resist reminding everyone just how lame Alabama can be.
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