Michi....ewww....

[el_duderino]

Truth be told, this isn't how I envisioned it.

I had always hoped that this day would come when it really meant something to both teams, a la 2005 Ohio State.

The streak would finally end when both teams were fighting to truly be called the best.

Sadly, the streak is going to end with Michigan being nothing but a hollow-shell of the program it has once been gloriously deemed. Even far less than the team that showed up and upset Florida in the Capital One Bowl last season.

We're left to watch the heavyweight take on the asthmatic. It's going to be like watching a George Foreman bout, if Foreman were to put on the gloves tomorrow and fight.

This is not how it was supposed to be.

But here it is, Penn State at 7-0, #3 in the nation, and looking to take on any/all opponents who stand between us and a spot in the MNC. Michigan, on the other hand, is completely lost at 2-4, with the biggest win (a late rally over Wisconsin) looking less and less impressive with every passing week. And seriously, who the hell loses to Toledo? ...Nevermind - I retract that www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100246/100246481.htm... Point is, new-football-coach-to-hate Rodriguez is trying to force an under-talented team into a system that needs a ton of talent. And even then, it's not fool-proof.

The Michigan QBs have been hapless - not downright Zac Mills-ian, but very close. Their WRs are a who's-who core. And their only weapon is their running back - can you name him? That's what I thought. While there's still some question as to which QB will start (Threet vs Sheridan), it's rather a moot point. Neither are overly mobile or overly good throwing the ball. The D-Line will have their fun and the back 7 won't have too much to worry about.

Flip it around and the Michigan defense is decent. Ok, sometimes. You know, when you're not throwing the ball at them - Toledo's Nick Moore and his 20 receptions against them will be glad to tell you that much. And when you actually have a run game, well, they can struggle with that too, a little.

Thankfully, there is enough history here that will keep our players from even thinking of looking past this game to Ohio State. And while we have struggled at times at the outset of the game, this should start to be a blowout before halftime arrives.

The streak will end, but there will be no need for excessive celebration - we didn't rush the field for Temple, and at this point, Michigan probably would lose to the Owls as well. There will be no need to rush the field or start riots downtown. It's just another win this season where we were favored (by 24.5). And while I would have loved to ruin the season of a great Michigan team and leapfrog them to a better bowl, there's still something sweet with seeing them as nothing but a minor bump in the road on our quest for the MNC.

State wins this one handily, 45-3.

[el_duderino]

Remember back in the day, when you and your friend were the best at basketball (or whatever your sport of choice may be - just follow me on this one). And the loud, obnoxious guys thought that they would try to challenge you guys to a game. And you knew you'd blow them out of the water, so you'd play to 11 and give them a 10 point head start. Remember that?

That's exactly how I viewed the Michigan game during the first half.

Of course, for my heart's sake, it would've been nice of the coaches to let us know that they'd be spotting Michigan 10 points and a quarter to start the game.

But, alas, the good guys triumphed over evil - finally. And the big game is now on the horizon. It was, however, the perfect way to blow them out - give them a glittering chance of hope, and then crush them with no mercy. Which, sadly, we did show them mercy, and they still couldn't stop us. Let's get onto the grades, shall we?

QBs = A-: Clark looked sharp passing the ball, and his numbers probably would have been better if not for the barrage of drops by the receiving corps. Nonetheless, he never really panicked, never pressed, and continued to show his threat both passing and running with the ball. He's main dock is the fumble.

RBs = A: Royster is God. End of story. Green would be better if either they'd stop running him between the tackles, or if he'd learn to be more patient on those runs. Either way, his 80-yard TD on the screen pass showed why he continues to be a scary weapon.

WRs = A-: At Penn State, we're a polytheistic school. Therefore, Butler is God. And Norwood is like a semi-God. Both continue to get open and for the most part, make the catch. Williams was quiet, but that's not surprising when Butler continues to get and beat the match-ups.

OL = A: For the most part, opened up holes for Royster all day, and Clark was rarely ever pressured. No sacks allowed again.

DL = B: All the defensive positions lose a grade since all of them only played for 3/4 of the game. D-Line struggled mightily in that first quarter against the zone-read option and the change to the power back in Minor. They finally started to get settled in, and then just went to town - Maybin and Odrick with the big plays (fumble and safety). And Evans is finally starting to look like the Evans of 2007. That's going to be a scary combo of Maybin and Evans on the ends.

LB = B-: Honestly, there are times where the D-Line wouldn't have looked so bad if the linebackers could have hit their holes properly. And actually shed blocks. But alas, Sales, Hull, and Gbadyu all struggled at various points throughout the game. Hull finally started to show up in the second half - here's to hoping that it's "second-half" Hull that shows up at Columbus. Bowman is (yet another) God. And kudos to Mike Mauti on his play time - he really stepped up when we needed some stops, and he might be looking at an increase in play time if he can keep this up.

DB = Incomplete: Saw this elsewhere and thought it was fitting. Struggled at times against the power back early, then began to settle down. As for pass defense, a few mistakes early, but they settled in and kept everything to a minimum. However, they weren't challenged much at all in this one, so it's really hard to tell how "good" they actually were.

ST = A-: Outside of Kelly's missed FG, it was a fairly top-notch day on special teams. Kelly would hit a couple more FGs; Boone looks to be punting well again; Chaz Powell had some big kickoff returns; and Nate Stupar blocked a punt.

What else is there to say? The Michigan monkey has finally been removed ceremoniously from JoePa's back. One last monkey to dispose of...