A Slight Peek Ahead To Ohio State
October 22, 2007 by Run Up The Score!
And here it is, the two year anniversary of our unofficial rebirth. Penn State fans will never forget it. Deep down, I think some Ohio State fans were proud to be a part of it. The constant sound of the evening is what I remember most. It was far more than your standard 110,000 people yelling at once. This sound was somehow surging.
This clip?
That’s ten minutes before kickoff.
It didn’t stop until quarter past Tamba.
I don’t particularly care about Ohio State’s current ranking, it’s hard for me to believe that they’re substantially better than their 2005 team:
|
W/L |
Date |
PF |
Opponent |
PA |
Location |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
W |
09-03-2005 |
34 |
Miami (OH) |
14 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
L |
09-10-2005 |
22 |
Texas |
25 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
W |
09-17-2005 |
27 |
San Diego St. (CA) |
6 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
W |
09-24-2005 |
31 |
Iowa |
6 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
L |
10-08-2005 |
10 |
Penn St. |
17 |
State College, PA |
|
|
W |
10-15-2005 |
35 |
Michigan St. |
24 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
W |
10-22-2005 |
41 |
Indiana |
10 |
Bloomington, IN |
|
|
W |
10-29-2005 |
45 |
Minnesota |
31 |
Minneapolis, MN |
|
|
W |
11-05-2005 |
40 |
Illinois |
2 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
W |
11-12-2005 |
48 |
Northwestern (IL) |
7 |
Columbus, OH |
|
|
W |
11-19-2005 |
25 |
Michigan |
21 |
Ann Arbor, MI |
|
|
W |
01-02-2006 |
34 |
Notre Dame (IN) |
20 |
Tempe, AZ |
Fiesta Bowl |
Seriously, that OSU team was disgustingly good. This season, Ohio State’s played…kind of one good team.
I’m not saying Ohio State is awful or anything. Still, as top-ranked teams go, that’s a pretty weak resume. Washington is 2-5, but they’ve lost to Ohio State, undefeated Arizona State, USC, Oregon, and UCLA. The only other Ohio State opponent of any consequence is Purdue, who may or may not suck.
Obviously, Penn State’s current squad can’t match the 2005 edition. The 2005 team had advantages at QB, RB, OL, DL, LB, and DB. In fact, Andrew Quarless is the only conceivable upgrade when comparing 2005 to 2007. Still, you should like what you’ve seen from the Nittany Lions lately. Two dominating performances at home followed by a good win against an eventual bowl team. Freaked out by the Indiana game? Be happy that Penn State won a game in which their defense sucked and they had to kick a bunch of short field goals. On the road, that combination is a recipe for a frustrating loss 90% of the time. Penn State won. Take it.
Nothing’s impossible this season. That’s all anybody really knows.
I love how Tamba just saunters off the field after that sack.
It is going to be an incredible crazy night - if it comes even close to what it was like in ‘05, I’ll be happy. That night was my true introduction to Penn State football.
Of course, the buildup is going to be even better.
IMO, this year’s OL is way better than any PSU has fielded in the last few years or so. I was very critical of them coming into the season, and they have done nothing but exceed all of my expectations. I really thought they would struggle, but they have not. Our running game is blossoming, Morelli isn’t gettin harassed, what more do you want?
I also think MRob and Hunt made our 05 line better than they were.
WR is an upgrade. It’s all the same people (save Kilmer and Peretta) and they have improved, particularly Norwood, and we have Bell now as well (who we don’t really seem to use). I would argue special teams at Kicker, PR and KR are improved as well.
Plus Jay Paterno just gets better every week.
Your right that this team doesn’t match the 2005 team but its not as big a defference as you make it. Certainly Robinson was a better QB but it was the year before Hunt had his really big year. The current RBs are at least as good as Hunt that year and Royster has the portential to be just as good as Hunt. This years OL is better and while its close, this year’s DBs are better as well.
LB and DL are overall about the same with a slight nod to the 2005 DL because of a pretty good defensive end. In the end I am confident the PSU will beat Ohio Sate. Partly because OSU is not as good as they were in 2005 but more importantly because PSU is a better than they have shown to date..
I am still not sold on this team or the QB, they have not played great in any big game except for maybe Tennesee (who was not that good).
Joe/Jay/AM will blow the game but it will be a hell of a party
PSU - 10
OSU - 24
OSU will probably get about 17 points… like Michigan did last year. That means we’ll be needing 18… and I believe we can do it.
Go State… Beat Nuts!
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