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ALL IS NOT LOST; LIONS STILL HAVE A WORTHY GOAL TO REACH
It’s pretty common these days for the media and the fans of college football to make some snap decisions about a lot of teams based on a few early season performances. That sure seems to be happening right now with Penn State.
Obviously, the Nittany Lions’ conference opening setback to Iowa at Beaver Stadium was disappointing. But it hardly means that PSU’s season is doomed to failure.
The Lions have an ugly blemish on their record, but it’s just one. And there are eight more Saturday’s left in the regular season. Things can turn around awfully quick.
“You learn from your mistakes and listen to your coaches,” said linebacker Navorro Bowman. “Those guys know what they are doing. As a team need to … trust our strategies. We need to focus on the little things that made us lose. It was a tough loss but I’m sure we will bounce back from it.”
Penn State is favored by a touchdown at Illinois on Saturday, and will likely be favored in the next five outings. If PSU is 8-1 heading into the Ohio State showdown on Nov. 7, who’s to say the Lions have no chance against the visiting Buckeyes? It has the look of a toss-up right now.
Let’s face it: nobody in the Big Ten is without glaring flaws. Iowa may be the flavor of the week right now, but they have a brutal schedule ahead, including road trips to Madison, Columbus and East Lansing. Michigan’s defense is surrendering an average of 386 yards per game so far against lackluster opponents like Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Indiana. And the only other teams without a conference defeat are Minnesota and Wisconsin, and they play each other this weekend.
The point is that Penn State is OK right now. It may not be able to recover enough for a berth in the BCS Championship Game, but they are still a major player in the Big Ten race. Even if the offense continues to struggle, the Lions will win a lot of games due to their stout defense.
And winning the conference crown should be PSU’s prime goal anyway. Keep in mind that in 16 seasons since joining the Big Ten, Penn State has won just three league titles, so it certainly isn’t beneath the program to aim for a goal that is a bit more realistic. How many times have the Lions played in the BCS title game anyway?
“Big Ten titles are pretty hard to come by,” said safety Drew Asterino. “We still have to work for that and there is still a long season ahead.”
-- NEIL GEOGHEGAN
Obviously, the Nittany Lions’ conference opening setback to Iowa at Beaver Stadium was disappointing. But it hardly means that PSU’s season is doomed to failure.
The Lions have an ugly blemish on their record, but it’s just one. And there are eight more Saturday’s left in the regular season. Things can turn around awfully quick.
“You learn from your mistakes and listen to your coaches,” said linebacker Navorro Bowman. “Those guys know what they are doing. As a team need to … trust our strategies. We need to focus on the little things that made us lose. It was a tough loss but I’m sure we will bounce back from it.”
Penn State is favored by a touchdown at Illinois on Saturday, and will likely be favored in the next five outings. If PSU is 8-1 heading into the Ohio State showdown on Nov. 7, who’s to say the Lions have no chance against the visiting Buckeyes? It has the look of a toss-up right now.
Let’s face it: nobody in the Big Ten is without glaring flaws. Iowa may be the flavor of the week right now, but they have a brutal schedule ahead, including road trips to Madison, Columbus and East Lansing. Michigan’s defense is surrendering an average of 386 yards per game so far against lackluster opponents like Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Indiana. And the only other teams without a conference defeat are Minnesota and Wisconsin, and they play each other this weekend.
The point is that Penn State is OK right now. It may not be able to recover enough for a berth in the BCS Championship Game, but they are still a major player in the Big Ten race. Even if the offense continues to struggle, the Lions will win a lot of games due to their stout defense.
And winning the conference crown should be PSU’s prime goal anyway. Keep in mind that in 16 seasons since joining the Big Ten, Penn State has won just three league titles, so it certainly isn’t beneath the program to aim for a goal that is a bit more realistic. How many times have the Lions played in the BCS title game anyway?
“Big Ten titles are pretty hard to come by,” said safety Drew Asterino. “We still have to work for that and there is still a long season ahead.”
-- NEIL GEOGHEGAN
posted by Nittany Lines at
5:43 PM
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