Game #2 at Penn State Nittany Lions

[PSU_Lions_84]

You think so? The difference was three bad coverages an no offense on our side.

It felt to me you were pressing hard, with the potential to score. I haven't looked at the stats or anything yet, but you gained a whole bunch of yards. Your receivers hang onto a few passes, and the score would have been a lot closer.

[ZippyRulz]

You guys put a scare into us! Score does not indicate how close this game was. Your guys seemed a lot more relaxed than ours -- many of us were scratching our heads at how tight our guys seemed to be. I know this doesn't help, but you put together some good drives that you can build on for the rest of the season.

Rooting for you the rest of the season. PLEASE destroy Pitt in your game four!!

Thanks. I think PSU is going to cause major headaches in the Big 10 this year. I think most of our games will be close the rest of the way...hopefully we will solidify the "win small" stage of our development.

[UAZip0510]

Thanks. I think PSU is going to cause major headaches in the Big 10 this year. I think most of our games will be close the rest of the way...hopefully we will solidify the "win small" stage of our development.

Not trying to sound like a jerk, but why? If they're a top team in the Big Ten this year, the Big Ten has problems...

...but then again, maybe the Big Ten is that weak.

[Balsy]

It felt to me you were pressing hard, with the potential to score. I haven't looked at the stats or anything yet, but you gained a whole bunch of yards. Your receivers hang onto a few passes, and the score would have been a lot closer.

Thanks for stopping by, as I said before, you guys need to watch Hack. Hey's the key to you guys winning. Maybe not vs us, but the kids makes a couple of bad decisions. You've been very generous and kind, so don't take anything I'm about to say personally. I just really, really hate losing.

As for Zips fans:

Robert Stein > O'Leary...Stein should have been starting this game from the get go. Driving the field and coming away with 0 points is the only thing WORSE than driving the field and coming away with points that aren't numbered 7. I've seen enough of Jawon Chisholm to save me a lifetime. I'd rather see Hundley, Lawrence and Morgan play for the rest of the season. Don't give Big-10 refs the opportunity to screw you over, dive for the first down!

On the light side: This defense is the real deal, this defense is going to be the best in the MAC this year, and this team will be in the MAC championship game. Mark my words today 9/6/2014.

[Zipmeister]

Here's a thought.

THROW THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD!

[LZIp]

On the way back from State College. The fans were very nice, it was a beautiful day for some football, and the stadium and atmosphere was great obviously. Overall I am pretty pleased with the teams's play. I know Stein is no world beater, but you have to wonder what the coaches ever saw in O'Leary to start him over Stein. I really feel coming away with zero points after a GREAT opening drive was a huge momentum killer.

Thought Pohl and D'orazio played exceptional. Would have liked to see the O-Line play a little better, and MTB make a moderate to difficult catch for once. The defensive unit as a whole, I can't complain much. They played their asses off and those huge PSU targets for Hackenburg were a tough matchup. The got tired towards the end of the game.

Coaching can improve. WHY WHY WHY do our coaches refuse to put Pohl under center in short yardage situations and make Hundley start back farther and give the D more time to get into the backfield!?! I wish our D was more aggressive. Hackenburg had all day to throw. We have some nice LBs..let's let them make a play.

Hopefully March is okay. He was injured near our sideline when PSU was running hurry up in the early 4th I believe. There was no stoppage because he go to the sideline, so it may have been missed by observers.

[LZIp]

Edit - double post.

Beat Marshall.

[lance99]

Here's a thought.

THROW THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD!

I was thinking the same thing. Watching the game, I only saw ONCE that it happened!

The punt inside the 50 was the only thing worst.

[Buckzip]

This playing not to lose BS needs to stop.

[UA1987]

I'm pretty sure our coaching staff would like to play this one over. We had a shot and let it slip away. I have to say however, the better team won. Akron showed, again, they are a force and can be the better team for part of the game, even in a hostile Big Ten environment, but we are not quite there yet to upset a strong power conference team. Maybe soon. I was surprised how little difference Tommy Brown made. So much on the offensive line takes time and I think this was the difference in the game, besides the lost points on our first drive. Stein would get my nod kicking field goals from now on. Nothing to be embarrassed about in this one - just a lost opportunity. No need to hang your head ZipsNation, good times are coming.

[ZippyforPresident]

I really didn't see it as "playing not to lose." From what I was able to ascertain, these were two pretty closely matched football teams. This was evidenced by Akron's ability to stop the psu run game dead in its tracks without completely loading the box and our ability to generate good pressure on their quarterback by only rushing 4. We didn't really have to gamble a lot because we were getting pretty good pressure all game.

I also felt the offense was able to move the ball very well on numerous drives. Really, the problem was stalling in the red zone. I believe we were in the red zone 4 times. 3 points from 4 red zone appearances will likely win zero games.

In my opinion we could have ran the ball a little more than we did, but then again I'm sure I wasn't seeing exactly what AJ or Coach Bowden was seeing from the psu defense. They were showing a lot of blitzes and crazy stunts. For example, on a few plays they dropped all their lineman and rushed 4 linebackers.

Also don't understand the Chisolm hate. He was quick,explosive and agressive in the touches that he saw. As for the first down play - had it blown up on the big screen in 1080p - the green grass was waving hello between his toe and the sideline. Either way, that was a result of momentum, not ducking tacklers. He's a good back.

Good luck to the lions the rest of the way, they gave us the best that they had and fought hard for the win. However, had we executed as we should have offensively, the outcome may have been somewhat different.

In my humble opinion, it seemed like this loss had more to do with our failure to execute at opportune times than it did with Akron being overwhelmed or outclassed by the opponent.

[Z.I.P.]

Interesting. First Akron AFB game I think I've watched since the stadium opener vs IU. How different might this game have been if we could have punched the ball into the end zone on that first possession? You could argue that Bowden coached too conservatively, but most of the calls were able to keep us in the game until late. Too bad we had those two drops the first half -- that hurt!

[Balsy]

Let's learn from those drops, and catch them against Marshall.

[Balsy]

Interesting. First Akron AFB game I think I've watched since the stadium opener vs IU. How different might this game have been if we could have punched the ball into the end zone on that first possession? You could argue that Bowden coached too conservatively, but most of the calls were able to keep us in the game until late. Too bad we had those two drops the first half -- that hurt!

The Stadium opener was against Morgan State. Indiana was the 2nd game.

[Buckzip]

Tommy Brown is a decent MAC player but he is nothing special on the OL. If you saw how horrible the OSU OL was tonight and realize TB couldn't make the 2 deep, I think you may see my point.

[akzipper]

Ohio State losing. Makes me feel better about the Zips and Browns sucking it up this weekend.

[ZipFrom86]

While the team stayed with PSU most of the game, I agree that there were coaching decisions that hurt the team. You put the Penn St in long yardage situations, then go to a 3 man rush giving the QB all day to stand flat footed looking for receivers. On offense, the slants and crossing routes were unstoppable for a while and if there would have been the threat of a deep ball, would have stayed there. Still a very respectable showing - the score did not reflect the competitiveness of the teams.

[Dr Z]

Tommy Brown is a decent MAC player but he is nothing special on the OL. If you saw how horrible the OSU OL was tonight and realize TB couldn't make the 2 deep, I think you may see my point.

Does it make you feel better about your team losing by coming on a Zips website and demeaning one of our players? It's hard to evaluate from your tv set, but what I saw, he looked good. My question to fans that were at the game, was Tommy rotating, or did he get hurt? I noticed he wasn't in there for a series when the line gave up a sack from his side in the second quarter. During the first quarter I was ready to write big props to Pohl for improving the passes in the middle of the field where he has to lead receivers. As the game went on, he started struggling again with this issue missing some big plays. Other than this, a pretty big thing, he played really well. Like others I wonder why we didn't take our shots down field, I would be interested to hear AJ speak on this subject. I thought the defense played great, they made Hack look pedestrian at times, although PSU's play calling was odd to say the least. The posting in this thread saves me a lot of typing because my take on the game is like most posters. We need to tweak a few things, but I think they are obtainable, and I think we can compete for a Mac title, that's what most of us wanted to do this year, right? Two weeks to prepare for Marshall...I want a "w" bad.

Our biggest issue is the fact we went 1-of-3 in the redzone and 5-of-17 on third down. Fix that.

[Zipmeister]

Thanks for stopping by, as I said before, you guys need to watch Hack. Hey's the key to you guys winning. Maybe not vs us, but the kids makes a couple of bad decisions. You've been very generous and kind, so don't take anything I'm about to say personally. I just really, really hate losing.

As for Zips fans:

Robert Stein > O'Leary...Stein should have been starting this game from the get go. Driving the field and coming away with 0 points is the only thing WORSE than driving the field and coming away with points that aren't numbered 7. I've seen enough of Jawon Chisholm to save me a lifetime. I'd rather see Hundley, Lawrence and Morgan play for the rest of the season. Don't give Big-10 refs the opportunity to screw you over, dive for the first down!

On the light side: This defense is the real deal, this defense is going to be the best in the MAC this year, and this team will be in the MAC championship game. Mark my words today 9/6/2014.

Coaching decisions were a major factor in this loss. e.g. Put Lawrence in for one 13 yard run, take him out and let him watch the remainder of the game from the sideline.

This game was winnable.

[Balsy]

I still like Hakeem Lawrence over Jawon Chisholm. However I don't necessarily disagree with the coaching decisions, the only really bad one IMO was O'Leary starting over Robert Stein (wtf...WHY!?!?). I know coach wants to start grooming a replacement...but we still gotta win games THIS year.

We lost the Michigan game because of turnovers, and we were in good position to beat Michigan because of the turnovers we forced on Michigan. Pohl threw an interception last year while we were in the red zone. We should have come away with 7 instead nothing. That was a difference make. Playing conservatively kept the game close, and it worked. However it only wins you the game if your players execute. We had a lot of dropped passes (that hit hands) in the third quarter. THAT was the difference maker, not the coach decisions.

UCF tried running the ball more than passing, and it didn't work at all. I liked our game plan of pass-pass-pass-pass, draw play. It worked rather well with moving the ball. The only problem is, you're receivers got to catch the ball. Penn State's defense was not a very easy thing to beat. UCF also pressured more than we did, and Hackenberg ate them alive for 450 yards.

I remember turning to my girlfriend at halftime and saying "we really have a shot at this". That was mostly because, after watching the UCF game I thought the way the Zips were going to beat PSU was exactly the way we played. We need to execute better, and we have 14 days to learn from our mistakes and prepare for Marshall. Penn State is a difficult team to beat under any circumstances at home, now its time for us to gear up an beat a team @ home, and continue the home wi streak.

[LZIp]

My guess is that shots weren't taken down field because Pohl was running for his life all game.

[PSU_Lions_84]

Not trying to sound like a jerk, but why? If they're a top team in the Big Ten this year, the Big Ten has problems...

...but then again, maybe the Big Ten is that weak.

As you can see from the weekend's results, 0510, the B1G is that weak. I frankly don't care about the conference -- started watching Penn State as a 10-year-old in 1968, so have a lot of history with the Lions before they joined the B1G. Right now, that league might be third best in the country -- behind the SEC and Pac-12 -- and I'm okay with that as long as Penn State wins. Look at the voting for the 1994 national championship -- our undefeated team with probably one of the best offenses in collegiate history was not supported by our new conference mates.

As to yesterday's game, I had this thought during the game: You guys remind me a lot of some Penn State teams -- stout on front-7 defense, with some shakiness in the secondary, and an offense that does just enough to win games. The Zips played with confidence -- just couldn't find the end zone this game. The game broke our way only due to a couple blown coverages and your guys getting worn down towards the end of the game.

As for us, this clip probably sums it up: http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2014/9/6/6114827/christian-hackenbergs-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day

Shows Hack on the sideline phone saying to the upstairs booth "I don't know what the ---- we're doing" Some of that was due to the "Let's throw every offensive play on the wall, and see what sticks." and some of it was due to the Zip defense.

Bounce back against Marshall, destroy Pitt (please!), and have a great season.

Now, get to a place of worship and give thanks for many blessings.

GBU/GBA

[Dave in Green]

Thinking back to before this game, how many would have agreed that the Zips would be in good shape if they could hold PSU to 21 or fewer points? Only three teams last season were able to hold PSU to 21 or fewer points, and they all resulted in PSU losses. That 21 points was 7 less than Michigan scored against the Zips defense last season, but the Zips offense scored 24 against Michigan. The same 24 would have beaten PSU. It's frustrating to see the Zips offense less effective this season against PSU than last season against Michigan. But this season's Zips defense has so far proven to be everything we've been hoping for.

[GP1]

Like others I wonder why we didn't take our shots down field,

Before I say this, it isn't a knock on the team. I was very pleased with a lot of what I saw yesterday. I should say, most of what I saw. The Zips are a good team. However, if we are to improve as the season progresses, there are some things with the offense that need to be developed better.

After watching at least the first half yesterday, I think I understand why we don't throw down field. It's play calling. It's offensive rhythm. It's talent too.

First, the sequence of plays depends on how other plays are working. In older style offenses, running off tackle was the beginning of the offense. If you could run off tackle, it set up play action (big plays down field), it set up counters, it set up maybe a QB keeper off of faking off tackle, etc. The same ideas exist today, only from different styles of offense. I think one of our problems is we have not yet established a solid running game. Since we have not established a solid running game, teams aren't pressing the line of scrimmage and can use more players to cover down field. Play action, etc. is not available without establishing the running game better. This moves me to my second point.

We have a couple of good WRs, but not enough talent around them to threaten a really good team. Starting four WRs does not mean all four are really good. There is some speed, but not the physicality to compete at a high level down field in tight coverage. If we can't get the running game established on a higher level, we are asking our WRs to do some things they aren't quite equipped to do against high level competition.

I really, really like Pohl. Those of you on this Board who doubted him should be eating your words right about now and should be man enough to come on and admit how wrong you were. Smart, good accuracy, team rallies around him, good mobility, doesn't turn the ball over, carries himself with confidence, accepts coaching well, a good leader, etc. He does a lot of things that should win the Zips 6-7 games this year...maybe more....the team is a lot more talented than I expected. What Pohl doesn't have that is not a requirement in the MAC, but is for high level games is a strong arm. He can lay the ball in someone's arms fantastically. He can't fire a fastball into someone's arms. Without developing a better running game, he will struggle to complete passes down field because he needs fewer defenders in the backfield to help him compensate for his lack of are strength.

The next paragraph is about Pohl. So if you feel a sudden knee jerk reaction to defend a certain team, please save all of the annoyance of reading your stupidity and don't...... Since the Cheesecake Factory of College Football (tosu....Everything looks good, but the product really isn't that good. Invariably leaves those who think it is good with a stomach ache and leaves those who know better with the satisfaction that they haven't bought into the hype.) came up I'll make an analogy. Given the current circumstances, Pohl would be starting for the Cheesecake Factory of College Football today if he was on their team. That QB they have playing for them is garbage and doesn't have much talent around him either. They got smashed by an ACC team that won't even win that horrible team that won't even win their conference this year. VA Tech looked good not because of their team, but who they were playing. Urban is recruiting solid ACC talent and that's it. Pohl could easily start for half the teams in the ACC/Big Ten (there is no difference at this point). I hope those of you who go to the games appreciate how good he is and not sit there hoping to see the back up play so you can "see what he has".

Keep doing what you are doing Pohl. You are a damn good player.

Get your running game straightened out Zips and you can control your own destiny getting to the MAC Championship!

[Dave in Green]

Good analysis, GP1. The obvious question is what steps need to be taken to develop the running game to help open up a passing game that suits Pohl's abilities. How much is related to offensive line, how much to running backs and how much to play calling? Whoever on the Zips coaching staff is the brightest mind on the running game needs to step forward with offensive tweaks to best leverage Pohl's talents.