Well, the Rose Bowl was disappointing to say the least. The 2nd quarter was downright infuriating. I was furious at Tom Bradley for not making defensive adjustments to stop the USC passing game. Mark Sanchez was on fire as he picked apart the secondary hitting his receivers on an endless barrage of seam routes. I wanted to see more pressure upfront and chipping the receivers at the line of scrimmage to create disruption in the passing game. However, none of that was to be.
Admittedly, I am far from an expert. That is why I watch the games on TV and not roaming the sidelines calling plays and defensive schemes. Obvioulsy, my view from the TV screen was limited and I did not spend hours in game prep. However, as a fan it was frustrating to watch a great defense get picked apart.
To add to the frustration was the costly penalties and mistakes that negated big plays and slowed down drives. The USC defense did enough to give the offense the ball and all Penn State could do was hang on until half-time.
Give credit to the team for playing hard and with results in the second half. However, USC's lead was too much to overcome.
My only criticism of the play calling on offense was the slow developing run on 3rd and less than a yard (or was it 4th down?) in the 2nd quarter when a QB sneak would have probably picked up the 1st down. I also wanted to see more passes down the field but the quickness of the USC defense put the pressure on enough to hinder any chances of going down the field until late in the game.
In the 2nd half, following USC's fumble, I would have liked to have seen them go for a big play down the field for a quick score or to set up one on the next play. I think that would have rewarded a demoralized defense and inspired thier play. It definitely would have changed the momentum of the game. Instead, Penn State ran the ball and ended up eventually giving the ball back to USC. Another critical play, was USC's last touchdown when the Penn State defensive back was caught looking in the back field and left his man streaking down the field wide open.
The difference in the game of course, was Mark Sanchez. He completed 82% of his passes. He hit his receivers in stride and was pretty much on target with his throws. His receivers did not have to make any difficult catches. If he is a little off in his timing and off target, it probably is a completely different ball game. He stepped up in a big way in a big game.
The Big Ten is definitely in a down-cycle when it comes to playing big games on the national stage. I agree with Kirk Herbstreit in his assesment of the quickness of the Big Ten versus other conferences is mostly seen in the offensive and defensive lineman and linebackers not the secondary and skill positions. USC's quickenss on the line allowed them to pressure Penn State's offense enough especially, in the 2nd quarter and their offensive line was quick enough to negate a talented defense.
It was not the ending any Penn State fan wanted to the season. But, it was great year--11-2 & Big Ten Champs. They were an exciting team to watch. They should be proud of what they accomplished. Looking forward to 2009! Fight on State!
No comments:
Post a Comment