oregon state

[phillyfiend]

it was another big win, as in by a wide margin.
however, still need the experts grades on all positions.
i thought overall they did a great job all around. the lbs and dbs seemed a little off. but im a baseball guy what do i know.

i go back to the phils haha

[el_duderino]

I made this a regular thing on my LJ. But seeing how I haven't found the time to update that in about a month now, I'll move my weekly assessments over here....

On paper, this was supposed to be a decent game - made moreso by an ever-thinning D-Line. However, the game was played on grass instead of paper this time, and it quickly became apparent that Penn State is much better on the green surface. Offensively, you really can't ask for much more - the team was able to show some of it's weapons while being able to keep a few cards hidden for later games. The defense played well - more room to grow, but they've already shown some signs of growth from week 1. On to the grades...

QB: A-; Daryll Clark was able to show a bit more of what he is capable of. Passing-wise, he's still a bit off - throwing balls a bit too high/too hard sometimes. But he's hitting the throws when he needs to. As well, we finally got to see his scrambling, and I'm more impressed at the situations he chose to run moreso than the actual running. Very smart decisions, and that's what will help us win those big games. Devlin got some junk time, and he really didn't get a chance to show anything. Would have preferred some more real playing time for him, but we'll see how Syracuse and Temple go.

RB: A-; Royster's fumble is really the only thing that keeps this from a top grade. Other than that, Royster has really turned into a special sort of back - finally, a high school recruit that fully plays up to his 4-star ranking. Big numbers all around for him, and I expect more of the same in the coming weeks.

Not sure why Green was used in up-the-gut runs when he's more of a perimeter speed guy, but at the end of the day, it wasn't needed.

WR: A-; It's going to be another season where every other week will be "the week" for one of the 3. This time, it was Norwood in the slot. And as long as teams want to put a safety or LB on Norwood, I'll take the matchup. But figure they'll mix-up coverage and Butler and D-Will will be called upon - and while it was only 3 total catches for the them, they showed up when needed. And how about some love for TE Mickey Shuler - some big catches for a team that was to live by it's WRs.

However, the grade really goes up for the blocking for the WRs. Williams and Brackett lead the way, and they really do a great job of opening up running lanes down the field. Often over looked, but still very important.

OL: A-; A few struggles on run blocking at times, but otherwise, it was another very solid performance. Another clean week with no sacks allowed, and holes galore for Royster. If they can keep this up, our offense will be able to keep up with anyone in the nation.

DL: B; The lack of depth hurt them at times, and losing Jerome Hayes (poor kid) won't help. Decent pressure for much of the day, but they could clean up their run stopping a bit. Oregon State has an underrated RB, but we still could have played better. Hopefully once Evans and Koroma are back, the line will return some of its dominance.

LB: B; Hull looked better in the middle (the INT helps), Sales played much better, and Stupar put his name in the hat with the punt "block". But it's Navarro Bowman who has really stepped it up big, even without being an every-down player. Tied for the team lead 10 tackles during the game, Bowman seemed to be everywhere. Not that Gbadyu is bad, but Bowman deserves the bulk of the playing time at this point - another game or two like this he's earned it.

DB: B+; For a team that put up 400+ yards of passing in week one, holding the Beavers to 250 is quite the accomplishment. Especially for one that didn't use A.J. Wallace for any noticeable time. Rubin's INT helps here (so does his history of beating Michael Phelps at swimming), and Drew Astorino played very well. Scirotto is still strong, and Tony Davis continues to be a rock-solid performer since his return to CB.

ST/IN: B+; Nothing too spectacular this week, but solid all the same. Kevin Kelly just missed a 60-yd FG - if it was 57, it would have been 3 more on the board. And outside of Stupar's "punt block", it was a very average game for the special teams. As for coaching, nice to see the offensive playbook open up a bit, while not showing everything (or so I hope). My only hope is that the second stringers could have seen more meaningful play time. But there's still a chance of that in the next 2 weeks.

So overall, it was a very strong showing against a worthwhile Pac-10 opponent. And considering the early/late struggles of the other Big 10 teams against cupcake opponents, it really puts the Lions in the hunt for a big season. If this team can stay healthy and out of trouble, that 3 game stretch in October could be a lot more interesting than many may have expected.