Zombie Nation: June 2007

6.24.2007

Sidelined

Turns out I have to get urgent surgery this week. I guess it was more serious than anyone thought. Crohn's Disease is a real bitch. Wish me luck and I'll see you all again in a few weeks.

6.07.2007

Will Derrick Williams ever live up to the hype? Actually, yes.

You can call me crazy, but I maintain the firm belief that D-Wheels has lived up to the hype. Now I will explain why.

Just look at the seasons prior to the "Fab Four" arriving in Happy Valley. Nine losses? Seven losses? Not my idea of "down years." No, they were in fact an implosion of epic proportions. How may times in those two horrible seasons were fans screaming for a spark - even a flicker - from the offense when the team needed it most?

With the departure of Larry Johnson and his fellow seniors, Penn State was staring down the barrel of the "rebuilding year" gun. The problem was, the gun wasn't the usual pistol or rifle. The Nittany Lions were facing a 155mm Howitzer.

Two years have passed since the chosen ones signed with Penn State in 2005, and if any fan doubts their influence, they have no clue what they're talking about. The argument is whether Derrick Williams has lived up to the hype as a No. 1 recruit. I ask the question: If Williams were to sign instead with a team like Maryland, Pitt, or shock everyone like Juice Williams and sign with a disaster like Illinois, would he still face this kind of scrutiny?

I'm sorry, whether you want to believe it or not, one player cannot win every game for his team. Those were the kind of expectations thrown at Williams. Let's just say Williams did not sign with Penn State. Where would Justin King be right now? Oh yeah, that's right he would be sitting pretty down in Gainesville with a national title under his belt.

Derrick Williams did more for the program than any single player has done in a long, long time.

If you need any clarification, look back at the tapes from 2005. His ankle-breaking juke against Minnesota? The game winning catch against Northwestern? And that was only in a half-season.

Every sane fan should have known that with M-Rob, the entire secondary, and 3/4 of an excellent defensive line, the win total from 2005 could not be repeated. That said, nine wins in 2006 was gargantuan for the spirits at Penn State. Joe Paterno knew it would be a year to rebuild, and even though they would never admit it in a thousand years, the players knew it, too.

There's a reason they call it the "sophomore slump."

6.06.2007

Shitt on Pitt (Not really, this time)

The Penn State - Pitt rivalry should be resuscitated anytime now! Well, at least that's what former players and coaches said this week at a charity golf tournament. Everyone from Shane Conlan to Jackie Sherrill gave their two cents to support renewing one of the greatest college football slug-fests of all time.

Even Heisman Trophy-winner Tony Dorsett stressed the importance of the rivalry, saying in the article that if the powers that be want it "they can make it happen."

So true, Tony.

Next to the eight consecutive losses to Them, the sour taste of the 12-0 loss to Pitt in 2000 lingers in Happy Valley. And now that Penn State is competitive again, there is even more pressure to schedule BCS schools for the non-conference slate each year.

If Graham "Cracker" Spanier and Joe Paterno want to get the respect in the polls Penn State has been missing the last few years, they will have to accept the fact that only one quality BCS team won't get the job done in the minds of voters.

Imagine if Penn State landed Notre Dame on the schedule in 2005, a year earlier, instead of South Florida, Cincinnati or Central Michigan. Better yet, think of this. Alabama was originally on the schedule for a two-game series in 2004-2005. What if there was no chickening out by the Tide, who requested the games be rescheduled for 2013-2014? Depending on the outcome, that should-have-been 2005 match up would have had voters and fans looking back saying "Wow, that game helped shape the entire season."

And it would have. What if Penn State lost? No BCS, plain and simple. What if 'Bama lost? No SI cover shot a few weeks later after waxing Florida.

With the increase to 12 games, the BCS conferences have really no excuse for their paltry scheduling decisions. Back before the conglomeration of college football in the 90s, teams could schedule teams that would give them the best chance of winning over the hearts and minds of voters.

It was all about the polls. Not no more it ain't.

Now, the goal is to schedule maybe one tough non-conference game to get the early season TV time, and hopefully make it out with the league title and the automatic BCS bid.

The competition on a national scale is long gone. Penn State used to play Miami (Fla.), Alabama, Notre Dame, North Carolina State, Pitt, Syracuse, Maryland, Southern California, Army and Nebraska every or nearly every season. Those games brought in a national telecast almost every time and would have fans from, let's say, Nebraska talking about eastern football.

Actually, if it wasn't for those games Penn State used to play, the upcoming series with Alabama, Syracuse, and the past games against Nebraska and Notre Dame would hardly have such meaning.

Bottom Line: Don't wuss out when it comes to taking on a few big boys each year outside of the conference. Even better - oh no, I'll actually say it - go on the road to play in front of 80,000 roaring fans! Then you'll never have to use the "you don't respect us" line again.

6.05.2007

Cavaliers Return To Schedule

Penn State announced it will play another two-game series with the University of Virginia in 2012-2013.

In case you missed it five years ago, it was a freezing November afternoon as Penn State and Virginia faced off in Beaver Stadium. Larry Johnson was on a roll, coming off a 279 yard demolition of Illinois the week before and the Heisman hype was growing. LJ didn't disappoint. He torched the Cavaliers for 188 yards and two scores in the 35-14 win. It was nice revenge for the year before, when UVA dashed PSU's bowl hopes with a season-ending 20-14 loss in Charlottesville.

Now, the "rivalry" has been renewed. But with each program drifting in considerably different directions, one can only speculate whether the series will be split or Penn State will sweep.
Photo: gopsusports.com

6.02.2007

Open 'Til 1 a.m. Or Later

So, being the dumb-ass I am, I reached for some Tylenol to battle this fever I came down with today. Unfortunately, I left the Excedrin Migraine right next to the Tylenol bottle. Consequently, I am now hopped up on three Excedrin Migraine which have huge amounts of caffeine in them.

What else can I do now, at 4:30 a.m. but write about Penn State football?

A good number of Nittany Nationals seemed to be pissed off about Penn State's overall performance in 2006. There was talk about how the team couldn't live up to its potential and how they couldn't win the big games. I agree, you are all completely correct, but every single fan of Penn State football should have expected that from last year's squad. There was absolutely no reason to view Penn State as a Big Ten title contender last year, never-mind a BCS team. That's right, I'm going to say it, but no one will like it: Penn State in fact overachieved last season.

"What?!" you exclaim.

After getting pasted by Notre Dame, and completely falling apart against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions of old would have packed it in and gone 5-7 or 4-8. Not this team. Instead, they used every loss in 2006 as a stepping stone to better play each week. Granted, some of the wins were uglier than they should have been (think Illinois killing PSU in total yardage), but Penn State somehow found a way to beat the teams they should, something that was painfully missing during 2000-2004.

I've gone on record before saying Penn State is actually in a better position now than it was during the "old days" in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Especially evident in the 80's, Penn State would have a huge season (think two national championships), but then take two or three years to rebuild, usually suffering an embarrassing six or seven-win season in the process.

Look at Penn State now. The program has elevated to the level where there is no more "rebuilding years," just "reloading years." There is more depth on this team than most other years combined. Recruiting has been above average or good for three straight years, and although no one should expect 11-12 wins every year for the next decade (think 70's) anything less than nine or ten wins should be considered a huge disappointment.

In a way, 2006 could have been the best year for this program in a long, long time. It showed that Penn State is at a point again where eight or nine wins pisses fans off and gets the team thinking "that's not good enough." For someone who struggled through the worst five-year stretch in Nittany Lion football history, there should be nothing but optimism going into 2007, even if some on the defense act like morons off the field.