14 I MONDAY, OCT. 11, 2010 Penn State is at a crossroads after a shocking loss to Illinois and could miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 2004 Reality setting By Andrew J. Cassavell COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER It didn't work A players-only meeting follow ing a 21-point loss at lowa made it clear Penn State's season was on the brink. The players were given the option of turning it around or suffering through a long season. An embarrassing 33-13 loss to the Illini gave Nittany Nation a good idea which of the two direc tions the team could be heading. Thoughts of top-tier New Year's Day bowl games have instead turned to the Insight or the Texas Bowl or even no post season at all. To Joe Paterno, however, the most frustrating part of the sea son hasn't been the results. It's been the lack of improvement from game to game. Offense doesn't improve By Brendan Monahan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Frustration reached its peak in the Penn State media room after Saturday's game. Joe Paterno was frustrated at his team's effort, frustrated at the mounting injuries, but notably, also frustrated at himself. The head coach said he did a poor job coaching in the 33-13 Illinois win. The Nittany Lions' offense, which has struggled converting short-yardage and red-zone oppor tunities, didn't consistently convert in those situations. On third downs, the stagnant Lions' offense was only successful in gaining first downs on two of 14 chances. 4 1 / 4 , -440 "We're not making any progress," Paterno said. "I thought by this stage we'd be a pretty good football team. I didn't think we'd be great, but I thought we'd be pretty good, and we're not getting any better. That's the discouraging part." Halfway through the season, that lack of progress makes the remaining schedule look far more difficult than it did in August, and Penn State could be underdogs in its three remaining home games. At Beaver Stadium, the Lions will face Michigan State, one of two unbeaten teams left in the Big Ten, along with Northwestern and Michigan, who suffered their first losses Saturday. Throw in a road trip in early November to current No. 1 Ohio State, and it means the Lions will have to beat at least one of those Part of the reason for the failures, aside from the players not execut ing, was the coaches. "Any time you lose you can point the finger at anybody else," Paterno said. "But I think [the coaching staff] could've probably done a better job somewhere down the line." Penn State's play calling appeared predictable to the Fighting Illini defense when the Lions got into the red zone. The stale Lions' offense is one of many major concerns for a 3-3 team with the potential of missing out on a bowl bid if it keeps on its current course. "If you're going to be honest with yourself, you got to start with the WRAP-UP in for PSU four teams simply to become bowl eligible. "That's obvious," said running back Evan Royster, whose 35 yards Saturday left him 93 shy of breaking Penn State's all-time rushing record. "If we don't start to win games, then we're not going to go to a bowl game, and nobody wants that." Senior captain 011ie Ogbu isn't looking that far into the future. First and foremost, he said, the Lions need to put their foot down before the season spirals out of control. "It's just one of those things where enough is enough enough is enough," Ogbu said. "Did you come to Penn State to lose, or did you come to be a win ner? Each person has to reevalu ate and check themsebies and come with a winning attitude." Ogbu added he wasn't plan coaches," quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said. Joe Paterno said going into the game, he felt his team was pre pared for the red zone. Both oppor tunities inside the 20-yard line came after Illinois' return man, Jack Ramsey, fumbled two punts. The first Penn State attempt started at the Illinois 23-yard line, and the Lions made their way to the Mini five-yard line on three run plays and a pitch to running back Silas Redd. An illegal procedure penalty due to wide receivers Justin Brown and Derek Moye mix ing up the play call and an incom plete pass attempt resulted in three points and no touchdown. See OFFENSE, Page 9. Sarah Finnegan/Collegian ning on gathering the team this week, saying, "We're not going to have any more secret meetings or this or that. We've got to come lace it up in practice." During his postgame press conference, Paterno wondered aloud whether the coaching staff was doing its job of putting the best players on the field. With a slew of injuries, specifically to the defense, that task could become even more difficult in the coming weeks. Offensively, the answers are a little less clear than simply get ting healthier. The Illini dominat ed time of possession and Penn State managed only seven first downs. The same problems are per sisting, too. Much of the focus has been on red zone offense and the Lions See LOSS, Page 9. Sarah Finnegan/Collegian Devon Smith has been one of the few bright spots for the offense. Report Card: Illinois 33, Penn State 13 POSITION Quarterbacks D Running backs C- Wide receivers C Offensive line F Defensive line F Linebackers C- Secondary D Special teams B+ THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Team falling apart By Nate Mink NEVER has a youth move ment toward tomorrow looked so stale. Check the label on the 2010 season, expiration date Oct. 9 , Are we headed back to the early 2000 s, the dark ages, a futile pro gram? Can't say after just one game, especially with a patchwork defense. But you're starting to see signs of real trouble, players' faces puckering up, being forced to swallow the sour milk the coaching staff has refrigerated for years. Predictable, conservative play-calling and an egregious offensive line that can't knock anyone off the ball does not bode well for an offense. Soft zone with slow linebackers hung out to dry in pass cover age and a unit absent of play makers won't do an offense any favors. Forget being out-schemed, out-manned, out-executed. Penn State is defeating itself, its staff losing its players that won't believe the boring, outdated propaganda, that see the restrictions on their talent And it's ruining the psyche of this young, fragile team. Players are discreetly questioning coaching, they feel the shackle and bolt of unimaginative play calls and they're losing patience, desperately reaching for a reason to care when a coaching staff handicaps their potential. Twice Illinois cornerback Jack Ramsey fumbled a punt, which Penn State recovered deep in thin territory. On the first chance, creativity budded for a second with a shotgun pitch to Silas Redd that let him operate in space and pick up eight yards. On second down, running coordinator Galen Hall calls for Redd up the middle. No gain. Third down, passing coor dinator Jay Paterno has Rob See MINK, Page 9. COMMENTS Take away the 80-yard 1D and Bolden was 7- for-20 for 62 yards and a pick. Saturday marked his worst performance yet. Royster and Redd found a few holes, but they weren't on the field enough to make a real difference in the game. Another big day for Moye, but overall, the routes were too sloppy to help out a young quarterback. Most of the reason for the difference in time of possession was the line's inability to get a push. It halted several PSU drives. Because of injuries,•the Nine of Jones-Terry- Still-Latham was getting significant minutes late. Not exactly the "Sack Exchange." Khairi Fortt impressed with 11 tackles in his first start, but the Illini still ran all over the Penn State defense. More missed tackles from the unit, and they couldn't intercept a young Nathan Scheelhaase. The RS freshman was Ifor-19 Wagner made both his field goals, and the kicking teams forced three fumbles the lone bright spot on the afternoon. MY OPINION
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