The placed coined as “Happy Valley”, tucked into the rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania, has been in rebuild/survival mode for about a year now. What this recent off-week brings to mind is what took place during last season’s week off. The Sandusky Scandal broke, Figureheads defended their reputations, and the darkest days in Penn State history ensued. Luckily for those who care about the program and university, PSU hired Bill O’Brien as Head Coach after the end of the 2011 season, and a disastrous separation with Joe Paterno. Since the time of O’Brien’s arrival, changes and great strides have taken place. A program looking for a new identity has found one in their new head man.
What seems to be a more modern Penn State team, is finding success in their new scheme. They are riding high on a current 4 game win streak since starting 0-2, and appearing to be the team everyone expected. Among the reasons for the lack of expectation was the departure of many key players, like starting RB Silas Redd. Every aspect of the program appeared to be in limbo, or at least in shambles. What is clear through 6 games of the season is that this Penn State team is following the lead of tremendous leadership. Bill O’Brien’s prints are all over this program just as the paw logo appears on the faces of many on any given fall Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Regardless of the opinions of many that surround the Penn State football program over the last 12 months, one fact is that this current group of players and coaches are something to recognize. I would like to think my beliefs about Penn State remain football related. That does not mean I ignore what took place, the lives that were terribly changed, and the recklessness that unfortunately ruined the reputations of many. Of the many who have in some way shape or form taken a blow from the after-effects of the Sandusky scandal, stands the most uninvolved of any, the current crop of players. Though, The Nittany Lions were in some ways perfectly constructed to with-stand a blow like this better than most.
The Penn State family, which in some cases runs three generations deep, has relied on the leadership of guys like Senior Linebacker, Michael Mauti. Mauti, along with many other core players who chose to stay when sanctions allowed their transfer, have in some ways reaped the reward by staying through the scandal. Mauti has racked up Defensive Player of the Week honors during the current run, and also Midseason All-American honors.
Much like I wonder about Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers, I wonder how someone like Matt McGloin can struggle so terribly, and now appear to have found what he was looking for all along. McGloin leads the Big10 in touchdown passes (12), and only has 2 interceptions. So how is this working? Through six games Matt McGloin has passed for 1,499 yards, and has even rushed for five touchdowns this season. McGloin needs just 73 passing yards to set a new career high for passing yards in a season and three touchdown passes to set a new career high for touchdowns. This is actually his first time serving as Penn State’s full-time starting quarterback. No Rob Bolden looking over his shoulder this year.
With all the reference to statistics, it is clear how evident Head Coach Bill O’Brien has been a part of McGloin’s maturation. The undersized PSU Quarterback has found a comfort zone in O’Brien’s offense. As much as McGloin’s comfort level is visible, this trend appears to have extended through the entire locker room. There has been a clear resemblance to the numbers and play types seen in New England during O’Brien’s 6 year tenure.
Clock management has been one area where this team has helped their own cause. The Penn State Offense has sustained long drives and has capitalized on many of those drives. The always impressive PSU offensive line has kept McGloin clean on those long drives, and giving him more time has allowed him to make better decisions. The September 22nd meeting against Temple was an early showcase for what McGloin and the Lion offense was capable of. Besides the 315 yards put up in the air, one area of growth was seeing McGloin’s willingness to run, especially on tough goal line situations where he scored twice against the Owls. This system has created what every player on this team needed the most, confidence.
The successes are evidence of what putting a player in the right position can do. I for one never thought that any imposed penalty could keep any program down that shows as much resiliency as this program has. Clearly, recruiting has been unaffected for the most part. Top prospects like Christian Hackenberg have committed to PSU and more specifically Bill O’Brien. Hackenberg will be returning to the state in which he was born, and will be joined by high recruited Tight End, Adam Breneman. Breneman, who has been adamant about his goals at PSU, is going to be one of the future players called on to carry this program to a brighter place. This sort of stability and dedication is exactly why this Penn State program can survive. These current players, coaches, and commits are exactly why Penn state should survive.
