Congrats, Jimmy Clausen, for pulling off a near-perfect imitation of Chad Pennington (sans getting cheered when getting injured, which was pretty disgusting by Jets fans) for throwing to the flat about 8,000 times against Penn State. Not that I can blame you; for the second straight week, you had no running game and your offensive, while not blowing as many assignments as a week ago, gave up nearly 100 yards in penalties--that's not a joke, y'all. This o-line might be one of the worst in I-A football.
If there were one thing I'd critique ESPN's coverage of the game about, it was not highlighting what PSU's secondary looked like while Clausen dropped back time and time again. We have to assume that Clausen saw nothing to speak of downfield, hence the quick dumpoffs, particularly to the left (which ESPN did a good job emphasizing). I think Penn State knew that the Irish line were sitting ducks, and only had to throw a linebacker or two to pressure the QB and that was it, no chance of getting a drive going. Credit to that defense, which is awesome, for forcing so many three-and-outs, but credit too to Clausen for not making any costly mistakes or forcing the ball in a position where it's liable for a turnover.
Before the season started I didn't see ND winning in the Big House, and I still don't. But Michigan's defense ought to be less difficult than Penn State...well, then again, there's that o-line of ours...man do we suck.
Don't expect a victory until September 22nd, and then, maybe not another one until Nov. 3rd.
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I also saw most of the OSU game at a bar (and hopefully this is the last time we'll ever have to deal with the Big Ten Network carrying games), and it's becoming more and more clear that the offense has to straighten some things out before the big boys come around (and the way Washington is playing, they may come around as soon as this next weekend). After looking very comfortable against Youngstown State, Todd Boeckman was lackluster against a game Akron defense who picked the ball off a couple of times and got that thrilling safety early on in the game. Fortunately those were the only points the Zips picked up, as they had answer to a vicious OSU defense that completely outclassed them. James Lauranitis really enjoyed this one.
One thing about Ohio State football: there's no question it dominates the Columbus sports scene, but you'd think our local coverage would be a lot more comprehensive than just constant complaining. A week ago everyone here derided Beanie Wells for not doing great against Youngstown State; a week later, and hey! Our entire offense, all of a sudden, seems pretty young. And while they may be young they're still great athletes (as shown by true freshman Brandon Saine, who played extremely well in the second half) and they have to to their defense a favor in dominating time possession and organizing 2-3 successful drives against the Huskies. I have no idea how the spread formation works, but if Washington is half as fast as Oregon looked against Michigan, they'll pose a challenge for the Buckeyes D. More on that later this week.
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The Columbus Crew are bad.
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So are the Cubs; yes, they won today, but dropping two out of three against the Pirates? Sheesh. Show me something with this Cardinals series before I start sucking your popsicles, fellas, and then, show me some more, especially our pitching rotation! Very nervewracking, this Cubs squad.
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