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Let's Talk Penn State Football (1 Viewer)

There is a ridiculous number of PSU players in the transfer portal.  Do they know something others don't?  I was looking at the list and these are all higher profile kids.

 
Mad Cow said:
There is a ridiculous number of PSU players in the transfer portal.  Do they know something others don't?  I was looking at the list and these are all higher profile kids.
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I've been wondering that for a few weeks now.  Something's up.  Even some of the guys who declared for the draft don't seem like the ones who would've otherwise gone.

 
I think Franklin wants to get to "Elite" status and did the same thing that lots of elite teams do: be honest in your end of year evals with players and tell them that they're unlikely to contribute in the coming years. Johnson was likely passed by the Freshman WRs and Wade hasn't made the impact expected. Add in the new ease of the transfer portal and bam, you have a bunch of kids leaving. Makes us weaker in terms of depth in the short term, but likely makes us stronger a couple of years from now. At least IMO.

 
ConstruxBoy said:
I think Franklin wants to get to "Elite" status and did the same thing that lots of elite teams do: be honest in your end of year evals with players and tell them that they're unlikely to contribute in the coming years. Johnson was likely passed by the Freshman WRs and Wade hasn't made the impact expected. Add in the new ease of the transfer portal and bam, you have a bunch of kids leaving. Makes us weaker in terms of depth in the short term, but likely makes us stronger a couple of years from now. At least IMO.
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Wade tweeted out that he is staying.

 
CentralPA said:
Wade tweeted out that he is staying.
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That's too bad. He's been a huge bust. Agree with @ConstruxBoy 's assessment above. All of the players leaving fall into one of these 3 categories...

1) good enough to go to the NFL early
2) not good enough to stave off the talent coming in behind them
3) leaving for reasons outside of football

 
Trey said:
Seems like he’s honestly running away from competition? Or maybe seeking a medical redshirt somewhere he can start the following year? Timing is wild. 
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I assume this means his recent meeting with Franklin didnt go well. Cant really blame Stevens for transferring if he doesn't get the nod. Also cant blame Franklin if he feels Clifford is the better option. Part of the game.

 
E-Z Glider said:
I assume this means his recent meeting with Franklin didnt go well. Cant really blame Stevens for transferring if he doesn't get the nod. Also cant blame Franklin if he feels Clifford is the better option. Part of the game.
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Franklin has a pretty fine line to walk.

  1. If he is just blindly loyal (and doesn't drive and reward competition), he risks alienating some players. He got a lot of grief for continuing to roll out a lost Koa Farmer game after game last year.
  2. If he takes the "survival of the fittest" approach, we see the exodus we saw this offseason with players that have been passed on the depth chart entering the transfer portal looking for better prospects elsewhere
  3. All the while, he has the whole "elite" speech from after OSU '18 hanging over him and much of Nittany Nation parsing every word and action in that context
I know some here think he's a car salesman, but I still give him the benefit of the doubt for 1) having a vision and 2) executing that vision bit by bit.  Most people look at last year's 9-4 season as a letdown.  A few years ago, that would have been cause for a parade all through Happy Valley.

In this particular case, if it ends up with Clifford starting I kind of like the idea of continuity going into what could be a monster 2020 without having to break in a new starting quarterback for the 2nd year in a row.

 
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Transfer Portal is the New World of College Football. I guess we have to get used to it. Hard to believe another University would take a chance on Stevens with lack of resume and injury history. 

 
Audrey Snyder and Matt Brown of the Athletic have started a PSU podcast "Dear Old State".  I imagine this first episode will be a season overview/preview of the Idaho game. 

 
I found this article to be interesting.  It revolves more around Michigan and Jim Harbaugh, but there is a brief mention of Joe Pa and some quotes from Mike Mauti.

Hard To Beat The Cheaters

This is one area where I don't mind saying Harbaugh is exactly right.

 
Jutz said:
I found this article to be interesting.  It revolves more around Michigan and Jim Harbaugh, but there is a brief mention of Joe Pa and some quotes from Mike Mauti.

Hard To Beat The Cheaters

This is one area where I don't mind saying Harbaugh is exactly right.
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Its also why I don't like watching college football anymore.  The honest institutions usually don't have a shot.

 
Yes it's only Idaho but that's exactly the game you hope for against that caliber of competition. Get some live snaps for the young depth on the team. 

I'm pleased.

 
Here's your scouting report on the Buffalo Bulls.  Bulls are 1-0 after a snoozer blowout win over 1-AA Robert Morris.  UB went 10-2 (7-1) last year before choking away late leads in both the MAC title game and their bowl game.

That said, they lost nearly every contributor from that team.  Tyree Jackson (QB - MAC OPOY) went pro after his junior season, Anthony Johnson (2-time All-MAC WR) graduated, KJ Osborn (2nd-team All-MAC WR) transferred to Miami, Charlie Jones (#3 WR) transferred to Iowa, TE Tyler Mabry transferred to Maryland, and main 3 defensive leaders (Khalil Hodge, Cam Lewis, and Chuck Harris) all graduated.  As a result, this is a very different and likely much worse team than last year.  I expect them to be a middle-of-the-road .500-ish MAC team.

Redshirt freshman local kid Matt Myers won the open QB competition during camp and started last week.  He seems to be a solid athlete and ran for 47 yards while having limited opportunities to throw.  On the big stage at Penn State will be a massive, massive test.  The bright spot for the UB offense is the backfield, led by 2 star sophomore RBs.  It's a thunder-and-lightning type backfield with Jaret Patterson (5'9" 195) as the shiftier, smaller back and Kevin Marks (6'0" 200) as more of the bruiser.  The two combined for 165 yards on 25 carries against Robert Morris.  Patterson was MAC Freshman of the Year last year off a 1,013 yard, 14 TD season.  Marks wasn't far off, with 845 and 13 TDs last year.  Receiver is a giant question mark.  Antonio Nunn (Jr) is the only real returning WR with any experience, but only has 27 career receptions.  TE Zac Lefebvre was a favorite target of Myers during the Robert Morris game.  Bottom line, if Penn State can bottle up Patterson and Marks or jump out to an early lead, UB will probably struggle mightily.

Defensively, there are plenty of question marks as well.  Sophomore OLB James Patterson - the twin brother of the aforementioned Jaret - looks to be a star in the making, likely the closest player UB has had to Khalil Mack in years.  Started every game as a true freshman last year, led the team in TFL and forced fumbles and finished second in tackles.  Taylor Riggins (Jr) is a viable and productive returning DE.  Tyrone Hill (Jr) is a solid Safety who blossomed later last year.  But overall, this is a MAC defense going up against a top team.

Realistically, I was surprised the line opened at UB +22, because I didn't think it was enough.  The line is up to UB +30 now, which is probably fair.  I'd be surprised if Penn State doesn't win by at least 25.

 
Thanks @Steve Tasker!

Audrey Snyder reports:

Extra conditioning was going on afterward and TE Pat Freiermuth was on the field as well.
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In an earlier tweet, she mentioned that LB were doing extra up/downs and the RBs May have rolled to Bellefonte. It was because HCJF saw too much walking around at practice today. 

 
I agree with everything Tasker said, but I would add the O Line is also a strength on the team, returning 4 out of 5 starters.  Penn St should load up to stop the run and force UB to pass, and I doubt UB has the targets to do so.  If UB can estbalish the run, they can easily keep this a 2 score game.

 
Looked really flat in the first half.  Maybe not prepared or taking Buffalo for granted.  Good to see PSU stuffing the run to start the second half.  Forcing Buffalo to throw the ball seems to be working out pretty good.

 
joffer said:
@Maryland in two weeks is gonna be tough. They’re legit.
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Maryland follower checking in........

It's hard to tell how good Maryland is. Syracuse looked horrible yesterday, like they had never played before. I couldn't tell how much of that was MD and how much was Syracuse being awful (they also appeared to quit). And I'd throw out the Howard game, as they are bad in their own league.

That said, Maryland appears to have much more speed at the skill positions than they have had in years. 4 RBs had at least 50 yards and a TD. The team averaged almost 9 yards per play. And the QB, while not an efficiency machine, is good and doesn't get rattled. They have REALLY good TEs. I couldn't really tell how good the D is, because Syracuse was so inept.

That was Maryland's first home win against a ranked team in 9 years. I think they've still got a way to go, but I like the direction and think Locksely will kill it on recruiting.

The Terps have Temple next week in Philly. Temple murdered them last time they played, so we'll see. If they beat Temple, that Friday night game vs Penn State should be a fun atmosphere (especially since so many PSU grads live in DC).

 
Why can't Franklin and his staff seem to get their teams prepared?  Second week in a row they're playing an inferior opponent and they can't do a damn thing in the first half.

 
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