NFL
By: Courtney Walsh
Why beat around the bush? This season so far has sucked. This isn’t the Happy Valley debut Matt Campbell fans saw coming. After a 3-0 start that had me buying in, Penn State is 3-4, 0-4 in conference, and hasn’t won since September 19th. I’ve spent weeks deciding whether to be pissed off or patient, and I keep landing somewhere in the middle.
Here is why I haven’t thrown the season away YET: take away the butt-kicking by Northwestern, and we lost all our other games by 15pts. combined. See! A little glimmer of hope. It also shows this team hasn’t learned how to finish. Three of the four losses, Penn State has allowed a game-winning or clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter. Can that be fixed by Saturday?
So, what is there to look forward to? I say more than you think.
Penn State is getting healthy. The offensive line is healthier than it has been since training camp; wideout Brett Eskildsen is back in the lineup. Losing Koby Howard in the Buffalo game hurts; the entire offense has felt it. Chase Soweel was big against Michigan, and linebacker Tony Rojas has been a tackling machine for three straight games with 10-plus tackles, a stat we haven’t seen since Micah Parsons wore the school colors.
Second is the road ahead. The final five games are all very winnable, and three more dubs make us bowl-eligible. Not the goal we all wanted, but it is a goal, right? And worth playing for it.
Next up is Purdue, who has the same record as us and comes off the bye week. We shouldn’t sleep on quarterback Ryan Browne or running back Fame Ijeboi, who has been to the end zone 9 times and counting. The Boilermakers have an easy formula: protect the football and give the ball to their playmakers. They have scored in 32 of 34 red zone trips, a stat not to take lightly.
Purdue hasn’t beaten us since 2004, but this year we’ve learned that doesn’t matter. History won’t be suiting up and trying to stop Ijeboi, and we have to play smart. So far, 309 yards in penalties, 31 total flags, 129th in the country. That is the sort of stat that makes you 0-4 in conference play.
A little quarterback talk seems like it was years ago, back when we thought Rocco Becht was about to do something special this season. Has the Big Ten exposed him? Rumors that maybe head coach Matt Campbell should make a switch. I say we wait and see if he can find the secret sauce; from early season, Saturday would be a good place to start.
Coach sounded upbeat this week, saying the group has “demanded to fight back.” Do we believe him? If so, I need it on the scoreboard Saturday. My pick is a 27-20 Penn State win. Not pretty, but a W nonetheless. #WeAre
