Neil:
My biggest disappointments
against Ohio were the play of our
offensive and defensive lines.
I heard so much about the new
strength coach that I was hoping
the offensive line could run
block more effectively (I think
they did an OK job at pass protection).
I didn't see the guys getting
much of a push, and the running
game never seemed to get
any consistency. On the defensive
side, I was hoping for a better
job stopping the run.
Tod Jacobs
Reading, Mass.
Tod:
A game produces countless storylines,
even from quarter to quarter.
I agree with your one-game
assessment and am anxious for
more results before we can assess
a preliminary body of work.
I'm sure Ted Roof feels the
same way.
Neil:
It's only the opener, and
JoePa always said you can't
judge a team from its first game,
and it's important to see how a
team improves from game one
until game two.
Fortunately, or unfortunately,
we lost electrical power down
here midway through the third
quarter with Penn State trailing
17-14, and I had to call my parents
later to find out the final score.
Will Walk
Spring, Texas
Will:
Your softball is perfectly
lobbed: Penn State lost its power
after the first half, too.
Neil:
The first half gave us hope.
The second indicated how much
we lack depth. The team simply
wore down. Let's not even consider
the impact injuries may
have. If O'Brien can go .500, he'll
deserve at least honorable mention
for Coach of the Year.
Dave Semler, Reedsville
Dave:
The possibility of a .500 record
took a hit Saturday as most
would figured Ohio would be
one of the six wins.
Neil:
What happened to Ted Roof's
"aggressive, blitzing" scheme
that was going to be so fun to play
and so disruptive to offenses?
I didn't see much aggressiveness.
Neither did Michael
Robinson. After we got hammered
over and over with the
slant, he tweeted that we had to
either bump the WRs or get out
of the Cover 2. If we can't play D,
it's going to be a long season.
Rick Weber
Fort Myers, Fla.
Rick:
Mix in OU's two missed field
goals and the Lions' blocked
punt, and the score could have
been a lot worse.
Neil:
Another disappointment but
understandable. My concern is
with the D.
I heard a prominent college
football expert on Sirius/XM
(Bill King) question the hire of
Ted Roof as defensive coordinator
right after O'Brien brought
him on board. King felt the other
staff hires were quite good but
not Roof, sighting his past
record. One game does not fairly
evaluate, and I do like the
aggressive style. It should also
be pointed out that we lost talent
and are thin.
I'm not going to panic just yet.
Tim Muri
Naperville, Ill.
Tim:
Your thoughts reflect that of a
longtime PSU fan: When the
offense struggled, people understood.
When the defense struggled,
it was a crisis.
Neil Rudel will respond to brief
comments weekly in Gameday. He
can be reached at nrudel@ altoonamirror.
com. You can also follow
him on Twitter @neilrudel.
