"Just Win Baby."
I have to admit I was in doubt when my Nittany Lions faced a 4th & 15, down by 2 in the final moments of Saturday's game at Northwestern. The entire game brought back flashes of the past few seasons of futility. I just knew this was going to be more of the same. But then something unexpected happen... Penn State found itself.
The Nittany Lions found that winning "we can do it" attitude that for the past 3 seasons, they only spoke of in post-game press conferences. They found the talented players who can beat defenses deep. Michael Robinson found his niche as a leader. Jay Paterno found the right passing plays to call. Penn State found a win where in the recent past there had been bitter defeat.
Just win baby!
Leading up to the game I had read articles and blogs demanding a 2-3 touchdown margin of victory over NW. I find that attitude insane and ridiculous on so many levels. Most importantly, PSU needed a win, nothing more and quite frankly, nothing less.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette jerk-wad Ron Cook believes that had Penn State been playing anyone else in the Big Ten, the outcome would have been different. Penn State, and in my opinion college football in general, is long past the era of "also-ran" conference opponents. Ask #9 Louisville about "also-ran" South Florida. Ask Ole Miss & Arkansas about "also-ran" Vanderbilt. I'm not a college football expert (not that any of these sports reporting yeah-hoos are either) but I know that on any given Saturday regardless of the spreads, last week's results, and season record that a conference opponent is dangerous, especially on the road.
In my humble opinion, Penn State can gain more from this close win than they would have from a 3 touchdown blowout. This win can give this team the confidence they need to springboard into a big season.
The Nittany Lions found that winning "we can do it" attitude that for the past 3 seasons, they only spoke of in post-game press conferences. They found the talented players who can beat defenses deep. Michael Robinson found his niche as a leader. Jay Paterno found the right passing plays to call. Penn State found a win where in the recent past there had been bitter defeat.
Just win baby!
Leading up to the game I had read articles and blogs demanding a 2-3 touchdown margin of victory over NW. I find that attitude insane and ridiculous on so many levels. Most importantly, PSU needed a win, nothing more and quite frankly, nothing less.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette jerk-wad Ron Cook believes that had Penn State been playing anyone else in the Big Ten, the outcome would have been different. Penn State, and in my opinion college football in general, is long past the era of "also-ran" conference opponents. Ask #9 Louisville about "also-ran" South Florida. Ask Ole Miss & Arkansas about "also-ran" Vanderbilt. I'm not a college football expert (not that any of these sports reporting yeah-hoos are either) but I know that on any given Saturday regardless of the spreads, last week's results, and season record that a conference opponent is dangerous, especially on the road.
In my humble opinion, Penn State can gain more from this close win than they would have from a 3 touchdown blowout. This win can give this team the confidence they need to springboard into a big season.
posted by The Commish at 11:30 AM
1 Comments:
Really good points. I think that there is a lot of parity out there basically in all sports. The reason, kids want to play and they do not want to go and sit two years. So instead of the mid caliber player signing with Miami or FSU like in the past, they are going to schools like Boise State, the MAC schools and even Northwestern. They know if they are good enough for the next level they will be found no matter where they are.
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